To transfer a website the first step would be to find a suitable hosting provider for your website. There are a lot of web hosting providers to choose from, but you’ll need to be careful in who you select next as you do not want to make a habit of moving from web host to web host.

In this guide, I recommend GreenGeeks for those looking to transfer from other providers not only because of their commitment to the environment, feature rich hosting, affordable pricing, scalability, 24/7 support but how easy they make it to transfer a website from another provider.

Here’s what you need to look for in a web host:

Correct Operating System – It’s important that you stick to the operating system of your current host. If you have a simple HTML website, then it doesn’t matter what operating system the web hosting provider runs.

Good Technical Support – Look for a web hosting provider that offers live chat, telephone and e-mail technical support. Most reputable hosting providers have these support options available.

Hosting Disk Space – Make sure the hosting provider has ample amount of disk space for the website you’re moving over.

Data Transfer – Make sure you have enough data transfer to accommodate your existing website. Check your existing hosting providers statistics to figure this out.

Databases – You’re going to want to pay attention to the type of database software you’re using. Generally, MS SQL databases are unique to Windows-based web hosting providers and My SQL databases are unique to Linux-based web hosting providers.

Scripting – If you’re using special scripting languages such as PHP, CGI, Perl or ASP, make sure the hosting provider supports them otherwise you may find that your website will not work after all the work that has been done to move.

Performance & Reliability – Pick a host that pays attention to performance and reliability. There is no sense in making the effort to move if you’re only going to move again.

Scalability – Go with a host that has the option to scale up or down with their services. It’s much easier to move up within a company versus switching providers. Chances are that when you upgrade with the provider you’re with, they’ll provide the migration for free.

Free Site Migration – Find a web host that offers free site migration.  This is why we recommend GreenGeeks, they provide customers with a free site.

cPanel/WHM – You should figure out if you’re using a cPanel/WHM web host as this will dramatically ease transferring a website to another cPanel-based web hosting provider. In this guide we will routinely reference cPanel “shortcuts”. So if you are with a hosting provider that is currently using cPanel, you should follow those steps to help you quickly transfer a website.

Next: Confirm Domain Ownership