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There may be many reasons to migrate your WordPress site. For instance, you may have issues with your current hosting service. Nonetheless, there are several ways to migrate your website. If you have hired an HTML to WordPress conversion service, they would do the migration job for you. Another method would be to use a backup and migration plugin, and go about this task on your own.

However, there are certain prerequisites. Firstly, you should know your way around coding and MySQL. Additionally, you should have suitable FTP software on your computer.

As a safety measure, do not delete the local website files. They may come in handy in the event things go south.

1. Backup your Website:

This is the most critical step of the process. This backup will include all the necessary elements of your website. Firstly, access the cPanel of your hosting service. Locate phpMyAdmin. After this, select the Database option at the top. Now, select the databases you wish to back up. You will see a list on your screen. Scroll down and check the Check All option. In the drop-down menu, select Export. Let the file format be SQL. Select Quick Export. Click on Go and your download should be ready.

2. Creating a new SQL Database:

You will now import the file you downloaded in the previous step onto this database. Using your new hosting service’s login credentials, connect to the cPanel application. Create a new database in the MySQL application. Name it appropriately and generate a new MySQL user profile. Link this profile to the new database, simultaneously granting it All Privileges. Be sure to keep the details of the new MySQL database and user profiles handy.

3. Editing Database Details:

Your WordPress site’s database folder has a file named wp-config.php. You will need to make necessary amends to this file. This will ensure your website’s proper functioning. Open the .php file in your preferred text editor. Now, change the database name, username, and password. For this, use the credentials of the MySQL database and user profile you created in the previous step.

4. Importing the Backup:

Head to the navigation menu, and click on the Import tab. You will find the File to Import section. Under this section, click on the Choose File button. Remember the file you downloaded in the first step? Now is the time to import that file in this database. In the dialog box that appears, uncheck the option of Partial Import. Also, check that the file format is set to SQL. When you’re done, hit the Go button. Your import will begin.

5. Uploading the Database:

You now have all the necessary files imported on the MySQL database and also have the editedwp-config.php file. Using a suitable FTP tool, access your new web host. Access the folder that has the website’s files stored in it. If you are uploading a single website or primary website, use the public_html directory. Upload all the website files to this directory, along with the wp-config.php file.

Migration using a Plugin:

• Firstly, you need to install the BackUpBuddy plugin. Access the iThemes website, and download the plugin from the Members panel. Then, upload the zip file of the plugin on your WordPress dashboard. For this, go to Plugins >> Add New >> Upload. On the page that then loads, upload the BackUpBuddy zip file.

• Access your WordPress dashboard and open the BackUpBuddy menu. There, click on the Complete Backup button. The plugin will create a backup of your website and subsequently create a zip file. Download the zip file when the plugin prompts you to.

•  Now, locate the Restore/Migrate page in the BackUpBuddy menu. Download the importbuddy.php file from there. Your computer will now prompt you to enter a password. You can create a new password and type it in. Alternatively, you can leave it blank to autofill your default BackUpBuddy password. Now, initiate the download by clicking OK.

• Access an empty directory on your web host server. Upload the zip file and importbuddy.php file onto this directory. Now, in a new browser window, type in your website URL with /importbuddy.php as the suffix. The browser window will prompt you to enter a password to confirm your identity. Use the default BackUpBuddy password for this purpose. If you created another password while downloading the .php file, use that password. Hit Authenticate.

• On the following page, check your backup file and hit Restore Backup. Now, simply copy-paste the details from the wp-config.php file in the page that follows. Click on Delete All, and hit Next Step. Now, change your website’s URL as desired and click on the Next Step. In a new browser window, check if your website is running properly. If yes, then hit Finish Cleanup.

 Migrating your website is not that difficult of a task if you religiously follow this tutorial. However, you may choose to hire WordPress developers if you are apprehensive about doing the job by yourself.