Duplicator’s New Migration Service: Move Your Website Without Lifting a Finger
Duplicator’s New Migration Service: Move Your Website Without Lifting a Finger
Migrating your WordPress site can seem daunting. However, with the right approach, you can do it effortlessly, all while preserving all your data and avoiding downtime.
This guide will teach you how to successfully transition your site using plugins or manual methods.
… I’ve seen it countless times. You’ve built your WordPress site from the ground up, but now you need to move it somewhere new.
Maybe your hosting costs are climbing or you’re ready to switch to a new domain name you’ve had your eye on.
Whatever your reason, you’ve got valuable content to pack up, important files to transfer, and that nagging worry that something might break along the way.
In my experience, when you have the right approach, you can move your entire website without losing a single piece of data or experiencing any downtime.
I’m going to walk you through exactly how to migrate your WordPress site safely and efficiently.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:
Whether you’re comfortable with technical details or you’ve never touched a line of code, you’ll find a method that works for you.
To quickly get you started, here’s how to migrate a WordPress site!
A WordPress website migration involves transferring your entire site (including its files and database) from one hosting environment, server, or domain to another.
There are several common reasons why this process is needed:
Migrating your site ensures that during these significant transitions, you maintain data integrity, minimize downtime, and preserve your website’s content and traffic.
Migrating a WordPress site can be overwhelming (and risky) if you’re not sure what you’re doing. But with the right approach, you can move your site without losing data or causing downtime.
In this section, you’ll learn exactly how to migrate your WordPress site, step by step.
I’ll cover both plugin-based and manual methods, so you can choose the approach that fits your comfort level and site complexity.
If you manage an e-commerce store or blog, you’ll want to find the fastest way to move WordPress sites.
Fortunately, there are many WordPress migration plugins available to make this process easier.
Duplicator is a popular and flexible tool for migrating your website. Using Duplicator, you can quickly and safely move your entire site to a different domain or hosting provider.
This makes it one of the best WordPress migration plugins you can find. Here are some more helpful features you can expect from Duplicator Pro:
When you’re ready to migrate your website, sign up for a Duplicator subscription. With Duplicator Pro, you can access unlimited migrations, drag-and-drop installs, and cloud storage integrations.
Follow these simple steps to get Duplicator Pro up and running:
After this, it’s time to create a backup of your original site. This is a copy of all your existing site’s content, plugins, themes, database, and WordPress files.
First, navigate to Duplicator Pro » Backups » Add New.
Give the backup a name with dynamic tags. Choose the Local storage location.
To migrate your entire site, you’ll need to create a complete backup. In the Backup section, click on the Full Site preset.
The Duplicator plugin will then check your website’s setup for issues. Review any notices before creating the backup.
As Duplicator builds the backup, you can track its progress. You’ll know the files are ready to download when they appear on the Backups page.
To migrate your website, you’ll need to download the zip file with your site’s data. Next to the backup you just created, click on Download » Archive.
Quick Summary: Backing Up Your Original Website
Once you download your website files, log into your second site. In your new dashboard, install and activate Duplicator Pro.
This will allow you to import your core data without needing a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client or phpMyAdmin!
Next, click on Duplicator Pro » Import Backups. Here, drop your saved archive file into the import box.
Once it imports, you can view details about the backup. If everything looks correct, hit Continue.
To continue migrating your site, click on Launch Installer.
On the next page, select Full install single site as the Install type. This will completely clear the current site and replace it with your original files.
Then, click on Validate. After you review any notices and warnings, select the terms and notices checkbox and continue to the next page.
Lastly, you’ll need to confirm the installation settings. Make sure the WordPress database settings are correct before hitting OK.
Now Duplicator will migrate your previous WordPress website to its new home! Keep in mind that if you’re migrating to a new domain, you may also need to update your Domain Name Server (DNS).
Quick Summary: Importing Your Original Site into the New Location
Manual WordPress site migration is an alternative if you prefer not to use plugins or require a deeper level of control.
This method is generally recommended for advanced WordPress users due to its technical complexity, requiring direct interaction with site files and databases.
First, start by exporting your database. If your old site is live, sign into phpMyAdmin to manage your database. For a localhost, you can use MySQL Workbench instead.
In this tutorial, we’ll be using phpMyAdmin. First, click on the Export tab at the top of your dashboard.
For the Export method, select Quick. The Format should be SQL. Then, hit Go.
After the database downloads, save the file to your local computer. If your new web host also uses phpMyAdmin, zip the file.
Next, log into the file manager for your original hosting account. Depending on your host, this could be cPanel or a custom-branded manager. Alternatively, you may have to use an SFTP/FTP client like FileZilla.
Select all of the files in the root folder (public_html). This includes important files like wp-admin and wp-content. Right-click on them and hit Download.
After downloading your site files to your local computer, compress them into a zip file.
Now you’ll need to go to the file manager for your new site. Open the root directory, select all of the files, and delete them.
Once the root directory is empty, hit Upload. In the upload box, add your zipped file.
Lastly, extract the zip file. You should see the files from your original site.
To store your site’s data, it’s important to create a new MySQL database. If you’re using cPanel, start by finding the MySQL Databases button.
Then, give the database a name and hit Create Database.
After creating a database, you’ll need to create a new user with rights to control the database. Under MySQL Users, add a username and password for the new user.
Find the Add User To Database section. Here, select the user and database you just created.
You can then assign all privileges to the new user. This will allow the user to make changes to the database.
Open phpMyAdmin for the new site. At the top of the page, select the Import tab.
Now you’re going to import the database that you saved earlier. Under File to import, upload your saved SQL file.
Make sure the database is a zipped SQL file. Then, import the new database.
After a manual migration, you’ll need to update a few values in your new site’s wp-config.php file. To do this, reopen the file manager for your new site. Then, find the wp-config.php file in the public_html folder.
In the wp-config.php file, locate the database settings. You’ll need to redefine the database name, username, and password values to match your new site.
Here are the values to update:
You’ll also need to search this file for your old domain name. Delete this text and replace it with your new domain. Similarly, search for your old URL path and add your new one.
Quick Summary: How To Manually Migrate Your WordPress Site
Whether you migrate your WordPress site manually or with a plugin, there are a few post-migration tasks you’ll need to complete. This way, your new site functions well and continues to appear in search results.
Post-Migration Checklist:
Specific Considerations for Manual Migrations:
Run Search and Replace Script: If you performed a manual migration and changed your domain, it is imperative to run a database search and replace operation to update all instances of your old domain or URLs to the new ones.
Plugins like Search & Replace Everything can automate this. Duplicator Pro handles this automatically during its migration process, eliminating this extra step.
Important Note on DNS Propagation:
DNS propagation takes time. It is strongly recommended not to delete your old hosting account until you are certain your new site is fully live and DNS records have completely propagated worldwide to prevent any potential downtime.
You can migrate your WordPress site for free using the free version of the Duplicator plugin. This involves creating a backup (archive) and installer file, then uploading these to your new server and running the installer script (e.g., https://your-domain/installer.php). Alternatively, many web hosting providers offer free migration services as part of their hosting packages, which can be a convenient option.
Yes, migrating a website can temporarily impact your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings due to changes in IP address, server location, and the need for search engine bots to re-crawl your site. However, you can significantly mitigate negative SEO effects by ensuring a safe migration (with a reliable plugin like Duplicator), implementing permanent 301 redirects for any URL changes, and formally notifying Google about the migration via Google Search Console. Installing an SEO plugin post-migration is also advisable.
The duration of a WordPress site migration varies based on site size and method. With efficient tools like Duplicator, a migration can be completed in just a few minutes for smaller sites by simply backing up and importing files. Manual migrations or very large sites may take several hours to a full day. DNS propagation, which is outside the migration process itself, can add another 24-48 hours before the site is fully live worldwide.
Duplicator is widely regarded as one of the best WordPress migration plugins for its ease of use, flexible features, and ability to handle various migration scenarios. It supports drag-and-drop imports and automated search-and-replace functionalities. Another effective alternative is All-in-One WP Migration, though Duplicator Pro often offers better support for larger sites and WordPress multisite networks.
To copy your WordPress site to another website, a cloning plugin such as Duplicator Pro is highly recommended. This tool allows you to create a complete copy (or backup) of your site. You then upload the generated archive and installer files to your new server’s root directory, and access the installer.php file (e.g., https://your-domain/installer.php) via your browser to launch the guided migration wizard.
Yes, you can absolutely move your WordPress site to another domain. Duplicator provides a straightforward method for this. After backing up your site and importing it to the new location, use Duplicator’s built-in search and replace tool (available in Advanced mode during installation, typically in Step 3). This allows you to automatically update all instances of your old domain in the database with the new domain, ensuring all internal links and references work correctly.
Migrating a WordPress site may seem daunting at first, but it’s a manageable process, and often a necessary one for growing your online presence.
Whether you use a plugin like Duplicator (my go-to tool) or handle the process manually, following each step carefully will help you avoid downtime and data loss.
Don’t skip the post-migration checklist. Testing your site, fixing broken links, configuring redirects, and confirming DNS settings now will save you hours of frustration later.
I remember how daunting my first WordPress migration felt. But after helping countless site owners through this process, I can tell you it’s a natural part of growing your online presence.
While you’re here, I think you’ll like these other WordPress guides:
Do you want to avoid the hassle of a manual migration? Download Duplicator Pro to access drag-and-drop WordPress migrations!
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