Like you we desperately want the implementation of your newly developed website to go off without a hitch.

A little bit of foreknowledge and planning can certainly minimise any issues that arise on the day so we have prepared the information below to allow you to understand the challenges, the options and how they might be addressed.

Things to Consider (at least) a Week In Advance to Implementing Your New Website

1. Where is the new website to be hosted?
2. Where will my email be hosted?
3. Do I want 301 re-directs set up from the URLs on the old site to their equivalent on the new site?
4. Will I continue using the current Google Analytics account or setup a new one?

The New Website to Be Hosted On Existing Server

Will this host support a WordPress site at the latest build level

The ftp details and the admin username and password for access to the hosting control panel need to be provided to Shartech in order for the files to be uploaded and the WordPress database created.

The Website is to be hosted on a new server but all the email accounts are to stay on the existing server

You need your host’s support people to arrange to help you with adding A Records to point to the new web host (both with and without the www as they are different).

Same for the ftp record.

The Shartech host’s IP Address is 198.1.100.180

Everything is to be moved to the new Shartech Server

We need to re-create all of the email accounts on the Shartech Server. This means we need to have a list of them all so we can do that. Same goes for any forwarders that have to be setup as well.

It also means that all email client software – MSOutlook, Apple Mail etc etc will have to have the Account Settings for each email account on the email account owner’s computer updated with the new information that we will provide for you.

Same goes for iphones and iPads etc.

The nameservers for the domain name will have to be changed to point to the Shartech Server.

If you want Shartech to do this for you we will have to have the username and password for your domain management account

If you want to do this yourself you need to change the nameservers to ns1.digitalmonkeeshosting.com and ns2.digitalmonkeeshosting.com

Propagation Time After Changing the Nameservers and Installing Your Website on a Shartech Server

Propagation is the process for all the pathways that have been set through various computers on the Internet to be changed to reflect the new location (address) of your website’s host server.

Once you change nameservers it can take a few minutes to 2 days for propagation to happen over the Internet.

Until propagation happens for Shartech we cannot install the new site as we cannot run the install script.

The length of time for propagation to occur depends upon how long the site has existed to date and how many site visitors have been on it. Older site with more visits means a longer propagation time.

The new site is finally installed and running on the new server

Do you want analytics to continue on from the same account you had for your old website? Then Shartech needs the UA-ID from that account

You will need to authenticate the Google Analytics plugin to that existing analytics account at some point to get the on board analytics info in your WP Admin. This can happen a bit later though as it is not time critical.

If you want Shartech to set up the 301 re-directs from the pages on the old site to the new one you will need to supply a document with all the URLs of the pages from the old site with their corresponding URL on the new site.

NOTE: This is not a free service or standard service. You have to request it and it takes Shartech time and there is a charge associated with it. You can use any development time you have left over for this if you like.

Available Resources

The following are resources you can use to help you with the above.

1. A page dedicated to what your host needs to provide for a new WordPress install at the latest level – Shartech self hosting essentials

2. A page with video tutorials on how to setup various client email software accounts –Shartech Video Tutorials

3. The Shartech Take My Website Live form. It has lots of information to remind you what is required in order to take your website live – Take My Website Live form

Summary

You need to plan taking a website live well in advance of the date you want us to make it all happen.

Often for any one of the reasons set out above it will not be able to be scheduled the same day that you request it to happen.

We also will not take sites live at close of business on a Friday without prior arrangement as any failure of any component of the move can cause considerable pain to you or your customer and this may require after hours work by Shartech that will be charged at full after hours rates.