Changing your Website Hosting Provider in 5 Easy Steps

When it comes to web hosting for a business website, companies don’t have many options. Companies need to get the exact requirements they have from hosting services. Because this is one aspect on which they can’t compromise. For new entrants in the market and aspiring entrepreneurs, it is important to learn the basics of this.

What is mean by the host and what it can do for companies looking to make their websites accessible to everyone using the internet? The word host literally means a person who entertains guests. When we talk about hosts in terms of online hosting services for companies. It is related to how companies can host their websites online on servers, where the data that they want to display to their customers is stored.

More Basic Information about Why Hosting is Required?

Ideally, every one of us would want free hosting for our websites. You can still get free hosting offered by several companies, but the result will not be what you have in mind. For businesses, special those in e-commerce transactions or online shopping portals, this is simply not the service they would like to have.

The reason that free online hosting is not feasible for businesses is that there are very limited features and facilities provide to customers. After all, the services are offering you free web hosting, so you really cannot ask for anything more. But when you pay for a service, you can ask them for time to provide whatever facilities or features you like. For what can be beneficial for your company right now or in the long run.

Some Reasons Why Online Hosting Services are Required

Even for small businesses and startups, there are a number of reasons why premium online hosting services are required. Because you never know how much bandwidth for space you will need in the future, the support from the very best in the business will make your venture take off the way you have envisioned it. But imagine a scenario where a hosting service is simply not opening your services promised, and now you want to migrate to another hosting service.

The scenario mentioned above is not something that you can complete very easily. There are several aspects for which you need to know some technical details to change your website hosting provider.

Businesses can face multiple scenarios in which they would like to move on from one server to another. The scenario can range from your domain name having been registered by a third-party domain registrar. And you want to move between website hosting partners to a scenario where your domain name is registered via your present host.

Let us start from the first scenario that most businesses face and offer you all the information to make a move.

How to Make the Move?

The first scenario that I have mentioned is probably the easiest when you want to move from one web hosting service to another. The other scenarios are too technical so you will have a tough time dealing with them.

You can get your goal by checking out the four steps mentioned below. Keep in mind that this seemingly easy-looking task can go around without any real warning. So, if you have any doubt that you cannot do the process yourself are facing difficulty. You must opt for a hosting service or consultant in this concern. Imotion reviews and going through other such websites is one good way in this regard.

Please remember that this is one of the most basic ways to make a move from one server to another. With changing times, there are other methods available too, but they are very much complicated. That’s why I have stuck to the basic one.

Step 1: Copying of Files

Use the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to copy files on your webserver to your computer. You also need to check out the database on your website; if there is anything available. You have to take a backup of that database too. Please keep in mind that FTP is one of the oldest internet protocols. And you may face some difficulties in using it properly for the first time.

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Step 2: Creating a New Site 

In the second step, you need to get your new hosting account and copy all the files from your current destination to the new server. Restoring your data to a new database is highly recommend. Also, the creation of new email accounts Is another requirement. One thing to look out for here is to create email addresses exactly the same as the previous ones.

Step 3: Testing the New Site

You need to think about seriously taking out the new website because any error or blemish during the process will be identified. You need to ensure many aspects, particularly the internal links. One easy way to go about this process is to alter the homepage with some new content or image. This will make it easy for you to recognize which version you are looking at.

Step 4: Resetting the DNS

Change the name servers to that of your new website hosting provided with the help of your domain name registrar. Ideally, this process should take 1 to 2 days, that is, 24 to 48 hours. But there can be a scenario where it could take more time. Don’t panic as this is usual and can happen all the time. During this step, some of your visitors would be able to see the old site. And some of them will browse through the new one; this is also a possibility, so you have to bear with this.

Step 5: Terminating the Old Website Hosting Provider

This is the time when you can conveniently tell your previous hosting provider that you don’t wish to continue their services. You need to make your timing right so that you don’t have to pay for duplicate keys for multiple months.

Over to you

The process of changing hosting service from your old to the new one sounds very technical, but it isn’t. If you have just the know-how of how the internet works, you will be easily able to complete the process on your own. But don’t take any chance when doing it for the first time. And get consultancy services from experts for a smooth process.

If you think that you can add something valuable to this blog or want to ask any questions, you are more than welcome. For any feedback, too, please use the comments section below.