Normally, in the creation and maintenance of a web page people have in mind the design, structure, and content. Since they are the parts with the greatest visibility and attraction for customers.

But there are other elements of enormous importance for your page: the domain and hosting. The latter being responsible for storage and co-responsible for characteristics that affect the operation of the page.

So, sometimes, when you need more features and capabilities, it is essential that you proceed to change the web hosting, but keeping the domain.

What is domain

The domain is the name that identifies your website. It is an unrepeatable, exclusive name that contains a certain number of letters, symbols and numbers and is used to access a certain Internet page.

What is hosting

Hosting, as the word itself indicates, is the space in which your web page is hosted so that it can be visible on the internet to all who wish to visit it, always using your address or domain.

But how is the page information stored? The data, information, and content of a page are stored on a web server .

When you sign up or contract a hosting service, you are also renting space on a server. And that is where all the information will be stored. In this way, the hosting company will be responsible for the operation, maintenance, and security of the server.

But, over time, your website may grow and need to publish more content, establish a connection with more customers or users, enable other services such as payment channels or customer service, among others. At that time, you should start thinking about how to change hosting with a domain.

Reasons to change web hosting

Not only the storage space is a reason to change the web hosting. You may also need or want to change it due to prices, the type or location of the service, or to offer a better user experience. Among the main reasons are:

Speed. By changing hosting with the same domain you can increase the performance of your page and offer a high loading speed.
Space. You can choose a service with higher storage capacity. It is the main cause of this migration, since the growth of the pages is natural.
The costs. The price can also be a determining reason to migrate your page. So, depending on what you need, you should review the scope of services offered by each provider.
The country. To better position the page in search engines it is very important that the hosting is in the same country where the majority of visitors are.
The type of storage. The hosting server can be dedicated, VPS or shared. Each one will give you certain advantages.

Reasons to keep the domain

The reasons that can or should prompt you to change hosting are clear. But why change hosting with the same domain? Some reasons for you to keep the domain are:

Preserve the SEO positioning of the web. If you change the domain you will lose all the time, effort and money you have invested in achieving a good position in Google.
Preserve the image of your brand (branding) . Because everything that your page reflects is part of the construction of your brand, including the domain name.

Steps to change hosting with the same domain

Having the concepts well defined and the reasons understood, we can know how to change a domain hosting. The general steps are:

In static pages you must download all the information from the current server and upload it to the space of the new hosting. It follows the same folder structure.
Hire the new hosting service. According to:
- Price.
- Space.
- Type of server, among other factors.
Release your domain from the hosting you want to change. This way you will be free to associate it with the new one later.
Make a backup copy of all information and transfer it to an external medium. It is a way to secure the data against any incident.
Mobilize the files to the new hosting. According to the type of page, static or dynamic:
- In static pages you must download all the information from the current server and upload it to the space of the new hosting. It follows the same folder structure.
In dynamic pages you must export the database from the current storage and import it from the new server.
Move email account:
- If the email is hosted by a domain registrar. Log in to the registrar and change the mail registration to the IP of the new hosting.
- If the mail is lodged in the hosting. In addition to the manual option, you can download the email account with its files and then upload it to the new server.
Move the database. Export the database and import it from the new hosting. It is recommended that you use the same password and username.
Configure the manager of the new hosting.
Update the domain so that it points to the new hosting, by assigning the DNS. If it is a new domain, it will point to the new IP automatically.
Carry out a final check for correct operation. Some hosting service providers offer a platform for testing.

Really, it will always be a better option to have specialized technical assistance to change the web hosting. Because it constitutes a meticulous process that needs, in some of its steps, to be attentive to very technical details.

Therefore, if you do not have the necessary experience, it is always advisable to submit the migration process to the same hosting provider company. They will know how to change a hosting domain quickly and safely. At Doowebs we take care that the server adapts to the characteristics and needs of your website with our domain registration services and web hosting in Valencia. Ask for a budget without obligation!