Migrating a WordPress web site by yourself can really feel like an amazing process, particularly as a result of there are such a lot of elements and steps to think about.

From correctly making ready a web site for switch to efficiently setting it up on a brand new internet hosting platform, many individuals are compelled to show to costly WordPress guide migration companies.

Or, they search out new hosts that present WordPress web site migration companies as a part of their bundle — to make sure a clean and streamlined course of.

Nevertheless, the act of migrating a WordPress web site doesn’t should be expensive or disturbing while you’re geared up with the best instruments and data.

On this information, we are going to break down find out how to migrate a WordPress web site with out spending a premium or needing superior programming data. This contains migrating a web site manually, in addition to how a couple of WordPress plugins might help you automate the method.

Uncover how one can put together for and full a WordPress guide migration no matter your talent degree under.

Advisable best technique to migrate a WordPress web site

A WordPress migration is a technique of transferring a WordPress web site from one server to a different — or from one internet hosting service to a different — with out affecting its look, content material, or performance.

This contains WordPress ecommerce shops, as properly. Throughout this course of, the content material of a WordPress web site (i.e., its recordsdata, content material, and databases) are copied and uploaded to a brand new server whereas the location content material on the previous server stays unaffected.

There are numerous causes you would possibly have to migrate a WordPress web site. Perhaps you are transferring to a brand new host, otherwise you wish to transfer your web site to a brand new area. Or, possibly you simply wish to create a backup of your web site in case one thing goes incorrect.

WordPress migration is not at all times simple, nevertheless it’s essential to be sure to do it appropriately. In case you do not, you possibly can find yourself dropping information or breaking your web site. We wish to make it easier to manually switch a WordPress web site with a profitable end result.

Frequent causes you would possibly have to migrate a WordPress web site

Folks select emigrate a WordPress web site for a lot of completely different causes, together with:

• Swapping internet hosting suppliers: Many individuals migrate their web site to swap their WordPress internet hosting suppliers. This could possibly be as a result of internet hosting efficiency points or downtime brought on by shared server sources, or a scarcity of buyer assist from the internet hosting supplier. Folks additionally swap internet hosting suppliers to satisfy the calls for of their scaling enterprise (e.g., switching to extra highly effective devoted servers or cloud servers) or to dial again server sources and reduce prices.
• Shifting to or from a WordPress Multisite community: Folks typically want to maneuver an current WordPress web site right into a Multisite community, or take away a single WordPress web site from an current Multisite community and migrate it right into a contemporary WordPress set up. This course of is extra difficult than transferring a single web site to a brand new internet hosting supplier, however it may be carried out.
• Altering a website title: Area title modifications are typically wanted as companies evolve (e.g., shortening an extended area title, rebranding a enterprise, and so forth.), and a WordPress web site migration might be required to vary them. It’s essential to notice that area title modifications require everlasting 301 redirects from the previous area to the brand new one to take care of search engine rankings and stop 404 errors for customers following any current web site hyperlinks.

Migrate a WordPress web site manually in 6 steps

Whereas there are a number of WordPress duplicating, cloning, and migration instruments that purpose to simplify the migration course of, understanding find out how to manually switch a WordPress web site is essential.

For instance, in case you have a big web site otherwise you’re transferring between internet hosting firms, many of those instruments can timeout or fail — leaving you at sq. one.

Find out how to manually migrate a WordPress web site

The steps of migrating a WordPress web site from one internet hosting service to a different manually might be damaged down into six overarching steps:

1. Backup/obtain your web site information

2. Create a brand new WordPress set up together with your new host

3. Add your database recordsdata into your new internet hosting account

4. Add your content material into your new internet hosting account

5. Alter your “wp-config.php” file

6. Carry out post-migration cleanup

1. Backup/obtain your WordPress web site information

Step one to manually migrating your WordPress web site is to backup/obtain all of your web site information — no matter how small or massive it’s. The migration course of might trigger you to lose web site information, which in flip might harm your web site.

Whereas backing up your web site, information ought to already be a safety finest apply. It is usually a essential part of the information switch course of.

There are a number of plugins you should utilize to again up your WordPress websites — resembling Duplicator or UpdraftPlus — permitting you to make the most of built-in settings to regulate which recordsdata are backed up, backup schedules, and the place your information is saved.

Alternatively, you can even again up your WordPress web site manually. This WordPress web site switch course of might be carried out two methods:

1. Via your cPanel

2. Through a file switch instrument (FTP)

1. cPanel

Log into your previous internet hosting supplier and navigate to your cPanel. There, open “File Supervisor,” choose the doc root to your area, examine “Present Hidden Recordsdata,” and click on “Go.”

Right here, it is advisable to find two recordsdata: “wp-content” and “wp-config.”

To compress your “wp-content” folder you may choose the zip format after which when the zip file has been created, obtain it.

You’ll solely have to obtain the “wp-config” file. You too can compress the wp-content to a tar gzipped file which may be smaller than a zipper file.

If you’re conversant in the command line then you may get over the zip or tar.gz file immediately out of your previous host to your new host with out having to obtain domestically and add a file.

Log into your previous internet hosting supplier and navigate to your cPanel. There, open “Backup,” from backup in cPanel you may obtain a full backup, partial backup in addition to backups of your web site’s database.

Now, again out to your cPanel homepage, find “Backup,” and click on on it. Right here, you will note all of the databases you have got in your server. You’ll want to navigate to the proper one and click on on it.

After getting chosen the proper database backup for the location, it can assist you to obtain the “sql.gz” file.

At this level, you need to have three separate downloads, together with:

1. “wp-content.zip” file

2. “wp-config.php” file

3. “sql.gz” file

It’s essential to notice that this course of is usually quicker than utilizing an FTP instrument.

Word: Nexcess prospects use the client portal slightly than having to undergo cPanel.

2. FTP Device

FTP applications resembling FileZilla (PC) and Transmit (Mac) are widespread instruments for downloading WordPress recordsdata and databases.

After selecting an FTP program and putting in it in your laptop, use your SFTP credential (sourced out of your internet host account) to immediately connect with your web site’s server.

Right here, you may choose and obtain all recordsdata and databases in your WordPress web site’s listing.

However don’t neglect to incorporate hidden recordsdata resembling “.htaccess,” as these may be hidden. Assessment your FTP program’s assist file to make sure you are seeing hidden recordsdata.

If you’re used to utilizing the command line, then you may create each a MySQL dump of the location’s database after which gzip compress or zip up the WordPress web site. The command-line methodology can be a lot quicker.

2. Create a WordPress set up together with your new host

The second step to manually migrating your WordPress web site is to log into the portal on Nexcess to create a brand new web site on an current plan or a brand new set up web site could be created while you join your new plan on Nexcess.

If you add a web site within the portal the place your plan particulars are managed, it can set up WordPress on it.

You’ll want to evaluation and/or edit these sections based mostly in your web site wants, and don’t neglect to securely document your admin username and password.

Moreover, you may change the automated database title and desk prefix in the event you see match. You too can go away them as-is, however you should definitely keep in mind/document your database title and desk prefix, as you will have to reference them later.

As soon as the set up of WordPress is put in, head again to your portal to get the SSH credentials to arrange to add the recordsdata and database out of your previous web site.

3. Add your database into your new internet hosting account

Now it’s time to import the precise pages of your present web site into your new internet hosting account.

To do that, navigate to “phpMyAdmin” underneath the “Databases” part and click on on it. As soon as in, find your database title and click on on it.

Right here, you will note clean database tables that have been created together with your clean WordPress set up.

What you wish to do is choose the “Test all” field beneath these clean database tables, click on the dropdown menu titled “With chosen,” after which select the “Drop” possibility. This can delete all clean tables in your database.

With all tables deleted, it’s time to import the database that you just beforehand backed up. Choose “Import” close to the highest of the web page and navigate to the “File to Import” part.

Right here, choose the “Select File” button subsequent to the “Browse Your Laptop” textual content, find the SQL database file you downloaded earlier, and click on “Open.”

Then, uncheck the “Partial Import” field, scroll to the underside of the web page, and click on “Go.” This can import all of the tables that function your present web site’s content material.

As soon as your new tables are imported, navigate to the desk that options the phrase “choices.” Right here is the place you will discover and edit the URL of your web site.

Find “siteurl” beneath the “option_name” column, choose the “Edit” button, change the URL to your new web site’s URL string, and click on “Go.”

Then, find “dwelling” beneath the “option_name” column and replace it to your new URL string, as properly.

Word: In case you can not discover the “siteurl” or “dwelling” paths simply in your internet hosting supplier’s portal, you may Google the place these paths are discovered or attain out to buyer assist for assist.

4. Add your content material into your new internet hosting account

Head again to the brand new internet hosting portal and find the “Entry” tab which is able to be capable to provide the SSH credentials.

Utilizing your file supervisor software then add the backup into the public_html folder of your web site.

Now utilizing the SSH credentials you will have so as to add these into your file supervisor software.

You will want to make use of a gzip decompress command to extract the backup.

As soon as extracted, you should definitely return and delete the precise zipped folder or the unique gzip compressed file. The identical step will apply in the event you add a backup of your web site in a zipper file format — you should utilize a command resembling unzip to extract out the file.

tar -xvf wp-content.tar.gz

unzip wp-content.zip

At this level, there may be yet one more factor it is advisable to do to make sure your content material is pulling up appropriately: modify your “wp-config.php” file if wanted if the database prefix is completely different.

5. Alter your “wp-config.php” file

Navigate again to your file supervisor software and find the “wp-config.php” file. Fairly than modifying the file immediately in your file supervisor, it’s simpler to obtain it and edit it in a textual content editor.

Proper-click on the file, choose “Obtain,” and open it in a textual content editor or code editor of your alternative. At this level, you’ll have to find two issues:

1. “outline(‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost);” — If you’re transferring to a brand new internet hosting supplier, you may need to regulate the native hostname in your “wp-config.php” file. You’ll want to examine with assist to see if this must be modified.

2. “$table_prefix” — Utilizing the desk prefix you recorded earlier, find the “$table_prefix” strains in your “wp-config.php” file and replace it with the suitable prefix.

As soon as these two strains are up to date in your textual content editor, save your new “wp-config.php” file. Now, return into your file supervisor and overwrite the out of date “wp-config.php” file with the brand new one.

You are able to do this by navigating to the file supervisor and choosing the file to add. Relying on the file supervisor you’re utilizing, it can present a warning if you wish to exchange the present file or not.

At this level, all of your present WordPress web site’s recordsdata needs to be uploaded and up to date, which suggests your web site ought to show and performance precisely because it did together with your previous internet hosting supplier.

6. Publish-migration WordPress cleanup

As soon as your web site has been efficiently migrated to your new internet hosting supplier, it’s time to start the WordPress cleanup course of.

Change previous URLs with new ones

First, you will have to log into your new web site and be sure that inside hyperlinks to pages and references to pictures are up to date by changing previous URLs with new ones. Whereas you are able to do this manually, there are WordPress plugins you should utilize — such because the Higher Search Change plugin — that streamline this course of.

Utilizing the Higher Search Change plugin, navigate to “Instruments” in your WordPress dashboard and choose “Higher Search Change.”

Right here, you’ll enter your previous area URL and your new area URL, in addition to examine all of the bins listed beneath “Select which URLs needs to be up to date.”

Now, choose “Run Search/Change.”

Attain out to publishers to reclaim potential misplaced backlinks

If you’re involved about backlinks that time to your previous area, you will have to succeed in out to every particular person writer manually to have them replace any featured hyperlinks. It’s really useful to focus in your highest high quality backlinks, as this course of might be tedious.

Reconfigure your area’s DNS settings

Additionally, you will have to reconfigure your area’s DNS settings to level to your new internet hosting supplier.

Your area registrar can have all the main points it is advisable to make this modification. It’s essential to notice that DNS modifications can take as much as 48 hours to take impact, so you should definitely make these modifications throughout a interval while you count on decrease ranges of site visitors.

As soon as your web site migration has been accomplished, all URLs have been up to date, and your DNS settings have been reconfigured, you may manually delete web site recordsdata, databases, and content material on the previous server.

5 Finest plugins for guide WordPress migration

There are numerous useful WordPress migration plugins on the market, nevertheless it’s essential to acknowledge that a few of them trigger conflicts with different caching plugins or themes, and so they may result in efficiency points to your internet hosting server.

Earlier than you choose a migration plugin to make use of, you should definitely seek the advice of together with your new internet hosting supplier to see which of them are appropriate. At the moment, 5 of the very best plugins for guide WordPress migration embody the next.

1. Duplicator

That includes over 25 million downloads, Duplicator is a trusted WordPress migration instrument that provides customers the flexibility emigrate, copy, or switch a web site from one host to a different — bundling plugins, themes, and content material recordsdata right into a .zip file bundle. Moreover, it may also be used as a useful guide WordPress migration backup instrument.

Duplicator additionally claims zero downtime whereas migrating your web site, which suggests guests can nonetheless view and work together with a reside model of your web site in a pre-defined staging space.

The professional model of Duplicator comes with much more options, resembling drag-and-drop installs and cloud storage supplier compatibility.

2. UpdraftPlus

With a user-friendly interface, UpdraftPlus is a well-liked WordPress migration instrument. That includes over 3 million lively downloads, this instrument lets you schedule computerized backups and restore these backups immediately.

It additionally backs up a plethora of cloud choices and the flexibility to backup a number of websites without delay from a central platform with UpdraftCentral. For much more options, UpdraftPlus Premium gives multisite community compatibility, database encryption, and devoted buyer assist.

3. Migrate Guru

Powered by BlogVault, Migrate Guru claims to be the quickest technique to migrate a WordPress web site — together with with troublesome WordPress migrations resembling multisite networks or websites which are 200 GB or bigger.

Working by itself servers, Migrate Guru can robotically rewrite URLs, bypass import/export scripts, and handle serialized information. It additionally duplicates WordPress websites with none guide work or further instruments.

4. WP Migrate DB

WP Migrate DB options an easy-to-follow three-step course of:

1. Use the WP Migrate DB interface to search out and exchange your web site information.

2. Export the SQL file.

3. Import the SQL file into your new database.

This plugin additionally helps serialized information and arrays, which minimizes the possibilities of database corruption through the migration course of. With the professional model of WP Migrate DB Professional, you additionally acquire entry to themes, plugins, and add recordsdata.

5. All-in-One WP Migration

With over 4 million lively installations and practically 6,000 5-star critiques, All-in-One WP Migration is a extremely trusted WordPress migration plugin. Very similar to WP Migrate DB, this instrument options three easy steps that make migration simple:

1. Set up the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.

2. Click on the export button to bundle up your database, media recordsdata, plugins, and themes.

3. Unpack the file at your new location with the drag-and-drop function in your WordPress dashboard.

All-in-One WP Migration syncs with prime cloud storage companies and is appropriate with most WordPress plugins and themes. If you’re utilizing the free model of the plugin, there’s a 512MB dimension restrict.

Contemplate a transfer to managed WordPress internet hosting

Whereas there are a lot of steps concerned in a WordPress guide migration from one host to a different, it may be carried out.

Simply you should definitely observe the steps we’ve outlined above fastidiously, and at all times guarantee your web site’s recordsdata, databases, and content material are totally backed up previous to starting the WordPress guide migration course of. If one thing goes incorrect, you’ll nonetheless have all of your unique recordsdata to confer with again to.

In case you’re contemplating transferring from shared internet hosting to WordPress internet hosting, Nexcess is trusted by many WordPress consultants. With premium picture compression, a built-in content material supply community (CDN), and superior caching, we optimize WordPress websites to be quicker, higher, and extra intuitive.

If you host your WordPress web site with Nexcess, you acquire entry to:

• Computerized core WordPress updates
• Staging and manufacturing sync
• Developer instruments
• On the spot backups
• Stencils for web site creation
• Multi-layered caching
• Malware monitoring
• One-click staging
• E-mail internet hosting
• Full server entry
• Computerized plugin updates
• Automate SSL
• PHP optimization

That includes a number of managed WordPress internet hosting plans, you may select one which simply meets your wants now and scales up or down as your wants evolve. Plus, free WordPress web site migrations are included with each Nexcess WordPress internet hosting plan.

This implies you may keep away from web site downtime that’s sometimes related to manually migrating a WordPress web site.

Learn the way Nexcess might help you optimize your WordPress web site by totally managed internet hosting.

Try our totally managed WordPress internet hosting plans to get began right this moment.

WordPress migration FAQ

Can Nexcess migrate a WordPress web site for me?

Our trusted consultants might help take the exhausting work of the WordPress migration course of off your palms with out damaging your web site.

Can I migrate my WordPress web site to a different host?

You possibly can migrate your WordPress web site to whichever internet hosting supplier you select. Utilizing Nexcess makes it simpler to streamline the migration course of with none complications.

This weblog was initially revealed in January 2022. It has since been up to date for accuracy and comprehensiveness.