You always have the right to change your web hosting provider whenever you want. Sometimes your current host provider’s equipment becomes outdated and you end up with a lot of site down time. Then perhaps another reason is, you have just found a cheaper host. If you have paid your current host by the year, you should make sure that you did not lock yourself into a yearly contract and will not be able to get your unused money back. Host changing is not an easy job, so do give it some serious thought, that it is really what you want to do. You can run into all kinds of issues. The following are some steps that you can take to help your transition go smoothly. Do not terminate your current plan until each of these steps has been fully carried out.
STEP ONE
Once you have decided you are going to be changing hosts then you must take your time with the transfer. If you rush it, there is a good chance you may make some mistakes. These could be costly mistakes and as result, keep your site down until you get them straightened out. You are going to want to download every single file you have in your website, including your html and graphic files. You will know that all of your files have been stored in a precise directory structure. Be sure and follow this exact structure as you download.
Step Two
Once you sign up with a new host, it takes around 24 hours for them to get you up and running. Once of the requirements is going to be to have to switch your domain name over to your new provider. It would be wise if you did this yourself, as you do not want the transfer before all the files are transferred otherwise your site will be down for too long. Remember when choosing your new web hosting provider what your requirements are for your site. If the new provider cannot meet your needs then this is not where you want to be.
Step Three
Everyone pretty well knows that backup of everything is necessary on the computer. The same applies for your web files. It is a good idea to make two copies of them. One you can use as your working copy. If something goes wrong then you always have another copy to work with. Your backup should be consistent with the files from the old web server as well as that directory structure.
Step Four
Your new host probably gave you a temporary log in section. It will not be activated yet for publishing. You can transfer all your files over while you are waiting for this. Then once the transfer takes place all of your work will be done. Make sure to create a catchall email address so you do not miss any incoming site mail.
Step Five
When you do your domain name change, you are not actually changing the name itself. It is like putting in a change of address when you move from your residence. So the only thing really changing is the server information.
Step Six
It is very important that you watch to ensure that you get email confirmations about the change of your domain location. It usually takes about 24-48 hours before any change is noticed by you or your visitors. This is called the propagation period. You do not want to be sitting waiting for this and there had been a problem that is why the confirmation emails are so very important. So once you have completed all these steps successfully then it is safe to cancel your previous web host provider.
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