Changing Hosting Companies

Sometimes you will have to move your website from one hosting company to another.  Perhaps your current host is preforming badly, or overpriced.  Or maybe they are going out of business and leave you know choice.   Regardless of the reason most people hate the process and often stick around at a bad host just to avoid it.  I know I certainly have, transferring always seems like a lot of work.
Even after working with websites for over a decade, and transferring hundreds of sites before...

when it was my own very large and custom sites, I dreaded the process. Every piece of software I was using was modded and then modded more.  I had lots of content I didn't want to lose, and databases that had been hacked together in maybe not the best way.  Still, I had to get everything moved, ideally with as little down time as possible!

Here are some tips for your transfer go smoothly and be a success!

1. Backup Everything - Obviously you're going to download everything from your current hosting... but make sure that it really is everything. If your site is backed by a database (WordPress, Joomla, phpBB, etc) you're going also need to backup the database. Also, depending on how your website's e-mail is setup, you may need to back that up too. 
2. Pay Double - Don't try to end your hosting on one day and start your new hosting on the next. I recommend overlapping for a month. You can have everything setup at the new place and simply change the DNS. If all is working fine, you can cancel your old hosting. If something goes wrong, you still have the old site waiting, to temporarily go back to, or to help you troubleshoot what's wrong with the new one.  Sure paying more money sucks, but I believe it's probably worth it in this case.  If you hit snags, having this backup in place is a life saver!

1. Don't Panic - When you transfer your site and it doesn't work, don't panic. It's usually something very simple. Make sure there wasn't a default index you needed to delete. Check that files that need to be writable are CHMODed correctly. If you had modified your .htaccess, make sure you re-modify your new one, a lot of FTP programs hide this file and it may not have gotten transfered.

1. Walk Away - If all else fails, walk away from it. Often what is an obviously mistake can be impossible to spot if you've been looking at it to long. Go AFK, relax for 15 mins, and come back. The problem might jump right out at you!
2. Ask Questions - If you are trying to move something that you didn't create, it can hit snags.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  Ask the designer, ask the hosting company, ask on a forum.  There is always people who can help!  If you are having a problem, chances are someone else on the internet has had the very same issue and can help you!

Moving your hosting is never going to be a fun process, but it is something you can do.  I always dread doing it, but am usually surprised and how painless it really was when I'm done.  It's never as bad as you think it's going to be!  Just be sure to go in prepared, and everything will be fine!  Really.