I understand no web host is 100% perfect. Every host has some drawbacks. Since you are reading this article that means you want to change your web hosting company as soon as possible. Reason could be anything but the majority of web-masters do change web host because of POOR performance of their hosting company, slow network or downtime issue. Changing your web-hosting company is like changing your office/home. Like moving your home it can be messy and sometimes problems arise. But if you follow these simple steps, your move will be less painful.

Step 1: Backup your files and data:

I always suggest to all my clients that, keep a backup of your website. Do not just rely on your web host, that they will keep your backup. Backup your files once in a week. If you haven’t, before you do anything else, do a backup now. Backup anything and everything you can and don’t forget your database if your site relies on it. Save at least 2 copies and store them separately. One for you to work with, and the other as an archive. Do not underestimate how easy it is to copy over these files as you make changes or simply mess it up.

If you’re moving to a host who has a different control panel(Tip: I prefer cPanel), make a manual backup by downloading all your files because different control panels may not be able to restore the backups made by your old host. They also have different directory structures so your file trees will be in a mess. If you need to, make a small note file with notepad with memos for you to remember the old server configurations. This will help you as you make changes on your new host server and save the confusion moving back and forth between hosts. Remember to make the correct transfer type (ASCII or Binary) as you download. If your download is not right chances are you’ll have a tough time getting your site to work on the new host server.

If server logs are especially important, remember to backup those too. There is no good way of moving logs yet because different hosts may log statistics differently. So the best thing to do is to download it and use a log analyzer on your computer to make references to later on.

Step 2: Collect information and tools:

1. You should have a GOOD ftp program. I use FileZilla and SmartFTP.
2. Get your new host nameserver’s DNS
3. It’s also helpful to have a script that tells you the server environments installed on your new host server for quick references.
4. Get the temporary URL on your new host so you can check your site before you make a DNS change.
5. If you have your host control the domain inform them not to change your DNS until you tell them to.
6. If you run scripts:
- Get a copy of the original installation guide and the script. Sometimes after moving the scripts just do not work right so you might need to install the script from scratch.
- Get a list of all the server paths such as Perl, Sendmail and home directory on your new server.
- If your script needs special server modules or programs ensure they are installed and where. Even though these might be covered before you ordered the account with the host but sometimes your host has removed it or haven’t installed it yet.

Let your visitor know that you’re moving to a new web host.

It is common and good practice to inform your visitors and customers of the server move. If you run a e-store, this helps assure your customers you have not fled with their money if there is any downtime. Also give an alternate email so you won’t lose emails in the transfer. You might also want to give periodic updates prior, during (if there is downtime) and after. If your site is large, doing this is helpful because your visitors can alert you whenever there is a part of the site not working.

Step 3: Time to move your website:

Try to schedule the move at a time where there’s least traffic. Backup again just before you do the move so you’ll have the latest data. Start by first copying or creating your custom error pages (404 error) onto the new host server. Put a small note in there about the move. You can always remove it later. Then upload the most visible parts of the site first i.e the index and main pages then move on to the less critical parts of the site. If you have a large site with many divisions you might want to split them across different days and instead move the least critical first. Just ensure you always do a backup before you do any moving. Use the temporary URL to check your site, visiting as many pages as you can.

Step 4: Now change your DNS ( Nameservers)

Once you’re satisfied, change your DNS. This typically takes about 24-48 hours to propogate, so you have time to make some minor changes if need be. You might want to also take this time to modify your old site’s error pages to inform your visitors of the move and give a new URL if there are URL changes. To help you determine if the DNS has resolved, make a small change on the new pages to differentiate between the old and the new.

Step 5: Monitor and cancel your old web host

After you’ve moved and the DNS propagated, do not release the old account yet. Keep it as long as two weeks running concurrently. Go back and check the old servers for activity. Check your old email account and if you have a web based contact method on the old server check to see if any communication is left there. Once you’re comfortable all email and traffic is correctly directed to the new host server, you can cancel old web hosting account.

In short, backup your files and data from old webhost, signup with a new reliable web hosting company. Transfer your files to new hosting company, change the DNS and once the DNS is propagated cancel your old webhost. I hope this article will help you. Let me know, if you need any help.

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So, you are ready and looking for some tips to decide between free web host or paid web host. I will focus on some facts, so you can decide for yourself.

Let’s have a look at some advantages and disadvantages of these solutions.

Free web hosting:

1. It’s for free and you don’t need to pay for the domain name.
2. Your URL will be something like username.freehosting.com or freehosting.com/username. As I noticed above, the advantage is that you don’t need to pay for domain. But note that if you move your website to another provider in the future you can loose some or all your traffic (there are some solutions how to solve this problem but it is not the point of this article).
3. Your provider will probably include ads to your pages - usually 1 or 2 banners, sometimes popup windows. If you plan to use banner exchange on your site read carefully their Terms and conditions. Some free hosts doesn’t allow it.
4. Free hosts usually allow lower bandwith then paid hosts and a lot of them don’t offer features like PHP and MySQL.
5. A lot of free hosts change their Terms and conditions during some time. If your free host offers hosting wihtout ads now, don’t be surprised when banner or popup appears on your site in the future.
6. Sometimes free hosts cancel their free service and offer paid hosting only. In this case you have only 2 choises - pay them or loose your website.

Paid web hosting:

1. You can host your own domain. i.e yourdomain.com If you decide to change the web hosting provider in the future, you easily transfer the domain to the new provider and don’t loose your traffic.
2. Most paid hosts offer 24/7 support via email or live chat and some of them provide toll-free phone support.
3. You can expect better uptime then on free host. Some paid hosts offer 99.9% uptime guarantee.
4. Paid hosts usually offer enough disk space and bandwith (usually unlimited space and unlimited bandwith). They offer features like PHP and MySQL.
5. some Paid hosting offers unlimted domain. That means you can host all your sites in one account for one payment.

Before you make the decision if choose free or paid host, you should answer this question: How big ambitions do I have with my website? If you are starting small personal page for your friends consist of a few *.html files then free host will be sufficient. In case you plan to run serious business website, blog, need PHP, database and don’t want ads on the site I recommend to look for quality paid host.

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I have been to few forums and web hosting discussion board and there are a few common threads and questions that you tend to see on a daily basis.

First is “Please help me to select a good web host.
second is, “Never use xyz host for xyz reason”
third is, “xyz host is very bad, my site is always down” One of my reader asked me on email that, provide some tips to choose good web host and I have decided to share some tips that I have used through trial and error since I purchased web hosting for the first time over 3 years ago. These tips are really handy. A few tips and a little research can save you hours of headaches.

1. Determine your needs. Space, bandwidth and budget.

a) Space – Cover your needs and allow for expansion if needed.
b) Bandwidth- Same as above.
c) Budget – Set a realistic budget for yourself. How much are you willing to spend? Lowest price too highest. Being a little flexible on your price will give more hosting choices.

2. Follow some basic guidelines for even considering a hosting provider.

a) Does the host have phone number? At the very least a web host should provide you with a contact phone number. This doesn’t have to be a 24-hour a day number but your future host should be available during normal business hours in their respective time zone. A toll free shows a willingness to provide convenience for their customers.
b) Do they provide at least 24/7 Support Desk? Support is important, this is a must. You should have access to support 24 hours a day. Test the support desk. Choose anytime of the day or night and contact the support desk to test response times, ask any questions you might have. A response time under an hour is good; less than thirty minutes is considered excellent.
c) Take a good look at their web site. This sometimes can be over looked but I believe this says something very important about the hosting company. If they care about how they present themselves to the public, they are more apt to care about other things like service and maintaining a high reputation.
d) The hosting company should provide you with an Acceptable Use Policy, Terms of Service and a Privacy Policy as well. It is in your best interest that you read these policies and understand them before you pay for services.
e) Do they have an Uptime Guarantee? We won’t set a number on this but a hosting provider should be willing to disclose what their commitment to service is. A professional company will have this included in their Terms of Service.
f) Do they provide a Money Back Guarantee? Again, this should listed in their Terms of Service. g) Payment Options – A host should provide their customers with more than one payment option. Credit cards and other payment option such as PayPal or something comparable.

3. Make a list of at least four to five possible hosting providers that fit your needs from the guidelines above and do some research.

a) Search forums, blogs and others to see what type of information you can find on the host.

b) Compare features and price of the hosts on your list.
c) Contact the host either by phone, email or support desk and ask any questions you might have.
d) Check Testimonials – If the host has a list of testimonials if possible send an email to one of those customers and ask for their feedback on the host. Most people are happy to give a recommendation. This can also help determine if the testimonial real or a fabrication.
e) Finally you might want to consider doing a ping test if you can, check some customers web sites if listed, see how fast they load.
f) Make your choice, sign up and good luck.

There are so many hosting companies out there today, and the choices are close to endless. These guidelines are not fool proof in anyway but if you follow them you will have a better chance finding a host that you can trust in delivering quality service and save you from moving from host to host. In 3 years of buying web hosting and dedicated servers I have never once had a provider suddenly disappear on me in the middle of the night. Good luck and good hunting. If you have any question you can email me.. I will surely help you to choose web hosting service.

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