How to Move Your Website From One Host To Another?

To create a website and to have it be accessible on the internet, you need to have it hosted on a server. Web hosting companies provide space for your site on their servers, and for this, you pay a fee. Your web host has a great deal of influence on the performance of your site. It can determine load speed, uptime, site security, and more. Therefore, if you’re unhappy with your web hosting company for either budgetary or performance reasons, you’ll want to move your website from one host to another.

To learn how to transfer your website to a new host, follow these directions:

1. Select a new host

If you have a problem with your current host, you’re going to want to find a new host that resolves these issues. Whether it’s budgetary or performance, be sure to research the hosting options available to you. The best way to do this is to go through customer reviews, compare features, and do a price comparison.

You should also keep in mind that at some point, you may want to switch providers again. For this reason, it’s a good idea to register your domain to a third-party provider. This will ensure that your domain remains unaffected the next time you switch web hosts.

2. Download your website

Once you know where your site is going, you need to make your site moveable. To do this, you need to find where your current host has stored your website. If your site is using more databases, you will also want to see if it’s possible to obtain backup folders. When you’ve located all the files you need, download them onto your desktop, so they’re ready for you to give to your new host.

3. Export databases

If your website uses additional databases for things like managing forms or storing visitor data, you’ll need to export them. This process can vary depending on the database, so it’s best to determine how to do this from your current provider. In most cases, hosts use phpMyAdmin as a tool for exporting and importing website databases.

If your current host has cPanel, exporting a database is relatively easy. Start by locating and opening the Database tab. Then click on the phpMyAdmin icon to open the interface and select a database. Next, find the export button and click on it. You will be taken to a page with several exporting options. You will want to choose the “Quick—display only the minimal options” option, and the format option “SQL Then click the “Go” button to start the export. Finally, choose where to store your file. Now your database is ready to be imported to your new host..”

4. Upload your website and import your database

As with your database’s exporting, you’ll have to work with your new host for the import. For a static website, all you have to do is upload your files to your new host. You can do this through a file manager or by using an FTP.  For a dynamic website, if you’ve exported your database to SQL, then using phpMyAdmin, you can import your database with MySQL.

5. Test your site

When you’ve finished importing your databases and uploading your website files, it’s time to test your website. This is a crucial step. You have to make sure that your website is functioning correctly with the new host. The best way to test your site is to use a temporary URL. In doing so, you will be able to access your website even though your domain name isn’t pointing to the new server. 

Conclusion

Once everything is transferred and you’ve tested your website, don’t forget to tell your users that you will be moving your website. This is important because although the downtime should be short, there will be some downtime. Additionally, you need to remember to switch your DNS record to your new server. A DNS record is an instruction guide that ensures that users arrive on the correct page. If you don’t change this, users will be directed to an error page. Therefore, you need to make sure to get a new DNS from your host to replace your old one. 

If you follow all these steps, your site will transfer successfully, and you will have the beginnings of a new host relationship.

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