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Web hosting changes can be rather stressful and there are two major things that can go wrong while moving to a new web hosting company:

• Your new web site doesn't "behave" the way it should.
• Your email goes "missing" for several days.

These simple tips can help ensure that your move to a new web hosting company is as painless as possible.

 

Setting up the new server correctly easily solves the first problem. Set up the new server with your existing/main domain name details (but do not change the DNS settings, yet). Once the server is set up, you can then park a spare domain name on the same web hosting server. Then ensure that the DNS information for the parked domain at your domain name registry points to the new server.

Once you can see your web site under the parked domain in your web browser, fully test it to ensure all the interactive (routines search routines, contact forms, forums and feeds) function properly.

The other problem with a DNS change is that it can take some time to go through. During that time, some of your customers will be seeing the old version of your site, and if they send you email it may be delivered to the old server. Additionally you might not be able to check it since your ISP has updated the DNS and you can only see the new server.

Simply set up a forward or redirection to send all your mail to your existing ISP email account, or perhaps even a new, temporary address. Set up your email accounts at the new server. You should also set up redirects here to send any mail it receives to your ISP address. That way, if the DNS takes forever to propagate, you will still get your new email.

If everything has been set up correctly several things will occur while the DNS is updating:

• Any email being sent to the old server will be redirected to your ISP email address.
• Any email that's sent to the new server is also being redirected to your ISP address, so you don't lose any email during this period.
• Your email client should keep checking the old server until the DNS change goes through. When that happens, it will most likely display an "unable to connect" error message.
• Check to make sure you can see your new server in your web browser.
• Change your email settings to the new server settings and check it works both sending and receiving.
• Now remove the redirections from the new server.

 

Finally contact your old web hosting provider and close your account. It's an important step, but so many people forget to do it, until they get billed for another month.

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