How to Transfer Your WordPress Website From One Hosting to Another

Every website owner knows that eventually their site will become outdated and they will need to upgrade their platform or move to a different provider. When this happens, your website can be difficult to transfer because there are so many technicalities involved. In this article, we will walk you through the process of easily transferring a WordPress website from one hosting plan to another without worrying about any technicalities. This article will help you save time and effort so you can get back to focusing on growing your business instead of wasting time with complicated website transfers.

Choose The Right Time

Before you begin this process, it is important to choose the right time. The best time to transfer your website is when you are already prepared to move. If you are not yet ready to make the jump or if you are unsure whether or not it’s the right time for you to be making such a transition, then it probably isn’t. It’s best to plan these sorts of moves a few months or even a year in advance so you can ensure that everything is ready and the move goes as smoothly as possible. This will also give you the time to consider whether or not you want to make the transition at all. If you decide that you do want to make the switch, then you can begin the preparation process immediately and within a few weeks you will have a functional and thriving new site. Alternatively, you can decide that the time is not right for you and you can simply decline the offer to transfer your site. In most cases, declining the offer will mean that you will eventually be offered a better deal so you shouldn’t feel bad about it. However, if you feel that you are being taken advantage of, then you can always switch providers once your current contract is up.

Back Up Your Site

One of the most important things to do before making the switch is to back up your site. It is vital that you have a reliable back up in case anything goes wrong during the process. Even if you plan on using an automated tool to transfer your site, things can happen that cause errors or unexpected results. Backing up your site is crucial because it will give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you have all the data safely stored away and accessible whenever you need it. The best way to back up your site is using a service that allows you to save and export all your content in one simple operation. If you are running a WordPress site, then you can use the built-in WordPress tool called “Back up blog”. This tool backs up your entire website, including all the posts, pages, and all the content that you have added to the site in the past. Once you have backed up your site, you can proceed with the transfer process.

Transferring The CSS And JS Files

After you have backed up your site, you can begin the process of transferring your content from one hosting plan to another. The first step is to login to your old host and then go to the cPanel. Here, you will see a huge list of folders and files. Some of these folders and files are related to the theme that you are using on your site while some are simply administration files. The important thing to note here is that none of these files are related to the content that you have on your site. Your content is stored in the database and all the files related to it are located in the /public_html folder. What this means is that you don’t need to worry about any of these files when transferring your site. You will only need to worry about moving the /public_html folder. When moving the content, you will not need to touch a single file on your old host and you will not need to install any additional software.

Preparing For The Switch

The next step after migrating your content is to prepare for the switch. You will need to login to your new host and then go to the cPanel. Here, you will see a huge list of folders and files. Some of these folders and files are related to the theme that you are using on your site while some are simply administration files. The important thing to note here is that none of these files are related to the content that you have on your site. Your content is stored in the database and all the files related to it are located in the /public_html folder. What this means is that you don’t need to worry about any of these files when transferring your site. You will only need to worry about moving the /public_html folder. When moving the content, you will not need to touch a single file on your new host and you will not need to install any additional software.

The Final Step

Once you have completed all the preparations, it’s time to do the actual transfer. Login to your old host and then go to the cPanel. Here, you will see a huge list of folders and files. Some of these folders and files are related to the theme that you are using on your site while some are simply administration files. The important thing to note here is that none of these files are related to the content that you have on your site. Your content is stored in the database and all the files related to it are located in the /public_html folder. What this means is that you don’t need to worry about any of these files when transferring your site. You will only need to worry about moving the /public_html folder. When moving the content, you will not need to touch a single file on your old host and you will not need to install any additional software.

After the move is completed, you will have a functioning and robust WordPress site. Congratulations! You just completed the most complicated and time-consuming part of moving your site. This was a lot of work but now that you’re done, you can sit back and enjoy your new site. If you want to learn more, check out the links below.

Thanks for reading! I hope this article helped you understand the basics of transferring a WordPress website from one hosting plan to another. If you found it useful, then please share it with your friends and on social media.