How to Manually Migrate a WordPress Site from One cPanel to Another

Are you ready to move your WordPress website from one cPanel account to another? Whether you’re changing hosting providers, upgrading your hosting plan, or simply want to transfer your site, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring a seamless migration of your WordPress site.

Step 1: Back Up Your WordPress Site

Before you begin the migration process, it’s essential to create a complete backup of your WordPress site, including both files and the database. Follow these steps:

1. File Backup:
   • Log in to your current cPanel account, where your WordPress site is hosted.
   • Access the “File Manager” and navigate to the root directory of your WordPress site, typically found in the “public_html” folder.
   • Select all files and directories related to your WordPress site.
   • Compress these files into a ZIP archive.
   • Download the ZIP archive to your local computer.
2. Database Backup:
   • In cPanel, go to “phpMyAdmin.”
   • Select your WordPress database from the list on the left.
   • Click the “Export” tab and choose the default settings.
   • Click “Go” to download the database SQL file to your computer.

Step 2: Set Up the New cPanel Account

If you haven’t already, create a new cPanel account on your destination hosting server. Ensure that your domain is added to the new account, and if you have email accounts associated with the domain, set them up as well.

Step 3: Upload Your WordPress Files

1. Access the new cPanel account, where you’ll be migrating your WordPress site.
2. In the new cPanel account, open the “File Manager.”
3. Navigate to the “public_html” folder, which is the root directory for your new website.
4. Upload the ZIP archive containing your WordPress files from your local computer.
5. Once uploaded, extract the contents of the ZIP archive within the “public_html” folder.

Step 4: Import Your Database

1. In the new cPanel account, create a new MySQL database and a MySQL user with full privileges. Be sure to note down the database name, username, and password.
2. Return to “phpMyAdmin” in the new cPanel account.
3. Select the newly created database from the list on the left.
4. Click the “Import” tab and upload the SQL file that you downloaded earlier (the backup of your old database).
5. Click “Go” to import the data into the new database.
6. After importing, edit the “wp-config.php” file located in the root directory of your WordPress installation in the new cPanel account. Update the database name, username, and password to match the ones you created in the new cPanel.

Step 5: Update URLs in the Database

To ensure your website functions correctly on the new server, you need to update URLs in the WordPress database. Follow these steps:

1. In “phpMyAdmin,” select the new database you just imported into.
2. Click the “SQL” tab.
3. Run the following SQL queries, replacing http://old-domain.com with your old domain and http://new-domain.com with your new domain:

UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = replace(option_value, 'http://old-domain.com', 'http://new-domain.com') WHERE option_name = 'home' OR option_name = 'siteurl';

UPDATE wp_posts SET guid = replace(guid, 'http://old-domain.com','http://new-domain.com');

UPDATE wp_posts SET post_content = replace(post_content, 'http://old-domain.com', 'http://new-domain.com');

Step 6: Test Your Site

Before finalizing the migration, thoroughly test your website on the new server to ensure everything is working correctly. Check links, images, and functionality to make sure nothing is broken.

Step 7: Update DNS Settings

Once you’re confident that the site is functioning correctly on the new server, it’s time to update your domain’s DNS settings to point to the new cPanel account. This step may take some time to propagate across the internet.

Step 8: Finalize the Migration

After DNS propagation, make a final backup of your WordPress site on the new cPanel account. This backup serves as a safety net in case you encounter any issues in the days following the migration.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully moved your WordPress site from one cPanel account to another, ensuring a smooth transition. Remember that if you encounter any difficulties during this process, consider seeking professional assistance or contacting your hosting provider’s support team for guidance.

By following these detailed steps, your WordPress site should now be seamlessly migrated to its new hosting environment, ready to continue serving your audience.

SEO Tip:

• After the migration, monitor your site’s performance and check for any broken links or missing content to maintain your SEO rankings.