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Most people will, at some point, decide to switch their web site to a new hosting company. It may be that they’ve found a more economical hosting company, one that provides better service, or one that supplies more extras.

Regardless of “why” someone changes hosting companies, the process itself has potential problems and dangers. There are, however, ways to minimize the problems.

Plan, plan, plan.

Make a very detailed list of everything that is on your current system and web site. Review what is static and what changes frequently. Note any tailoring done to software and files.

Be prepared to remake files and programs if the systems aren’t transferred properly or can’t be restored. Keep careful track of all old and new names, IP addresses and other information needed to make the migration.

Backup and Test

Backup everything on your system yourself, whenever possible. Web hosting companies typically offer that as a service, but the staff and/or software are often less than par.

Often backups appear to go well, but they’re rarely tested by restoring to a spare server. When the time comes that they’re needed, they sometimes don’t work.

Do a dry run, if you can. Restore the system to its new location and make any needed changes. If you have the host name and or IP address buried in files, make sure it gets changed.

This is often true of databases. SQL Server on Windows, for example, picks up the host name during installation. Moving a single database, or even multiple ones, to a new server is straightforward using in-built utilities or commercial backup/restore software.

Moving certain system-related information may require changing the host name stored inside the master database. Similar considerations apply to web servers and other components.

Accept Some Downtime

Be prepared for some downtime. Very few systems can be picked up, moved to another place, then brought online with zero downtime. Doing so is possible, in fact it’s common. But in such scenarios high-powered professionals use state-of-the-art tools to make the transition seamless. Most staff at web hosting companies don’t have the skills or the resources to pull it off.

Prepare for Name Changes

One aspect of moving to a new host can bedevil the most skilled professionals: changing domain names and or domain name/IP address combinations.

When you type a URL into your browser, or click on one, that name is used because it’s easier for people to remember. You already know that www.Yahoo.com is a lot easier to remember than 209.131.36.158. The name and or name/IP address combinations can (and do) change.

Specialized servers called DNS (Domain Name System) servers have to keep track of domain name and IP address changes, and there are a lot of them. There may be only two (rarely) or there may be a dozen or more DNS servers between your visitors’ browsers/computers and your web host.

Every system along the chain has to keep track of who is who. When a name/IP address changes, that pair has to be communicated to everyone along the chain, and that takes time.

During the time it takes for all the DNS servers to become updated, it’s possible for one visitor to find you at the new hosting IP, while another will be pointing to the old one. Some amount of downtime will usually occur while everything gets back in sync.

The Little Gotchas

But even apart from name and IP address changes, there are a hundred little things that can, and often do, go wrong. That’s not a disaster. It’s just the normal hurdles that arise when changing something as complicated as a web site and the associated systems that underlie it.

Gather Tools and Support

Having an FTP program that you’re familiar with will help facilitate the change. That will allow you to quickly move files from one place to the next to do your part to get the system ready to go or make repairs.

Making the effort to get to know, and become friendly with, support staff at the new site can be a huge benefit. They may be more willing to address your problem before the dozen others they have to deal with at any given moment.

Changing to a new web hosting company makes sense if you’re saving money, getting better customer support, transferring to a more reliable service, or gaining more space and/or options. Don’t let the potential problems keep you locked into a hosting situation that isn’t meeting all of your needs.