Following steps should be considered for smooth migration
- Select your host carefully: There can be nothing more frustrating than getting your site moved to a new host and then realizing that your previous one was better.So it is very important to have a full detailed information of your web hosting company. It is vital to make a checklist of all the features your current host is providing and comparing it with the solutions of your new web hosting provider. This will help to make a better comparison and plan how your website can fit the new host system.
- Revise DNS records: DNS records describe the internet how it can find your website. When you shift to a new host these records need updating. The name server is used wherever your domain name is managed. If your information is not properly updated your website will remain inaccessible to the rest of the world.
- Have a backup of the old site: Do not cancel your old account in haste. It is a wise decision to have a proper back up of your old site as it will give you time to find out the bugs and remove the problems.
- Intimate your users early: If you have regular customers and your site attracts lot of traffic, make sure to intimate your customers a few weeks in advance. Moving your website may take few days and it may take a while to propagate the new information throughout the internet.
- Testing: Once you have shifted to your new host, test everything. Fix the bugs before your users start facing problems and ensure that everything is ready and proper from the move.