Tired of Bad Service? It Could Be Time to Switch Web Hosts

Do you ever wish you could fire your Web hosting company? Maybe your monthly bill is too expensive. Perhaps the hosting company has terrible customer service. Why suffer when you can start the process of switching today?

If you follow the steps laid out here, chances are good that you’ll make a smooth transition from one provider to another. If you proceed before you know what these questions mean and what the answers are, your site could be in for some serious downtime.

Step 1

Collect information about your current site and make sure you can answer the following questions about it:

• Who is hosting your current Web site?
• Who is hosting your domain name (DNS)?
• Where is the most current copy of the Web site located?
• Does your site rely on any scripts, databases, or other technologies?

If the answer to the last question is "yes," you may need to consult a Web professional before moving your site to a new host.

Step 2

Finding a new Web host. The search for a new provider doesn't have to be as unpleasant as a root canal. There are plenty of resources to help dull the pain. One such resource is a site called The List. There, you can create highly tailored searches through the site's listings of Web hosts, Internet service providers (ISPs), and Web designers.

Step 3

Now you should be ready to sign up with a new Web host. Most hosts will want to know how much bandwidth you'll want, the amount of storage space you'll need, as well as whether you'd like e-mail and scripting support. Figure out what you want, sign up, and you're ready for the next step.

Step 4

Upload a copy of your Web site to the new hosting company's server. To do this, you'll need File Transfer Protocol (FTP) software. If you don't have an FTP client installed on your computer, TechSoup has a free program called Filezilla which you can download. If you don't know how to use FTP, the technical support folks at your new Web host may be a good resource.

Step 5

Confirm that your Web site is accessible on the new server. The address might be something like: http://www.my-host.com/~myname. (You can get the Web address of your new account from your new hosting company.)

Step 6

Point your domain name to your account at the new Web hosting company. Though it's not necessary to understand all the details of the Domain Name System (DNS) in order to accomplish this step, we've provided a handy explanation anyway.

Here's a DNS primer: Computers understand numbers (an Internet-connected computer may have a numerical IP address that looks something like this: 128.242.106.130). People, on the other hand, understand names like www.techsoup.org. DNS matches the names to the numbers. When you move your Web site to a new server, its numeric address changes and you'll want to make sure your domain name (www.yourdomain.org) points to the address of the new Web server instead of the old one.

To do this, consider who is hosting your domain name. (Remember step one?) If your current -- soon to be former -- Web host is hosting your domain name, you'll want to change this so your new Web host is taking care of it. If this is the case, contact your new Web hosting company for assistance.

If, on the other hand, someone else--maybe your domain name registrar -- is hosting your domain name then it's not necessary to move your domain name records to a new host. You'll just need to change the records at your existing host.

Step 7

Confirm that the DNS transition is complete. One thing to note is that changing your domain name to point to your new Web host can take a couple of days. If you don't have any other way to confirm that the process is complete, make a minor change to the home page of your Web site and upload the altered file to your space at the new Web host. Then, open a Web browser and put in the address of your site. If the site reflects the changes you made, then the DNS transition is finished.

Step 8

Now you can call and cancel service with your old Web host. This is the best part.