Migrating a WordPress website to another host, domain, or server can seem scary, but if you have the right approach, it is done with ease. Changing your hosting, changing your domain names, or simply changing to another server, this tutorial will guide you through how to move wordpress site safely and securely.
In this post, we will walk you through the process you must follow in order to transfer your WordPress site with little downtime and loss of information.
Why Transfer a WordPress Site?
Let’s speak briefly about why you would want to transfer your WordPress site before we dive into the “how.”
Switching Hosting Companies: You might need better performance, better customer service, or reduced prices.
Domain Name Changes: Maybe your business is restructuring, or you’ve decided that you need to change the domain to a more memorable address.
Upgrading Your Server: Maybe you’re going from shared hosting to a premium-level VPS or dedicated server.
Switching to HTTPS: If you are upgrading to an SSL certificate and need to move your site to a secure HTTPS environment.
Regardless of the reason, moving a WordPress site requires careful planning and implementation so that nothing can go wrong.
Step-by-Step Guide to Moving Your WordPress Site
Step 1: Backup Your WordPress Site
The first in moving your WordPress site is to create a full backup. This will allow you to restore your site in case something goes wrong during the moving process.
To back up your WordPress site, plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, or Duplicator can be used. These plugins can give you a full backup including your site files, themes, plugins, and database.
Files: WordPress stores files like images, plugins, themes, and core files in the wp-content folder.
Database: WordPress also uses a database to store all your site content, like posts, pages, comments, and settings.
Once your backup is ready, download the database and files to your local machine or cloud.
Step 2: Choose Your New Domain or Hosting Provider
If you are moving your WordPress blog to a new hosting company, you should now set up your new hosting setup. If you are just swapping domains, make sure your new domain is registered and live. Additionally, to enhance your website’s visibility and ranking, consider implementing on page SEO service. This includes optimizing your content, titles, meta descriptions, and other on-page elements to align with SEO best practices, ensuring that your site performs well in search engine results.
Step 3: Install WordPress on the New Host
If you are migrating to a different hosting provider, the second step is to have WordPress installed on the new host. The majority of hosting providers offer one-click WordPress install, so performing this is quite easy.
Install WordPress: Log in to your new hosting account, find the one-click WordPress install option and follow the instructions on the screen.
Create a New Database: Your hosting provider will also help you create a new database. Here is where your content will be stored once you make the move.
After WordPress is set up on the new server, you can proceed with moving your old site.
Step 4: Migrate Your Files and Database
After that, you will have to move your website files and database to the new host.
Upload Files: Transfer the files from your local backup through an FTP client like FileZilla into the wp-content directory on the new host.
Import Database: Transfer your WordPress database backup into the new database you have created using phpMyAdmin. This will import your posts, pages, settings, and other data.
If you’re utilizing a plugin like Duplicator, the plugin will migrate automatically.
Step 5: Update Your wp-config.php File
After you’ve moved the database and files, you will have to modify your wp-config.php file. This file contains crucial settings, including your database name, user, and password.
Locate the wp-config.php file on your new server.
Modify the following lines with the correct database information:
php
Copy
Edit
define( ‘DB_NAME’, ‘your_new_database_name’ );
define( ‘DB_USER’, ‘your_new_database_user’ );
define( ‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘your_new_database_password’ );
define( ‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost’ );
This makes WordPress communicate with your new database.
Step 6: Update Your Domain (If Necessary)
If you’re also changing your domain name, there are a few additional steps to follow:
Update Site URL: Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Settings > General, and update the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) with your new domain.
Redirect Old Domain: Set up 301 redirects from your old domain to the new domain to maintain SEO rankings and ensure users are redirected correctly.
Step 7: Test Your Site on the New Host
Prior to going live, invest a little time properly testing your site on the new server:
Confirm that all pages, images, and links work correctly.
Test your site’s functionality, contact forms, and other interactive features.
Confirm that all plugins and themes are working correctly.
Step 8: Update DNS Settings
Once you’ve tested the site and confirmed everything is in working order, it’s time to update your domain’s DNS settings to point to the new server.
Log in to your domain registrar’s account (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap) and update the DNS records to point to your new host’s nameservers. This may take up to 48 hours for the DNS changes to propagate globally.
Step 9: Final Cleanup and Checks
After your domain is now pointing to the new host, you should:
Clear out your browser cache and WordPress cache.
Resubmit your sitemap to search engines like Google.
Test your site again to make sure everything is working well.
Conclusion
Migrating a WordPress site does not have to be complicated if you know how to do it. With a quality backup, installing your new setup, and copying your content over slowly and carefully, you can transfer your WordPress site with little downtime and no data loss.
Make sure to test everything well after migrating to ensure that your site is successfully installed on the new hosting. Good luck with your site migration, and don’t forget to celebrate your successful migration!
