What Are the Best Ways To Migrate WordPress Websites?
Migration of a WordPress website seems a difficult task, particularly while shifting important content, media and configurations to new hosting providers. Many users are concerned about losing data, formatting their site, or encountering other problems. Some people worry that their website will be slow if they migrate to a cheap WordPress hosting. With the perfect tools, techniques, and a planned approach, the method becomes easy. There are many reasons to move to different hosts like getting optimal performance, flexibility, or simply updating your infrastructure. However, implementation of best ways to migrate wordpress websites is important to prevent downtime, preserving SEO rankings, and getting a consistent user experience. In this guide, you will learn some best approaches to migrate your website to cheap wordpress hosting to meet your specific demands.
Why Is Migration Of WordPress Websites Crucial?
Migration of a cheap wordpress hosting is necessary for several reasons, regarding your objectives and the challenges you experience. The followings are some necessary reasons for migration of wordpress website:
1. Performance Improvements:
- Moving to a faster Host: you can upgrade to a hosting provider with best server resources, advanced infrastructure like SSD storage, and optimized performance to improve site speed.
- Scaling for Traffic: when your website grows, your existing hosting plan experiences high traffic, resulting in downtime or sluggish loading times. Shifting to a new host helps to overcome the issue.
2. Powerful Security:
- Improved Protection: Some hosting providers provide powerful security features, like firewalls, malware scans, or automatic backups. So, moving to a new wordpress provider is a better way to get protection.
- Recover from Vulnerabilities: Shifting from a shared or vulnerable hosting environment can shield your site from cyber attacks.
3. Cost Optimization:
- Lowering Hosting Costs: You might find a hosting provider that provides amazing features at minimal cost.
- Optimized Resource usage: Migration of wordpress websites ensures the proper utilization of the right resources for your website’s requirements without additional expenses.
4. Enhanced User Experience:
- Low Downtime: Migration to a trustworthy host lowers server outages. Thus it provides constant accessibility of your website to the users. For eCommerce stores, minimizing downtime is crucial to maintaining a seamless shopping experience and retaining customer trust. In this matter, a reliable warehouse management system ensures efficient operations, reducing errors and delays in inventory management.
- Improved Features: New hosting environments usually support advanced technologies like HTTP/3, PHP 8.0+ that improve performance and user experience.
5. Domain modifications and branding:
- Rebranding Efforts: If your business experiences a rebrand, then shifting your site to a new domain is usually essential.
- SEO Optimization: Centralization of different websites or adjusting your domain name with your business can increase search engine rankings.
6. Development and Testing:
- Local to Live Migration: After generating a local site, then shifting it to a live environment is essential for introducing it to the public.
- Dramatization to Production: The testing of upgrades or modifications in a dramatization environment confirms the quality before publishing them live.
7. Centralizing or Dividing Websites:
- Integration of Sites: The combination of different WordPress sites into one central site streamlines management and lowers the costs.
- Splitting Content: The division of a site into smaller, niche-focused websites can perfectly serve targeted audiences.
8. Resolving the Technical Limitations:
- Server limitations: Some older hosts may have out-of-date technologies or restricted configurations like low PHP memory limits. Thus, migration to wordpress websites will help to address technical limitations.
- More Control: Migration of wordpress websites enables you to get high customization, like access to server configurations or root files.
Ways to Migrate WordPress Website:
The followings are some ways to migrate wordpress website to another hosting provider:
1. Manual Migration:
This is a reliable method for complete control over the procedure.
Steps:
- Backup Files and Database
- You can use an FTP client to download all WordPress files from your existing host.
- You can export the database by consuming tools like phpMyAdmin. Then, save it as an SQL file.
- Upload Files to other Host:
- Now, you have to connect to another hosting provider by using FTP.
- You have to upload your WordPress files to the proper directory like public_html.
- Import Database:
- You have to make a new database and user in the new host’s control panel.
- You can import your SQL file into this new database by consuming phpMyAdmin.
- Upgrade the wp-config.php File:
- You have to change database information like name, user, password, and host in the wp-config.php file to best fit the new server.
- Update URLs:
- You have to consume tools like Search Replace DB or a plugin to change old URLs with the new ones in the database.
- Test and Go Live:
- It’s time to show your website and make sure that all links, graphics, and functionality work as planned.
2. Migration by Using a Plugin:
This is the easiest option for beginners or those who don’t have technical expertise.
Steps:
- The first step involves the installation and activation of the selected plugin on your WordPress dashboard.
- Secondly, follow the plugin’s export method to make a backup of your site.
- Now, you have to install WordPress on the other hosting environment.
- At the last, install the similar plugin and deploy its import feature to re-establish the site.
3. Host-Specific Tools:
Some hosting providers provide default migration tools to make the process easy.
Steps:
- First, you have to check whether your hosting provider is offering a migration tool or not.
- Then, Install and run the tool according to the provider’s directions.
- Finally, follow the instructions to transfer files, databases, and configurations.
Necessary Thing to Do For Migration of WordPress Website:
According to Vikram Seth, Co-Founder at Ducknowl “You must consider the followings before migrating to other wordpress hosting provider”:
- Backup Your Website: You must have a complete backup plan to prevent data loss.
- Review hosting demands: You must make sure that the new host assists your site’s demands such as PHP version, MySQL, etc.
- Check DNS Settings: You must know how to upgrade your DNS records while shifting your domain to another server.
- Deactivate Caching and Security Plugins: Deactivation of caching and security plugins can interfere with the migration methods. Thus, Re-activate them in the post-migration.
What Are The Common Concerns During Migration Of WordPress Websites?
1. Distorted Links or Images:
Solution: always utilize a plugin like Better Search Replace to adjust URL paths.
2. Database Connection Errors:
Solution: you have to double-check database certificates in the wp-config.php file.
3. White Screen of Death (WSOD):
Solution: you must use wordpress logs to increase PHP memory limits or debug errors.
Wrapping up:
Migration to cheap wordpress web hosting is not a complicated and stressful experience. Whether you employ a manual method, plugins, or host-specific tools, you have to follow the ways to migrate wordpress to complete the procedure. You can take affordable wordpress hosting or buy wordpress hosting Bitcoin form best hosting providers that provides you all the services for migration.