Switching from Free to Paid Hosting?

[Lilly8]

I currently have a website on a free hosting server for a small business I help run.  I've been looking more and more into switching to paid hosting.  Once we get up and running a little better I want to try the switch. 

How hard is it to switch from a free hosting site to a paid hosting site?  Would I have to start over completely with my website or could I just move the website over?  Any help with this would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[dave]

We now offer transfer assistance with all of our packages, all you need to do is sign up and then open a support ticket requesting the transfer.

[Lilly8]

Thanks, that is great to hear.  It would make me feel much better about trying to switch things over.  I was worried that it would be very difficult and I would have to start over from scratch.

[battick]

Usually you can transfer over from a free site to a paid site quite easily. The paid hosting site typically has utility programs to help you do this quickly and easily.

[DePenguin]

It is wise to keep a copy of your site on your own hard drive (or on a CD, if it fits) in case anything happens to your host. If you have a copy, it should be fairly simple to move the site. If your free site has databases, as well, you should be able to back it up from the site itself.

[Di]

Backups are your friend. It is always better to have a backup and not need it than it is to need a backup and not have it.