How to Move a Website to a New Host Without Losing the Basics

How to Move a Website to a New Host Without Losing the Basics fits into a larger hosting decision: keep the website understandable, portable and recoverable.

Understand the moving pieces

A website can involve a domain registrar, DNS provider, hosting account, SSL certificate, content management system, database, backups, email and third-party services. They may be bundled, but they are not all the same thing.

Protect ownership and access

Use account security, keep recovery methods current and make sure the site owner—not only a contractor—can access the domain, hosting and backups.

Plan for failure

Before migrations or major changes, make a restorable backup and document the current DNS, email and hosting configuration. A rollback path is part of a good hosting setup.

Avoid buying by label alone

Terms such as “managed,” “unlimited,” “optimized” and “premium” can mean different things between providers. Compare the actual limits, responsibilities and support included in the plan.