Thinking about moving your WordPress website to a new host? Whether you’re looking for better performance, improved support, or a fresh start, changing hosts can feel overwhelming. It’s a crucial step to ensure your site stays online, loads quickly, and keeps your visitors happy.
This article breaks down the process into simple, manageable steps. You’ll discover practical tips, common pitfalls to avoid, and clear instructions—so you can migrate your WordPress site with confidence and ease.
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How to Move Your WordPress Website to a New Host: A Complete Guide
Moving your WordPress website to a new hosting provider might seem overwhelming at first, but it’s absolutely manageable with the right approach and preparation. Whether you want better performance, improved customer support, or a more competitive price from your new web host, relocating your website can be a smooth, disruption-free process. This comprehensive guide will walk you through each step, offer best practices, highlight common challenges, and answer the most frequent questions about WordPress site migration.
Clear Explanation: What Does It Mean to Move a WordPress Site?
When you move your WordPress site to a new host, you’re transferring all of your website’s files, images, themes, plugins, and the database (where your content and settings live) from your current hosting provider to another one. The aim is to make your website look and function exactly the same—just on a different server.
In simple terms, think of it like moving a house: you carefully pack all your belongings, transport them, and arrange them identically in your new home. With careful preparation, your visitors won’t even notice the change.
The Step-by-Step Process to Move a WordPress Website
Migrating your WordPress site involves several clear steps. Let’s break them down in an easy-to-follow way.
1. Choose Your New Host
- Decide on a hosting provider that suits your needs (speed, price, support, extra features).
- Sign up for a plan and get access to your new hosting account.
2. Back Up Your Entire Website
- Use a WordPress plugin like UpdraftPlus, Duplicator, or a backup solution offered by your host.
- Alternatively, download all your website files using an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla).
- Export your WordPress database via phpMyAdmin in your hosting control panel.
Why is this important?
Having a full backup ensures that if anything goes wrong, you can restore your site easily.
3. Create a Database on the New Host
- Log into your new hosting account’s control panel.
- Create a new, empty MySQL database along with a username and password.
- Note this information—you’ll need it during the import process.
4. Upload Your WordPress Files to the New Host
- Use an FTP client or your hosting control panel’s File Manager.
- Upload all the files you earlier backed up, including themes, plugins, media, and core files, to the public_html (or equivalent) folder on your new hosting account.
5. Import Your Database
- Log into the new host’s phpMyAdmin.
- Choose the new database you created.
- Click the “Import” tab and select your database backup (a .sql file).
- Upload and import the file.
6. Update the wp-config.php File
- Find the wp-config.php file in your website’s root directory.
- Update the database name, username, and password so WordPress connects to the new database.
Example lines to edit:
define('DB_NAME', 'new_database_name');
define('DB_USER', 'new_database_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'new_database_password');
7. Test Your Website on the New Host
- Before pointing your domain to the new host, make sure everything works as intended.
- Edit your computer’s hosts file to preview the site on the new server. (This way, you see the migrated site while visitors still see the old one.)
- Check for missing images, broken links, or any errors.
8. Update DNS Settings (Point Your Domain)
- Log into your domain registrar’s dashboard.
- Change your domain’s nameservers to those provided by your new host.
- DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate, but often complete much faster.
9. Confirm Everything Works
- Monitor your website for errors, missing content, or layout problems.
- Once the DNS has fully propagated, the world will see your website on the new host.
10. Clean Up
- Once you’re confident the migration is successful, you can cancel your old hosting account, if you wish.
- Remember to keep your backups for a while, just in case.
Benefits of Migrating Your WordPress Site
Moving your WordPress site to a new host comes with several potential perks:
- Improved Performance: Faster, more reliable servers can enhance your website’s loading speed.
- Better Customer Support: Some hosts offer around-the-clock, knowledgeable support.
- Scalability: Choose a host that can grow with your audience.
- Cost Savings: Newer hosts might offer better deals for the same or superior service.
- Enhanced Security Features: Benefit from updated security tools and practices.
Challenges (and How to Overcome Them)
Migrating a site is straightforward, but some common challenges include:
- Downtime: Improper migration can result in website outages. Minimize this risk by thoroughly testing your new setup before updating DNS.
- Lost Data: Failing to back up everything means you could lose posts, pages, or media.
- Email Disruption: If you use email tied to your domain, update your mail settings when you update DNS.
- Broken Links or Paths: Hard-coded URLs or file paths may need updating, especially if the domain changes or folder structures differ.
- Plugin and Theme Issues: Not all hosts support every plugin or theme. Check compatibility in advance.
Practical Tips and Best Practices
To make your migration painless, keep these tips in mind:
- Use Reliable Migration Tools: Plugins like Duplicator or UpdraftPlus can automate much of the process.
- Double-Check File Uploads: Make sure every file has transferred; missed files can break your site.
- Test Before Going Live: Use the hosts file method or a staging environment to preview your site on the new host.
- Keep Both Hosts Active Temporarily: Overlap service for a few days as a safety net until you’re sure everything transferred perfectly.
- Maintain Backups: Even after the move, keep recent backups in case you need to revert.
- Notify Your Visitors: If you anticipate any downtime, let your audience know via email or social media.
- Check Permalinks: After migration, visit Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and click “Save Changes” without making any changes. This refreshes your permalink structure and can fix broken links.
Cost Considerations
While there is no “shipping” fee in the traditional sense, a few cost-related tips can save you money:
- Avoid Overlapping Hosting Fees: If possible, time your transition near the end of your billing cycle.
- Free Migration Services: Many popular hosts provide free website migrations for new customers — check before doing it yourself.
- DNS Propagation Time: Maintain both hosting plans during DNS propagation to avoid downtime but don’t pay for more overlap than necessary.
- Plugin Fees: Most popular migration plugins have free versions, but larger sites may require a paid pro version.
- Email Hosting: If you previously used your old host for email, you might need to pay for a standalone email service or add that feature with your new host.
Optional Plugins and Tools That Make Migration Easier
Consider these popular solutions to simplify your move:
- Duplicator: Packages your entire website (files + database) into a downloadable bundle for easy transfer and setup.
- UpdraftPlus: This backup plugin supports manual and remote migrations.
- Jetpack: Offers secure backups and easy restore features.
- Host-Specific Tools: Some hosts offer integrated migration tools or handle the entire process as a customer service.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Neglecting to Backup: Always create a full backup first.
- Missing Email Settings: Double-check MX and other records if email is essential to your business.
- Not Testing on New Server: Don’t change DNS until you’re sure everything works on the new host.
- Forgetting Site URLs: If your domain changes, update all references in the database (search for the old domain and replace with the new).
- Failing to Check SSL: Ensure SSL certificates are properly installed and configured on the new host.
What to Do After Migrating
Once your site is live on the new host, take a few post-migration steps:
- Submit Your Site to Search Engines: Update any sitemaps or webmaster tools.
- Monitor Analytics: Ensure your analytics tracking code is working.
- Test Contact Forms and E-commerce: Make sure all forms, checkout, and admin functions operate correctly.
- Delete Old Backups (when safe): Remove obsolete backups to save storage and reduce security risks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long does it take to migrate a WordPress site?
The technical part of migration (backing up, uploading, restoring) can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours, depending on your site’s size and your familiarity with the process. DNS changes (pointing the domain) may take up to 48 hours to fully propagate, but most users will see the switch much sooner.
Will my site experience any downtime during the move?
If you follow best practices—keeping your old host active until DNS finishes updating and testing the site thoroughly before changing DNS—downtime can be reduced to virtually zero. Any minor outages should be brief and hardly noticeable to visitors.
What if my site’s links or images are broken after the move?
Broken links or images usually happen if file paths or URLs change during migration. You can run a “search and replace” tool on your database to update any old URLs and ensure everything points correctly. Always double-check media and internal links after the move.
Can I move my site without using plugins?
Yes, you can migrate manually by downloading your files via FTP, exporting and importing your database, and editing the wp-config.php file. Plugins automate the process and minimize human error but aren’t strictly necessary for experienced users.
Do I need to move my domain registration to my new host?
No, your domain registration does not need to be with your web host. You only need to update your domain’s DNS (nameservers) to point to your new host after migration. You can keep your registration where it is, or transfer it if you prefer consolidated billing and management.
Conclusion
Migrating your WordPress website to a new host is a process you can accomplish smoothly with careful planning and step-by-step attention. Preparation—backing up your site, testing thoroughly, and updating your DNS at the right time—will minimize disruptions and set you up for success on your new host. By following these comprehensive steps and practical tips, your website transition should be seamless and stress-free. Remember, patience and thoroughness are key, and help is always available—either via plugins, professional support, or your new host’s migration services. Happy moving!