Bluehost to BigScoots: DNS Move Without Downtime

Moving your website from one hosting provider to another can be daunting, especially when you want to avoid any downtime. If you're planning to transition your site from Bluehost to BigScoots, careful planning and execution are essential to keep your website accessible during the DNS transition. This guide walks you through the process of a seamless hosting migration, ensuring that your visitors won’t even notice that changes are happening behind the scenes.

TL;DR

To migrate your website from Bluehost to BigScoots without downtime, first copy your website data to BigScoots and ensure that it works in a staging environment. Modify your DNS to point to BigScoots only after confirming everything is operational. Keep Bluehost active during the DNS propagation window, typically 24–48 hours, to ensure that no requests are lost. Monitor traffic and server logs closely to catch any issues in real-time.

Why Move from Bluehost to BigScoots?

Website owners looking for performance gains, better customer support, and more flexible server environments often migrate from shared hosting providers like Bluehost to premium managed hosts like BigScoots. Here are a few reasons why such a move makes sense:

• Improved Performance: BigScoots provides optimized server environments that result in faster load times, especially for complex or high-traffic websites.
• Superior Support: Users often cite BigScoots' support team as responsive and deeply knowledgeable, in contrast to more scripted support experiences with larger shared hosts.
• Scalability: With BigScoots' managed VPS and dedicated server solutions, your project can grow without limitations.

Step-By-Step: Moving Without Downtime

The key challenge when switching hosts is DNS propagation. During this period—typically up to 48 hours—some users may still be directed to your old server while others reach the new one. The trick is to prepare correctly so both servers remain in sync for a time.

Step 1: Prepare Your BigScoots Hosting Environment

Before touching anything in Bluehost or changing DNS records, set up your account and hosting environment at BigScoots. This includes:

• Provisioning the correct hosting plan (Managed WordPress, VPS, or Dedicated)
• Installing the chosen CMS/software (e.g., WordPress, Joomla, or custom stack)
• Verifying PHP versions, database compatibility, and software dependencies

Ensure everything mimics your existing setup as found on Bluehost. If you're unsure how to match configurations, BigScoots’ support team typically offers free migration assistance and will handle this step for you.

Step 2: Backup Everything On Bluehost

This step is critical. Before any migration work, create a complete backup of:

• Your website files (usually found in the public_html directory)
• All associated databases (typically via phpMyAdmin)
• Email accounts and forwarders (if managed via your cPanel)

Keep your backup local as well as on a cloud storage option to avoid any accidental data loss during the transition.

Step 3: Upload to BigScoots and Test

Upload your website files and import databases into BigScoots. You may use tools like SFTP or FileZilla for file transfers and phpMyAdmin for database restoration. Once everything is in place, test using a temporary subdomain or IP staging URL provided by BigScoots.

Double-check the following:

• Page load and functionality integrity
• Database-driven features work as intended
• All media files are present and correctly linked

Making sure that everything runs seamlessly before flipping the DNS switch is essential to preserving uptime and site integrity.

Step 4: Lower DNS TTL Values Ahead of Time

A few days before the switch, access the DNS settings wherever your domain is managed (could be Bluehost, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.) and lower the TTL (Time to Live) values on your A, CNAME, and root records to as low as 300 seconds if possible. This speeds up propagation once you change the DNS settings later.

This setting tells browsers and ISPs how long to cache your DNS records and helps ensure that changes happen swiftly when you make them.

Step 5: Switch Over the DNS

Once your site is verified to be working correctly at BigScoots, it’s finally time to update the DNS. There are two primary ways this may occur:

• Name Server update: If BigScoots is managing your DNS, update the name servers associated with your domain registrar to point to BigScoots. This moves full DNS control to them.
• A Record update: If you plan to retain DNS control elsewhere (like Cloudflare), just update the A record to point to the new BigScoots server IP address.

After you make the change, leave your Bluehost hosting account active for 48–72 hours. This ensures that any residual visitors still being routed to the old server will see a live version of your site.

Step 6: Monitor During DNS Propagation

While DNS is propagating, make sure both the old and new versions of the site are in sync. You can achieve this by:

• Placing sites into “maintenance mode” simultaneously
• Preventing content updates during the window
• Monitoring error logs and uptime reports from services like UptimeRobot or Pingdom

Tools like DNS Checker can help you confirm when all DNS records have propagated globally.

Step 7: Decommission Bluehost

After ensuring the traffic is entirely routed to BigScoots (confirm this using logs, analytics, and third-party checkers), cancel your Bluehost account to avoid being billed further. Also ensure:

• Email accounts have been recreated, if applicable
• Backups are stored securely offsite
• DNS TTLs are reset to original values if needed

Tips for a Seamless DNS Migration

• Use a CDN like Cloudflare: This can help smooth DNS transitions due to their distributed nature and caching mechanisms.
• Migrate during low-traffic hours (such as early morning or weekends) to lessen the impact of any unforeseen issues.
• Keep a rollback plan: Having a fail-safe like a synced Bluehost instance for two days post-move is your safety net.
• Test forms, payments, and other critical features on staging before going live.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Not testing thoroughly in the staging phase, which can lead to broken assets or errors post-migration
• Forgetting to recreate email accounts that were hosted with Bluehost, which can interrupt communications
• Accidentally dropping databases or overwriting data during file and database migration
• Failing to secure backups before initiating the move

Conclusion

Website migration, particularly a DNS transition from Bluehost to BigScoots, doesn’t need to result in any downtime if executed with attention and care. The key is in precise preparation: test before going live, communicate with support teams when needed, and ensure dual-site availability during propagation.

Bluehost may have served its role well at the beginning, but as your site grows in traffic, complexity, or expectations, hosts like BigScoots offer a logical next step. With the right strategy, your users won’t know the difference—but your server logs and page speeds certainly will.