Moving a website to a new host does not have to mean downtime for your visitors. The key is the order: move and test everything first, and only switch your domain afterwards. If you point your domain to Pakalfa before your files are moved and tested, visitors may see a broken or empty site. Follow this zero-downtime order instead.

The correct order at a glance

1. Back up the old site.
2. Copy files and database to Pakalfa hosting.
3. Test the copied site before switching.
4. Only then update DNS or nameservers to Pakalfa.
5. Wait for propagation.
6. Cancel the old hosting only after verifying the live site works.

Step 1: Back up the old site (files + database)

Before you change anything, make a full backup of your old site: all website files and the complete database. Keep a copy on your own computer as well, not only on the old hosting account. If anything goes wrong during the move, this backup lets you restore the site.

Step 2: Copy files and database to Pakalfa hosting

Log in to your Pakalfa client area at billing.pakalfa.com and open cPanel for your Pakalfa hosting account. Upload your website files to the correct folder, usually public_html, and import your database into a new database in cPanel. Update your site configuration, if needed, to use the new database name, username, and password you created in cPanel. Do not change your domain settings yet.

Step 3: Test the copied site before switching

Test the copied site before you switch your domain. Use the temporary URL provided for your Pakalfa hosting, if one is available, or the hosts-file method on your own computer to preview the site on the new server while the rest of the world still sees the old site. Click through your homepage, important pages, contact forms, and login areas, and fix any missing files, broken links, or database errors now.

Warning: Do NOT point the domain before files are moved and tested. Switching DNS first sends visitors to a new server that is not ready yet, which is exactly how downtime and broken pages happen.

Step 4: Only then update DNS or nameservers to Pakalfa

Once the copied site works correctly in testing, update your domain DNS or nameservers to Pakalfa, using the values shown in your Pakalfa client area or cPanel. This is the moment your domain starts pointing visitors to the new hosting.

Step 5: Wait for propagation

DNS changes take time to spread around the world, so some visitors will still reach the old server for a while and others will reach Pakalfa. This is normal. Keep the old hosting account active during this period, and do not make changes to only one copy of the site, or the two copies can get out of sync.

Step 6: Cancel the old hosting only after verifying the live site works

After propagation has finished, visit your live site without the temporary URL or hosts-file change and check it thoroughly: homepage, pages, forms, images, and any store or login features. Only when you are sure the live site on Pakalfa works should you cancel the old hosting account.

If you need help, contact Pakalfa support at https://pakalfa.com/contact/.