Migrating from a WordPress website does sound like a lengthy process that requires hours of work. However, with simple steps, you can easily migrate your WordPress to a new hosting provider, server, or domain.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can migrate your WordPress.
1. Prepare before migration
Before migrating your WordPress, it is necessary to back up your WordPress site. This ensures the safety of your data, as you can retrieve it whenever you want, even if your data fails to migrate.
After you have backed up your website, you can choose a new host that meets WordPress’s requirements for transferring your data.
2. Use a WordPress migration plugins
Using plugins like all-in-one WP migration or draft plus duplicator can be used to simplify the process of your WordPress migration. Here are a few of the steps that you can follow to successfully use this plugin to migrate to a different server.
*First install the plugin that you want on your workpress site.
*By using the plugin that you installed, you can export the data as it creates a package for your site. Meaning it will include all your files and databases to export at once.
*You can then set up WordPress on your new hosting or server and install the same plugin that you used previously on the new site to import the packages that you exported from your previous server.
*After importing the packages you can follow the instructions on the screen to finalize the migration process.
3. Manual migration
If you want your contents, data, and files to be transferred in a more controlled or specific manner you can manually migrate your wordpress data. You can follow the following steps to manually migrate your WordPress.
*Export your database by logging in to your hosting control panel and accessing phpMyAdmin or a similar tool for database management. You can then select your WordPress database click on export and save the file to your local computer in SQL format.
*After that you can use an FTP client like FileZilla to connect to your current server and download WordPress files including themes, login, and uploads. These files can now be uploaded to your new server using FTP.
*Import the database
After you are done transferring your website files. You can create a different database and user with the necessary permissions on the new server where you can import the SQL file that you previously exported using PHP myadmin.
*After importing the data on a new server you can update the wp-config.php file from your WordPress installation folder by opening it and obtaining your details to match your new database. You can update data like name user password and host accordingly.
*After transferring your data you can use Search Replace DB or SQL query to replace your previous domain with a new one. Also, update your site’s URL and home values in the wp_options table.
4. Update DNS setting
After you are done importing files and data on your new server you can update your DNS records to change your domain name as it remains the same. This step is lengthy and can take up to 48 hours due to DNS propagation, however, it insurance that the domain points to the correct server after the update.
5. Test the new site
After you migrate your WordPress to a new server it is necessary for you to thoroughly go through your website and test it to ensure that the functionality is intact. You can check page posts and media, test logins and themes for compatibility, verify forms and other features, and fix any broken or missing assets.
After you are done migrating you can clear your browser cache and WordPress cache update your robots.txt files resubmit your site to the search engine and monitor your site’s performance promptly.
Migrating WordPress can be simple if you follow the steps mentioned above. Make sure that you have a backup of your data prior to the data transfer process and test your site thoroughly after migration.