Migrating your website can be quite challenging. It takes a lot of careful planning and calculations. Migration can be difficult but if done the right way it can prove to be very beneficial. It can help you overcome the problems that you were facing with your previous host.
In this article, we will be explaining how you can migrate your website without losing your SEO value.
Are You Sure You Want To Migrate
Before you begin the migration process you need to know exactly why you need to migrate in the first place. Do not migrate until and unless it is necessary because it might cause temporary loss of traffic and you might even lose your ranking. Migrate only when that is the only option left and make sure you do it right.
Select the right hosting platform
Now when you are ready to migrate, find a suitable hosting provider. Try going through the reviews when looking for a hosting provider and make sure you find one that meets your SEO demands. Here are some key features of an ideal hosting provider:
- Server configuration such as operating system and system version.
- Server bandwidth.
- Technical support
- Low downtime.
- Choose the server location carefully
The location of the server plays a huge role in your SEO ranking. You should be well aware of the server on which your website will be hosted. You can never undermine the importance of geographical advantage; it can have a huge impact on your target audience. Usually hosting providers give you a choice to choose your server and if they don’t then you need to find one that gives you enough options to choose from.
Make Sure You Create a backup
Make sure to create a backup before initiating the migration process for your website. Failing to do so can have serious consequences and it is always wise to create a back of your complete website using various tools available in the market.
Move the website
After the completion of the backup process, you can now move your website. You can either do so on your own or seek professional help. Even the hosting provider can do the same for you and many hosts do so free of cost.
Make Sure You Test the new website
After the completion of the migration process make sure you have performed a thorough check of every page and field on the new host. Performing a test of your website onto the new host before the actual migration is highly recommended.
DNS records TTL needs to be updated
Upon changing your host your IP address also changes. In order to make the new server IP live you must update the DNS so that it gets redirected to the new server and this needs to be done a day before the migration process is initiated.
Change your DNS records
The last and most important step is to update your DNS records. Certain applications might take time to update the DNS records. In order to avoid any inconvenience, you should keep your previous server online for some time.
In this article, we have discussed the importance of migration and some of the challenges that you might have to come across when you decide to migrate your website. As mentioned earlier migration is a difficult process and you need to make sure that it is performed flawlessly if you wish to reap its benefits. Make sure you inculcate all the steps mentioned in the article to have a successful migration experience.
If you are looking for further assistance get in touch with our experts at Ewebguru. We deliver impeccable hosting solutions at affordable prices.
Ashok Arora is CEO and Founder of eWebGuru a leading web hosting company of India. He is a tech enthusiast with more than 25 years of experience in Internet and Technology.
Ashok is Master in Electronics from a leading Indian university.
Ashok loves to write on cloud, servers, datacenter, virtualisation technology.