Switching Over Website

[FocusMM]

We are beginning the process of designing a new website using Wordpress and transferring to a new host. I know Wordpress will allow you to create most of the website on their own site, but we won't be able to utilize many of the templates and features until it is transferred to our own host.

My question is we currently have a website hosted on another site. We are basically "firing" our current web designer and host. How do we keep our current website up and running while creating the new one with wordpress while keeping the same domain name? Will we have to have some sort of downtime while switching over?

Thank you

Robert
Life Church

[petereit]

No. You stay on your current provider while simultaneously building your new site at your new host (and configuring all email accounts, forwarders, distribution lists, etc). When testing of your new site is complete and you're ready to switch over, you log into your domain name registrar and change your settings to your new host. It will take a day or two for the change to propagate through the DNS systems.

After a week or so, THEN you cancel your old host.

[FocusMM]

Thank you. We are looking at going with DreamHost and they said basically the same. Our construction site would be "churchname.dreamhost.com". Then we would switch when we are ready to go live.

We have had some problems with our current designer/host. We are not trying to be sneaky, but are wanting to create our new one without having them know about it until we are ready for the switchover. Thankfully, we are not under a long term contract with them.

[petereit]

You're not being sneaky. I used to change hosts like I change socks. It's just how it is in the hosting business. Nothing personal. Business is business.

[OfficeChairGuy]

The very first response hit the nail on the head. He's exactly right.

[jmichaelthurman]

Ditto!

Additionally, once you deploy your new site, copy ALL of your files and a complete DB backup to create a DUPLICATE site at something like "testsite.yourdomain.org" for further development.

You can also setup Wordpress on a local machine (Win, Mac or Linux) for development. Then you would upload to your test site any changes in theme, modules, etc., for testing with your host's server setup. If that is successful, then you can point your primary domain and test site sub-domain back and forth between the two installations of Wordpress as needed.

Doing development on a live site -- even a simple theme hack or module install -- is risky. (I have the scars from doing it.) The only "changes" that I feel are safe on the live site are content additions (posting articles, pics, etc.)

Blessings!
Michael