Website Migration Services Move Your Site to a New Host
When your current host no longer meets your needs, or you are upgrading to a faster or more secure web hosting provider, you need to move (migrate) your entire site.
Website migration services can include moving your website code, images, content, and database, everything that combines to make a functional website, to a new web host. There are other things to consider like DNS updates, email service, secure certificates, logs, reporting, and more.
Many website owners choose to migrate when their current hosting slows down, lacks support, or limits growth. Others migrate to improve security, take advantage of better performance tools, or consolidate all their websites under one provider. Whatever the reason, professional website migration service ensures your site transitions smoothly without any downtime or data loss to your website or email.
Hiring a consultant for website migration services can save you a lot of downtime, stress and lost revenue.
People hire Freelance Web Programmer to transfer their site to a new host because they don’t know how to do it themselves, and want the expertise of a website migration company.
Most of the time people want to change a web host because:
- Poor Performance Slow loading times, frequent downtime, and unreliable service can greatly impact the user experience on a website, and hurt your search engine rankings. If a web hosting company consistently fails to deliver satisfactory service, it’s time to find a new web host.
- Customer Service What is more frustrating that waiting days for a response, having to try to explain a problem that you don’t understand in the first place, or dealing with language barriers? Certain web hosting company’s support seem to never listen and always put the problem back on you with a standard response of “Clear your browser cache”, “Clear your cookies”, “Try another web browser” or “Log out and back in again”.
- Cost Price hikes happen. Sometimes it’s enough to open your eyes and look to see if there are better web hosting options out there. The “big” web hosting companies are also notorious for offering “deals too good to be true” for the first month, or year. Make sure you know what the renewal price is going to be, or you may be shocked when you see the price of your next web hosting bill.
- Security Issues Not all web hosts make security their priority. Things like network security, regular backups, proper configuration, weak password policies, vulnerable software are all points of weakness. This can damage your business reputation and cost a lot in lost revenue.
How much does website migration cost?
The cost of website migration services depend on multiple factors, including the website’s size, complexity, hosting environment, quality of old web host service, and whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring a professional to migrate your site.
Website migration costs can range from free if you migrate it yourself or your new hosting provider includes free web migrations, to hundreds or even thousands of dollars for complex setups.
Because every website is unique, it’s nearly impossible to give an accurate estimate without reviewing your specific situation.
The following factors can influence the total cost:
- Website Size- a large website makes a migration more complex
- Functionality built into your site. i.e. migrating a WordPress site with eCommerce has more to consider than a simple HTML site.
- Quality/performance of the old web hosting provider
- Differences between old host and new host. i.e server configurations, dashboard used (cPanel, DirectAdmin, Plesk, proprietary)
- If you can generate a full website backup on your old host. Some hosts charge for back up services, while others include backups for free.
Every website is a unique situation with many factors to consider. Website migration costs range from free site migrations through your new web host, to hundreds dollars for complex situations. If you are looking for a successful website migration with no down time, your best bet is to get a quote from an experienced company that knows what factors in to a successful transfer.
Why hire someone to migrate your website?
Experience. I hear the same questions over and over about migrating a website to to a new host.
Can I change my web host?
You can always change your web host. How hard it is to accomplish this is where expertise comes into play. Finding someone who migrates websites can review your setup to then give yo a rough idea of how much it will cost to migrate your site.
Who Migrates Websites?
There aren’t too many companies out there are promote themselves as a “website migration company”. Different types of companies offer website migration service within the list of services they provide.
For example:
- Web Development Agencies
- Web Hosting Companies
- SaSS companies that will migrate to their software and hosting
- Freelance website migration services
Some hosts offer free website migrations. (Note: free migrations will move your email and website code/content, depending on the platform and host you are coming from, but you will still have to take care of DNS changes with your domain)
Can I change web hosting without downtime?
It’s absolutely possible to switch web hosting (and email hosting) without downtime. It is a multi step process to migrating a website though. If you don’t have experience in doing this, there is a good chance you will experience downtime.
Can I change web hosting and keep my domain name?
Yes. Your domain name is a separate entity from your web hosting service. While they can be bought from the same company, they are completely separate products and do not have to stay with the same company. Your domain registrar does NOT have to change if you change web hosting companies. Your DNS records that are connected to your domain name do need to change though. The relationship between a domain name, website and web host is very difficult for a lot of people to grasp. They all have to work together to create a functional website that is live on the Internet, but they are separate entities. Often, when a website transfer to a new host fails and the site does not load, its related to issues with the domain name.
How difficult is it to migrate a WordPress website to a new host?
Migrating WordPress is a bit different than moving a simple website. Read this if you want to migrate your WordPress site to a new host yourself, or this if you want to WordPress migration services to ensure no downtime, or loss of SEO rankings.
Can I move my website from GoDaddy to another host?
Absolutely you always have the option to transfer your site away from GoDaddy. They offer many different types of hosting products. Depending on what service you have will be a factor in how complicated it will be move your site. For example, if you are using GoDaddy’s proprietary website builder, the only way to move to a new host is to also rebuild your website. With website builder software, you do not “own” the website code, and you can not take it with you. (This is a huge downfall to any hosted website solution.) If you have a Linux web hosting plan with cPanel, it can make moving to another host using cPanel very easy.
Does changing web hosting affect SEO?
This is a great question that a lot of people do not consider until the site migration has been completed. Obviously, you want to migrate a website without losing SEO. There is the potential for both a positive or negative SEO impact when moving your site to a new host. Any changes to your website, no matter how small, can have an impact on your search engine rankings.
Assuming that the new host you are migrating to is better quality than you old host, an increase in page speed load time will have a positive impact on SEO. Google loves fast websites. If your pages load faster, it will have an effect on your search engine rankings. Website speed optimization doesn’t include just hosting. Optimizing the code and content on your pages will have a significant impact too.
What are the risks of website migration?
Downtime, data loss, SEO issues, loss of customers, loss of revenue. Lots of things can go wrong. Read more details about the risks of website migration here. By hiring a website migration expert, a migration plan is in place to prevent any of this from happening. There should be no down time you migrate a website properly.
How to troubleshoot website migration issues?
Experience. Either contact your host for help, or a company that specializes in moving websites to new hosts.
Where can I migrate my website?
Once you decide you are ready to move away from your current host, were you transfer your website to needs to be carefully considered. Be wary of the promotions you see like free domain and first month for $.01. Web hosting fees are a monthly recurring cost. Read the fine print to find out what you will actually be paying after the first payment. Web hosting service is the first bottleneck with your website security, and performance. A quality host with phenomenal customer support is a must. If your looking for the best web hosting for small business, read on.
How long does it take to migrate a website?
A website migration on a simple website can be completed in a of couple of hours. Complex migrations can span over a couple of days. When done properly, there is no downtime during this time. The time involved is “behind the scenes” before the DNS updates to point your domain name to the new host takes place.
Moving your website to a new host can easily result in your website being offline for long periods of time if you do not understand the process. Working with someone who specializes in moving sites to new hosts can save you a lot of time, frustration and money.
Hire a website migration expert for a stress free transfer with no downtime.