Switching Web Hosts...

How to switch hosts without having any downtime!

Switching to a new host can be a very smooth process or it can be very complicated. Following our steps will ensure that your move is a painless one.

1. The first step is to find the new host you want to be with and join them. Make sure not to cancel with your old hosting provider, and do not tell them you will be cancelling. For the time being you switching host needs to be kept a secret from them, or they could terminate your site early and cause downtime.
   
   

2. At this point you should have hosting accounts with two hosting providers the old and the new one. You will now upload your entire site from the old host to the new one. This can be done by connecting to their ftp and downloading all your files. Then connecting to the new hosts ftp and uploading all your files. Also re-create your email accounts with identical email addresses.
   
   

3. After you have all your files on both hosting accounts you will change your domain names dns. Your new host should have provided you with their domain name servers (dns). If they haven't contact them to find out what dns you should use for your domain name.
   
   Dns usually looks like this:
   ns1.thehostsnames.com
   ns2.thehostsnames.com
   
   Once you know what dns to use on your domain name you will go to wherever you purchased the domain name from to make the changes. If you purchased your domain name from your host you usually will need to ask them to make the dns changes for you. You will tell them this.... "Hello my domain with you is ____ my username is ___ and my password _____ please change my domain names dns to ns1.thednsyoureceived.com and ns2.thednsyoureceived.com
   
   If you have any questions we would be more then happy to help you, or even make the dns changes for you.
   
   

4. Once your dns changes have been made you will need to wait a few hours (can be up to 24 hours) before your site will load off the new host. During this period your dns is propagating world wide, and your site will be bouncing from the old host to the new host every other minute randomly. Once this time has lapsed, your site will only be loading off the new host. To be sure this is the case, you could also make a small change to your homepage, before you upload it to your new host. When you can see this small change on the Internet, you know for certain you are being hosted from your new host. Go and cancel your old hosting account.
   
    

If you completed all the above steps you have successfully switched hosts, with no downtime at all!