How to Transfer Website from One Web Hosting Provider to Another?

It is always a tedious task to get your website successfully transferred from one host to another. A successful website transfer is one which moves your fully functional website to another host with zero downtime.

The process of moving your website to a new web host is exactly similar to real world situation of shifting your shop to a new location. You have to take care of a number of things, starting from finding a suitable new location to successfully opening the new shop.

To guide you about how you can get your website transferred from one host to another, we have prepared this step by step tutorial. With this, you can ensure that your website gets successfully transferred from any host to your new host with zero or minimal downtime.

1. Purchase Web Hosting with a New Host

You have to purchase a hosting account that suits your requirements from a new host and get ready to move on with your new host. But, take care that your old web hosting account should not be cancelled until website migration process is successfully completed.

2. Create Backup of your Website Files

The next step is to take the backup of all your website files and databases from your old host’s server. This step is the same as packing up all your assets from your old shop so that they can be taken intact to your new shop.

To take the backup of your files just download them to your computer and store them in a safe location. Use a basic FTP application like CutePDF, Smart FTP or FileZilla for graphics, html files and others.

In case your dynamic website uses databases, you need to import databases to your system using a third party software or PhpMyAdmin, which is available with your hosting control panel.

Ensure that you take backup of each and every file from your old server, so that your website runs with full functionalities on the new server.

3. Upload Website Files to New Host’s Server

Now it’s time to upload your website files to the server of your new web host. The server information would be given in your welcome mail which you will receive from your new host.

Again, it emulates the process of transferring your assets from the old shop to your new shop.

You can easily upload simple files, but while uploading the databases make sure to first install the web apps on your new server that you were using on your old server. Now use PhpMyAdmin to export the database files to the new server.

4. Add E-mail Accounts to the New Server

To get your e-mail accounts along with your website on the new server, you must add your e-mail accounts on your new server before switching the DNS.

Log in to your new account using the temporary login information provided by your new host. Now, set up all your E-mail accounts on the new server that existed on your old server. Also, make sure that you create a “catchall” address, so that no mail would bounce in case you forget to add some.

As a best practice, create two accounts for each e-mail address and use the IP address of each mail server (old and new server) in the POP settings instead of domain name. This would ensure that you don’t miss any e-mail during the DNS propagation period.

5. Test your Website on New Server

Now you have brought everything to your new shop and you need to test all the combinations to get a perfect arrangement of things in your shop.

You have to do the same with your website, once you have all your website files on the server of your new host. Here, you will get a mirror site and a temporary URL so that you can test the performance of your website on the new server.

In this testing, make sure that your website works up to your satisfaction and ensure that all images, links and text appear at proper places and also check for proper working of the links. Test it thoroughly and check for any problems so that you can find a solution in time.

6. Change the DNS Records

As a final move to complete the shifting process, you inform your customers about your new location by updating your address in the directories. Similarly, now you make the final move to your new hosting provider.

For this, you need to change the DNS records from your control panel with your domain registrar. Before you change the DNS records, make sure to change the database strings from your control panel with the new hosting provider.

Now, change the DNS name servers to the ones you have received in your welcome mail from your new host. After this, you must wait for 24-48 hours, for the migration to be successfully completed.

After this, you can check for completion of the process using a WHOIS look up tool. Also check for proper working of your e-mail accounts.

Now, you have completed the successful website migration to your new host, so it’s time to cancel your hosting account with your old host. :)

Get Free Web Hosting Migration Service at ZNetLive

ZNetLive offers free web hosting migration service for customers migrating to ZNetLive. You will have to do nothing as the full migration process will be taken care of by ZNetLive’s migration experts including all the technicalities.


Source: https://www.znetlive.com/blog/how-to-transfer-website-from-one-host-to-another/