Changing a web hosting can be a complicated task if you don’t know how to do it in the right way. The following is an instruction on how to transfer your website to another server.
First of all, you must create a backup of the files. It is important to backup the files so that you don’t lose any important information during the process. Depending on the size of the files, it may take several hours to several days. If it is a static site, you can use a FTP client to transfer the files to your desktop. If you own a blog, you need to access the PHPMyAdmin area to download the database.
Next, you will have to upload the files to the server. The files should be uploaded to the public_html directory on the server. The files and folders are to be uploaded to the public_html directory. The homepage file must not be placed inside any folder. The homepage file index.htm should be uploaded to the root of the public_html directory. Once you have uploaded the files, you can visit the website to see if everything is working properly.
After that, you should setup the email accounts on the new server. If your server has Cpanel, you can easily create a new email account through the admin management panel. If you want to use POP email account, make sure they are configured appropriately.
To prevent mistakes during the upload process, you can create a mirror site through the Cpanel and test drive the site. If everything is working properly, you can proceed to upload the real site.
Before the changes will take effect, you must configure the DNS of the domain. The DNS information is displayed on the side bar of your Cpanel. You can also find out the DNS information through the welcome email which is sent to you when you purchase the web hosting. The DNS of the main domain name of the server must also be changed. After you have changed the DNS, you will see the changes take effect. If you don’t know how to change the DNS, you can contact the customer service. The customer service will be glad to help you.
Sometimes, it will take up to 48 hours for the changes to take place. You can use the WHOIS domain tool to track the transfer progress. You can send a sample email to the email accounts hosted on the server to see if they are functioning properly.