Changing your WordPress website’s home address (domain name) can feel like moving a house. You want everything to arrive safely, stay in the right place, and continue working just like before. But doing this without planning can lead to broken pages, lost posts, or fewer visitors coming from search engines. In this guide, we’ll take you through the journey of moving your WordPress site to a new domain in easy steps so you stay in control from start to finish.
Why People Move Their WordPress Site to a New Domain
There are many good reasons to change where your website lives. Maybe you chose a better name that fits your brand, or you want a web address that’s easier to remember. Sometimes a business grows and needs a fresh identity. Other times you are switching to a new hosting provider. No matter the reason, the goal is the same — to make sure all your content and design move over safely and your audience still finds you.
Before You Move: What You Must Do First
Save Your Website With a Backup
Before you touch anything, you must save a full copy of your site. Think of this as packing everything before a move. Your site has two big parts: the files (pictures, themes, plugins) and the database (your posts, pages, comments, and settings). A proper backup keeps both safe. If something goes wrong, you can always come back to this saved version.
You can use tools your host provides, a plugin that makes backups, or do it through your hosting control panel. The important thing is that you keep copies of the files and the database in a safe place like your computer or cloud storage.
Make a Simple Checklist Before You Start
Before moving anything, here are some quick checks you should do:
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Register your new domain name so you own it.
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Make sure your hosting account is ready for the new domain.
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Arrange an SSL certificate (the padlock in browsers) so your site stays safe and loads as
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Confirm you can access the control panel for your old and new site.
This simple planning step prevents confusion later when you try to upload or link files.
Step-by-Step Migration
Now we’ll dive into how to copy your site from the old domain to the new one.
1. Export Your WordPress Database
Your database holds all your written content — posts, pages, settings, and user accounts. You must move this file to the new home. To do that, open your hosting control panel and look for a tool called phpMyAdmin. Inside it, you can export your database into a file that you will import later.
Save this export file on your computer. It will usually have a name ending in .sql. That’s the safe copy of everything your site has written inside.
2. Download Your WordPress Files
Next is the part of the site you see — pictures, theme designs, plugins, all inside folders like wp-content. You can download these using your hosting file manager or an FTP tool. This is like packing boxes before a move.
Make sure you get all the files from the old site’s folder. If you miss something, parts of your site might not show up correctly later.
3. Upload Everything to the New Domain
Now open your new domain’s hosting space and upload all the files you just downloaded. This sets up your website in its new location. The file upload may take time depending on how big your site is.
Once all files are in place, you can move on to the next part — the database.
4. Import Your Database Into the New Site
In your new domain’s control panel, create an empty database with a name, username, and password. Then open phpMyAdmin again and import the .sql file you exported earlier. This fills the new database with all your old content.
Once the import finishes, your content and site structure are now on the new domain — but there’s one more key step to make it work.
Keep Reading: Next Steps After Importing
The first half above takes you through preparing, copying your site, and placing it on the new domain safely. In the next half of this article, we’ll explain how to connect everything, fix old links, and make sure your visitors and search engines still find your content.
Second Half of the Article: Finishing the Move and Keeping Everything Working
Once you have copied all your files and database to the new domain, you’ve already done the heavy lifting. But there are a few more important steps to make sure your visitors still find your site and your search engine rankings stay strong. These steps help you connect everything together and let Google know where your content has moved.
Update Your WordPress Settings and Fix Links
After you import everything, WordPress still remembers the old domain name inside its settings and links. If you don’t update this, visitors might see broken links or end up on the wrong pages.
Inside your WordPress dashboard on the new domain, go to Settings → General and look for the fields called WordPress Address and Site Address. Change both to your new domain name so they match the place your site now lives.
But that isn’t all. Your posts and pages might still contain links that start with the old domain. To fix this, you can use a simple plugin like Better Search Replace to find every instance of your old domain and replace it with the new one. This step makes sure your site doesn’t send visitors back to the old domain by accident.
Set Up 301 Redirects to Guide Visitors and Search Engines
Think of a 301 redirect as a sign that tells both people and search engines, “This page has moved permanently.” Setting up these redirects means anyone who tries to visit a page on your old domain will be sent to the matching page on your new domain. This is very important for keeping search engine traffic.
To set a site-wide redirect, you can add a rule to your old site’s .htaccess file, or use a plugin if you prefer not to edit files. A simple rule will guide every link from the old domain to the same path on the new domain. This way, page oldsite.com/about will take visitors to newsite.com/about.
Redirects also tell Google that your pages have moved. Without them, search engines might keep showing your old pages in results, which can confuse people and slowly reduce your traffic.
Tell Google About Your Domain Change
After redirects are in place, it’s time to officially tell Google that your WordPress site now lives at a new domain. If you use Google Search Console, there is a special tool called Change of Address. This tool helps Google understand that your site has moved so it can transfer signals like page popularity and ranking strength from the old domain to the new one.
To do this, make sure both your old and new domains are added and verified in Search Console. Then, follow the steps inside the tool to declare the new address. Once submitted, Google will begin the process of adjusting its index to reflect your new domain.
After that, you should also upload a fresh XML sitemap for your new domain. A sitemap is like a map of all your pages that helps Google find everything easily. Submitting it tells Google all the correct URLs it should visit and index.
Check Your Analytics and Other Tools
If you track visitors with tools like Google Analytics, you’ll want to update these settings too. This means changing the domain inside your analytics account so future reports show real traffic on the new site. If your analytics code still uses the old domain, it could stop showing accurate visitor numbers.
Also check tools that help you watch SEO rankings or broken links. Make sure they point to your new domain. These tools can help you spot small issues before they grow into bigger problems.
Test Everything on Your New Domain
Once all steps above are done, take some time to walk through your website as a visitor would:
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Click around different pages to make sure nothing is broken.
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Try images, buttons, and menus to see if anything still points back to the old domain.
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Ask a friend or teammate to test it too on a phone or another computer.
Fix any broken links you find. Even one or two errors can make the site feel incomplete to a visitor. Some tools like Broken Link Checker can help you find these quickly so you don’t have to hunt manually.
What to Expect After the Move
Once everything is live and connected, you might wonder how soon your site will behave exactly as before. Search engines like Google may take a little time to process the move. Even though your redirects and settings are correct, it can take days or weeks before the new domain fully replaces the old one in search results. That’s totally normal — search engines need to re-crawl all your pages and update their records.
Meanwhile, keep publishing great content, update your social accounts and profiles with the new domain, and watch your visitor numbers grow over time.
Wrapping Up: A Successful Move Means a Fresh Start
Moving your WordPress site to a new domain doesn’t have to be scary. If you follow each step — updating settings, fixing links, adding redirects, and telling search engines — your visitors will find you easily at your new address. With a careful plan and a bit of checking after the move, your site can continue getting traffic and remain well-ranked in search results.
After all, changing your domain is an exciting chance for a new start — and now you’ve learned how to do it the right way!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Can I move a WordPress website to a new domain without losing content?
Yes. When you move your WordPress website the right way, all your posts, pages, images, and settings move with it. The key is to back up your files and database first and then restore them carefully on the new domain. If you follow the steps in this guide, nothing should be lost.
2. Will my website lose Google rankings after changing the domain?
A small drop can happen for a short time, but it is usually temporary. When you set up proper 301 redirects and tell Google about the domain change, search engines understand that your site has moved. Over time, your rankings and traffic should come back and stabilize on the new domain.
3. How long does it take to move a WordPress site to a new domain?
For small websites, it can take a few hours. Larger sites may take a full day. After the move, search engines may take a few days or weeks to fully update the new domain in search results. The website itself usually works right away once the steps are completed.
4. Do I need a plugin to move my WordPress website?
No, a plugin is not required. You can move your site manually by copying files and the database. However, plugins can make the process easier for beginners. If you prefer full control and want to avoid limits, the manual method works very well.
5. Should I keep my old domain after the move?
Yes, at least for a few months. Keeping the old domain active allows redirects to work properly. This helps visitors and search engines reach the new site without errors. Turning off the old domain too early can cause broken links and traffic loss.
6. What should I check after moving to a new domain?
After the move, you should:
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Open several pages to make sure they load
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Check images and menus
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Test contact forms
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Look for broken links
You can also read our related guide on how to move a WordPress website to a new host for extra checks and tips:
https://wpsafemigration.com/how-to-move-wordpress-website-to-new-host
7. Is moving to a new domain safe for beginners?
Yes, if you move slowly and follow a clear plan. Many beginners successfully move their WordPress sites every day. Taking backups, checking links, and testing the site after the move makes the process safe and stress-free.