How to Migrate a Website (Manually and with a Plugin) 

Website migration occurs once you make substantial modifications to a web site. Some examples embody altering the area identify, switching to a new platform, altering the URL web site construction, or migrating to one other website hosting supplier.

This article is a web site migration information for WordPress customers who need to transfer to one other host. While many internet hosting suppliers provide free migration, some customers would possibly desire to go the DIY route.

Keep studying to learn the way to full a profitable web site migration each manually or robotically utilizing a plugin.

What to Do Before Website Migration

Some web site migrations fail due to a lack of preparation. So earlier than you proceed, make certain to do the next in the course of the starting stage. This manner, the web site migration course of will occur easily with minimal unfavourable affect:

• Purchase a high quality website hosting plan with enough assets. Make positive to select a internet hosting supplier with a good efficiency monitor document and a plan that may deal with your web site’s knowledge and site visitors. Check out my suggestions for the most effective website hosting for WordPress.
• Communicate with your workforce and guests. As the location proprietor, you must inform your workforce and your guests in regards to the web site migration upfront so that everybody is on the identical web page. Plus, points could occur following a migration, so it’s a good concept to preserve everybody posted both manner.
• Review your web site’s site visitors and different metrics. Take observe of your present web site’s metrics, akin to natural site visitors from Google Analytics and Google Search Console. You’ll find a way to evaluate your web site efficiency within the search outcomes earlier than and after the migration to determine any points.
• Consider creating a staging setting. A staging web site enables you to create a copy of your present web site and carry out modifications with out affecting your precise reside web site. Once you make certain the staging web site has no points, you’ll find a way to make the modifications to the actual web site with minimal dangers.

How to Migrate a Website Manually 

In this part, you’ll learn the way to carry out a profitable web site migration to one other host manually. Let’s go over every course of step-by-step:

1. Backup Database and Files

The first step of the guide web site migration course of is to again up your present web site database and information.

The database is the inspiration of your web site. It permits WordPress to retailer and fetch all web site knowledge in an organized manner in order that the web site capabilities appropriately and easily.

The complete web site’s content material, together with all of the pages, posts, feedback, and present settings, is saved within the database. Within the database are varied tables consisting of various items of knowledge that make up a WordPress web site.

For instance, the wp_posts desk incorporates all of the submit sorts, submit content material, revisions, and customized submit sorts.

To again up your web site database:

• Go to your present internet hosting management panel.

For illustration functions, I can be utilizing screenshots for a way to backup web site databases and information on a internet hosting account that makes use of cPanel. Whichever management panel your internet hosting supplier makes use of, the steps ought to be related.

• Under Databases, choose phpMyAdmin.

• Select the WordPress database you’d like to backup from the navigation menu on the left. For instance, my database is named “hosti348_wp665”. The tables inside the chosen WordPress database will seem.

• Select the Export tab on the prime of the web page.
• Choose the Quick export methodology and SQL because the format from the drop-down menu.

• Click Go. The database information ought to be downloaded to your laptop.

After downloading your database, it’s time to backup your web site information as nicely. Here’s how to do it:

• Open your internet hosting management panel.
• Under Files, choose File Manager.

• Find your WordPress web site’s root folder, normally known as “public_html”.
• Download all of the content material of the folder to your laptop.

Some file managers enable downloading a number of information concurrently, however not complete folders. Therefore, you may need to obtain every subfolders’ content material one after the other.

2. Upload All Databases and Files to the New Host

The subsequent step to migrating a web site is to add all databases and information out of your outdated web site and host to the brand new host. This ensures that the present web site will work usually regardless that the net host has modified.

To create a new database in your new host and add the databases out of your outdated host, do the next:

• Log in to your new internet hosting account management panel.

For this tutorial, I can be migrating the WordPress web site to Hostinger.

Therefore, the screenshots can be from hPanel, Hostinger’s personal management panel. However, the steps ought to be related it doesn’t matter what internet hosting supplier you’re migrating to.

• Under Databases, navigate to MySQL Databases.

• Under Create a New MySQL Database And Database User, create the brand new database identify, username, and password. Don’t lose these credentials – preserve them in a secure place.

• Scroll down to discover the List of Current MySQL Databases And Users. Locate the brand new database and choose Enter phpMyAdmin.

• In phpMyAdmin, be sure that the brand new, empty database is chosen. Then, choose the Import tab on the prime of the web page.
• Upload the .sql file you beforehand downloaded from the outdated internet server.

• Leave the opposite settings as is, then scroll down and click on Go to start the import course of.

Now that the databases have been transferred, let’s start importing information from the outdated web site:

• Go to your internet hosting management panel.
• Under Files, choose File Manager.

• Navigate to your web site’s root folder or “public_html”.
• Upload all the web site information you could have beforehand downloaded.

3. Edit wp-config.php 

Congratulations, you could have efficiently transferred all of your web site’s content material to the brand new web site on one other host. However, there are nonetheless a few tweaks to be achieved earlier than your web site works correctly, one in every of which is modifying wp-config.php.

By this level, the present wp-config.php remains to be pointing to the database within the outdated internet host. Here’s how to edit the file in order that your web site will now level to the database you’ve created within the new host:

• Open your internet hosting management panel.
• Go to Files -> File Manager.
• Find the wp-config.php file inside the public_html folder and open it.

• Locate the next traces within the file:

outline(‘DB_NAME, ‘db_name’);
outline(‘DB_USER, ‘db_user’);
outline(‘DB_PASSWORD, ‘db_pass’);

• Replace the textual content in lowercase with your new database credentials.

• Save the modifications.

4. Point Your Domain Name

By now, you could have migrated all of the content material from the outdated host to the brand new web site on one other host. However, your area identify remains to be hooked up to the outdated host. To level your area identify to the brand new host, you have to replace your area identify servers (DNS).

If you bought your area identify out of your outdated host, it’s a good concept to switch the area to one other area registrar first. However, should you registered your area someplace else, all you could have to do is observe these steps to replace your DNS:

• Find your new internet host’s DNS nameserver data. Usually, it seems to be related to the next:

ns1.hostname.com
ns2.hostname.com

• Log in to your area registrar.
• Navigate to the DNS / Nameservers menu. For this tutorial, I can be displaying you the management panel for a area identify registered to Hostinger.

• Select Change Nameservers.
• If your web site isn’t hosted with Hostinger, select Change nameservers and enter the brand new host’s DNS nameserver data manually.

• Click Save.

5. Fix Permalinks

In some circumstances, migrating a web site to one other host can set off the 404 Page Not Found error when customers attempt to entry your web site. In this case, you could have damaged permalinks.

Fortunately, fixing this situation is comparatively easy. Here’s how to repair damaged permalinks by resetting the permalinks or URL construction:

• Open your WordPress Admin Dashboard.
• Navigate to Settings -> Permalinks.
• Select a permalinks construction that’s completely different out of your present one. For instance, should you’re utilizing Post identify, swap to Day and identify.

• Save the modifications.
• Change it again to your former most popular permalinks construction.
• Finally, save the modifications as soon as once more.

How to Migrate a Website With a Plugin

Compared to the guide methodology, migrating a web site utilizing a plugin is simpler and quicker. In this part, I’ll take one in every of many WordPress migration plugins and reveal how to use it step-by-step.

But earlier than you proceed, just be sure you have already got a recent set up of WordPress in your new internet host. Many internet hosts, together with Hostinger, have 1-click installers that make the method fast and simple.

1. Install a Website Migration Plugin

There are many web site migration plugins obtainable for WordPress. Here are a few of my suggestions:

• All-In-One WP Migration. A freemium plugin that allows you to migrate a complete web site to any internet hosting supplier with simply a few clicks. While the primary migration characteristic is completely free, paid extensions can be found, costing $99/extension.
• Duplicator. In addition to being a backup resolution, the Duplicator plugin additionally enables you to shortly migrate a web site to one other host. The premium model, Duplicator, begins at $69/yr.
• Migrate Guru. A very free plugin that gives simple migration throughout any internet host. It focuses on shifting giant web sites with up to 200 GB of information. All you could have to do is set up the plugin and enter the credentials of the brand new host.
• WPvivid Backup and Migration. This freemium plugin is each a backup and migration instrument. The premium model begins from $49/yr, and it affords further options akin to database encryption and staging web site creation.

In this tutorial, let’s use the plugin All-In-One WP Migration to do the job. Follow these steps to set up it:

• Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard.
• Go to Plugins -> Add New.
• Search for All-In-One WP Migration.
• Select Install, then Activate. 

• Go to the recent WordPress set up on the brand new host and observe the identical steps to set up and activate the plugin there, as nicely.

2. Export Files

Now that All-In-One WP Migration is put in and activated, let’s export the web site information from the present internet host. Follow these steps:

• On the WordPress admin dashboard of your present web site, entry All-In-One WP Migration -> Export from the sidebar menu.
• Choose export to File. 

• Wait till the plugin finishes archiving all of your web site information. Then, obtain the .wpress file to your laptop.

3. Import Files

Now that you’ve downloaded all of the information out of your web site to your laptop, it’s time to import them to the brand new web site on the goal host.

But earlier than I present you ways to try this, you may need to change the utmost add file measurement of WordPress. The default restrict is just 128 MB, which gained’t be sufficient for many web sites – particularly ones with plenty of content material.

To change this restrict, I like to recommend contacting your new internet host and asking them to improve the utmost add measurement restrict for you. If you’d like to go the DIY manner, you’ll have to edit your .htaccess file:

• Access to your new internet hosting account management panel.
• Go to Files -> File Manager.
• Locate the .htaccess file within the root folder and open it.

• Paste the next code earlier than the “#END WordPress” line. Don’t overlook to change “XX” into your required file measurement in MB.

php_value upload_max_filesize XXM
php_value post_max_size XXM

Make positive that the worth for “post_max_size” is all the time bigger for “upload_max_filesize” to keep away from errors. For instance, I’ll set the values as 300M and 301M, respectively.

• Save the modifications.

Now that the utmost add file measurement has elevated, let’s proceed to import WordPress to the brand new host:

• Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard of your new host.
• Navigate to All-In-One WP Migration -> Import.
• Upload the .wpress file that you’ve beforehand downloaded.

• Wait till the import course of is full.
• A warning message will seem. Since you’re migrating to a recent WordPress set up on the brand new host, there’s no want to carry out a backup upfront. Select Proceed.

• Wait till the file restoration course of is full.
• Once you obtain a message that the import was profitable, click on Finish.

4. Re-Save Permalink Structure

If you’re experiencing damaged hyperlinks upon migration, reset the permalink or URL construction:

• Open the WordPress admin dashboard.
• Go to Settings -> Permalinks.
• Switch to an alternate permalink construction and save the modifications.
• Choose your most popular permalink construction and save the modifications once more.

What to Do After Site Migration

Congratulations, you could have efficiently migrated your WordPress web site to a new website hosting supplier. Now, let’s go over some further steps you would possibly want to take within the following post-website migration guidelines:

• Monitor site visitors. Use Google Search Console or a site visitors tracker of your alternative to monitor your web site’s efficiency within the search outcomes earlier than and after the migration. Upon a new web site launch, it’s regular for site visitors to drop quickly, however a regular improve normally follows them.
• Install important plugins. Your present plugins must also be migrated with the switch. However, should you want to set up further ones, it’s a good time to accomplish that. Remember not to set up too many plugins – doing so can decelerate your web site.
• Redesign the location if wanted. The migrated web site ought to use the identical theme beforehand used on the outdated host. If you’re feeling like the location wants a internet design refresh, be at liberty to customise the present theme or change it to a new one. Just be sure that the theme stays gentle and mobile-responsive so that you just gained’t lose site visitors.
• Promote your web site. Research digital advertising and marketing strategies to entice extra web site guests. For instance, you may plan and execute a search engine marketing (search engine marketing) content material advertising and marketing marketing campaign to entice extra natural site visitors and enhance your web site’s rankings on Google and different serps.
• Cancel the outdated internet hosting account. Once you could have totally accomplished the migration, be at liberty to cancel the outdated internet hosting account.

Keep in thoughts that this information and this guidelines solely apply for web site migrations that don’t embody URL modifications. If you occur to additionally change your outdated area to a new one, there are different essential further steps you’ll have to look out for.

These steps embody URL mapping to the brand new area, establishing 301 redirects to repair content material points between the outdated and new web site, checking damaged inside hyperlinks, fixing duplicate content material, and updating the robots.txt file.

For extra data, try this beneficial URL website migration guide by Google.

Conclusion

Site migrations contain making vital modifications to a web site, akin to shifting to a new host.

In this information, I’ve defined every step of a WordPress web site migration to a new host utilizing the guide methodology and a plugin. I additionally supplied a post-website migration guidelines for the subsequent advisable steps.

I hope that this text has helped you carry out your WordPress web site migration challenge. If you could have additional questions or would love to share a tip or two, be at liberty to share within the feedback part.