I will assume your current host must have some problems for you to be moving. The first thing you will want to do is make sure you have found a web host that will eliminate the current problems without adding any new issues. A few things to consider from a new web host are:
• The terms and conditions.
• Can you set up a monthly plan or are you locked in to a long term contract?
• What is their customer service like?
• Will you get the price that is advertised?
• Is a full payment up front required?
• Do they offer a full money back guarantee?
• Do they have the email service you are after?
• The list goes on and on, but you get the idea.
Once your new web host is found and you have signed up for your new account, You will want to start making backups of your current website's files. For this you will need an FTP client to download all of your files onto your computer. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. This is the easiest and most efficient way to transfer files from your computer to a server or visa versa.
Once all of your website files are safely on your computer, you can now upload everything up to your new web host (server). You will need to test the new site to make sure that your pages and layout is all working and looking correct. It might really suck to do all of this, but you will want to check for broken links as well as image links. Also check to make sure that all the formatting of text is correct. IT is for this very reason that I am such a strong advocate of using a CMS such as WordPress or Joomla. Using one of the popular content management systems virtually eliminates any problems with HTML code.
After your website is up and running, you will need to re-make all of your active email accounts. Keep in mind that your new email accounts will not be active until your domain is pointing at your new server. Don't get too worried about this because the whole time you are doing this set up, you still have your old site and email working from your old host. Even during the time when you make the final switch, you can set up an auto-responder from your old server to let your customers know what is going on. The best time to do all of this would be over a weekend or even a holiday so your traffic is low and you will minimize the disruption to your customers.
The next step in this process is to point your domain name to the new server. This is called switching the DNS. If you don't have access to your domain settings you will have to contact your domain registrar and have them point your domain. The beauty of setting up the new server ahead of time is that once the domain gets pointed to the new server, there shouldn't be much downtime. If you do this over a weekend, nobody should ever know that your site was even moved.
You will want to keep your old web hosting account open for at least a month after the switch. This way you can be sure to get all of your email accounts working properly. It will also serve as a backup just in case something happens during the domain pointing process (quite unlikely).
After you are sure that everything is on the up and up, now comes the fun part. It's time to fire your old web host. Try not to enjoy this part of the process too much. I do know that using a crappy web host is like hitting yourself over the head with a hammer, it feels good when you stop. http://qualityhostingnow.com
Come visit my website for cool articles like this. http://qualityhostingnow.com/2009/12/5-quick-tips-for-getting-rid-of-your-website-visitors/
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