Below are some steps that you must follow if you intend to move your website to a new host.

Choose the right hosting company

I think a lot has already been written about this all over the Internet. Basically look for a host with good support and good reviews. You may want to check www.webhostingtalk.com to find more about the host you wish to review.

Making sure the server supports zen cart stores

It is important to confirm with the new hosting company that they support all the necessary softwares and services to host and run a zen cart based e-commerce store. This includes checking PHP, MySQL and Apache versions. Also if you make use of mod_rewrite (Zen cart SEO tools), you should make sure that apache supports mod_rewrite, GD library and any other module which is required for proper functioning of your store. It is also important to check if SSL certificates can be installed on the server and confirm that the server IPs are not blacklisted in any spam databases.

Backup and transfer

Before you begin the process of site transfer, make sure to backup each and every file and database at your old host. It is recommended to shut down your store before you start the database backup. If you have any integrated systems like zencart helpdesk etc, make sure to shut them down as well and back them up as well.

After the complete backup, transfer the files from old server to the new server. Try doing this with some server tools like rsync as it makes the entire process pretty fast.

Restore the files, database and settings

Once the transfer is successful, restore the files and database on the new server. Also make sure you do all the necessary settings (like config path, database password, SSL etc). Before you do the DNS switch, make sure to test all the important functionalities of your store (Order, add to cart, checkout, payment, support). Once this is tested, you can make the DNS switch and in few hours the new store will be online.

If you have better control over the old and new servers, you can minimize the DNS update time.

We can also help you in moving your store from one server to another. Contact us today to receive a free quote.