How to Migrate from Ben's Hosting

Your clear guide to moving website, email, and domains safely

Below is a simple, friendly overview of exactly how to move away from Ben's hosting. You can choose Namecheap, Nutty About Hosting, or any other provider — the steps and support are almost identical.

Final deadline: the old hosting server will be shut down on Sunday 7 June 2026. Please start the migration process within the next week if you want to keep your website or email service active. After shutdown, I cannot guarantee that old websites, email accounts, or backups will still be recoverable.

Simple Choices

You do not necessarily need to keep everything exactly as it is now.

Some people only want to keep their email address and not the website itself — that’s completely fine too.

Most people choose one of these options:

Keep website + email
Keep email only
Replace old website with a simple modern holding page
Close everything down completely

1. What You Need to Do

The migration process is straightforward and designed to avoid downtime. You only need to:

Choose where you want your hosting to live next.
Create an account with your chosen host (no purchase needed yet for Namecheap).
Tell me your login/username so I can begin preparing the move.

Everything else is handled for you.

2. Choose Your Migration Path

Here are the two most common migration routes. Each has a different process, so below you'll find a simple visual timeline for both.

Namecheap Migration Timeline

Step 1

Create a free Namecheap account.

Step 2

Send me your Namecheap username so I can transfer your domain to you.

Step 3

Once you have received the domain into your account you can order hosting (Stellar / Stellar Plus / Email‑only). Then share your cPanel login with me so I can migrate your site.

Step 4

I migrate your website, email accounts, and DNS settings.

Step 5

Nameservers updated → your site goes live on Namecheap.

Nutty About Hosting Migration Timeline

Step 1

Create an account with Nutty About Hosting.

Step 2

Tell me you've chosen Nutty — I will send your domain's EPP/Auth code and prepare a full ZIP + SQL database backup.

Step 3

You pass the ZIP + SQL to Nutty (or I can send it directly). Nutty restores your site and sets up email.

Step 4

I update DNS or nameservers → your site goes live on Nutty.

More explanation of the two main options below. Both work well — the best choice depends on what support you would want going forward.

Namecheap — Affordable & Self‑Managed

Namecheap is generally the cheapest option, especially with their discount codes. They offer:

Very low annual hosting costs
Good, fast live chat support (but only for hosting‑related issues)
Clear cPanel access so I can migrate everything

Important: Namecheap does not provide development help or fix issues inside your website (Drupal, WordPress, custom code, etc.). If something inside the site breaks later, you’d need a developer. For many small/simple sites, this is absolutely fine.

Read the full Namecheap migration guide →

Nutty About Hosting — UK‑Based & More Supportive

Nutty About Hosting are a recommendation from a friend/ex-client and are a small Devon‑based team. They typically offer:

More personalised support
Help with restoring backups
Guidance on email configuration
Some advice around older CMSs (you may need to ask what they can do)

They won’t redevelop or modernise sites for free, but they may be able to recommend someone, or offer paid work. They are a good choice for anyone who wants a human to speak to, or who has an older Drupal site they want to keep running. I understand they have good green credentials too.

Read the full Nutty migration guide →

Other Developers / Other Hosting Providers

If you'd prefer to move to another web developer or hosting company, the process is identical to the Nutty migration route: I provide a ZIP of website files, plus the database, and details of any required DNS settings.

If you have recommendations for reliable developers or agencies, I’d genuinely welcome them — I'm happy to pass names on to anyone who needs more ongoing support than I can offer.

3. What I Will Do for You

Create and package your website files and database
Transfer or help you transfer your domain ownership
Move email accounts or set up new ones
Recreate DNS settings manually
Switch nameservers at the right time

4. No Downtime During Migration

Your website and email remain online until the very end of the process. Only the final nameserver switch (once everything is ready) causes a short propagation period generally around 30–60 minutes, sometimes 4 hours (though guides tell you it's up to 24 hours).