How to Keep Your Site Functioning While Switching Web Hosts

Many website owners think it is a big hassle to change their hosting because their site will be down, but that is only the case if you are unfamiliar with how to keep it live. You just need to know what to do when the time comes to switch hosting providers. This article contains some important information that will show you how to keep your site functioning while switching web hosts.

When searching for the right web page hosting service, you need to remember the importance of a website running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without constant technical interruptions. Do your research, and know which companies are not just available and cheap, but reliable enough to trust with keeping your website up and running.

When choosing a web page hosting service, refrain from going with the recommendation of friends or family who are not professionals. Though they may have had a good experience themselves with a certain provider, realize that their needs may be very simple compared to yours. Read reviews and advice from those who have needs similar to your own.

Even if you are offered a discount for doing so, resist the temptation to pay in advance for years of web page hosting service. In the event that your host server goes out of business, you could be stuck with no compensation. In addition, you may just be unhappy with their service, or you may find that you need to go out of business yourself. You will likely have trouble getting a refund if you pay too far in advance.

If you're searching for the very best web host, you need to consider the look of the host's website and the site's usability. You don't want to use a web host that has a badly designed website. If a host's website is designed badly, this either shows that they are new to the world of hosting or they're only in the business for the short term. You don't need a web host like this. Instead, choose one with a website that's excellently designed.

Avoid free web hosting services. These services support themselves by placing advertisements on the top of all the websites they host. These advertisements may annoy your visitors or make your site appear unprofessional. In addition, some free hosts may restrict the amount of commercial content allowed on the websites that they host.

Find out if your web host service supports videos. Videos take a lot of storing space and bandwidth, and you might have to spend a lot for a plan that supports videos. You can save money by uploading your videos to YouTube for free and embedding them on your website.

Choose a web host with a CPanel. This feature allows you to install many different plug ins in a few clicks. For instance, most blogging platforms are hard to install without the CPanel feature. This kind of feature will help you improve your site without acquiring any kind of technical skills.

A key factor for choosing a web host is available tech support. Should your site go down for any reason, you do not want to have to wait for tech support to be available during specified business hours. If a company is offering less than a full 24-hour support, 7 days a week, year-round, they should not fall under consideration. You need to know that someone besides yourself is concerned with keeping your site up.

Beware of free hosting. Some websites advertise free hosting but charge you a ridiculous amount to register your domain or by charging you extra traffic. If you want a professional website, you should consider hosting services as an investment that will allow you to create a much better website.

Research the company history of providers that you're considering to be your web host. Choose a service that has been around for a long time and has a good reputation. Ideally, the provider should have at least one year of experience. You want to be sure they are going to be around for a while.

If you are looking into a host, check out the host's up-time percentage. This means find out how often they are up and running and how often they deal with downtime and have system updates and issues. The higher this percentage, the better the host will probably be and the less problems you will have with your own site, staying up and running.

Be aware of what type of storage the web host offers. This is only relevant for certain site owners, though. If you have a site that requires a lot of videos and music, then you need to ensure the host offers the space necessary.

Decide how much space you need in advance to ensure you are getting a host that supplies you will just what you need.
Pay attention to the control panel of any hosting service you are considering signing up with. This panel will give you easy and immediate access to all the features that you will need to update and monitor your website. Try out different companies who offer free trials and be prepared to choose accordingly.

Web hosts have to update their servers regularly and your site will be unavailable when this occurs. Look for a service that lets you know in advance when your site will be down and which updates their servers at a time of the day where you are not getting a lot of visits.

When you've finally narrowed down your search for a hosting provider, look for one that has a satisfaction guarantee. Typically, these guarantees are valid for anywhere between one week and one month. The guarantee allows you to experience the full functionality of the web host without risk. If any issues arise that can't be resolved within the guarantee period, you'll get your money back and you can move on to a different host.

As you can see from the above article, it is possible to keep your website active while you switch to a different hosting company. If you understand the transfer process and what you have to do beforehand, then there is no reason why you should lose a second of downtime. Apply the advice from this article to help you switch hosting companies without having to worry about your website going offline.