Transferring To a New Web Host

Many website owners find that the web hosting company they originally chose to sign up with was not the right decision. Sometimes it may just be that you outgrew your web hosting company and you need more included features such as those provided by HostMonster or IX Web Hosting. Whatever the reason, there are a couple of things that can make the switch much easier.

Backing Up Files and Databases

Before making the transition to a new web hosting company, it is imperative to create a backup of each and every database and file you currently have on your web hosting provider’s internet server. Use FTP to access your current hosting account and make a copy of every single file listed in the ‘public_html’ directory. Copy these files into a folder on your own computer’s hard drive and save it to a place that is easy to find for retrieval later.

With regard to your database, your method of backup will depend on the database vendor, the operating system of the server (Windows or Linux), and the control panel being used by the web hosting company. The majority of providers offer a backup utility program that will save a copy of the components of each database table. In the unfortunate event that there is no simple backup utility program available from your provider, it will be necessary to use a more tedious method. You will need to export the contents of the database in a comma delimited file or whatever the standard file format is for the database you use. You will find during this process that many backup utility programs will automatically convert the contents of the database into one SQL file that makes it simple for another compatible database engine to rebuild.

Finalizing the Switch to Your New Web Hosting Provider

First you will need to execute the SQL file you generated in the backup utility program and upload the file of your database contents. This process will restore your database back to its original state as it appeared on the old server. You will need to change the nameserver information for your domain name, which is done through the registrar where you originally registered your domain name, or possibly with your previous web hosting company. About 99% of the time, you would have been assigned a unique username and password which allows access into an account where you can change the nameserver information yourself. If by chance you do not have a control panel that allows you to do this, you will need to email the initial company that registered your domain name for you and request for them to change the nameservers information to the new servers you have chosen with your new web hosting company. In just a couple of days, your website will be served from the new server and not the previous server from your prior web hosting company. Once this change is confirmed, you will then request that your previous web hosting company delete your old web hosting account.

Although the process may seem tedious, the benefits of upgrading to web hosts which offer you increased bandwidth, storage and a plethora of utilities, such as Lunarpages or Hostmonster, will certainly outweigh the temporary inconvenience.

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Need easy transferring web hosting? Try HostMonster or LunarPages