The migration of web hosting, domains and e-mail can present numerous technical challenges. Some customers worry that the process will be complicated and involve a lot of effort or, in the worst case, may lead to downtime and the loss of important data.
With our new, free migration service, we take away these concerns and guide you through all the necessary steps. If you wish, we can combine up to three service areas: migration of websites and their hosting, domain transfer and automated e-mail migration, including all sent and received messages. At the same time, we ensure confidentially throughout the entire migration and protect against loss.
Are you considering switching your web hosting, domain names or e-mail addresses to Hostpoint? Our team of migration specialists is on hand to assist you with all the necessary steps.
How does the migration to Hostpoint work?
The process begins with your request, which you can fill out in just two steps using our dedicated form. Simply select the products you would like to migrate and provide us with your contact details. Our support team will reach out as soon as possible to discuss the next steps with you.
Once we contact you, we can clarify together which products will be migrated and whether the necessary requirements have been met. Our website migration service is primarily aimed at owners of websites built using the WordPress content management system. Based on the initial consultation, we can estimate how long the migration will take and set a fixed date for it.
If you need help with providing the necessary data (such as an FTP account or creating a backup of your website), our migration team will also be happy to assist you with this.
After the initial meeting, we prepare the migration. Once we have the FTP login details and backup files, we make a copy of the data for protection purposes. This ensures the original files remain untouched and are not lost in the event of a technical error.
When the backup is complete, our migration team begins transferring your data to the Hostpoint servers on the agreed date. Once this process is finished, you can initially review the website and check that everything is working as desired.
If you also want to transfer your domain to Hostpoint, you can choose a flexible point in time for this. In order to minimize your website’s downtime, we recommend waiting until the website has been migrated before transferring your domain. For most top-level domains, Hostpoint will credit you for the remaining term of the domain contract with your current registrar.
The process concludes with the DNS migration, website configuration and your final approval. As soon as you confirm that everything has been migrated correctly, we delete the backup files and (if applicable) login details. You can now cancel the contract for your old web hosting account.
Tip:
If you have questions about e-mails, web hosting or domains, our Support Center has lots of further useful information on frequently asked questions.
What data should I prepare?
Before a migration can begin, you may need the login details and/or backups of the data that you would like to transfer, depending on what you wish to migrate. There is no need to forward passwords to our team, but you should keep them handy to ensure a smooth process. Your contact person will let you know which passwords are needed and when (if and as necessary).
A website migration requires an up-to-date backup of your website, including all files and the database (usually an SQL file). You can easily make this available to us via FTP account, and we would be happy to help you to set this up. This gives our support team access to the backup you have created without having to know the password of the main account. You can also transfer the backup by uploading it to the Explorer in your Hostpoint Control Panel.
To migrate your e-mails, you need the login details for all the e-mail accounts you would like to migrate (and for your Hostpoint e-mail account). Audriga, a free e-mail migration service, is used for this. This allows you to download and transfer e-mails from all e-mail providers, provided they support synchronization via IMAP. Your login details are stored encrypted in the system for the duration of the migration process and are deleted immediately after the migration is complete.
Tip:
E-mails retrieved via POP3 cannot be migrated automatically, as they are only stored locally on your device and not on servers. We recommend that you export these e mails from your e¬ mail program and import them into the new e-mail account after setup. Find out more in our Support Center article on transferring e-mail accounts.
For a domain transfer, you need the respective transfer code (or Auth-Code) from your current domain registrar. You can obtain this via the relevant provider’s Control Panel or contact their customer support team for more information. As soon as you have the transfer code, we will be happy to guide you step by step through the migration process and updating your name servers.
Are there restrictions when it comes to migrations?
If you would like to transfer a domain to Hostpoint, you can do so without delay as long as there is no transfer lock. Such a lock can apply, for example, to domains with a top-level domain (TLD) such as .com, .net or .org if they have only recently been registered or migrated. Locked domains with .ch or .li extensions can be unlocked by submitting a request to the registry SWITCH.
Static websites that primarily contain text and images and do not have large, complex applications as well as websites created using a website builder can usually be migrated to Hostpoint without any problems using our free service.
In these cases, your website is imported into Sites, Hostpoint’s website builder solution. Text and images as well as in many cases even the menu structure can be transferred automatically. Dynamic content such as contact forms and guest books must be subsequently added in Sites, if those options are available there.
Certain websites have restrictions that must be taken into account for the migration service. Unfortunately, we are not currently able to offer migration of online shops, websites built using CMS other than WordPress or self-built websites as part of our free migration service. If it is not possible to import your website into Sites, our support staff would be happy to advise you on the next steps.
Your benefits with Hostpoint
Our new, free migration service ensures smooth transfer of your website, domains and e-mails. Even after the migration, our competent support team is on hand seven days a week to answer any questions you may have in four languages, either by e-mail or by phone.
Our web hosting services are designed to meet the highest standards of performance, security and availability, ensuring that your website is always quickly and reliably accessible. And our user-friendly Control Panel always gives you complete control of your hosting environment.
