i need a specialist to answer this question. exactly how does the whole process of transfering from one web hosting company to another one work? what are the steps the customer must take so they can switch the company thats hosting their site

If you have a control panel such as cpanel, the host will allow in transferring your hosting account. You can transfer the domain registrar to that of the new host's registrar or you can change the nameservers of the domain at your current registrar. You should first confirm using the test url to see if the domain is working fine from the new server before switching the nameservers.

To change hosts:

1) Open an account with a new hosting company.
2) Upload your website to your new host.
3) Change your domain's dns settings to point to the new host.


To easilly change between hosting companies, manage your own domain name, and find out about dns', or "domain name servers". Develop your website locally, and learn how to backup and restore your database (if you have one). Download your email on a regular basis, it helps.

If it's cPanel to cPanel, it's very easy. Many times, your new host will gladly transfer it free of charge. If the control panels differ between hosts, there could be a few more steps, and the host might not do the transfer for free.

Correct, if you have cPanel, this is the best way to go, at least in my opinion. As stated in the above steps, most hosting providers will do this for you as a curtousy.

let's start with what you have and what you are going to, then we can slap around the idea of specifics :)

It's not a complicated process. Most hosts will help you transfer to them and will tell you what you need to do to get moved over.

im not looking at it in a customers point of view but instead of the company's point of view. like if a customer wants to transfer to my website what r the steps i need to take

im not looking at it in a customers point of view but instead of the company's point of view. like if a customer wants to transfer to my website what r the steps i need to take

Then this post is in the wrong section and should be in the "Running a web hosting business" section.

Don't cancel your old account til the transfer of data has been completed. Make sure the transfer was successful before terminating your old account.

All the best,

With cPanel to cPanel, the admin's have a neat feature where they just type in your old cPanel user ID/Password, and the IP of the server. It will then copy over everything to a T as if nothing changed.

If its not the case, a simple backup of the source files, plus databases can be re uploaded to the new server. Some modifications might be changed due to the difference in servers.

Email addresses can be recreated by the admin with default passwords.


Once that is completed, check the site, if all is good, change the dns.

im not looking at it in a customers point of view but instead of the company's point of view. like if a customer wants to transfer to my website what r the steps i need to take

Something that must be taken into consideration is.
1) Do you have a shared reseller account? If so then you will have to depend on your host to do the transfer.

2) If you have root access with either a VPS or dedicated server then you are in control of the transfer process and it will depend entirely upon the control panels being used between the two accounts. If both control panels are the same then the transfer is painless. If the control panels are different then the site will have to be uploaded to the new account manually and things like email accounts, alias and forwarders will need to be setup manually in the new account.

If you are transfering from Cpanel to Cpanel, then the entire process is automated. However you can transfer from Plesk to Plesk also using there migration tool. Refer your control panel manual for it

1) Open an account with a new hosting company.
2) Upload your website to your new host.
3) Change your domain's dns settings to point to the new host.


2a setup email accounts, forwarders and autoresponders at new host
2b prepare any databases, db users, remote access etc
2c get your "under maintenance, back soon" holding pages, htaccess files etc ready
2d suspend posting to forums etc so dynially added content is not put into the wrong system

2e...2y

2z BACKUP EVERYTHING *TWICE*

i need a specialist to answer this question. exactly how does the whole process of transfering from one web hosting company to another one work? what are the steps the customer must take so they can switch the company thats hosting their site

It depends on what kind of site it is and what control panel they currently use, do they have FTP, SSH access, etc, can you give us an example?