Can I Mirror a WordPress Website on Another Server?

WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world, powering millions of websites across the globe. Nowadays, with a free WordPress account being offered by most web hosts, the ease of setting up a blog and the viral sharing nature of social media, it is very tempting to simply copy and paste a blog with a few adjustments to reach our audiences online.

The issue with this approach is that we run the risk of being called out by WordPress for copyright infringement if we don’t adhere to certain guidelines. For example, if we modify the design of a template or use copyrighted photo assets without explicit permission, we could end up in legal trouble.

Fortunately, there is a way around this, and that is to use WordPress “mirror” platforms. A mirror platform is a tool that allows you to build a fully functional WordPress site without running into any trouble caused by copyright infringement or template design similarities.

What Is WordPress Mirroring?

WordPress mirroring is the practice of using a third-party site or app to host and display our WordPress content. Using a plugin or service like WordPress Mirror, we can easily set up a clone of our existing blog on another domain, completely separated from our original site. This means we can maintain two websites with different content while still keeping all of our readers and followers engrossed in our original content.

When choosing a WordPress mirroring platform, we need to look for several key features. First, we want an easy-to-use interface that doesn’t require any technical knowledge. Second, we want the capability to easily manage multiple sites, so we don’t have to worry about duplicating content between the two platforms. Third, we want a high level of security, so our content isn’t compromised by hackers or rogue websites.

The Pros and Cons of WordPress Mirroring

On the upside, WordPress mirroring has several advantages. First, it provides us with a ready-to-use platform that requires no technical knowledge to setup or manage. Second, we can use a VPN to ensure our content is fully private. Third, we can use dedicated IPs to prevent our content from being banned due to automated spam filtering. Finally, WordPress offers a wealth of free plugins and themes that can be used to build a completely functional website. Having a functional, branded website through a third party is also much more affordable than hiring a web designer to build us a custom website from scratch.

On the other hand, there are a few disadvantages to consider. First, it is impossible to offer the same level of personalized support at the lower tier of web hosting. Second, the security of our content is completely out of our hands, as the service we are using to host our content is not owned or regulated by WordPress. Third, with all of the content being stored on a third-party platform, we lose the ability to take advantage of WordPress’ powerful features such as SEO, analytics, and more.

How to Create a WordPress Website Mirror

Let’s get started by creating a free account on WordPress.com. If you already have a WordPress account, click on the Dashboard to get started building your blog. Once you are in your dashboard, click on the Settings icon (cog) to access the Settings panel.

Next, we need to choose a theme for our blog. There are several options available for free, so we have to choose carefully. It is a good idea to go with a WordPress theme that is optimized for performance and feature-rich, as this will ultimately create a better user experience for our readers. In addition, we want to make sure that the design of our website doesn’t look too similar to that of WordPress itself, as this could confuse or even upset some of our visitors.

Once you have chosen a theme, head back to the Settings menu and click on the Upgrade button to begin the process of installing the plugin to create a WordPress mirror site. You will need to enter your email address and choose a password for the new account.

Using WordPress Mirror, We Can Build a Cloned WordPress Blog

Once the plugin has been successfully installed, we can use the cloned WordPress blog we just created to build a fully-functioning copy of our blog on a different domain. To do this, navigate to the Settings panel and click on the Appearance link.

Here, we can view a list of options that will allow us to change the design and functionality of our cloned blog. To start, we can change the background color, add a logo, and adjust the theme settings as needed. We can also rearrange the sidebar and adjust the header image used on the site.

On the right side of this page, we can see a number of short codes that can be used to display content from our original blog on our cloned website. To do this, enter the code for the specific post or page you wish to appear on your cloned website and click on the Publish button to display our content.

Why Should You Mirror a WordPress Blog?

In case you are wondering, here are a few good reasons why you should mirror a WordPress blog:

• It is much easier to manage multiple sites from one dashboard.
• You can use a VPN to keep your content secure and private.
• You can use dedicated IPs to prevent your content from being banned through automated spam filtering.
• You can take advantage of all of WordPress’ powerful features including SEO, analytics, and more.
• You can create a functional, branded website through a third party, which is much more affordable.
• You can use WordPress to build a secure, online presence that serves as your business’ identity.
• You can provide a second line of defense against cyberattacks, as a backup copy of your content is accessible from anywhere.

Choosing a dedicated IP for your WordPress website is an excellent choice for a number of reasons. First, it will allow you to maintain an online presence that is completely separate from your original site. Second, it allows you to take advantage of all of the security tools offered by WordPress. Third, it provides you with a way to test the performance of your site before going live.

Why Should You Avoid Using Public Servers For WordPress Mirrors?

Unless you have a personal connection with the owner of the server, using a public server for your WordPress mirror is a bad idea. This is because public servers are typically maintained by third parties who may not have your best interests at heart. For example, many public servers offer a one-month free trial before you are charged for usage, which can mean you are locked into a contract you cannot escape from without paying massive amounts of money.

If you must use a public server for your WordPress mirror, it is advisable to use a managed server that is dedicated to hosting websites similar to yours. This ensures you can monitor the performance of the server as well as receive top-notch support if you run into any trouble.

Use HTTPS When Possible

There is one more very important thing we need to consider when creating a functional, secure website, and that is the use of HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer).

When a user lands on your website, the first thing they will see is a small yellow padlock icon (this is also known as the “security ribbon”) in the URL bar. This indicates the site they are viewing is protected by HTTPS. In other words, when someone clicks on a link to your site that is disguised as an ordinary web page, their browser will enter into a secure connection with your website, enabling them to safely view your content.

Why is the use of HTTPS so important? Because a secure connection ensures the confidentiality of our content and prevents third parties from easily intercepting our communications. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for hackers to compromise our security.

For those of you who use dedicated IPs to host your content, you already know the importance of protecting your privacy and security online. Using an encrypted connection through a VPN is the simplest and most effective way to achieve complete privacy and security for your WordPress content. Doing this through a dedicated IP means your content can only be accessed by those you give access to, preventing unauthorized parties from snooping on your communications.

In addition to security and privacy, using an encrypted connection makes it much easier to perform SEO tasks, as it prevents third parties (and even the Google servers themselves) from seeing your website’s content. Basically, it prevents the search engine from indexing certain parts of your site, limiting your online audience. Using a dedicated IP and HTTPS prevents this from occurring.