Getting your website registered in a domain registrar is something that everyone does at the time of creating a website. The point is at the time of initial purchase; most people prefer buying from cost-effective hosting for their domain. The result of such a choice is that they don’t get the advanced features that come with handling vast data and complex things as the website grows. Due to this, most website owners shift their hosting plans and sometimes the whole company in order to upgrade their websites. So, one can say that transferring a domain from one host to another host is a task common to all website owners, more particularly the novice ones who have made their initial investment in hosting plans wrong.
In this blog, we will discuss in detail the process of domain transfer from your current hosting service provider to a new one so that the whole thing becomes easier for you.
So, let’s start!
What is Domain Transfer as a Process?
In simple terms, domain transferring is the change of registrar that is tasked with the management of your domain. The Internet Corporation governs the whole process for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and it maintains that it takes almost five days to complete the whole process of transfer smoothly. However, it also asserts that one cannot transfer a domain to a different registrar within 60 days of making some changes to the registrant’s name, email address, and organization. This raises the question of eligibility required for domain transfer.
Eligibility for Domain Transfer
You must fulfill certain conditions before initiating the process of domain transfer; otherwise, the whole process will come to an end even before the start. The first thing to ensure is that your domain age is 60 days or above. Yes, you cannot transfer your domain before that. Another thing is to look for the recent transfer. If you transferred your domain to another hosting, and the 60 days have not yet passed, then you cannot transfer it again to some hosting platform unless the 60 days since the domain was transferred were completed. The next thing to ensure before transferring your domain name is that its status is not locked or on hold. After satisfying all the given criteria, you can prepare your domain name transfer to another hosting service provider.
Prepare to Transfer Domain Name
Now, since your existing hosting service will have a lot of important information about your website, you should not transfer it before securing important data. For that, take the necessary administrative steps to update your contact information. Ensure that the contact email address associated with your domain name is correct and current. This is really important because it is this email that will receive the message of the domain transfer upon authorization.
Since domains are locked automatically to prevent any unauthorized transfer or changes, unlocking them before the formal start of the transfer process is really important. To unlock it, log in to the dashboard of your current domain registrar to unlock your domain from there. After this, start the procedure. Upon receiving the authorization or Auth code, which is also called the EPP code, you must submit this code to your current registrar for the transfer process to materialize.
Initiate the Domain Transfer to Your New Host
If you met all criteria, secured all necessary data, and prepared your domain fully for the transfer process, initiate the domain transfer process to another host. In this procedure, you must first be aware of your new domain registrar. This requires extensive research and cost-benefit analysis of the services of different hosting providers. Once you are cleared of which hosting service provider is best for you and suits your website needs the best, go for the official transfer.
First, go to your new registrar website and log in there to enter your domain name. Follow the instructions for the transfer process, and enter the authorization code you obtained from your previous service provider at your contact email address.
Approve the Transfer of Domain
Once you decide to transfer your domain from one hosting service to another, your existing registrar will send an email to confirm and approve the transfer. Approve the request at once to avoid any unnecessary delays. After that, wait for the completion of the transfer process. It can lead up to five days from the approval date. One thing to ensure during this time is the accessibility of your website to the users.
Once the transfer is done, you can now update your DNS settings. These settings allow you to set up a domain name system server to get your domain name into an IP address. This setting is important to administer and manage DNS records. However, the steps to its configuration vary based on the operating system. Here’s how you can update your DNS settings after the completion of the domain transfer;
- The first thing is to access the DNS management by longing into your new registrar dashboard and getting into DNS settings.
- Now, update the nameservers by pointing your domain to the new host’s nameservers so that your website can function correctly.
- After making the changes in DNS settings, you have to wait till the propagation time, which can take up to 48 hours. Once it’s done, the changes are propagated worldwide.
Final Thoughts
Indeed, domain transfer from one hosting service provider to another is a task that is common to all website users. By following the above-given steps, you can complete this task effectively and in no time. UnityDiv, as a professional website development and management agency, knows how to handle this task hassle-free for website owners. Therefore, it is always in your best interest to take our world-class services to stand out in the highly crowded and competitive world of the web. We will adopt the best website optimization practices so that your website offers the most user-friendly experience. To guarantee that, we shift the domain to another hosting provider when necessary.
