Migrating a WordPress site to a new host can involve several steps, but broken down, it becomes a feasible process.
Before migration, ensure you’ve a full backup of your WordPress site. The website UpdraftPlus suggests that using a WordPress backup plugin like UpdraftPlus can help. Install this plugin and then make a complete backup of your site.
First, choose your new WordPress host, for this example, we’ll use Bluehost (one of the recommended WordPress providers). Second, install WordPress on your new host. Bluehost makes this quite straightforward. Access your Bluehost account, click on ‘My Sites’ and then ‘Create Site’ to start a new WordPress install.
Third, export your WordPress database from your existing hosting account. WPBeginner provides a detailed guide on this process, indicating that you need to access the phpMyAdmin section from your host’s cPanel, click on your WordPress database, choose “Export” and select the “Quick” export method and the SQL format for the file.
Fourth, import your database to your new host. Again using Bluehost as an example, you can do this by accessing phpMyAdmin from your Bluehost account, clicking on your new database name and choosing “Import” to upload the SQL file you exported from your old host.
Fifth, upload your WordPress files to your new host. WPBeginner suggests to use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client, like FileZilla. Connect to your new host using FTP, locate your website backup files, and upload them to your new host.
Sixth, you’ll need to reconfigure your wp-config.php file. According to the website Kinsta, you can do this by using an FTP client. Access the file, find the lines that specify DB_NAME, DB_USER and DB\_PASSWORD, and replace these with the database name, username and password of your new Bluehost-hosted database.
Finally, update your domain with your new host’s DNS information (this can usually be found in your welcome email from the new host) to ensure users are directed to your new site. Once everything is migrated and tested, you can uninstall WordPress from your old host.
In summary, the migration process involves creating a backup, setting up a new host, exporting/importing your database, uploading your files, reconfiguring the wp-config.php file, and updating your domain information.
Sources used:
1. UpdraftPlus. “WordPress Backup Plugin – UpdraftPlus”. updraftplus.com. https://updraftplus.com
2. Bluehost. “How to Install WordPress with one click”. my.bluehost.com. https://my.bluehost.com/hosting/help/wordpress
3. WPBeginner. “How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime”. wpbeginner.com. https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-move-wordpress-to-a-new-host-or-server-with-no-downtime/
4. Kinsta. “How to Edit wp-config.php File in WordPress”. kinsta.com. https://kinsta.com/knowledgebase/wp-config-php/
