While it may seem scary to consider changing your hosting service in reality it's a very simple process.  Your site should not experience any down time and you won't lose any emails or your domain name.  In fact, if you host with a service that is similar to ours then there is very little that you need to do at all.  We can transfer your text content and products - images, descriptions and all. 

First of all be sure to not cancel your current hosting until your new site is completely set up.  Follow these simple steps below and remember - we are here to help you every step of the way so just let us know if you need extra help with any of these steps: 

• Create a new hosting account with us by choosing one of our affordable hosting plans.  If you currently have just one web site then our Basic Hosting Plan will be all you need.  Sign up for hosting and then wait to receive your Store Setup Email which will give you the temporary url address to your admin panel.  When you receive that then you can log into your admin panel and begin the process of managing your site.  If you are currently using a hosting site similar to ours then we can transfer all of your existing site content over to your new admin panel.  If not then this is where you will begin to set up your text and products, etc. before "going live" on the internet.

• It is always a good idea to back up all of your existing text content, product images, descriptions etc. from your current hosting site.   You can do that one of two ways.  For those of you with more experience you can log into your current site using an FTP panel and download all your current data files to your computer.  If you are currently using a hosting site similar to ours with a cpanel then we can do this backup for you.  Just submit a support ticket to us and let us know. 

• If you are currently using a domain email address (i.e., info@yourbusinessname.com) then you will need to recreate your email addresses on our server.   This way you will not have any interruption in your email service.  The instructions on how to do this is found here:  

• Start adding content to your site through your admin panel.   If we are transferring all of your content to our hosting service then you will be notified when that is complete.   When you receive your Store Set Up Email it will include a temporary location for your website.  The link will look something like http://shabbylaneshopshosting.com/~username/storeadmin.  This is the link to your admin panel and this is where you will add all the page text, products and images, etc. to your website.  If new to our type of software then you might want to log into your admin panel and take a look around.  Most of the admin panel is pretty easy to figure out but we are always here to help you step by step if needed. 

• Once your content is on your website and you are ready to "go live" on the internet then it's time to change your DNS (Domain Name Servers).   Basically this means to point your domain name to our servers.  If you registered your domain name with us or have transferred your domain name to be registered with us then we will have taken care of this step for you.  If you registered your domain name with another site then you will need to log into the site where the domain name is registered.  When there look for a link that says DNS.  When you received our Store Set Up Email our server names will be listed.  They should look something like NS1.slshosting.com and NS2.slshosting.com.  These are the servers you need to point your domain name to.  If you need help with this step just let us know.  We will be happy to do this for you. 

That's it - now technically it can take 24-48 hours for your site to fully "propagate".  Basically this means that when someone in your state types in your url address to go to your site they may see your new site here on our servers while someone else in another part of the world still sees your old website.  Tho it can take up to 48 hours for everyone in the world to see your new site it has been our experience that the site propigates much faster - usually within just a few hours.  During this time both of your sites will be functional so you have no need to worry. 

If you are still seeing your old site then be sure to clear your history and your cache on your computer. 

Once you have waited the full 48 hours then you are free to cancel your old site.  Double check to make sure you have saved any old images or sales records before cancelling but otherwise that's it. 

If you have any questions or need further help with any of these instructions, please do not hesitate to submit a support ticket and let us help you.