Imagine you built a beautiful WordPress website that has all your stories, pictures, and pages. Now, you want to move it to a brand new web address—a new name on the internet. This could be because you’re giving your site a fresh brand, shortening the URL, or just changing to something more memorable. Moving your site can seem scary at first, but with the right steps, it becomes a smooth journey.
Why Move Your WordPress Site?
There are many good reasons to move a WordPress site to a new domain. Maybe you want a simpler name that people can remember easily. Perhaps your old domain doesn’t match your updated business or blog theme. Some people also move their sites when they change hosts (the company that keeps their website online). Whatever the reason, it’s important to move the site in a way that keeps it working and keeps search engines happy.
Pre-Migration Checklist: What You Must Do First
Before you begin moving your WordPress site, it’s very important to prepare well. Think of this as packing before a long trip—if you forget something now, it could cause big problems later.
1. Back Up Your Website
First, make a complete copy of everything on your old site. This includes all folders, images, themes, plugins, and the database (where all your posts and settings are stored). Store this copy somewhere safe on your computer or cloud storage. If anything goes wrong while moving, you can always go back to this backup.
2. Get Your New Domain and Hosting Ready
You need to own your new domain name (the new website address). Make sure it is registered and active. Then, prepare your web hosting for the new site. Some hosting services make this easy by giving you a temporary address where you can test your site before it goes live.
3. Add a Secure Certificate (SSL)
Websites with names starting with https:// are safe for visitors to use. Before you go live, make sure your new domain has an SSL certificate. This protects your visitors’ information and helps your site trustworthiness online.
How to Move Your WordPress Site
There are two main paths you can take to move your site: using a tool (plugin) or doing it yourself by hand. Both work well, but some people like the simplicity of a plugin while others like the control of doing it manually.
1. Move WordPress Using a Migration Plugin
Using a plugin is like having a helper tool that takes care of many steps for you.
Most popular plugins let you export your entire site into one file and then import it into the new domain. This saves you time and reduces the chance of missing something important.
For example, plugins like All-in-One WP Migration or Duplicator will package all your content, database, images, and settings so you can upload everything to the new domain in one go. This method is great for beginners or those who want a faster move.
2. Manual Migration: Step by Step
If you want complete control, you can move your site files and database by hand:
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First, download all your website files from your old host.
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Then export the database with a tool called phpMyAdmin. This tool lets you save your database as a file on your computer.
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Next, upload all those files to your new domain’s hosting area.
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After that, create a new database on the new hosting and import the old database into it.
Once files and database are in place, the site will physically exist on the new domain. But it still might not load correctly until you tell it to use the new address. That comes next.
Changing Your WordPress URLs
After moving the files and database, your site might still think it is running from the old name. You need to correct this so the site loads from your new domain.
Inside your WordPress settings, WordPress stores two important addresses: Site Address and WordPress Address. You must change both to your new domain name. This tells WordPress where to send visitors now.
In some cases, especially if you cannot log in to your new site yet, you might need to update these values directly in the database or in the file called wp-config.php. This depends on your host and how you moved your files.
Keeping Your SEO Strong After Moving Domains
Once your site lives on the new domain, search engines like Google need to know it has moved. If you skip this, your site might disappear from search results or not show up as often as before.
Why SEO Matters After Moving
People find your website by searching online. When you change your domain, search engines see your site as a new place unless you tell them it’s just moved. That’s where certain steps become important to keep people finding you easily.
Set Up 301 Redirects
Imagine you moved to a new house but forgot to tell your friends. They keep visiting the old home and get lost. A 301 redirect is like putting up a clear sign that says “New address here!” This special redirect tells visitors and search engines that every old page on the old domain has a new home on the new domain.
A 301 redirect does two big things:
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It sends visitors to the correct page on the new domain.
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It lets search engines move the ranking strength from old pages to new ones.
You can set these redirects using a plugin like Redirection or by adding rules to a file on your server called .htaccess. Either way, each old page should point straight to the matching new page so visitors don’t hit broken links.
Tell Google About the Change
Google has a special tool called Change of Address inside Google Search Console. It’s like telling the librarian that your book moved to a new shelf. To use it, you must:
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Add both the old and new domains to Google Search Console.
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Verify that you own them.
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Use the Change of Address tool to let Google know where your site now lives.
This tool helps search engines find your new pages more quickly and understand that your content simply moved, not disappeared.
Post-Migration Checks: Make Sure Everything Works
After you move and set up redirects, you should test and fix anything that’s broken. This part is like inspecting a new house after moving in to make sure all lights and doors work.
Fix Broken Links and Old References
Even with redirects, some internal links (links that point to other pages on your site) and images may still point to the old domain name. You should check all pages and make sure they point to the new domain name instead. Many WordPress tools can help you find and fix these links.
Also check your permalinks (the format of your site’s URLs) and media files to be sure nothing still tries to load from the old address.
Look at How People Find Your Site
After moving, it’s normal to see some small ups and downs in how people find your site. Search engines may take a few weeks to fully understand the changes. During that time:
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Check Google Analytics to see visitor numbers.
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Check Search Console for any alerts or missing pages.
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Fix any problems, like pages returning errors.
Keeping an eye on these helps you catch small problems before they become big ones.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Even with the best plan, site owners sometimes make simple mistakes during a move. Here are the most common ones and how to prevent them:
Skipping Redirects
Some people forget to set up proper redirects. This makes search engines think the old site disappeared and the new one is brand new. Always set 301 redirects for every old URL so users and search engines find the right page on your new domain.
Not Updating All URLs
If you leave some old links or images pointing to the old domain, visitors may see broken pages or missing pictures. This makes your site look broken and can hurt your search rankings. Always update internal links and media links to the new domain.
Not Watching How Things Go After the Move
Moving the site doesn’t end the project. You need to watch how people are finding your site, how search engines are listing it, and fix any errors as soon as they appear. Use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to stay informed.
Bringing It All Together
Transferring your WordPress site to a new domain can feel like moving to a new town. It takes thoughtful planning, careful setup, and a little patience. But when you do it the right way—with backups, redirects, and clear communication to search engines—your visitors will still find you online, and your site will continue to grow.
If you want help planning your next steps, check out our guide on how to transfer WordPress site to a new domain earlier in this article. This will help you follow every step in order without missing anything important.