This Step-By-Step Guide will Make it Easy

If the thought of changing your site from one host to another makes you uneasy, you are not alone. A move of any kind, whether you’re moving to a new house or switching your domain, either can be a hectic event if the proper procedures are not followed. Many webmasters hate the thought of doing this so we have made it easy to do if you just follow these steps.

Make Backups Regularly!

If you’ve been making regular backups, you have got insurance to fall back on, yet be sure to always make the backup of your latest files, if your site is database driven, make a database backup at least once a day. If you have not made a backup, please stop and do a backup right now. Go ahead and backup everything you possibly can and don’t forget to do your database too if your site uses one. Keep two copies and file them separately. One file for you to make changes on, and the other as an archive of your site, always keep a weekly backup on a flash disk or something separated form your computer.. You may not realize how easy it is to copy over the files as you make your changes or simply if you have messed it up. If you are planning to move to a host who uses a different style control panel, you can make a backup manually by downloading all your files. Different control panels may not be able to restore the backups that were made by your old hosting provider. Most hosts have different directory structures so your file trees will be all out of order to work with your new host. If you need to, making a note file with notepad with notes to help you remember the way the old server configurations were set up. This will aid you as you make changes on your new host server and save the confusion from moving back and forth between the different hosts. Don’t forget to make the correct transfer type either ASCII or Binary, as you proceed with your download. If the download is not right, most likely you’ll have a rough time getting your site to work with the new host server. If server logs are important to you, remember to make a backup of those too. There is no easy way to move your logs yet as different hosts may log your statistics differently. The best thing to do in this case is to download the log and use an analyzer for logs that you have on your computer to reference later on.

Get Everything Together

1. Make sure you have a good FTP program to connect to the different servers.
2. Find out what your new host server’s DNS settings are. (The nameservers.)
3. It can be helpful to have a script that tells you what the server environments installed on your new host’s server for easy reference later on.
4. Get a temporary URL set up on your new host and you can check out your site before making the DNS change. (Means use the IP, ex.: http://IP/~Username/)
5. If you have your current host control the domain, let them know that they are not to change your DNS (nameservers) until you tell them to do so.
6. If you run scripts on the site you are moving:
You will need a copy of the original installation guide as well as the script. After moving the scripts, they usually just don’t work quite right. You may have to install the script from the beginning again.
Get a list of the server paths like; Perl, Sendmail and the home directory that exist on the new server.
If your script requires a special server module or other program, make sure they are installed and where they are located. Sometimes these things may be covered before you ordered your account with the host, but frequently your host will remove it or they just haven’t installed it yet.

Tell Your Visitors about the Upcoming Changes

It is good practice to let the people who view your site know about the server move. If you operate an e-store, this will help assure your customers you have not ran off with their hard earned money if there is any downtime during the move. Also provide a second email address so you will not lose your emails during the transfer. You might also want to send updates before, during (incase there is downtime) and when you are finished. If your website is big, it will help because your visitors will alert you if there is a part of the site that is not working.
On the moving day, schedule the move for a time when there is the least traffic. Make sure to backup again right before you make the move. This will give you the latest data for your site. First copy or create your custom error pages onto your new host’s server. You can put a small note in that file about the move. It can always be removed later. Next, upload the main pages of your site and then you can move on to the less important areas of your site. If your site is large and has many areas you can split them across several days and do the opposite and move the least critical sections first. Just be sure to always make a backup before you begin your move. You can use the other URL that is temporary to check your sites functions, visiting as many pages as you see need to making sure everything is right.

Switching the DNS to the New Host

Once you are happy with your site, change over your DNS settings. This can take up to 48 hours so you have time to still make some changes if you have to. You could also take this time to change your old website’s error pages to let your visitors know of the move also giving them a new URL if there has been any URL changes. To help you find out if the DNS has been switched to your settings, make a small change on your site to differentiate between the old DNS and the new DNS. Check after you have made the move and the DNS is resolved, do not let go of the old account just yet. You will want to keep it another two weeks running concurrently. Go back and check the old servers to see if there has been any activity. Check the old email address, and if you have a contact method that is web based on the old server, check to see if any communication has been made there. Once you know that all communications and traffic is directed to your new host’s server, then you can proceed with canceling that account.