SEO Tips: Website Migration

Once you decide to switch over your database or [tag-tec]migrate web hosting [/tag-tec] from your previous provider to the new provider, here are some things you need to prepare for a smooth migration:

  1. Migrate the DNS domain. Make sure you own the domain at the time it was registered. You also need to have the account details to login and change the dns server entries. However, do not register the new site, until you have fully migrated/copied the contents over to the new provider. DNS entries take about 24 hours to propagate. So budget this time in advance.
  2. Make sure you have account access into the webserver or ftp access to it. This will allow you to download your site, and then upload it to the new site. If not, you can use web scraping software to copy the static pages. The business logic will not be copied in this way though.
  3. Backup the database, if any, and then restore it to the new site.
  4. Backup the log files. These are important for web traffic analysis and can help you optimize your site for more traffic
  5. Test the new site by assigning a temporay dns name, aka.
    web.yourdomain.com. And then try to see if the website can be accessed.
  6. Once you are satisfied, simply edit the domain name entries for www to point to the new domain.

Futuregen has served a lot of our clients by ensuring the smooth migration of their websites from one domain to a new domain. For help with migration, simply send us an email at marketing[at]futuregen.sg