Many website owners will need to migrate to new hosting at least once. There are many reasons for this, or sometimes there may be no specific reason at all.
If you’re new to this, it might seem overwhelming, but with some guidance, you’ll find the process can be smooth and easy. To ensure a seamless migration without any downtime, it’s important to follow a detailed plan, be aware of potential issues, and have backup plans in place.
What is Website Migration?
Website migration is the process of redirecting all your current web pages to new pages on a different host without impacting your rankings or changing your website’s layout.
The best migration happens when your website is fully transferred to the new host with no noticeable changes.
Migrating a website can be stressful, especially if you can’t afford to be offline. One of the most significant delays often comes from transferring your website’s DNS registration to the new provider, which can take some time, depending on when you start the process.
What is Website Downtime?
Sometimes, your site may not be accessible or may not function as intended, which means it’s “down.”
This downtime refers to periods when your website isn’t working. Depending on your hosting provider, the website itself, the skills of your developers, and other factors, downtime can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours or even days.
What Causes Website Downtime?
Websites often need updates or migrations to improve, but doing this without downtime can be tricky.
Many factors can cause website downtime, especially during migration. Common causes include cyber-attacks, hardware or software problems, and server issues. DNS errors, DDoS attacks, hardware failures, and low-quality hosting can also lead to downtime. By addressing these issues early, you can reduce or avoid downtime.
Why Is It Important to Avoid Website Downtime?
Website downtime can significantly harm your business. As your main point of access for customers, your website serves as a vital communication and information channel. When customers can’t access your site, it can lead to dissatisfaction, poor customer service, lower search engine rankings, a damaged reputation, and lost sales from potential customers.
That’s why it’s essential to monitor your website’s accessibility and ensure it runs smoothly to satisfy your customers.
Why Do You Need to Migrate Your Website?
We’ve all been there. You try accessing your website, but your web server doesn’t respond. It could be the issue of your host. Here are a few reasons why you should migrate your website.
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Malicious cyber Attack On the server
If your existing web hosting providers don’t have proper security compliance, there could be a chance of malware and cyber attacks on your website. This is one of the reasons for downtime.
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Slow servers
Even after optimizing your site for better performance, the speed still depends on the quality of the server it’s hosted on. A vital sign of a slow server is the Time-to-First-Byte (TTFB), which measures how long it takes for your site to start loading.
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Low reliability
If your site experiences frequent downtime or unstable performance, it might be time to switch hosting providers. These issues can lead to a loss of traffic and harm your site’s reputation.
How to Migrate a Website to a New Domain
1. First, Choose New Hosting Provider
A common mistake when switching web hosts is canceling your current hosting plan before the migration is complete. While it’s good to notify your old host about the change, doing so too early can lead to unnecessary downtime and even the loss of important files and data. To avoid any disruptions to your website, make sure the migration is fully successful before informing your current provider.
Check the Logins
As you receive login details from your new hosting provider, you will need to verify the open ports, login credentials, FTP, etc.
Once you verify the login details, check for the built-in transfer tool and see if it fits your website migration. If you have cPanel on both ends, you can use it for the entire cPanel account migration, including web content, databases, and email accounts.
Suggested Article: Check out our cPanel to cPanel Migration article for complete details.
2. Create a Backup of all data
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Backup of Web-content:
Website content is the core of any website. Without it, you couldn’t describe your services and relay information. If you have a Windows Server or Windows Shared Hosting, content should lie at wwwroot. In Linux Hosting with cPanel, website content can be found inside public_html.
Create a Zip File of your Web Content:
Go to the location where your website’s data is stored and convert all the web content files to a single zip file in Windows and Linux.
Migrate Zip Backup using FTP :
File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, transfers data from one server to another. Many tools are available for FTP, such as FileZilla, Cyberduck, FireFTP, Classic FTP, etc.
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Backup of Database:
Database backup is essential to your website migration as it stores all user details, products, transactions, etc. There are two types of Databases that your website might have: MSSQL and MySQL:
Backup of MySQL Database :
phpMyAdmin is a web-based tool that allows you to run MySQL databases and commands. It also provides Import/Export options for your Database.
Suggested Article: Refer to the MySQL DB Backup guide for complete steps on backing up your MySQL database.
Backup of MSSQL Database :
To manage your MSSQL databases, you can use SQL Management Studio, which allows you to export your MSSQL Database Backup directly.
Looking to take a backup of your MSSQL databases? Visit the MSSQL DB Backup Guide for complete instructions..
3. Change DNS :
Change the domain nameservers. It may take a few hours for the change to propagate worldwide.
- Log into your new domain hosting account and locate the server details. Depending on the hosting provider, these can be found in different places. Make sure you get the DNS records and nameservers.
- Log into your domain registrar and update the DNS records and nameservers to match the new domain information.
Following is an example of nameservers.
ns1.domain.com
ns2.domain.com
4. Transfer Files
First, check that the new website has a database set up. (You can find this in the wp-config.php file for WordPress sites.) Next, use phpMyAdmin to import the content of the archive file into the existing database. Click on the “Import” option in phpMyAdmin, choose the file from your computer, and then click “Go.” This will bring all the database entries from your old site to the new one. After that, you can move your site files.
How to Transfer Files Using WordPress
To start, you’ll need the installer and archive package that you downloaded earlier. If you used the All-in-One WP Migration plugin, install it on your new server.
1. Use an FTP client or the built-in File Manager to connect to your new web host.
2. Click on the installer to begin restoring your site.
3. If you have UpdraftPlus or similar plugins, you might find a clone or migrate option that allows you to restore everything from a file on your computer.
How to Transfer Files Using FTP
1. Connect to your new web host using an FTP client or the built-in File Manager.
2. Upload the files from your old site’s home directory archive to the new host’s home directory.
3. Don’t forget to upload your database files as well.
5. Make Sure to Redirect Pages
If you want visitors from your old domain to reach your new one, you must set up a redirect. Without this, people will see a 404 Page Not Found error if they try to visit your old site.
You can create a 301 redirect in the .htaccess file to send traffic to the correct URL. Here’s how to do it:
1. Use FTP or the File Manager to connect to your old domain’s hosting account.
2. Find and edit the .htaccess file. For WordPress users, this file is usually located in their home directory or in the same folder as their wp-admin.
3. Open the .htaccess file and add this code:
#Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
Replace “newdomain.com” with your actual new domain name.
Once you’ve done this, your old domain should redirect to your new one if it doesn’t, contact your old hosting service’s tech support for help.
6. Fix Broken Links
If you set everything up correctly, the links on your new site should work. However, some links might be broken, and Google could penalize your site. Use tools like Dead Link Checker or w3C Link Checker to find broken links. Y
ou’ll need to fix each broken link one by one by changing their locations manually. It’s worth the effort!
7. Let Google Know About the Site Transfer
Now it’s time to inform Google about your new site! This is especially important if you’ve set up 301 redirects to your new site.
You can do this with some of Google’s tools.
- If using Google Search Console for your old domain, click the gear icon and select “Change of Address.”
- Enter your new domain name here, and Google will redirect the search traffic.
You should also create an XML sitemap for your new domain. If you’re using WordPress, here’s how to do it:
1. Install the Yoast SEO plugin.
2. The plugin automatically creates an XML sitemap at http://newsite.com/sitemap_index.xml.
8. Do Website Testing
You will need to go through all the files/folders you have migrated from the older host and compare them efficiently at both locations. Once you are done with the data verification, you can test your website using a temporary URL.
Test website with temporary URL
A temporary URL is used to check your website without pointing to your domain. cPanel and Plesk, both of which provide a temporary URL. Using a temporary URL, you can ensure website pages work correctly and establish database connectivity. If there is any error or issue with your website, you can find and fix it at this step before making it live.
Suggested Article: Check out our guide to test your website before changing nameservers or DNS.
Conclusion
Migrating your website doesn’t have to be a stressful process filled with downtime and complications. With the right tools and strategies, like those offered by AccuWeb Hosting, you can seamlessly transfer your site without experiencing significant interruptions. AccuWeb Hosting ensures that your migration is easy and safe, allowing for almost zero downtime, so your visitors won’t even notice the change.
My existing windows hosted domains are with a provider that I want to change. I purchased the domain names through that host provider. I really don’t need sophisticated migration of content as I keep a complete backup content image on local hard drive. I would simply use your panel client to upload the content to your new hosting. The issue I don’t understand is how to keep my very same domain names (customer access URL web addresses). Will Accu help with that? Is that included your “free” migration?
Yes, we will help you with that. You just need to point your domain name to AccuWebHosting.Com. We will help you in pointing that to our hosting services.