There are many reasons why you may decide to change your web host. The most common factors include poor or non-existent support, inadequate security, slow server speeds, server or data location not being in Switzerland or expiry or discontinuation of the hosting plan.
So, is it time for seek new pastures? That’s no problem at all! But first, you will need to clarify what requirements should be met before making the switch.
Can you migrate a website made using a website builder?
Websites constructed using a DIY website toolbox solution often offer a wide range of pre-built design templates and drag-and-drop functionality, enabling even beginners to create attractive websites.
You should, therefore, bear in mind that these modular homepage solutions are often developed specifically for the web hosting provider’s platform (keyword: “Software as a Service”, or SaaS for short). This means that it may not be possible to easily migrate this kind of website to another web host. This is where our user-friendly solution comes into play: Sites.
We understand that migrating your website can be time-consuming and filled with uncertainty. This is one of the reasons why our Sites website builder was designed to be high-performance and incredibly user-friendly.
Sites offers the option of automatically importing or replicating your existing text, images and structures from your original website, sparing you from most of the initial work. With a variety of intuitive themes, widgets and functions, you can easily personalize your new website with, for example, image galleries, videos, route planners and much more.
Benefits of rebooting your website:
A fresh start with a modern and flexible site builder like Sites by Hostpoint allows you to improve the user experience, update the design of your website and add new features.
Our reliable support team will support you every step of the way and with any questions you may have – free of charge by phone or e-mail, seven days a week. Let Sites handle the technical details and enjoy the process of redesigning your online presence.
Benefit right away from switching to Hostpoint
If your existing website was not created with a modular system but with a common, industry-standard CMS like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla or TYPO3, migrating to Hostpoint is also easy. This can be done with the help of automated plugins or manually.
For Swisscom web hosting customers:
Since Swisscom will discontinue its website and hosting packages at the end of May 2024, affected Swisscom customers need to act quickly. Hostpoint is a long-standing market leader in the areas of web hosting, domains and e-mail. We offer excellent infrastructure and top support, seven days a week.
If you’re a Swisscom customer, check out our detailed migration instructions to switch to Hostpoint. And so that you don’t incur double costs, we’re gifting all Swisscom hosting customers the first term for all web hosting and E-mail & Cloud Office products, in addition to offering 50% off all Sites products.
To benefit from this offer, contact us at welcome@hostpoint.ch or call us at 0844 04 04 04. We would be happy to help you migrate your website or web hosting to Hostpoint!
To ensure that the transfer runs smoothly, Hostpoint offers a free myhostpoint test domain with every product. This allows you to set up and test your new website at your leisure without having to take your current website offline.
Without this test domain from Hostpoint, this process would have to be completed using a subdomain from your previous hosting provider. Once your new website is up and running, you can redirect your domain so visitors can access and use it directly.
Automatic website migration using a plugin
Below we will explain how you can transfer a website created with WordPress to Hostpoint using an automated plugin. We’re going to stick to WordPress sites here because it is by far the most used CMS in the world. Plugins that can be installed in WordPress, such as All-in-One WP Migration, make the website migration process much easier.
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Choosing a plan:
First, you should take a look at the Hostpoint web hosting plans, consider the features offered with each one and pick one that suits your needs.
Once the transaction has gone through, the easy-to-use Hostpoint Control Panel , including a free test domain, is available for you to use. -
Setting up a test domain:
After selecting your package, you can set up a test domain with Hostpoint. This allows you to make changes and test the new environment without affecting your existing website. -
Installing WordPress on the test domain:
If you have a WordPress website, the next step is to install WordPress on the test domain. You can also set up other necessary applications and tools, such as plugins for increased security. -
Transferring data using a migration plugin
A migration plugin simplifies the data transfer process and allows you to transfer your website content to Hostpoint efficiently and securely.
We recommend using the All-in-one WP Migration plugin to do this. To use it, install and activate it in the WordPress on your new website created with Hostpoint and on your original WordPress site with your previous provider. The .wpress file then just needs to be exported from the previous website and imported into the new WordPress site.
Our support:
If any error messages occur when importing content from your old website, please feel free to contact our free support at support@hostpoint.ch or 0844 04 04 04. The team is available to provide you with advice and support in your language seven days a week.
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Switching e-mail addresses:
To ensure that, in addition to your website, your e-mail traffic can continue to run as uninterrupted as possible during the migration, Hostpoint takes over the name server entries previously set for the respective domain. This means your e-mails continue to arrive safely with your previous provider.
To avoid unnecessary costs, we recommend having Hostpoint also handle your e-mail traffic. With each of our web hosting packages, you receive an unlimited number of e-mail inboxes (5 GB each) including web-based access to the basic functions of Cloud Office such as address book and calendar.
If you are interested in more storage space or expanded Office and collaboration features, we recommend our extensive Cloud Office packages. You can find more information about this on our product page for E-mail & Cloud Office.
Our automated migration service makes it possible to transfer e-mails from other providers’ mailboxes to your new Hostpoint e-mail inbox free of charge. This process can be carried out from the e-mail settings in your Hostpoint Control Panel. You can find detailed instructions for migrating e-mails in this Support Center article.
Depending on your preferences, you can also manage your e-mails with an e-mail program of your choosing (e.g. Outlook, Apple Mail, Gmail, etc.) by adjusting the e-mail settings accordingly. -
Switching the name server:
The next step involves configuring the domain by changing the name server data. Where you enter this depends on whether your domain is still managed by the original registrar or whether it has already been migrated to Hostpoint.
If the domain is still with your old domain host and you are not planning to change it, you must enter the Hostpoint name server details there. Contact the relevant registrar for support with this.
If you would like to receive invoices and services from a single source, we recommend migrating the domain to Hostpoint – we outline how to do this in this Support Center guide. For further insights and detailed information on the topic of domain transfers, we recommend our comprehensive blog article , which is specifically dedicated to this topic. Please note that the technical side of the transfer process may take a few hours for a .ch domain and up to five working days for a .com domain.
After you have completed the domain transfer to Hostpoint, the name servers of the myhostpoint domain still need to be updated, as the data from the old registrar is still automatically transferred. A short guide on how to do this can be found in our Support Center. -
Switching the domain with Hostpoint:
Last but not least, for the domain to be changed successfully, a website must be created under your myhostpoint domain. First, make a note of the document root of your myhostpoint domain, then create a new website using the “Websites” menu and enter the document root.
Finally, adjust the domain settings of your main domain under “Settings” > “General” in the WordPress dashboard and save the changes.
Once the setup and transfer of your website are complete, you can test it and cancel the contract with your previous web host.
If any error messages occur or if any questions come up along the way, our export support team based in Switzerland will, of course, be happy to assist you at support@hostpoint.ch or 0844 04 04 04, seven days a week, free of charge.
To add the finishing touches to your new website, from optimizing performance to creating contact forms, take a look at our article for other useful plugins for WordPress. Once your website has been successfully transferred, remember to request cancellation from your pre-vious web host.
