Sure, it sounds silly and even feels more so but it has happened to me. How about you? I have no excuses for it. I’ve been around the tech block a few times and have a pretty good understanding of this web stuff but I’m a victim of mistrust. Because of this mistrust in the past I’ve moved hosts manually without the help of the new or old provider. This can be time consuming and frustrating so I don’t recommend it.

The sites that brought the latest need for a move were on a shared hosting plan. On this host I had several sites using databases, a whole whack of email accounts, password protected directories and of course the web stats history. After considering the work and hassles involved in moving it myself I sat back and watched my well known provider go from around four dollars a month to almost ten. The initial introductory price had run out. Being a customer of two years, who wanted to stay, meant I should pay a lot more than a new client. I can only assume the tactic here is to reel someone in and then milk them once they’re committed. Sound familiar? Even so, I would have stuck with them but they were not providing a level of service that fit with the price. Nor did it fit with the plan they boasted.

So, what do I recommend if you find yourself in a similar situation? The first step is finding a new provider that you can trust. This was the hardest step for me. The next step is tell them you want to switch to them and have them deal with the whole thing. It’s that simple. If they won’t do it or want to charge you I recommend you find someone who will.

Some things you’ll need to do or watch for when moving are:

• If you have the time and space do your own backup of the site(s) before it is moved. Better safe than sorry.
• DNS Settings – If your domain moves with your hosting then this is probably not an issue and will be dealt with by the new provider. If you have your domain elsewhere be sure to update it after the move.
• Directory Passwords – The old password file will be moved but the actual path to the directory may change with the new host. So either change them yourself or ask for that to be done.
• Database Connections – Database names may change based on your new username. If that’s the case you’ll need to update your script settings to the new usernames. This is a fairly simple thing to do and I’d speculate a lot of new hosts wouldn’t mind helping out.
• Script Directory Settings – Some scripts may have directory paths in the configuration. This is much like the database settings. If you’re on a shared host using a different username they may need to be changed.
• For safety measures don’t cancel or delete your old account for at least a few days. It can take a while for a DNS change to take full effect – even if it looks like it has from your location.