| > | | | | for the old site after I switched hosts, just to beable |
| One of the biggest pains about having a web site is | | | | to redirect the traffic to my new site. |
| changing web hosts. Iought to know, I've changed | | | | Make sure you register your domain elsewhere - The |
| over half a dozen times in the last three years. | | | | first time I registered adomain name, it seemed so |
| Each time has been a step up and with each move it | | | | convenient to just use my web hosts |
| becomes easier and easierto change. | | | | domainregistration service. What I didn't know is they |
| Why change web hosts? | | | | became the registrar, andit was a nightmare getting |
| In many cases, your web site is the first and only | | | | the domain transferred to a different one. |
| thing that your customersees (besides, hopefully, | | | | Byregistering the domain at a different company, you |
| your product after they make a purchase). This | | | | will most likely get abetter price, and you will gain |
| isespecially true if your company does not have a | | | | independence from your web host. |
| real-world presence such asa store or office. Thus it | | | | Scope out a few hosts in advance - Even if you are |
| is important that your web site be available toyour | | | | completely happy withyour current web host, at |
| visitors (and customers if your site is commercial) | | | | least take a few minutes and have a few |
| twenty-four hours aday, seven days a week, 365 | | | | namesready just in case. This way if you are forced |
| days a year. | | | | to move, you have a prettygood idea of where. |
| Not only must it be available, but your web site must | | | | Moving To A Different Host |
| load quickly. If yourhost computer is too slow, it | | | | If you are lucky, you get to make the choice about |
| doesn't matter how much you optimize yourgraphics | | | | moving. In that case, youcan simply upload your new |
| and HTML, cut down page sizes and perform other | | | | site, get it all working, then transfer thedomain and |
| actions. | | | | cancel the old site. This gives you a large amount of |
| Other features must work properly. These include | | | | control,because you don't have to transfer the |
| CGI routines,autoresponders, PHP, ASP and SSI | | | | domain and cancel until you are happywith the new |
| scripts, and, very importantly, shoppingcarts and | | | | host. |
| credit card services. | | | | If for some reason your web host has cut off |
| All of this is so important that you must keep an eye | | | | access to your site, then youhave to move fast. This |
| on your site. I usetwo services: alertsite and | | | | is where the monitoring services come in handy - |
| internetseer. Both of these ping my siteoccasionally | | | | youknow immediately when your site fails. |
| to determine if it is up. Any errors are reported to | | | | These are the steps that I follow when I change |
| my emailinbox. Why do I do this? Two reasons: (a) | | | | hosts. |
| it's critical that my site beonline all of the time, and | | | | 1) Determine that a change is necessary. Ideally you |
| (b) these services provide a third-party recordof any | | | | are the one making thisdetermination. Of course, if |
| downtime, which is useful when attempting to get | | | | your web host decides for you, then you have |
| fees refunded. | | | | toperform the rest of these steps very quickly |
| These two services also measure response time, | | | | because you are down. |
| which is very useful todetermine how well your site | | | | 2) Find a new hosting company. Read all of the |
| responds to your users browsing requests. Thesetwo | | | | information on the internetthat I can find. I also |
| factors, uptime and response time, are the most | | | | learned something the hard way - check the |
| critical measures of website performance. A | | | | hostingcompanies own forums for customer |
| consistently bad number in either measure is more | | | | complaints. There were several times that |
| thanenough reason to find another host. | | | | I would have avoided trouble had I followed this |
| Of course, if your CGI routines stop working | | | | advice. |
| mysteriously or yourautoresponders stop responding, | | | | 3) Review the features of the hosting company to |
| then by all means shoot off a trouble ticketto your | | | | be sure they offer what youneed. If you have any |
| host. You have a right to expect these types of | | | | questions, be sure and send an email off to theirsales |
| issues to be quicklyand politely fixed. If they are not | | | | department. |
| and the errors continue, then considermoving to | | | | 4) If you need a storefront, shopping cart and/or |
| another host. | | | | merchant status, be sureyou resolve any issues you |
| Getting Ready to Move | | | | may have before laying out any money. |
| There are a number of tasks that you should be | | | | 5) Sign up for the hosting company with the right |
| performing on a regularbasis. You see, you cannot | | | | size package, but theminimum amount of time (one |
| predict when you might have to change web hosts. | | | | to three months). This gives you some time tocheck |
| It could be that they are suddenly sold and their level | | | | them out without laying out too much money up |
| of service drops, orthey upgrade their computers | | | | front. |
| which causes a series of new problems. You canbe | | | | 6) Once the site is active, start uploading files. |
| sure that you will only find out about these things | | | | 7) Modify any scripts as necessary. Test all of them |
| when your web sitestops working or becomes | | | | to be sure they work. |
| unstable. | | | | 8) Upload any autoresponders and set up your email |
| Another reason to be performing regular maintenance | | | | forwarding as desired. |
| tasks is the possibilityof disasters. A hacker could | | | | 9) Create any subdomains, if you use this feature. |
| deface or even destroy your web site. Yourcredit | | | | 10) Of course, set up any databases. If your other |
| card could be closed, which might cause your host to | | | | site is still active,then just load the databases on the |
| close down yoursite until you pay. Any number of | | | | new site with data from the most recentbackup - |
| other disasters could occur, which make itvery | | | | you just want the data for testing purposes. If it's |
| imperative that you have a continual set of | | | | not active,then load the databases with the most |
| procedures in place to beprepared for anything. | | | | recent values you have. |
| What do you need to do regularly? | | | | 11) Set up your storefront, merchant services and |
| Monitor your site - As I stated earlier, be sure you | | | | credit card processing, ifnecessary. Test as |
| use a site monitoringservice to keep an eye on your | | | | thoroughly as you can. |
| web site. That way you will know immediatelyif | | | | 12) Once everything works and is tested, transfer |
| something happens. | | | | the domain to the newhost. |
| Backup your site - You should perform all edits to | | | | 13) If you have the option, freeze your databases |
| your pages on your owncomputer and upload them | | | | on the old site about 12hours after transferring the |
| to your site. Never edit your site pages directly. | | | | domain. Disable all activity to the olddatabases, then |
| This, by it's very nature, ensures that a copy of your | | | | copy to the new site. |
| site always exists onyour own computer system. | | | | 14) Once the domain transfers (usually a day or two) |
| However, you may also have databases stored on | | | | test thoroughly again. |
| your web site which do notoriginate from your | | | | Unfreeze the databases as soon as you can. |
| computer. These might include mailing lists, | | | | 15) Once everything works, cancel the old account. |
| demographicdata, links and other similar things. These | | | | 16) Depending upon the circumstances of the move, |
| items must all be copied to yourown hard drive on a | | | | demand a partial or fullrefund. It does not matter |
| regular basis. | | | | what the hosting companies policies are -presumably |
| You can set up your favorite FTP program to do | | | | you moved because they were not fulfilling their |
| scheduled downloads ofselected databases, or you | | | | contract. Thismeans they are in breach of contract, |
| can just manually copy them on a regular basis. | | | | so demand your money back. |
| In addition, your web host should be backing your | | | | 17) If they will not give it back (and they probably |
| site up daily. In manyinstances, these backups are | | | | won't), check with yourcredit card company to see |
| available to your as downloadable zip files. Besure and | | | | what your options are - if you've paid within 60days |
| copy these down to your system once in a while - | | | | via credit card, you may be able to get the credit |
| perhaps once aweek. | | | | card company to getyour money back for you. This |
| Don't forget about such things as autoresponders, | | | | is where your monitoring logs come in veryhandy |
| CGI routines and anythingelse which you may enter | | | | (assuming downtime or response time was the |
| at your site control panel. You must ensure thatyou | | | | reason you left) - you canprove your case using third |
| have a backup of everything. | | | | party data. |
| Keep a log - Be sure you know everything that | | | | 18) Why the focus on getting a refund? Because the |
| you've done to your site. Youshould list all of your | | | | hosting company did notprovide contracted services - |
| autoresponders and their names, track any | | | | and no one should be rewarded for failure tofulfill |
| subdomainswhich you have set up, and anything else | | | | their contract. The only real weapon you have is |
| which you may do. This way if youhave to change | | | | your money. Demanda refund. |
| you can recreate your site quickly and efficiently. | | | | 19) Once you've moved, be sure and practice the |
| Only use a domain name - Always reference your | | | | maintenance steps mentionedearlier in this article. You |
| site via a domain name whichyou have purchased and | | | | may have to move your site again, and you wantto |
| control. Never, ever use the URL provided by your | | | | be prepared. |
| webhost, as tempting as this can be at times. I ran | | | | So basically, moving to a new host is always a |
| into a situation where myweb host URL was | | | | traumatic, time consumingevent. You should take |
| somehow entered into a number of search engines, | | | | pains to be prepared so that the trauma is reduced |
| and Idiscovered I was getting tens of thousands of | | | | induration and loss. |
| hits from these URLs. Thisforced me to keep paying | | | | |