There are dozens of reasons why it may be time to switch to a new web host.  The current provider may be going out of business, the needs and requirements of the web site in question may no longer be met by the current provider, there could be too many conflicts or issues with a web hosting provider, or it could be as simple as the up-time of the web hosting company is not nearly as good as the competition.

Whatever the reason, it is vital to plan out the entire move to ensure it is a smooth and seamless operation without the viewing public even noticing the switch.

Step One

Many web hosting providers will offer to transfer domain names as part of the services offered.  The first thing to attend to is ensuring this does not occur until after all data has been copied over.  Once this detail has been confirmed, the operation of copying over files and folders can begin.

This piece of the switch is relatively easy.  Zip up the web folder within the old web host and download this file to the desktop.

If the current web site contains CGI or Perl programs, it will be necessary to check with the new web host as to the location of Perl on the server.  This might be exactly the same as the old server set up but not knowing can cause script errors to show immediately.  If the location is different than what is currently included into each CGI or Perl script, this will need to be changed prior to uploading the files and folders to the new server location.

Another item to check is pages that utilize PHP and MySQL.  The path to PHP may be slightly different on the new web site and the MySQL database naming structure, user name and password, will be changed as well.  All configuration files should be edited to reflect these changes.

When uploading to the new site, one particularly important piece of advice is to ensure the files are uploaded in ASCII and not Binary mode.  An upload with an incorrect mode setting will cause nothing but blank pages across the entire web site.

Step Two

Once all the files and folders are in place, the next step is to ensure the pages all display properly.  As the domain has not been transferred at this point, the URL to type in will begin with the IP address given with the creation of the new web site.  If relative linking (i.e. <a href=”page.htm”> as opposed to <a href=”http://domain.com/page.htm”>), then all clicked links will keep one on the new web site.  However, if absolute linking is present, any clicked links will take one to the old web site.

Step Three

If all pages and scripts are behaving as they should, at this point the new web hosting provider can be contacted and the request to transfer the domain name can be completed.  When this has completed, it may take up to two weeks for DNS servers to update, however two to three days is standard.  It would also be prudent to run both the old and the new web site in tandem until the update is complete.  After the waiting period, the old web hosting account can be entirely closed out.

Conclusion

Initially, a move to a new web hosting company may seem like a daunting task.  However, a bit of planning is all it takes to ensure a successful and smooth transition to a new web hosting company.  As long as the basics are attended to, old customers, clients and visitors as well as new ones will never see the move.