How To Move WordPress To Another Domain Name Without Losing SEO

April 1st, 2018 | by Ravi Chahar || 6 Comments |

Moving your WordPress site from one domain to another domain can be really risky. People get afraid because of the SEO data.

There is always a debate going on as if how to move WordPress to another domain name without losing SEO. In this tutorial, you will have the best possible guide.

Though you can use the plugins like Duplicator to duplicate the content of one website. Here, we will follow the manual methods.

Sometimes people want a better name for their website which requires the migration of the whole website from that domain to another.

A Guide To Move WordPress To Another Domain Name Is Here.

There are a few steps which are necessary to follow. You must take each step carefully. It’s because the SEO of your website is very important and you have to maintain it.

Step 1:- Deactivate All The Plugins

You should deactivate all the plugins so that the current data can be saved. If you have any caching plugin then make sure that you clear the old cache and start the process.

If you’re not able to login to your WordPress admin panel then you can deactivate plugins from database.

Step 2:- Backup Your Website And the Database

Before you do any change, you should always keep the backup of your whole website and the database. Whether you backup your website using any plugin or you do it manually.

I would recommend you to use the cPanel of your web hosting. You can backup WordPress database using phpMyAdmin.

Step 3:- Upload The Backup.

Create a new database to upload the database.

If you move WordPress to another domain name on a different web hosting then make sure that you upload the backup in the web root/public_html directory.

And if you already have any website in the public_html then you can add this new domain. You can do that as you do when you add another website to the web hosting.

Just add an addon domain and move the data.

But if you have a brand new web hosting then you don’t need to worry about adding an addon domain. Just use the simple way and upload the website data.

Follow the steps

• Login to cPanel
• Open File Manager
• Use the Import Option

After the completion of the uploading process, extract the ZIP file.

If you want to move your website to any other folder then just create that folder and move the data. But it’s always recommended to upload the data in the web root directory.

Step 4:- Update the wp-config.php file

After uploading the data, the credentials of the database should match in the wp-config.php file.

You should know how to edit the config.php file because if you don’t add the same database name, database username, password then it will show “error establishing a database connection“.

You will find the code shown below.

So go to the public_html or wherever you have uploaded the data and edit the file to add the same credentials of the database which you have created for your new domain.

Step 5:- Update The Site URL

When you move WordPress to another domain name, you have to replace the old site URL with your new domain name.

There are different ways to change the domain of a WordPress site. You can either use the wp-config.php file or you can change WordPress site URL in database.

Well, don’t forget to change the site URL from your WordPress admin panel. Fill the URL of your website in the general settings.

Step 6:- Make a 301 redirect

If you want to move WordPress to another domain name without losing SEO then you have to redirect your old website to the new one.

301 is the permanent redirect. You can use either a plugin or you can add the 301 redirect code in the .htaccess file for which you should know how to edit the .htaccess file.

Though most of the SEO plugins provide an option to make a 301 redirect still, you should use any separate plugin or the manual code.

NOTE:- This 301 redirect is important so that when your old readers enter the URL of your old domain then they redirect to your new domain.

After setting it up, you won’t lose your visitors.

Step 7:- Change The URL In The Google Search Console.

It’s very important to guide Google about your changes. You must replace the old URL with the URL of your new domain name.

Sometimes people forget to change it and lose their visitors. Google is not an astrologer, you have to guide it.

NOTE:- To maintain the SEO, never forget to change the URL.

You may move WordPress to another domain name, make a redirect, but the pages of your website which have been indexed would show a 404 error to your visitors.

So, make sure that you do it right.

Step 8:- SEO Data Transfer

To maintain the SEO of your old domain, you have to do the SEO data transfer from your old domain to the new one. You can use the SEO data transporter for that.

If you were using the Thesis framework then you should know how to transfer SEO settings from thesis to Yoast plugin or any other SEO plugin.

It’s because some of the Thesis versions are not included in the SEO data transporter plugin. So you have to do that manually.

But if you were using any SEO plugin like SEO Yoast, All in one SEO pack then just use the SEO data transporter plugin.

Some Important Points To Remember

• Don’t forget to renew your old domain every year
• Activate your plugins
• Set the SEO-Friendly permalinks
• Follow each step carefully

Can You Now Move WordPress to Another Domain Name Without Losing SEO

The above-mentioned steps are the keys for you. Just follow the steps and you will have a brand new website with your new domain.

Suppose, you are having a domain name “www.yourname.com” and you want to transfer it to something more professional. Just go for it.

Backup, upload, edit, redirect, change URL, and you will have your data on the new domain. Even a non-techie person can move WordPress to another domain name.

If you still face any problem, don’t hesitate to ask. You can also connect with us Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.