Changing Your Web Host
A website is essential to having an online presence, and choosing the correct server for your needs is important. Web hosting companies provide servers for customers to host their websites on. Understanding what web hosting is and the features you need to look for in a web hosting provider can make all the difference in selecting the best deal for your website. It’s common for people to change their WordPress web hosting provider if they’re unhappy with their current service. Some might feel like their content network distribution system needs to be updated, or maybe they’re just dissatisfied with its speed. Either way, people switch web hosting providers often, so changing yours is normal. Interested in learning more about WordPress and its origins? Check out this helpful article on What is the WordPress Content Management System (CMS).
Before deciding which server or provider fits you best, you should evaluate what features are important to you and what kind of budget you have available. Some web hosts may offer different payment plans or specials that could be beneficial. Additionally, it’s a good idea to read reviews from other users and study customer support ratings offered through third-party review sites. Doing your homework and talking with potential providers before signing any agreement or contract ensures that transferring providers will be much smoother.
In this article we are talking about changing web hosting providers, in this next article we discuss the costs to build a WordPress website.
Search for a New Web Hosting Service
Finding a new web host is essential to keep your website up and running. It’s crucial to take time to research web hosts before selecting them. Read through online reviews and customer feedback, looking closely at the deals they offer, their pricing systems, server configurations, content delivery networks (CDN), etc. Registering your domain name with a third-party provider separate from the hosting service you choose is also wise. This will protect you if you decide to switch providers at some point in the future, as this change will not affect your domain name.
One such web host that comes highly recommended is Bluehost, which currently offers a special deal that includes a free domain name. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you need help finding their services satisfactory. With all of these tools available, finding the best hosting service that suits your need and can help move your website forward effectively will be much easier.
Next up in WordPress: Building a WordPress Website: A Beginners Guide
WordPress Hosting Providers
WordPress Hosting is a crucial element when it comes to getting your website or blog up and running. It is essential to know that there are plenty of web hosts out there which provide the necessary requirements for WordPress. However, choosing one from the vast remainder can be difficult and time-consuming. Luckily, organizations such as WordPress have gone through hundreds of thousands of web hosts to determine what best fits in the rich hosting environment that would provide the best environment for a successful launch of your website or blog.
SiteWired
SiteWired is one of the oldest and most well-established web hosting companies on the market today. Established in 1998, SiteWired is a well-respected provider of WordPress hosting services. With Bluehost, website speed is maintained regardless of traffic levels. Technical assistance is available 24/7 via phone, email, and chat for troubleshooting purposes related to creating or managing your WordPress site.
In addition to offering top-notch service, Bluehost is rated #1 in web hosting for businesses. To make their services even more attractive to potential customers, they offer a special 63% discount to WPBeginner users, a free domain, a free SSL certificate, and a free Site Builder with templates. With such a fantastic offer from one of the most reputable providers on the market today, it’s no wonder why many people choose SiteWired for their WordPress website hosting.
SiteGround
SiteGround is a WordPress web host well-recognized in the WordPress community, with numerous awards and endorsements from users. Their offering includes premium, optimized plans best suited for WordPress websites in terms of speed and security. SiteGround also provides exclusive speed and security solutions to enhance their service further. WPBeginner runs on SiteGround Enterprise servers so that we can attest to the efficacy of their services first-hand.
Performance tests for the server show excellent results — a load time of under one second (491 ms) for a server located in Dallas, Texas. We’re sure users worldwide with varying connection speeds will be just as pleased with the performance they get when they choose SiteGround as their WordPress host.
Dreamhost
DreamHost is a reliable web hosting provider that has been around since 2002. Their WordPress hosting solutions offer one-click installation with an official recommendation from WordPress.org, the creators of the popular open-source CMS platform. Our performance tests show that DreamHost servers are fast and reliable, with a test site in New York City loading in under one second, faster than 93% of tested sites.
On top of this great speed and performance, they also passed our Load Impact test with flying colors by successfully handling peak traffic hours. This shows us that DreamHost is as fast as a regular web host and can easily handle any unexpected traffic spikes or sudden website popularity whenever needed. Overall it looks like DreamHost delivers on its promise of exceptional web hosting consistently, no matter what the uncontrollable circumstances may be.
HostGator
HostGator is well-known for providing reliable hosting services. Its WordPress hosting plans have made it one of the most sought-after web hosting companies, with over 8 million domains hosted. HostGator has continuously been driving to improve its performance, which can be seen through our performance tests. We tested a WordPress website on HostGator’s server and found that it loaded in 1.03 seconds—faster than 94% of all tested sites. This illustrates their servers’ power, even for a brand-new website with no traffic.
However, speed is only part of it when choosing a web host. To get the best results from your WordPress website themes, you’ll want to ensure that the hosting environment is secure and optimized for optimal uptime and stability. HostGator offers unbeatable support to ensure that any issues you may incur will be quickly addressed and resolved soon so you can focus on growing your business instead of worrying about managing your web server. Along with its stellar support team, HostGator provides various tools such as automated backups, premium security features, and an easy-to-use control panel – these features give you control over every aspect of your website’s performance so you can focus on providing exceptional experiences for visitors.
Hostinger
Hostinger offers excellent value in WordPress hosting with its competitive prices, 24/7 customer support, and a rock-solid platform. According to web hosting statistics, over 1.3% of websites are hosted on Hostinger – signaling their rising popularity in the WordPress community. We ran some performance tests using our test site and Load Impact to understand how well Hostinger’s WordPress hosting can handle traffic during peak hours. The results were encouraging — our test page loaded exceptionally quickly, even during peak times when website traffic was highest. This indicates that if you need reliable hosting for your WordPress site at an affordable price, then Hostinger is undoubtedly worth considering.
The benefits continue; Hostinger offers a speedy and reliable platform for your business and provides all the necessary tools that any website owner needs for optimal performance. Along with excellent customer support through live chat, widgets, and WordPress plugins are pre-installed and ready to use – meaning you don’t have to worry about setting up extra software or services before launching your website. Everything from unlimited storage space and domain names to automated daily backups is included in their service offering – making them an excellent choice for anyone looking for an easy solution to web hosting.
Migration Services or Manual Migration
When deciding whether to use a web hosting migration service or do it manually, consider the time and technical knowledge it takes to switch hosts successfully. If you’re unfamiliar with website technology and need more hours to dedicate toward a manual setup, then using a host-provided service is likely your best bet. A web hosting migration service will usually connect to an existing database on your old site and automatically transfer all the necessary files onto the new server. This is often done quickly and securely, ensuring minimal disruption to your website during the transfer process.
On the other hand, if you possess technical knowledge and enough time to troubleshoot potential errors that may occur in the process of transferring files, then going manual might be best. Manual migration can be challenging and involve numerous steps, such as changing domain nameservers or IP addresses, configuring database settings, transferring files with FTP programs, etc. Despite its difficulty level, this option allows users to exercise more control over their data management as they can select what needs to be moved and add customization options that free tools may not provide.
What are the Pros and Cons of Using Migration Services?
Using a service to migrate your website can be extremely helpful and time effective. You only have to enter the minimal amount of data into the software at your new hosting provider – like your credentials from the old host – to begin the process. The provider handles everything else automatically, taking all the potential hassle out of an otherwise complex task.
There are a few downsides to using a service for site migration, though. Firstly, this kind of assistance generally comes with an extra cost from most providers – though some may include it as part of their standard package – and secondly, there’s always a risk that mistakes could go unnoticed during migration, leaving you with unforeseen issues post-move. As such, it’s wise to thoroughly check all aspects of your setup after switching for any discrepancies that may arise during the transition process.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Manual Migration?
Manual migration is a process in which you move sites or applications from one environment to another with no external service involved. This process offers complete migration autonomy, including control, customization, and full access to the source and destination files. However, manual migration can be time-consuming and cause operational costs associated with the process, such as updating incompatible software components. Other problems may arise if users need more technical skills or have a limited understanding of the system being migrated.
Manual migration could benefit those with specific requirements and needs that cannot be met by using an external service since users can customize the process according to their preferences. In addition, manual migrations also make for good Disaster Recovery processes as data can be secured at every step in the transfer process due to its extensive nature. On the other hand, attempting a manual migration can also bring complexities, such as problems performing operations on systems unfamiliar to those trying the task, compatibility issues between new and legacy systems, and potential downtime during transfers due to incompatibilities that require additional configuration.
The Migration Process
Several steps are common to both methods, whether you choose the manual or host-provided migration process. The first step is to ensure that all the data from your old hosting provider is backed up. This will help if any issues arise during the transfer process and allow you to restore your website quickly if needed.
The next step in the migration process involves setting up the new hosting service. This includes configuring the server settings and domains, setting up email accounts, and transferring your website files to the new server. Once all these steps are completed, you’ll need to test the site to ensure it is functioning correctly.
Finally, it would be best if you informed your visitors that the change in hosting providers has occurred by providing a message on your website.
Downloading Your Website
Once you have decided to switch hosting providers, the next step is to find and download your website from your previous host. This may prove tricky unless you control both the domain and the hosting, and they may not easily give up their data. You’ll need to contact the web host directly or use the web platform’s control panel if one is available.
Once you’ve found your website’s files, you’ll want to ensure that you back up any databases associated with your website. Depending on what platform your site was developed on, there might be multiple database types that need backing up — MySQL databases are commonly used in popular CMSs like WordPress. Ask your local tech expert for assistance if it all seems too complicated. Once obtained, download these files onto a secure local computer location, so they’re ready to package and transfer over to the new hosting provider when needed.
Exporting Your Database
Exporting a website database is an important step in the process of transferring web hosting. Depending on the types of databases being used, the method may vary. Fortunately, using phpMyAdmin as a tool makes exporting and importing databases much more effortless.
If cPanel is used as the web hosting, exporting a database is simple with phpMyAdmin’s user-friendly interface. Even if users need help understanding each element they encounter while navigating, they should still be able to execute this task alone. This would include things such as downloading backup files or data file dumps. Additionally, relying on your previous hosting provider to learn details about how to export can also prove very useful in these cases.
Importing Website Database
Uploading and importing your website and database is a crucial step when switching hosting providers. All the necessary details should be worked out beforehand with the new host to ensure everything runs smoothly. When using an SQL-based website, it is possible to use phpMyAdmin or similar tools to import the database into the new account easily. On the other hand, setting up a simple static website which often contains a business landing page, can be as easy as uploading files from the old provider straight into a public html folder of the new one. Thus, it is important to download all files before switching accounts to avoid any inconvenience or possible downtime when moving over. Bluehost, for instance, provides detailed instructions on how to do this.
Using a File Manager
Using Bluehost’s File Manager to upload your files is a fast and efficient way to get the job done. You will need log in to your cPanel account, locate Files, select File Manager, and double-click the public_html folder to open it. Once there, you can go ahead and transfer all of your previously downloaded files into this folder. It is that simple!
The benefits of using Bluehost’s File Manager are numerous. For instance, you can quickly and easily access files stored on your server and set file permissions or passwords for better security. Additionally, File Manager allows you to easily compress large folders, making them easily downloaded as one file. Lastly, whenever you have an issue with a file not showing up or having difficulty moving it around in the directory structure, it’s no problem when utilizing File Manager – allowing you to quickly resolve any pesky issues.
FTP Upload
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, it is a convenient way to upload and modify files from multiple computers. FTP clients such as FileZilla make it easy to manage the editing of files across different machines. When setting up an FTP client, the user’s username, password, and FTP server name will initially be required. Once these details are inputted on the server, a folder showing all its contents will be visible. This often includes a public_html folder with all the crucial files necessary for uploading or making changes. It’s like having a designated dedicated space to manage or host your website files.
Using an FTP client helps save time when quickly transferring data as opposed to using file managers which can limit how many files you can modify in one go while offering no security protocols. You’ll also get access to check each file’s specific history, which allows you to keep track of any changes made by different users on any device connected over the network at any given time. Furthermore, most browsers now come with built-in support for FTP clients, so you won’t have to install them to use them manually.
What is a Dynamic Website?
A dynamic website is a very versatile type of website, as it can house large amounts of data and be updated quickly and easily. It uses databases to store all the necessary data so the website can process it as needed. The databases are often stored on a dedicated server, providing added security against malicious actors. This makes them especially useful for large organizations or businesses that need to keep data up-to-date on their websites.
These websites can be built using custom code or one of the many popular content management systems (CMS) like WordPress. When using a CMS, the database must also be exported with the site’s files during the migration process. Bluehost provides an easy way to do this via PhpMyAdmin – after logging in, locate the “Database” tab before opening the PhpMyAdmin interface and following its instructions from there further. Moving a dynamic website between hosting companies has always been challenging – you only need to worry about ensuring that information is transferred correctly. Your data stays secure throughout the whole process.
Using a Content Management System
Content management systems like WordPress, Blogger and Joomla are simplifying the process of website migration. Through their native migration options, you can transfer an entire website with only a few clicks. For example, if you’re migrating a WordPress site to a new host, you must launch the Import & Export option and let it handle the rest. By eliminating much of the manual work involved in traditional web migrations, these tools make it easier to relocate websites quickly and safely.
Another great benefit of content management systems is that they enable platforms to be easily worked on together as a single entity. This means that different developers or teams can easily collaborate on the same project while retaining complete control over their contributions. Additionally, regular updates are pushed out automatically, so users can handle keeping up with changes for the website or platform to stay secure. All in all, CMSs like WordPress provide an incredibly convenient way for businesses and individuals to build and manage digital products without the heavy lifting required by their alternatives.
Testing the Website
Once everything is set up and transferred over, it’s important to check that all the files were moved correctly and that your website is functioning as expected. You’ll need to use the new hosting provider’s control panel or FTP client to access your website’s files and folders. Once you’re in, make sure to check each page for any errors or broken links. If everything looks good, then you’re ready to go live! You may want to set up a 301 redirect from your old hosting provider so that visitors don’t get confused when accessing the website at its new address.
Additionally, use tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or web crawlers such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider to uncover any sitemaps or content errors that may have been missed during development or lead generation processes. Taking time out of your busy schedule to perform these tests can ensure that everything is up and running as expected, no matter what kind of traffic comes in through search engines, emails, or other sources when visitors land on your website’s homepage.
Switch Your DNS
Changing the DNS record of your website is an important step that should be noticed when you transfer it to a new server. This is because a DNS record is like a map or an instruction guide on how users and search engines should access your website. If you do not update the correct information, people will be directed to an error page when entering your URL in their browsers.
To change the DNS record, you must acquire one from your new hosting provider, who will guide you through the process. Requesting a transfer can take up to a day or more for it to take effect and become operational across the web. Once the transfer service has been completed successfully and verified, visitors will now access your website from its new home – seamlessly!
Uptime
Monitoring the uptime of your website is critical to ensuring a successful online presence. Fortunately, it is easy to keep track of your website’s performance with various tools and apps such as Pingdom, Uptime Robot, and Monitor Us. When a new DNS is assigned, you will want to confirm that everything is working correctly and ensure there are no issues over the coming days by actively monitoring the server’s uptime.
These distributed monitoring systems will track relevant aspects of your site, such as ping speed, domain name service (DNS) server, HTTP, and TCP port performance. Examining these metrics helps you diagnose problems quicker and avoid costly recovery efforts when dealing with a potentially malfunctioning system. This will enable you to quickly identify any errors or malfunctions on your website and take appropriate action to decrease downtime so customers can enjoy uninterrupted access.
Broken Links and Website Issues
When you move from one server to another, you must stay alert for missing links and different site structures. Despite the best intentions, assets such as graphics may be misplaced or forgotten. As such, it’s important to watch out for 404 errors in order to ensure that your website is functioning correctly and all the links are intact.
To troubleshoot these issues, you should regularly check your 404 logs to identify any broken links or non-working assets; this way, you can be sure that they get repaired or replaced quickly and efficiently. Above all else, try to make the user journey seamless by avoiding broken links at all costs! Alternatively, rather than displaying a blank 404 page, you could try redirecting visitors to other working pages on your website.
Email Accounts
Switching your email to a new web host can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. In most cases, the transfer of mailboxes, contacts, and other data is automated and seamless.
If your email is hosted through a domain registrar, like GoDaddy or Namecheap, you must change the DNS ‘A’ record to point to the new host’s IP address. This can be done quickly from your hosting service provider’s customer portal. If you use a third-party service such as Microsoft 365 or Google G Suite, they require that your MX records be modified in the new DNS settings on your new host’s server. Once these have been updated and propagated across the internet – usually just a few minutes – all you need to do is inform your contacts of the switchover.
Database Corruption
If you experience any difficulties with your database during the transfer process, it may result from data corruption. With the WordPress platform being so popular these days, we’ll discuss potential solutions to this issue specifically for this platform.
Once you’ve successfully re-uploaded the website content, remember to turn them back on, as they are essential features of your site. If your WordPress database is corrupted, the first thing to do is try again, disabling all plugins beforehand. However, if that doesn’t work or you can’t even access the dashboard anymore due to a corrupted database, consider other options, such as manually updating and reinstalling the core files in your installation folder or completing restoration from a backup before initiating a new transfer attempt. Unfortunately, whichever method you use will require technical knowledge and patience due to encountering possible bugs.
Migration Services Support
If you don’t feel comfortable transferring your website to a new host by yourself or don’t have the time to waste, you can use a migration service like the Bluehost support team that can do it for you at an affordable price. This service costs $149.99, and it includes moving up to 5 websites with 20 email accounts. This way, your site will look and work the same as before when the transfer is complete.
The Bluehost support team will ensure that all critical files and databases are sent over successfully, and your sites will be 100% functional after the transfer is completed. By trusting their expertise and skillfulness, you can relax while they care for everything for you. It’s also worth noting that if something goes wrong during the transfer, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s no risk involved.
Previous Hosting Providers
Canceling your previous hosting provider’s account is essential in switching to a new hosting provider. By doing so, you can avoid any unnecessary charges if you no longer need that service. Before making the final cancellation, it’s recommended to download a complete backup of all of your website files and content, as issues can arise at any time. Having this information on hand will ensure you don’t suffer any losses.
This backup should include more than just the primary site data too. You should also have a complete record of your email accounts and settings, databases, SSL certificates – anything related to your website and its services. When you have all these files backed up and ready for safekeeping, go ahead with the cancellation process of your existing hosting plan to avoid racking up additional costs without fully utilizing their services.
Conclusion
In conclusion, switching to a web hosting provider is easier than one may think. Potential risks are involved, and a few items to consider before making the switch, but these can quickly be addressed by planning. By following the steps in this guide, you can make the switch with minimal downtime and inconvenience. Additionally, if unsatisfied with your current service, feel free to look for another provider.
Switching web hosting providers is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. Once you’ve decided on a new provider, follow the steps outlined in this guide to complete the process in a carefully planned manner. Be sure to do plenty of research on any possible service as well as read feedback from other customers or clients who have used their services. This way, you’ll minimize downtime and potential complications while receiving the optimal benefit from your new web hosting provider.