Though it may seem like a difficult undertaking, if you take the proper precautions, moving your website to a new hosting company doesn’t have to cause any downtime. It’s critical to plan ahead and migrate your website seamlessly because downtime can irritate users, damage your SEO, and interfere with business operations.

We’ll take you through each step of the process in this guide to ensure a seamless website migration.

Choose Your New Hosting Provider and Set Up Your Account

It is imperative that you choose the best hosting company for your website depending on its requirements (speed, security, scalability) before beginning the migration process.

Once you’ve chosen your new host sign up for the new hosting plan. Get access to the new hosting environment, such as the control panel and file manager. Don’t cancel your current hosting service until the entire migration process is complete.

Back Up Your Website

It’s always a good idea to backup your complete website before moving anything. This guarantees that you won’t lose your files or data, even in the unlikely event that something goes wrong with the migration.

Use an FTP client like FileZilla to download your website’s files from the old host to backup your files. Export your database using tools like phpMyAdmin. This is particularly important for websites that use databases (e.g. WordPress). Most hosting providers also offer automated backup tools in their control panel.

Transfer Your Website Files

Once you have your backups ready, it’s time to transfer your files to the new host. Use an FTP client to connect to your new hosting provider and upload all the files you backed up. Import your database into the new hosting provider using phpMyAdmin or another database management tool.

If your website is database-driven (like WordPress), make sure you update the configuration files (like wp-config.php in WordPress) to reflect the new database details (username, password, host, etc.).

Update DNS Settings

In essence, your domain name is your website’s online address, and DNS settings point users to your hosting server. You must point your domain to the new server after uploading your website to the new host. Your new hosting provider will give you DNS (Nameserver) details. Log into your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap) and update the DNS settings to point to your new hosting provider.

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate worldwide, but visitors will continue accessing your website on the old host until the changes are complete.

Test Your Website Before Switching

Make sure everything functions properly by testing it all before launching your new website. You can accomplish this by either changing your local hosts file (a temporary way to view the site from the new host before DNS changes occur) or by viewing your site on the new host using a temporary URL provided by the new host.

Ensure that you check the following:

• All links are working properly.
• Images and media files load correctly.
• Forms and interactive elements function as expected.
• Database-driven parts of the website (such as login, shopping cart, etc.)are working properly.

Monitor the Propagation

Once you’ve updated the DNS settings, your domain will gradually begin pointing to the new server as the DNS changes propagate. Use a tool like DNS Checker to see how DNS propagation is progressing worldwide. While propagation is taking place, both your old and new servers will likely be live. Your visitors will be directed to either depending on their location and ISP, so keep both sites up during this transition.

Final Steps After the Migration

You can carry out the following actions once your site is operational on the new server and your DNS has fully propagated:

• Verify SSL Certificate: If your website uses HTTPS, ensure that the SSL certificate is correctly installed on the new hosting provider.
• Check for Broken Links: Use a tool like Screaming Frog to scan your website for any broken links after the migration.
• Update Any Email Settings: If your old hosting provider handled your email, make sure to migrate your email accounts and update MX records.

After verifying that everything works on the new hosting provider, you can safely cancel your old hosting service.