Transferring Your WordPress Site to Azure Web Hosting

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either a web developer or a marketer who has tasted the sweet nectar of success with your own website’s traffic. Now that you’ve got that delicious content coming in, you may be considering moving over to a more robust platform to take advantage of the incredible opportunities available through the hundreds of millions of websites that reside on the world wide web. 

One of the best destinations for your content is Azure Web Hosting. Launched by Microsoft, the world’s #2 software company, Azure Web Hosting is the next generation of web hosting that lets you take your content anywhere you go.

With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can launch a new website and begin building your platform the right way. While you’re at it, you can even deploy a WordPress blog to the world’s #1 content management system and begin your journey to popularity and profitability. Sounds good, right?!

Let’s get started.

Why Azure Web Hosting

With so much competition in the crowded world of web hosting, it’s no surprise that Microsoft launched a new service to tackle the issue. In simple terms, Azure Web Hosting is exactly what it sounds like: online storage with powerful servers that allow you to launch websites and blogs at a fraction of the cost of traditional web hosting services.

Here’s a breakdown of the differences between regular web hosting and Azure Web Hosting:

• Cost (Upto 70% Cost Savings): As a web host, Microsoft takes a cut of your revenue earned from your website. With Azure Web Hosting, you’re billed only for the actual services used. So if you have a popular site with regular visits, you may see a significant savings.
• Performance (Upto 70% Increase): Since your site’s content is stored on Microsoft’s premium servers, you can bet that it’s going to perform well. And considering how much storage you get for free, that’s a pretty good deal.
• Dedicated IP Addresses (Free): Like most other web host services, Azure Web Hosting provides you with a dedicated IP address that you can use to access your site. However, you’re also given a free dedicated IP address when you sign up for the service. Not so with most other web hosts. So if you’re looking for a truly unique identifier that will never be blocked by your ISP again, this is the place to be.
• Free SSL Certification: Since your site is stored on Microsoft’s servers, you’re automatically provided with a free SSL certificate that lets you securely transfer your site’s sensitive information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers.
• WordPress Support: Microsoft loves WordPress, and it shows. Not only does the platform have hundreds of millions of downloads globally, but it’s also one of the most popular content management systems out there. As a result, Microsoft has given WordPress an awesome welcome to the family and provided you with one of the best places to deploy your content. Plus, with so much competition in the WordPress hosting space, it’s good to have an additional ally.
• Free Backups: Like most web hosts, Azure Web Hosting provides you with automatic backups that will restore your entire site (including all of its content) in the event of a server crash. However, because Microsoft’s servers are so blazingly fast, you don’t need to worry about losing much content in the event of a disaster.
• Security: Since your content is stored on our servers and you’re granted a dedicated IP address, you don’t have to worry about hackers breaking into your site and stealing your content or using your site for malicious purposes.

For more information about Azure Web Hosting, check out the official website or get in touch with a Microsoft representative.

How to Move over to a WordPress Blog from a Static Website

If you’re ready to transfer your website to Azure Web Hosting, you’re in luck because we’ve got your covered. Below we’ll go over everything you need to know to get your blog set up on the popular CMS in no time.

First, make sure you have a static website that’s somewhere between 200 and 500 MB in size. If it’s bigger than that, you’re going to face some serious speed issues when someone tries to access your site. Remember: your users’ experience should always be your #1 priority, so make sure that your website loads fast and consistently.

Next, you’ll need to install the WordPress app from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store. Just make sure that you download the most recent version available for your device (iOS App Store, Mac App Store, or Google Play Store).

Once you’ve got the WordPress app installed, you need to log in and click on the Create a new blog button to get started. You’ll then see a page pop up with all of the available options for you to choose from. If you’re looking for a clean slate and are happy to forego the extra features that come with a premium WordPress install, go with the Basic option. This is probably the best choice for most people who are just getting started with a WordPress blog.

From there, you’ll just need to enter a blog name that you’ll use for this website and click on the Save button to complete the process.

Once you’ve got your blog set up, the next step is to import your existing content over from your website to the blog. This can be a bit of a pain, so make sure you’ve saved all of your content in a format that can be imported to WordPress. To do this, click on Tools from the left navigation bar, then select Import. You’ll then see a screen with all of the content from your website displayed. Just select the Media tab and drag all of the images, videos, and other files over to the blog post.

Once you’ve got all of your content imported, it’s time to take a look at the settings for your blog. Click on Settings from the left navigation bar and you’ll see all of the options available for customizing the site.

The first thing you may want to do is change the site’s name and description. Then, under Appearance, you can adjust the theme and style options for the site. You may also want to consider changing some of the colors here. Just be careful not to make the site too flashy or exciting as that may turn off potential readers (and advertisers).

The last step is to hit the Publish button to make your changes live on the site.

That’s it! You now have a functioning WordPress blog with content that is ready to be indexed by the search engines and begin attracting visitors.

If you’ve been searching for a better way to host your website, give the robust platform a try. If you’re looking for a content management system, WordPress is the best in the market and is constantly evolving to keep up with the times and Google’s algorithm changes. As a result, WordPress is one of the most popular websites in the entire world. So if you’ve been considering shifting your site to this incredible platform, now may be the right time.