Hostgator Free Site Transfer

Hostgator is one of the very few web hosts that help clients to transfer their website for free. They will transfer the domainname , web files, MySQL database, and scripts on your behalf with no cost at all.

Hostgator Transfer Form

How does site transfer with Hostgator works?

All you need to do is to provide some basic contact info, your hosting accounts login details, some basic instructions for the technical crews at Hostgator, and keep the old hosting account until the DNS is sorted properly. However, note that neither free or paid transfer services carry any guarantees. Hostgator will only move up to one account with shared hosting free of charge within 30 days of signup. Extra domains are not included in the free service.

For instance, here’s a forum post at Hostgator asking for help when it comes to moving a blog from the free platform.

I am sure this has been asked before but I was getting mixed messages from customer service so I wanted to double check before signing up.

Can HostGator transfer my wordpress.com hosted blog to a new domain of my own hosted here? I have seen the transfer form and just want to double check that they will go in and move it all for me even though it is a free wordpress blog. I understand I will have to set up wordpress etc but I am talking about the bare bones of transferring posts, comments, pictures etc.

Any help, tips or advice would be welcome. I have been trying to do it all with godaddy and it has been hell.

In case you are one of those with the same doubts as below – let me tell you this: you DO NOT need help from your web host to move your WordPress blog as it’s ultra easy moving it yourself.

One best thing about WordPress is that it allows blog exporting and importing in just a few clicks.

To move your blog from the free WordPress platform to Hostgator, all you need to do is to backup your current blog (Refer image on right: Tools > Export > Download the WordPress eXtended RSS file), install a new WordPress on your Hostgator hosting account, and import (upload) the XML file saved earlier. WordPress system is so powerful that you can get this all done in its web-based control panel (the dashboard).

Here’s the quick print screen for both Import and Export page of WordPress.

WordPress Export Screen

WordPress Import Screen

Note that not only you can restore and move your WordPress blog, you can also important your work from different platform to WordPress.

At this time of writing, WordPress’s ‘Import Feature’ support Blogger, Blogroll, Blogware, Bunny’s Technorati Tags, Categories and Tags Converter, DotClear, GreyMatter, Jerome’s Keywords, LiveJournal, Textpattern, Ultimate Tag Warrior, Movable Type, as well as TypePad! (that’s almost all the well-known blogging platform I knew!)

How to upload files directly from Dreamweaver?

To upload files directly from Dreamweaver, you have to first configure the server settings in your Dreamweaver file manager. You can do this either by creating a new ‘FTP & RDS Server’ or creating a new ‘site’ that linked to your server via FTP.

Configuration for FTP & RDS Server

Working on the FTP & RDS Server environment allows you to work directly on the files at your server.

Any changes saved will be visible at your website immediately.

Setting up a new ‘FTP & RDS Server’ all you need is to fill in the necessary details like your host FTP address, folder that you wished to FTP, your login details, and the name you wish to put for the server.

Configuration at the ‘Site’ option

On the other hand, you can configure the FTP connection in Dreamweaver while setting up your site at the File Manager. Simply select ‘FTP’ on the remote server connection, fill in all the details like the host FTP address, folder that you wished to FTP as well as your login details and you’re ready to go.

A quick screen cap for your reference:

FTP at Hostgator is easy!

I hope this solved your doubts in FTP-ing files to Hostgator. Do leave your comment in case you have other related questions.

For instance, you have to get a domain name for starters. After that? What should you do next? Nowadays, web hosting companies have thought and provide you with great solution so that building a website can be very easy. All this is possible with hosting companies that provides user friendly style of service.

One of those companies worth mentioning is HostGator.

Hostgator is considered as the best provider around for their outstanding service and user friendly features. All you need is a browser open and follow the steps explained by the host. To make a website with great features, you don’t have to be technology expert.

Registering a hosting account at Hostgator

To start you own website with HostGator, just visit their website and click on the ‘Order Now’ icon.

Then, just follow the steps by choosing a domain name. Then select the ‘Baby’ when you are asked to choose a package. This ‘Baby’ package will cost you $9.95 per month. This price is the best offer available in the market. It is unbeatable.

After doing the things above, go to this link ftp://theusernameyouchose@thedomainnameyouchose.com. using Internet Explorer. Replace the username with your username during your sign up with HostGator.

Uploading stuffs to Hostgator

You must also replace the domain name with the one you chose during your sign up. Once you have done that, just enter and proceed. (Alternatively, you can as well use the web uploader available at cPanel – it can be reached by clicking into ‘File Manager’ as shown in the figure).

What will happen is a window will pop up and will require you to enter your username and password that you chose at HostGator. The maximum numbers of character allowed for your username is 8. Anything more than 8 characters will be truncated automatically.

What you can expect next is a window that pops out. It will be a window that contains many yellow folders. Click on the one that says “public_html”. Minimize this window and select the webfiles (for example, the index.html page) from your desktop to the folder in HostGator. Once it’s done, you website is done. Use your normal browser and visit your website to do a check.

Well of course hosting/starting a website involve a lot more than this but the article should give you a brief image on how things work.