It is quite common to switch from one web host to another. This may be necessary if your site grows to popularity and your current host can no longer meet its requirements. Perhaps they do not have enough storage space or bandwidth to support your content and traffic. Maybe you want to start another business but the current provider only allows you to host a single domain. Or maybe you found a company that is much more affordable. Whatever the case, before moving your content to another host, it important to plan ahead to make the transition as smooth as possible.
The first part of your plan, is to of course, find a new provider. After finding a web host that can support the needs of your new and improved site, the next thing you should do is backup the current content so that it can be transferred to the new server. Although you may want to change the look and feel of your site, a lot of your content may still be relevant so backing it up is critical.
After moving to the new host, it’s a good rule of thumb to use a redirect page from your old site to automatically forward visitors the new one. By doing this you can assure that your visitors can still access your site even if the IP address has not yet propagated over, something that will help to prevent the possible loss of sales. You should use this format for the first 48 hours following the move as it usually takes about that long for a new website to be listed on most domain servers over the web.
Here are a few more recommendations that will make your transition to a new host quick and easy:
- Inquire within the new web hosting company to learn if they’re running on the Windows or Linux platform. This is very critical as incompatibility may cause problems when moving from the old host.
- Find out approximately how much storage you’ll need for the files and content on your current website. Make sure the new host has enough space to support the further growth and development of your site.
- Check to see how much bandwidth the new host offers. If your site has grown significantly, bandwidth is critical as your site can endure serious performance issues without enough of it.
- Make sure the new host offers the same features you had before. In most cases, you’ll be looking for even more features. For instance, if your current site was published with Frontpage extensions, finding a new host with this feature will make creating your new website much easier.
- Find out if the new provider uses a shared or dedicated server. While shared web hosting plans are pretty reliable, they are more likely to experience server issues due to the number of sites being hosted.
- Lastly, look for reviews and customer feedback about the new hosting company before signing up. This will give you a good idea of what to expect.
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