If you are unhappy with your current web hosting provider or your site is running slowly or experiencing too much down time, maybe you should consider changing providers. There are thousands of hosting companies with plans to suit anyone’s needs. If you decide to change web hosts, there are a few things to consider to ensure maximum uptime and a problem-free move.

1. Make sure you have found the perfect host for your needs. You can check their level of customer satisfaction by looking for impartial reviews in Google or another search engine/directory. Try phoning their support lines and seeing how long it takes for a response. You would be surprised how quickly some companies will respond to new sales inquiries and how slowly they will respond when a current customer needs help.
   
2. Setup your account with the new host. Don’t cancel your existing account until you have transferred and tested your site on the new host’s server.
   
3. Backup your existing site onto a personal computer or CD/DVD disk. It is important to backup all pages of your site including any databases, email, or other supporting files. Don’t forget to backup any address books or contact lists that may be stored on your old web host’s servers. This can be done using FTP in much the same way as your site was initially uploaded to the web host. I would recommend making at least one hard copy on a removable disc – better safe than sorry.
   
4. Upload your website to your new web host. Upload all of the files into your new directory, and then import any databases. Your new host should have a control panel to manage files, databases, and email. You may have to change password and user settings in some files to connect to your databases since they will have a new address and user/password information.
   
5. You must add your domain name in your host’s domain manager. Once your new domain has been logged with your new host, you can change the DNS settings to point to the new location. This can be done through your domain registrar or through your old host. Don’t cancel your old hosting account until your new DNS settings have taken effect and you are sure everything is working well.
   
6. When you have fully uploaded and tested your new site, than you can go ahead and cancel your account with your old provider. If you have prepaid you may or may not receive a prorated refund based on the unused time remaining for the payment period. That’s all there is to it!