Move your WordPress site to a another domain

In this article, we will show you how you can manually move an existing WordPress website to a new domain name.

Step 1: Verify that your site is functioning

Step 2 – Download the Step from your site

Step 3. Export your databases

Step 4: Upload files onto your domain

Step 5: Transfer your existing database

Step 6 – Go to wp_options

7. Update your site and home

Step 8: Change connection information in the wp-config

Step 9 Verify your website on the new domain

10. Correct the permalinks (Optional)

Step 11- Repair damaged images (Optional)

Step 12 Recheck your website once more (Optional)

Tips: Does this seem too complicated? So why not make use of our tool for transferring files in just one click?

It’s part of all of our WordPress-hosting packages.

Step 1 – Verify that your current site is working

Visit your current WordPress website and verify that everything is functioning properly.

Step 2 – Download the files of your website

The first step is to make a backup of your website, which includes both the web space files as well as your database.

Download the file from your site to your computer. Save an image of the files to an additional directory on your PC. You can then save it for backup.

Go through some of our guidebooks if you want some assistance in this area:

• Save your web space using File Manager
• Save your web space using FTP

Step 3 – Export your database

Export your database using phpMyAdmin and save an exported SQL file to a separate folder on your computer to use as a backup.

If you require assistance, read our tutorial for how to back up the database you have.

Step 4 – Upload files to your new domain

Log into FTP and then upload copies of your backups to the webspace on your brand new website. If you have created the backup using File Manager, Don’t forget to decompress it prior to uploading.

Step 5 – Import your database

Upload an archive of the database into phpMyAdmin. Learn what to do when you import the database in case you need assistance.

Step 6 – Go to wp_options

After your database has been transferred, look for the table wp_options within the menu left.

Step 7 – Update site and home

The next step is to modify the address of your site within the database.

1. In wp_options search for the siteurl in wp_options, locate siteurl Home. Typically, these records are located in the upper part of the page between lines 1 and 2.
2. To get your website, Click the field that is under the option_value and replace the previous domain with the new name.
3. Enter to download.
4. The same applies to your home.

Step 8 – Update connection details in wp-config

It is now time to replace the login information from your previous domain with the login details of the new environment you have registered in WordPress.

We’ve created a step-by-step guide to show how to change the details of your connection should you require assistance.

Step 9 – Check your site on your new domain

Remove your old website to ensure it won’t affect the new one. It’s as simple as shifting the files to another folder.

Start your new domain in your browser and see what it looks like. If everything is functioning exactly as you intended, you’re accomplished. But sometimes you will have to make manual repairs.

Step 10 – Fix permalinks (Optional)

If you encounter an error message that says 404 when you attempt to access the links on your website, then it is because the Permalinks aren’t working correctly. It is fortunately very simple to repair this.

1. Log into Your WordPress dashboard.
2. Select Options followed by Permalinks
3. Scroll down, and then select “Save Changes”.

Step 11 – Fix broken images (Optional)

If you find that images don’t display properly, it means the links are still linking to the previous domain. It is possible to fix this issue by manually inserting images.

If you have a site with lots of images, it is possible to use the plugin Better Search Replace. It will replace the domain you had previously registered with the new one on your website’s database.

NOTE: Plugins are third parties, and they are not something we can help you with. You should contact the developer of the plugin in case you encounter any issues. We advise you to create an archive of the files on your site and in your database prior to making any modifications.

1. Log into Your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click the Plugins, after which click Add a new.
3. Find a search term for a better search and replace it with the plugin that has the same name.
4. Click “Activate” to activate the plugin.
5. Click Tools and Better Search Replace.
6. Find the domain name of the previous owner and replace it with that new domain name.
7. Choose the tables you’d like to search. The posts you have created are inside the table named wp_posts. However, you should be able to choose any table.
8. Uncheck the box that says “Run dry and then click the Run Search button or click Replace. If you’d like to conduct the test before making any changes, leave the box marked Dry run unchecked.

Step 12 – Check your site again (Optional)

Most of the time, your site is moving successfully, including images and hyperlinks. If you are still having issues, we suggest you look over your WordPress codex to get more assistance.