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ComputerBob's Guide To Switching Web Hosts

Introduction

You have your own Web site and your own domain name, but you're not happy with the Web host that you're currently using. Maybe it charges too much per month, it's unreliable, or it doesn't provide all the features or services that your growing Web site requires. This article assumes that you've already read ComputerBob's Guide To Web Hosts, so you know what you should expect from a good Web host and how to run some tests to determine if a potential new host is reliable. Now you've decided to move your Web site to a different Web host, and you're wondering just how much trouble that will be. The short answer is that it's a relatively fast and easy process if you know what to do. This article gives you a to-do list to make your switch as trouble-free as possible.

1. Make Sure That Your New Web Host's Features Meet Your Needs
   • Depending on how complex your Web site, is you might have to confirm several things before making the switch. For example, if you use Microsoft FrontPage software to create your Web sites, make sure that your new Web host has FrontPage extensions running on their Web servers, so that all of your Web site's FrontPage features will work correctly. If your site includes a forum (message board), make sure that your new host provides the type of database (mySQL, MS-SQL, Postgres, etc.) and the language support (Perl, PHP, ASP, etc.) that your forum requires, including the correct version of the database and language that you need. If your site includes any interactive forms (like a registration form), make sure that your new host has the capability to process those forms and email the results of the forms to you. If your site runs some kind of shopping cart software, make sure that your new Web host provides that same software or can help you install your software correctly and securely on their servers.
   • If you don't know how to move your domain name to your new Web host's servers after your Web site is up and running there, make sure that your new Web host will either help you do it, or they will do it for you. Many hosts will move your domain name for you, free of charge.
   • To make sure that you don't forget anything important, it may be a good idea to spend some time browsing your own Web site while making a list of any pages or sections that have special needs. Then compare your list to the features and services that your new host offers. If you aren't sure about something, be sure to send an email message with your questions to your new host or post a message with your questions on their online support forum if they have one. If they don't reply within a few hours with polite, helpful answers to your questions, you may want to find a Web host that offers better support.
2. Sign Up For Your New Web Host
   • Once you've chosen your new host, sign up for one of their Web hosting packages. Don't cancel your old Web host's account yet -- leave your Web site running at your old Web host for the time being.
   • Be sure to write to your new Web host from an email address that is separate from your domain, like a Gmail or Yahoo! email account. The reason you should do that is because you need to be able to receive email messages from your new Web host while they are setting up your new account. For example, if you're moving MYDOMAIN.COM to a new Web host, and you make the mistake of telling your new Web host to write to you at ME@MYDOMAIN.COM, then you probably won't receive ANY email messages that they send you while they are setting up your new Web hosting account, because those messages will go from their email outbox directly into your NEW email inbox in your NEW account on their server. You won't be able to read them, because the first message in your NEW inbox will be the one with the instructions that tell you HOW to get to that new Inbox. Think about that until it makes sense to you, because it is important. It is also important that your Web host have a non-domain email address with which to reach you any time your domain isn't working properly in the future.
3. Publish Your Web Site To Your New Web Host
   • Your new Web host will give you a temporary IP address to publish your Web site to, along with some instructions for how to publish your Web site. For example, instead of publishing your site to http://www.YourDomainName.com, you might publish it to a temporary IP address, like http://123.108.207.179, or maybe even something like http://123.108.207.179/YourDomainName
   • Right before I first publish my Web site to a new Web host, I add a small notice somewhere on my site's home page, saying something like Running on my new Web host's servers.
   • Right after I publish my Web site (with the notice on my home page) to my new Web host, I delete the notice from my local copy of my Web site, so that I won't accidently publish it to my old Web host. In other words, I make sure that the notice will appear on the home page of my Web site that is running on my new Web host's servers, but not on the home page of my Web site that is running on my old Web host's servers. That makes it much easier for me to know when "propagation" has occurred (I'll tell you more about propagation in Steps 5 and 6, below).
4. Test your Web Site At Your New Web Host
   • After you publish your Web site to the temporary IP address that your new host gives you, use that same temporary IP address in your Web browser to view and test your Web site, to make sure that everything is working correctly. If anything isn't working, contact your new Web host's tech support people so they can help you solve your problems. During this testing time, anyone who goes to http://www.YourDomainName.com, will see your Web site running on your old Web host's servers instead of your new host's servers. You will continue to pick up your email from your old Web host's servers. By keeping your Web site and email running on your old Web host during this time, you ensure that there won't be any interruption in your Web site's services or your email while you are setting things up correctly at your new Web host.
5. Move Your Domain Name To Your New Web Host's Servers
   • After you've confirmed that everything in your Web site is working the way it is supposed to work, you can move your domain name to your new Web host's servers. That involves filling out a few online forms to change the Internet's official records so that when someone goes to http://www.YourDomainName.com, they'll see your Web site running on your new Web host's servers instead of your old Web host's servers. Moving your domain name also makes all of your email messages go to your new Web host instead of your old Web host. Many Web hosts will move your domain name for you, free of charge, or they will help you do it if you don't know how to do it yourself.
   • It usually takes 2-5 days for your changed domain name information to "propogate" (get sent to all of the appropriate record-keeping servers in the world). During the propagation time, some people will continue to see your Web site on your old Web host's servers while other people will start to see your site on your new Web host's servers. Some of your email will go to your old Web host's servers, while some of your email will start to go to your new Web host's servers. During the propagation time, you will have to check both places for your mail -- your new Web host will tell you how to check your email by using the temporary IP address that they gave you to publish your Web site.
   • After 2-5 days, propagation will be complete. From that point on, everyone who goes to http://www.YourDomainName.com, will see your Web site running on your new Web host's servers, and all of your email will be sent to your new Web host's servers. That means that you can go back to publishing your Web site and checking your email by using your domain name instead of the temporary IP address that you had been using.
6. Test Your Web Site Again At Your New Web Host
   • If you know people who live in different parts of the country or who live in other countries, send them an email message to ask them to go to your Web site and tell you if they see the Running on my new Web host's servers message on your home page. If they don't, that means that propagation hasn't reached them yet, so they're still seeing your Web site on your old Web host's servers. Sometimes, even after everyone can see your Web site running at your new Web host, it might take a couple of days longer for all of your email to be routed to your new Web host or for all of your Web site's features to switch over to your new Web host. For example, it might take a few more days before you can use your domain name, instead of the temporary IP address, to publish your Web site to your new Web host. If you try to publish your Web site to your domain name before propagation is complete, you'll end up publishing it to your old Web host instead of your new Web host. So, when you're testing your site at your new Web host, take your time and double-check to make sure that everything on your site works exactly the way it should work.
7. Cancel Your Account With Your Old Web Host
   • Once everything in your Web site is working the way it is supposed to work, there's no need to keep paying your old Web host.

Conclusion

It's a little scary to move your Web site to a new host, but it's not too difficult if you know what you're doing. I've done it many times, and I guarantee it's definitely worth the trouble if you can save some money and/or have a faster, more reliable Web site.

UPDATE, May 21, 2006: If you are willing and able to change your site's DNS settings, you can significantly reduce the DNS propagation time by following the instructions described in Moving your website to another server? Tune your DNS for minimum downtime.