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The problem is, our site has been on yahoo forever--a shared server environment--no unique IP.
Thought that was a huge problem--but we've been tops with google for about a year.
Problem is--yahoo servers are absolutely going bezerk--very slow load time--big problems with gifs and even many non-gif pages. We're pretty sure we're losing business to folks who don't have the patience to wait on a slow loading site (by contrast, our mirror site with virtually the same content on a separate server company is zippy to the max--so we KNOW the problem is yahoo's servers)
So we want to switch the site but we're concerned (as in VERY) about a problem with google missing us for awhile.
Ideas?
Comments?
THoughts?
Solutions?
Failing to do everything right will result in loss of IP forwarding, a must. If you are just going to up and change,
without the typical "by bye" then get a mirror site going at the new IP, get it propogated and then switch out the domain being name-served; for many reasons often a name change at a settled IP address propogates quicker and cleaner than a new IP with a "same" name, especially if the former host isn't friendly or cooperative.
is there a link to a step-by-step guide anyone knows of for switching IP's?
btw, also interested in input re: separate and distinct IP address--always thought that was huge to google, but with our yahoo site, there is absolutely a shared environment and no exclusive ip address whatsoever, yet, we have top notch ranking
b) Be sure they will offer you guaranteed uptime, such as 99.70%, make sure they'll guarantee you needed bandwidth, no limits on data transfer(as in so many Mb per month) or that what you are buying is more than enough.
+ Before you move, run the Server Header checker from SearchEngineWorld.com on pages from other sites being howsted there, make sure the other hosted site's pages contain a properly configured "Last Modified" response header, get something in writing from the host that guarantees you the server responds correctly to If-Modified-Since queries. (see more below).
c) Get a mirror site going, register a new name; e.g. ww.mydomain.com becomes "www.my-domain.com" or "www. my_domain.com". Have it up & running, well. No matter that Google will never know it's there (unless per chance Google stumbles across it right away, but that's doubtful..)
d) Contact the registrar of your domain name (e.g. Tucows, NetSol, whomever). Get the forms they need to transfer the registered domain name, send 'em to the new host.
Be sure your instructions for the transfer make *you the Admin and the billing contact for the new nameserver and the new host is the Technical contact only (this makes future moves painless and keeps you in control). Then request the new host to assign you the mirror's IP address, you are dumping the new name, bringing "old" domain name over.
e) Then either dump or move the "mirror" domain name, and
allow 24 hours for the DNS info to trickle across the major backbone's routers; usually most flush their caches every 24 hours, then they'll "see" your original domain name at the new IP address.
** If you are leaving Yahoo! on a "friendly" basis. they should point your old IP address at the new one, by referring all incoming traffic arriving at the old address to the new one. This is nice to have but again only necessary for abot 24 hrs anyway. Most 'important' U.S. biggies will have the domain name pointed (in their IP address caches) to the new IP in hours, globally it'll be a couple of days.
f) A cool little trick; a few days ahead of the move, go to the Google AddURL page, and instead of entering the original domain name, enter the new IP address ("http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx"). Google usually runs 3 days to a week behind in following the links given it on the ADD URL page; when it does come out, it will "discover" and cache your new IP address for the original domain name.
g) Go through all the top-level pages and make small text changes, add some alt tags where there were none.
The move itself will upddate your Last Modified, but when the new host serves up the new content, to Google, you'll absolutely want Google to find truly changed content... not just a new Last Modified server header response.
h) I use the bCentral submission page too and send daily page submission (different URL's from the site) into the majors for a few days before/during the move.
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Virtual hosting is cheap but inherently dangerous. Google no longer cares about shared IP's.. BUT: if another site w/ the shared IP gets banned from Google, or begins spamming, or whatever, Google can be very brutal w/ repect to a certain IP address, it errs on the side of caution.
Unscrupulous submitters/SEO's sometimes host 2-3 mirror sites on the same IP, bounce Googlebot through reciprocal links round-n-round and if caught your site could tumble; along with all the others at that address. You have 0 degree of control w/ a virtual IP, and 100% control with a dedicated IP. For another $20 - $30.00 per month IMHO it's well worth it.
HTH ..!
[You can contact me off-list and I'll give you some referrals if you'd like..]
This will ensure for returning visitors to lose the current IP address and pick up the new one during the transition phase.
Good luck!
Jens
