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Changing Your Web Host
A small business may typically wish to change its web host if using a shared server, as the business grows, so more space is needed and more security might also be required, in which case, the business may need to transfer from a shared host to one which offers a dedicated server. Although shared servers are cheaper, at $10 to $50 a month, there might come a time when the volume of traffic to the site is too great and the traffic to other sites sharing the server has also expanded and so things slow right down. Dedicated servers were typically around $200 a month, going up to $750, but now that demand for them has increased and there is more competition, they are coming down, and although the current average rate is $200 a month, you can find them for as low as $100, and it looks as though this will rapidly become the norm. Some researchers say that whether you are on a dedicated server or a shared server, this will not affect your SEO rankings, so don’t change your server simply because you think the SEO listing of your company will automatically rise in the pages lists.
You get more for your money on a dedicated server, as any problems are rapidly dealt with and it’s easier to create more sophisticated web applications because of the greater storage space and the speed. Usually web host use a fairly simple program for their dedicated servers so they don’t need to engage the services of professional IT maintenance people, which is why the costs of hosted dedicated servers are coming down.
If your small business has expanded and you are thinking of changing your web host, then you should do some research to find one that suits your needs. When you have done that, or while you are in the process of doing that you should make a complete copy of your web site ready to transfer it to the new web host’s and the dedicated server.
When you have found a suitable new web host, and have agreed terms, then you should transfer your domain name. To do this you will need to contact your domain name registrar, where you registered the name, and change the Domain Name Server (DNS) to your new hosts DNS. There will be a downtime of between 24 and 72 hours while this process is completed.
After this has been done you can transfer all your files to the new domain and amend any small errors that might have occurred during the download-upload process. Then test the new site to make sure that it is working properly- check email functions etc., and then cancel your contract with your former web host.
Once you have decided to change your web host you have to do all the work, or, of course, pay someone else to do it for you. When you have transferred to the new web host though, you will probably find that everything will run much more smoothly.