Jan 14, 2016 : How to Change Web Hosting Providers

📅 January 14, 2016 - Maybe your website is down too often. Maybe you're tired of getting zero support from the company. Maybe there's just not enough storage space. For whatever reason, you're ready to leave your web hosting provider for someone new and you want to make the transition as smooth as possible. There are a few tricks to making sure the change doesn't hit any bumps along the way.

Here is a quick guide to saying goodbye to your current web hosting provider and finding someone new.

Step One: Keep it open

Like a throttle, you're going to want to keep your account open at your current web hosting provider. That might be difficult in certain circumstances where you're really unhappy with the service, but if it's possible, don't close your account yet. You want to make sure all your info is still contained somewhere should something go wrong during the transition.

Step Two: Find your next provider

You might have found your next provider already, but if you haven't, now is the time to do your reseach and settle on a company you trust. The last thing you want is to end up in this situation again in a year or two! Look for a provider that can fulfill your bandwidth and disk space requirements while delivering the best possible customer service and web hosting support.

Step Three: Back it up

If you've been using paid web hosting, you have the ability to back your account information up and reuse it under your next web hosting provider. If you've been using free web hosting up until now, you won't have the option to download your files and information. This is one of the main reasons we recommend you opt for paid web hosting–you can take your information with you should you decide to leave that provider!

Step Four: DNS settings

You'll now need to set up your email addresses again. Make sure to use the same email addresses so you and your staff continue to receive emails! Once that step is completed, you will need to set up your new DNS settings through your domain management panel. During the 24-48 hours it will take to propagate your new settings, your old web hosting provider will still be in control. This is why you don't cancel your account until this step is finished.

Step Five: Cancel

Now, you can cancel your account with the old web hosting provider and start over fresh with your new company. Because you've waited for your DNS settings to propagate and for your old provider to switch over to the new one, you won't face any downtime or missed emails as you transition from one provider to the next.

Did we leave anything out? Do you think it's worth it to switch from free hosting to paid hosting? Leave your answers in the comments!