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10 Smart Steps to Ease the Pain of Changing Web Hosts
By Jeff Petry
I can feel my temperature beginning to rise as I think
about this topic. One of the most frustrating aspects
of having a website and doing business on the Net rears
its ugly head once one comes to the realization that
it can be put off no longer: I've got to change Web
Hosts! Enough is enough!
Whatever the reasons that have inspired
this decision, be it horrible customer service or lack
of competent technical support, unbearable downtimes
on the old host, or an awareness that you could be getting
a much better deal elsewhere, the time has come to pull
up roots and find a new home for you website.
Well then, so be it. Accept it and
look at the bright side: you will (hopefully) be leaving
your old troubles behind, getting a much better deal
and superior service from your new host, and
it is a good time to perform some much overdue housekeeping
on your website(s), anyway.
How, then to change Web Hosts as
painlessly as possible, with little or no downtime,
and without losing too much ground on the business,
promotion, and site location fronts? The answer is easy:
| 1) |
Carefully follow
a checklist of what to do, in what order, and what
not to forget or overlook; a list such as this,
for example. And the first item is: Print out or
write down this checklist and keep a log of everything
you do and still need to do. Sometimes hard
copy is best, and this is one of those times. |
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| 2) |
Then: Backup, backup, backup.
Did I say backup? Yes, backup your website - all
pages, images, files, databases, scripts, email
addresses, links - everything. Then, back it up
again. If your site is not exceedingly huge, this
will not take that long, and you will thank yourself
(and me!) over and over again when you can no
longer access your site on your old Web Host for
whatever reasons.
I like to have one copy of
my site on the server, one on my hard drive, and
one burned onto a CD. This is a good habit to
get into, especially if you revise your site frequently.
You'll save yourself a world of grief and precious
time that could be much better spent on "real
work." Don't forget about auto responders, CGI
routines, Emails and Aliases, or anything else
that may be on your old host, including any databases
you may have.
Be sure that you have a backup
of everything. You have been warned.
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| 3) |
Find another Web
Host. (See our articles on Choosing
the Right Web Host for Your Site). Be sure to
do your homework and research thoroughly so you
won't have to go through all this again. Be sure
they have all the features you need and a refund
policy just in case things don't work out with them.
There is no point in moving to a new house that
is more rundown than your old one. Check them out
as closely as possible using the techniques we discuss
in our articles here on HostSearch. |
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| 4) |
Once you have your new account,
upload your website and all related files, programs,
and scripts. Setup any database(s) you may have,
as well as email accounts, subdomains, storefronts
and credit card processing if you use them.
You will be allocated an IP
number from the new hosting company. Take time
to debug and test the new site from the individual
IP number since you have not yet transferred your
domain name.
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| 5) |
After your site is entirely
debugged and you verify that all site functionality
is operative, contact your registrar and transfer
your domain name from your old to your new host.
To do this, you first need to change the DNS server
details, which is pretty easy to do.
Obtain the Primary and Secondary
Nameserver details from your new Web Host. Go
to your domain registrar's site (the site where
you registered your domain name) and login into
your control panel, which is now offered by most
of the domain registrars. In the control panel,
look for the 'DNS', 'Nameserver' or 'Delegation'
option and replace the previous Nameserver details
with the new ones from your new host.
Some domain registrars confirm
these changes by sending an email to the address
you designated when registering that domain. You
will need to reply using that email address. Many
Web Hosts offer a free domain transfer service
and will make the necessary transfer changes for
you. The domain transfer usually takes 24 to 72
hours. If it is taking longer than this, begin
looking into it.
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| 6) |
Wait for the domain name to
transfer and propagate throughout the universe
(I always loved that expression!) before proceeding
to the next step. During this DNS transition period,
which is referred to as the "propagation period,"
your website will be resolved by both your new
and old host, as new DNS information about your
site disseminates through the Internet worldwide.
It typically takes about 1-2 weeks for the transfer
to fully propagate around the Internet, so keep
your old site running in case you get visitors
whose ISP's Nameservers haven't updated yet.
It is critical that you retain
both your old and new hosting services during
your web hosting transition. You will need to
check your e-mail from both hosts during this
time, since some regions of the Internet will
direct e-mail to your old host, while other regions
will start sending mail to your new server earlier
during the transition.
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| 7) |
Test your new site
thoroughly. This means checking all the links, emails,
scripts, databases, images, and related files. Your
site should be 100% functional before proceeding
to the next step. |
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| 8) |
Now - and not before
- is the time to cancel your old account. Canceling
before this point can present you with unexpected
troubles, not the least of which can be brought
on by your old host. Hopefully, your domain was
not registered in their name, which some unscrupulous
hosts have been known to do. The best policy is
to do as much yourself as possible, especially
when it comes to any registrations - it is your
website, after all, not theirs!
Make sure to only pull the
plug on your old account when e-mail stops arriving
from your old server.
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| 9) |
Demand any refunds that are
fitting from your old Web Host. Since you were
obviously dissatisfied with their services, you
should be due something. Use whatever resources
are at your disposal to get them to pay, which
will probably be difficult, but should
be done by all those unhappy with services promised
and not delivered.
Otherwise, these unscrupulous
companies just carry on doing the same thing to
customer after customer, since they can.
They are dealing in quantity, not quality, and
you will have been one of the many unfortunates
that they took advantage of. Don't be.
Your credit card company may
be able to help, especially if you have documented
proof of their breach of contract. This is where
website monitoring services come in handy, such
as www.netmechanic.com,
www.alertsite.com,
and www.internetseer.com.
If you are not familiar with these services, they
are well worth checking out to ensure that your
site is up and running as much as your host says
it is.
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| 10) |
Once you've moved,
be sure and practice the maintenance steps mentioned
earlier in this article. You may have to move your
site again, and you want to be prepared. It is always
a good idea to keep your eyes open for better Web
Hosts, and have an exit strategy in place just
in case. One never knows what may happen tomorrow… |
By practicing due diligence, being
prepared, and keeping on your toes, the pain of moving
to a new host can be drastically reduced. Plus many
of these steps pay off in other ways, usually after
some unexpected event that will affect others less prepared
than you in often harsh ways. Unfortunately, there are
people out there testing our patience and vulnerability
all the time, be they isolated hackers and virus writers,
incompetent technicians, greedy companies, or even faulty
hardware. The best defense is a good offence: be a good
Scout, be prepared.
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