How to Transfer Web Hosting From One Company to Another
How to Transfer Web Hosting From One Company to Another. If you find it’s time to switch hosting providers but are unsure of where to start, this is the right article for you. Migrating your website to a new hosting service doesn’t have to be a difficult task, as long as you choose the right approach. In this article, we explain how to transfer web hosting from one company to another in two ways.
The first is to manually migrate an existing website to a new provider in five steps: Get new web hosting, Export your site’s backup files and database, Move the files and database to the new web host, Point your domain name to the new server, Test and review before launching.
The second way is to request transfer assistance from the new web host. We recommend going this route, if available, since it’s the most convenient approach for beginners with limited technical knowledge or busy site owners with little time to spare. Alternatively, for those who run a WordPress site, we’ll explain how to switch web hosts using a migration plugin.
Get New Hosting
Before actually moving a website to a new hosting service, you need to choose a new web host. Ideally, find a hosting company that offers a free site migration service to simplify the transfer process. Also, remember that the new web host significantly impacts your hosting experience in the long run, not just when conducting a migration. It’s therefore important to evaluate these long-term factors before finalizing your decision.
Here are just a few crucial aspects to consider when choosing a web hosting company: Reliable performance, Security, Website-creation tools, Comprehensive features, User experience, Value for money.
Alongside your search for a new host, look closely at the types of hosting plans on offer and the resources they provide. For example, here are some of the most popular hosting services to consider: shared hosting, VPS hosting, Cloud hosting, Managed WordPress hosting.
Export Your Website’s Backup Files and Database
The first step to manually transfer hosting is to create an entire site backup and save your website files and database. The goal here is to set it up on the new hosting account without errors or missing parts. Doing this ensures that when your website goes live on the new hosting account, all its content, plugins, and themes remain the same.
Point Your Domain Name to the New Server
Let’s recap what we’ve completed so far. You now have a new host and have transferred your website’s files and database to a new account. You also have access to your new hosting account’s control panel. Now you’ve reached the final step in your hosting transfer process – pointing your site’s domain name to the new server. To do this, you need to update your Domain Name System (DNS) settings.
This is a critical step when switching web hosts. If you don’t point your site’s domain to the new server, visitors won’t be able to access your website. To put it simply, DNS translates websites’ domain names into IP addresses. A website’s DNS record essentially provides instructions to web browsers and informs them where to go to load web pages.
Test and Review
After changing web hosts, it’s important to conduct some tests to ensure everything is operating properly before publishing your website. In this section, we assume that you have completed all the previous steps successfully, and that your site’s domain is pointing to the new web host’s nameservers.
Now, look around and check that both the front and back-end of your site work seamlessly. Doing this also helps to avoid website downtime and identify errors so you can fix them before the site goes live.
On your hosting dashboard, navigate and explore the different sections to get a feel of your new control panel. Ensure that all the settings are configured to your website’s specifications, and maybe even connect your business email while you’re at it. From the front-end, browse all of your website’s pages. Make sure that all content such as images, text, and videos loads smoothly and correctly. Also, check if every feature, like contact forms, works properly.
