Tips for Migrating Your Website to a New Host

Website migration is moving a website from one hosting company to another. This process involves changes in hosting providers, servers, or domain names. Individuals and businesses decide to migrate their websites due to different reasons and goals. Improved performance and speed, better security, scalability and growth, better customer support, geographic location, and cost are some of the reasons behind website migration.

If you want to move your website to a new web hosting provider, you should manage the process with the right approach. Today, we explore necessary steps that must be considered during website migration.

Select the Most Suitable Hosting Provider

Before website migration, you should conduct research into web hosting providers. After the research, you should choose a new provider which fits your needs. The performance of the new provider is important both during the migration and after that. Because of this, you should consider some factors while selecting a hosting provider.

During choosing a hosting provider, you can firstly focus on security, performance, comprehensive features, and pricing. Also, 24/7 customer support is very critical because of instant circumstances, like unexpected downtime and server errors. To simplify the transfer process, you can check hosting providers that offer free website migration. After reading customers reviews and comparing hosting plans, you can select your new host. Then, you can start the migration process.

Back Up Your Website

To start website migration without missing parts and errors, you should create a backup of your website. The backup process involves backing up all website files, databases, and emails. Thanks to backup, a website goes live on the new host with its all content, plugins, and themes.

Most hosting providers offer backup tools, but you can also use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to download your files. To keep your website the same after the transfer process, you need to deal with backup.

Set Up Your New Hosting Account

After compromising with a new host, you should set up your new hosting account. Before the setup process, you must ensure that the new environment is compatible with the requirements of your website. In this step, you should set up databases and email accounts and configure server settings to match your current setup.

Test the New Hosting Environment

You should test the new hosting environment by using a temporary domain or subdomain before website migration. For example, you can upload a copy of your site and check that everything works correctly. By testing the new host, you can identify possible compatibility issues and errors without affecting your live site.

Transfer Your Files and Databases

If you get a positive result in the testing phase, you can transfer your website files and databases to your new host. You can utilize FTP to upload your files and import your databases by using tools like phpMyAdmin. You should check whether all files and database entries are correctly transferred. This checking step prevents broken links and missing content.

Update DNS Settings

After website transfer, you have to update your domain’s DNS (Domain Name System) settings to point to your new host. This operation can last approximately 48 hours to spread globally. In this time, your site may be accessible from both the old and new hosts. You can deal with DNS settings during low-traffic periods for minimizing downtime.

Check For Broken Links and Errors

There can be problems during and after website migration. Because of this, you should check your website for possible errors and broken links. For instance, you can test all functionalities on your site, such as forms, e-commerce features, and other interactive components. In short, you must be sure that your website is working perfectly on the new host.

Monitor Performance

After the transfer, you should monitor your site’s performance in a detailed way. You can consider loading times, server response, and overall user experience. You can use performance monitoring tools which are provided by hosting companies. With these tools, you can detect and solve critical issues quickly.

Conclusion

Website migration can be difficult, but you can encounter a smooth transition with minimal downtime and disruptions by considering the above steps. With an effective plan and successful web hosting provider, you can improve your online presence.

If you are thinking about a move, you can trust Hostingo! We provide a robust infrastructure, top-notch security, and exceptional support. For taking your website to the next level, explore our hosting plans!