Migrating Your Website to a New Hosting Provider: A Complete Checklist

Migrating your website to a new hosting provider is daunting, but with careful planning and execution, it can be accomplished smoothly. This guide provides a comprehensive checklist to ensure your migration is successful, minimizing downtime and avoiding data loss.

Pre-Migration Preparation

1. Evaluate Your Current Hosting Needs

• Assess Traffic & Performance: Analyze your website’s current traffic, bandwidth, and storage requirements. This will help you choose the right hosting plan.
• Identify Features & Limitations: List all the features you currently use (e.g., databases, email hosting, SSL certificates) and any limitations you face.
• Check Current Resource Usage: Review CPU, RAM, and disk space usage to ensure your new host can handle your needs.

2. Research and Select a New Hosting Provider

• Compare Hosting Plans: Evaluate potential hosts based on performance, reliability, customer support, and pricing.
• Read Reviews: Look for user reviews and testimonials to gauge the provider’s reputation.
• Check Migration Support: Ensure the new provider offers migration assistance or tools to ease the process.
• Ensure Compatibility: Verify that your website's technology stack (e.g., PHP version, database type) is supported by the new host.

3. Backup Your Website

• Full Site Backup: Create a complete backup of your website, including files, databases, and emails.
• Store Backups Securely: Save backups on a local drive and a cloud storage service for extra security.
• Test Backup Integrity: Verify that your backup files are not corrupted and can be restored if needed.

4. Prepare for DNS Changes

• Lower TTL Values: Reduce the Time-to-Live (TTL) value on your DNS records to a lower value (e.g., 300 seconds). This ensures faster DNS propagation during migration.
• Understand DNS Records: Familiarize yourself with your DNS settings, including A records, CNAME, MX records, and others that might need updating.

Migration Process

5. Set Up the New Hosting Environment

• Install Necessary Software: Set up your server environment to match your current one (e.g., PHP, MySQL, Apache/Nginx).
• Create Databases: Recreate any databases used by your website on the new server.
• Upload Files: Transfer all website files, including media, scripts, and static content, to the new host.

6. Transfer Databases

• Export Databases: Use tools like phpMyAdmin or command-line utilities to export your databases from the old host.
• Import Databases: Import the databases into the new hosting environment.
• Update Configuration Files: Modify database connection strings in your configuration files to reflect the new database settings (host, username, password).

7. Test the Website on the New Server

• Use Temporary URL/IP: Test the website on the new server using a temporary URL or the server’s IP address.
• Check for Broken Links and Errors: Verify that all pages are accessible, and no content or functionality is missing.
• Ensure Functionality: Test forms, login areas, shopping carts, and other dynamic features to ensure they work correctly.
• Test Email Functionality: Ensure that any email services (e.g., contact forms, notifications) are functioning as expected.

8. Switch DNS to New Hosting Provider

• Update DNS Records: Change the A record and any other relevant DNS records to point to the new server’s IP address.
• Monitor DNS Propagation: Use tools like DNS Checker to monitor the propagation of your DNS changes.
• Check SSL Certificates: If your SSL certificate is tied to your previous host, ensure it is transferred or reissued by the new host.

9. Monitor the Website Post-Migration

• Check Site Performance: Monitor the website for speed and uptime to ensure the new server is performing as expected. We use Pingdom to do so, you can read here about our webhosting uptime and SSl monitoring.
• Resolve Any Issues: Address any errors or issues that arise immediately to minimize disruption.
• Monitor Traffic and Logs: Keep an eye on website traffic and server logs for any unusual activity that might indicate issues.

Post-Migration Tasks

10. Update Backup Settings

• Set Up Regular Backups: Ensure that regular backups are configured on the new host.
• Verify Backup Restorations: Test restoring a backup to confirm the process works correctly.

11. Update Your Domain Registrar

• Update WHOIS Information: Make sure your domain registration information is up to date.
• Update Domain Name Servers: If required, update the domain’s name servers to point to your new host.

12. Inform Users and Clients

• Announce Migration Completion: If applicable, inform your users or clients about the migration and any expected downtime.
• Gather Feedback: Encourage users to report any issues they encounter post-migration.

13. Cancel Old Hosting Plan

• Ensure Data Transfer is Complete: Double-check that all data has been successfully transferred and that no functionality relies on the old host.
• Cancel Hosting Services: Contact your old hosting provider to cancel the services and request a refund if applicable.

14. Review and Optimize Website Performance

• Optimize Performance: Review website performance on the new server and make necessary optimizations (e.g., caching, content delivery network).
• Monitor Security: Ensure that security settings, firewalls, and SSL certificates are properly configured on the new server.
• Update Analytics and SEO Tools: Ensure that your analytics and SEO tools are working correctly and reflecting the migration.