5 Steps for Pain-free Transfer to a New Web Host
Are you thinking of transferring to a new web hosting company? Here are 5 easy steps to guide you. Chose the right hosting plan - carefully check the details of the hosting plans available...
1. Chose the right hosting plan - carefully check the details of the hosting plans available. Think about your requirements (disk space, bandwidth). Depending on the host you chose, your hosting account will typically be set up within 24 hours. FamiliarHosting sets up new accounts as soon as the payment is verified (typically within a few hours).
2. Files backup - download all files to your computer from your web host using an FTP utility (for example SmartFTP). If you are using Dreamweaver - you will need to use GET command to get a copy of your files; if you are using FrontPage - use the import feature to copy your old website. You will need to make a back-up of all HTML files, databases files, server logs, scripts etc. If you do not want to experience any downtime of your website, make sure that you keep a copy of your files on the old host while you transfer to a new one.
3. Uploading files - once your web hosting account is set up, you will get a notification email from your web host. The email will contain all the required information to set up your website. Use the FTP information to FTP to your new hosting server and upload all the files. You can also set up all the email accounts; install scripts and databases (if you are using any on your website). Dreamweaver: define your site and use PUT command to transfer your files and html pages. FrontPage: create a new Web from the files that you have imported from your old host and publish them to the new host. Dreamweaver and FrontPage make it very easy to transfer the websites from one host to another. You can also transfer the web pages manually by right-clicking on the web page you are viewing and selecting "view/source". This will open up in Notepad. Save the file somewhere on your PC as a HTML file. Please note that images have to be saved separately. Once finished, use the temporary URL provided in your welcome email from your web host to test the website.
4. Transfer domain name - go to your domain name registrar website (or contact them via email) and change the DNS settings (Domain Name Server) to point your domain to the new nameservers. This information will be included in your welcome email after you sign up for your web hosting account. You should be able to see your new website on the new server within 1-2 days after the DNS settings are being changes and propagated through WHOIS servers. At this point, keep your existing services such as email forwarding, web points etc on your old domain name to ensure continuity of your service. You can monitor the status of the DNS transfer using WHOIS tools.
5. Test - check that your new website is working fine. And if so, you can go ahead and delete your old hosting account.
