If you run an already established website but are thinking about switching web hosting partners, you might have a few questions. Will your data be safe during the migration? Will the migration process take a long time, or will your clients go through disrupted service? Will the migration negatively impact stored files? These are legitimate questions. However, there is good news for you.
Migrating a WordPress website to a new server is not that complicated. There are different crucial steps along the way. In this blog post, we will walk you through the process.
Remember, if you require any help migrate WordPress site to another server, you can find expert technical support from them, which remains available 24/7.
How to Migrate a WordPress Website to a New Server
- Make a backup of your files before you start migrating. If any glitch comes during the migration process, don’t worry, as it’s highly unlikely, and you will have an actionable working copy to start over. While it is not needed, some people put massive effort into a cloud storage backup just to be on the safe side.
- Log in to your existing web host provider for access to your WordPress files. If you already have a web host, you might be able to use your FTP account to get WordPress content.
- Export all your files to the database. It is faster and easier to use the “quick export” option. You only need to log into your hosting provider, open phpMyAdmin, and click on the “Export” tab. Now, click on “Go” and let your system take care of the database export files for you. Usually, this will be in the form of a “.sql” file.
- Download the WordPress content folder (it means every file that makes your WordPress site your site) using the renowned File Transfer Protocol client (FTP) you are familiar with. If you don’t need a preference, consider FileZilla or CuteFTP.
- If you are migrating over to Bluehost, log in to the website in your browser and sign into the website control panel.
- Make an FTP account to allow yourself to upload your WordPress backed-up content folder to your new WordPress site on a new host. If you require any help, seek help to create an FTP account.
- Install WordPress after the onscreen prompts. This is among the simplest steps for choosing the best hosting because they offer one-click installation for WordPress users.
- All of your database files should be imported.Head to the cPanel, click and open phpMyAdmin, and click on the “Import” tab. Now, click on “Go” to enable the system to take care of importing the database files for you. You will have to use the.sql file you made earlier when you migrate your website database from your previous host.
- Upload the WordPress content folder. You must replace the content in WordPress on your new host with the content from the site backup via FTP.
Aspects to Remember While Migrating to a New Web Hosting Service
Some developers put content posts and images on their websites and point them to a URL on the server. When you migrate from one hosting provider to the other, these links become non-operational. To fix the broken links, you have to search for examples where your files contain the old domain name and replace it with the new hosting service name.
Use a “search and replace” script (you can get help from GitHub). Make sure to replace the old domain with a new one. This might sound obvious, but it is easy to make the mistake of replacing your new domain with an old one. As a result, the links will remain broken.
Moreover, it is important to erase the search-and-replace script once you are confident you have changed every file name and pointer on your site to ensure it remains secure. It is better to test your WordPress site links once the migration process is done. There are a lot of online tools that you can use to migrate without having to manually click on every link or navigation button. These tools include Screaming Frog and Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools).
Final Words
These steps should guide you through the migration of your WordPress site to a new hosting provider. We are so committed to WordPress that we have created specific services for Bluehost WordPress users and business clients. You won’t experience any downtime during the transfer, and you won’t lose any files in the process-but keep a backup just in case something unexpected happens.
