Just like any other undertaking, you don’t even know what you don’t know when you start a WordPress website. Maybe your website was designed with someone who drifted off into the ether, never to be heard from again. Maybe you chose a host that charges way too much. Maybe you’re even selling your business and need to break off the website into a fresh account. There are myriad reasons for moving a WordPress site, and the good news is that it’s easier than it used to be.
The Prehistoric Way to Move a WordPress Website
In the past, you needed to have FTP access to your WordPress website files. Then you needed to export your WordPress database through your Cpanel, or worse yet through a utility like PHPMyAdmin, which requires you to understand how to work PHPMyAdmin, of course. If there are any changes at all, like your URL changing or putting the site in a different directory than it was on your original installation, you have to go in and edit the wp-config.php file, or maybe edit the database through PHPMyAdmin. If you really want to punish yourself with technical knowledge, you can read more about how to move a WordPress site the old-fashioned way.
Moving a WordPress Site the Modern, Easy Way
But now! Now you don’t necessarily have to worry if you’re taking over a site from a sketchy, unwilling, or novice web design outfit. You don’t need FTP or MySQL access! As long as you’re able to log into the WordPress back end as an administrator, you can install a plugin called… DUPLICATOR. (The uppercase treatment signifies what a great plugin this is.)
As always, there are a few catches. If you don’t have FTP access (and we would consider using this plugin even if we did), certain folders require certain permissions and certain toolsets need to be installed on the server. But most WordPress hosts meet these technical requirements, so in most cases a Duplicator move will work just fine.
More good news: if you’re moving a WordPress website to GoDaddy’s “Managed WordPress” hosting, it’s even easier. You should be able to migrate a site from any other host unless it has DNS issues, errors displaying, login protection (such as two-factor authentication—you can always disable this temporarily), or a custom WordPress login page. If your current hosting setup matches those fairly broad criteria, all you’ll need to do is purchase a Managed WordPress hosting package from GoDaddy, and be sure to select “Deluxe” at minimum. Then when you are setting up the hosting package, follow the prompts to migrate your existing website to GoDaddy. You’ll need to have your WordPress website’s username and password. (This is the login you use at http://www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/ … not at wordpress.com. We’ve seen some confusion on that point before.)
Even though it’s a lot easier to move a WordPress website than it used to be, it’s still not as easy as you might want it to be. It’s a good idea to update your plugins and WordPress core and maybe even your theme during this process, and any of those activities has the potential to cause your site to break. Check out our guide to WordPress maintenance for more information.
Need help with your WordPress move, or want to get your WordPress website in tip-top shape? Contact us any time!
