Steps to Migrate Your Hosting Services to Bowhosts
Thank you for considering Bowhosts for your hosting needs! We understand that migrating your hosting services can seem overwhelming, but we're here to make the process as smooth and hassle-free as possible. Below is a detailed overview of the migration steps and the information we'll need from you to get started.
Hosting Migration Options
You have two options:
- Self-service: You can sign up for a hosting package directly on our website at www.bowhosts.com and migrate your data internally in the event that you have internal staff available to do so.
- Assisted migration: We can handle the entire migration process for you. We charge a flat, once-off fee of R150.00 to process the migration for you.
Migration Process and Information Needed
- Access to your current hosting account
We will need the login details to your current hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel, Plesk) so that we can review the existing account and determine what needs to be migrated, such as website files, emails, and databases. This also helps us assess the account size to match the appropriate hosting package. - Email account details (Optional)
If you'd like us to ensure that your email accounts remain identical after the migration, please provide the email usernames and passwords. This also helps us perform mail syncs, which greatly assist in making sure any residual emails landing in the source hosting account during the migration is carried over after the initial migration. This step is optional—if you prefer not to share these details, you can simply update your email passwords on your devices after the migration is complete. - Setting up your new hosting account
After confirming that we can proceed, you'll need to sign up for a hosting account via this link or we can set up your account on your behalf by requesting that you provide us with the relevant profile details (name, email, etc.). - Invoice and payment
Once your hosting account is set up, we'll issue an invoice for the hosting package (and domain registration, if applicable) along with the cost of using our professional migrations service (which is a once-off fee). Upon payment, we'll schedule the migration. - Migration of files and domain transfer
We'll migrate all website files, databases, and email data from your old hosting account to your new Bowhosts account. If you're transferring a domain, you'll need to accept a domain transfer request that will be sent to the domain’s registrant admin email address. Make sure you have access to that email before we proceed. - Finalizing the migration
Once the domain transfer is complete and the DNS has propagated (usually within 24-48 hours), your services will be fully migrated to Bowhosts, and your old hosting account can be canceled.
Important Things to Note
- Domain registrant email: Before we initiate the domain transfer, please confirm with your current domain host what email address is listed as the "registrant admin email." This is where the domain transfer approval request will be sent.
- External email services: If you use external email services (e.g., Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace), let us know so we can ensure your DNS records (such as MX records) are correctly updated during the migration.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns at any point during this process. We aim to ensure that your migration is seamless and that your website and emails are back up and running without any downtime.
