Switching providers without the chaos: how to move your website, domains and mailboxes

Many businesses stay with a provider they’re unhappy with for years. Not out of loyalty, but out of fear: what if the emails disappear during the move or the website is offline for days? The good news: with a clear process, a switch can be planned and is almost invisible to your customers.

Step 1: Inventory – what have you actually got?

Before anything moves, we write down what's there: domains, website, databases, mailboxes, forwarding, logins for Google and co. Things often turn up that nobody had on their radar any more – a second domain or an old contact form, for example.

Step 2: Check contracts and deadlines

Check when you can cancel with your old provider and whether there are minimum terms. Important: only cancel once the move is in place – or time the cancellation so there's enough time left. Also get confirmation that you'll receive the domain codes for the move (they're often called “auth code”). Good to know: for cloud and hosting services, the EU Data Act strengthens your right to switch – more on that in Out of the cloud trap.

Step 3: Rebuild everything before switching over

The most important principle: the old setup keeps running until the new one is ready. We set up your website and mailboxes completely at the new location, copy all content and all your existing emails and test everything calmly.

Step 4: The switchover moment

Only once everything has been checked does the domain point to the new location. Ideally this happens in the evening or at the weekend. For a short while, some visitors may still see the old site – that's normal and sorts itself out within a few hours.

Step 5: Final checks and clean-up

After the move, we check that emails arrive properly, forms work and the site looks good on Google. Only then do we cancel and clean up with the old provider. And you get all your login details neatly summarised.

The three most common mistakes when switching

• Cancelled too early: Then things suddenly get hectic – and hectic is the enemy of careful.
• Forgetting the emails: The old mailboxes need to move too, otherwise years of correspondence go missing.
• Domain not registered in your name: Make sure you are the owner of your domains yourself – that keeps you independent.

You want out, but you're short on time or nerves? The Moving Monster takes care of the whole process. The switch only happens once everything is running.