I recently migrated from one web host to another, and wanted to share some common things that I had to make sure were updated or configured properly. Consider this a half checklist; half brain-dump.

Common server components

1. Create domains under the new web host.
2. Upload files to appropriate domain directory.
3. Databases created and data imported.
4. Email accounts created (specifically, any MX records pointing to other servers like Google Apps).
5. Cronjobs created.
6. Make sure PHP version is correct.
7. Other DNS settings (like domain CNAME’s).

Script updates

1. Database connections in case you could not name everything identically.
2. Directory path references if it differs from previous server.
3. Any configuration needed in .htaccess files (such as forcing a PHP version).
4. Any php.ini settings, such as date.timezone.

Once all of this is complete, it is usually safe to update the name servers for your domains to point to the new web host. Often some things are not noticeable until you flip the switch, so sometimes you just have to flip it and try to fix things as quickly as possible.