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Can A Wordpress Expert Tell Me How To Do This?

by Dayne Dylan Banned
14 replies
Hey Warriors, I've currently got a fairly sized site on a domain that is built with Wordpress. What I'm wanting to do is a complete overhaul of my site.

I'd like to build out a whole NEW site on a "test" domain or something, so I can still use the information from the current site as my resource material.

Then I want to move it over once it is complete.

Can someone explain to me exactly how this is done?
#expert #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author butters
    Is this the sort of thing you are looking for? Move WordPress to a New Domain - Easy Site Migration - Yoast

    Edit: Video here to,
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  • Profile picture of the author Sagar Mehta
    Do you wish to copy over your current site exactly as is to your test site?

    The manual method is here:
    Moving WordPress « WordPress Codex

    If you're not comfortable with that, you can always use a backup plugin like WP Backitup: Backup A Wordpress Site in SecondsWP Backitup (non-aff link) to take a backup on your main site, and then restore it on your test site.

    Or third, you could get someone to do it for you - simple enough for anyone who's done it

    Sagar
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    • Profile picture of the author Bradley McK
      Isnt that going to leave 2 versions of your site out on the internet? If you are developing a new site you might consider setting up your computer with a 'coding environment'. XAMPP is one software that makes it easy. winamp another. If your slghtly techie it's not that hard to do. It essentially makes part of your pc a server with apach, mysql etc..
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      • Profile picture of the author Bradley McK
        Sorry for double post. It's not winamp its WAMP server. My silly.
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  • Profile picture of the author PeterKnight
    You could use DesktopServer for this (serverpress.com). Create a backup of your site with a tool like Duplicator, import it into DesktopServer - which runs WP locally on your own pc - make your theme adjustments and deploy it back online when you're ready. There are more manual ways of doing this, but DS automates a bunch of stuff which speeds things up.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
      1. Create a subdomain on your server - something like mytestsite.mydomain.com

      2. Install a fresh wordpress installation on the test domain

      3. Get the cloning software (measly 7 bucks) at backupcreator (dot) com

      4. Clone old site, and restore to new location

      5. Edit to your hearts content on the test site

      6. Clone test site, and install over original intended location (your original domain)

      Done!
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      "May I have ten thousand marbles, please?"

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      • Profile picture of the author Dayne Dylan
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Jill Carpenter View Post

        1. Create a subdomain on your server - something like mytestsite.mydomain.com

        2. Install a fresh wordpress installation on the test domain

        3. Get the cloning software (measly 7 bucks) at backupcreator (dot) com

        4. Clone old site, and restore to new location

        5. Edit to your hearts content on the test site

        6. Clone test site, and install over original intended location (your original domain)

        Done!
        Perfect And thanks to everyone else as well!
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      • Profile picture of the author ColeWriting
        Okay, that was one of the more helpful suggestions I have read.

        Simple instructions on how to do it.

        Bravo!
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        Rocky Cole
        www.coleonlinebusiness.com
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Anyone telling you to do this online has rocks in their head.

    Whenever developing a site you always work locally.

    I assume if you're using WP, then you're running php and mysql. If so, install XAMPP, and MySQL.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dayne Dylan
      Banned
      Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

      Anyone telling you to do this online has rocks in their head.

      Whenever developing a site you always work locally.

      I assume if you're using WP, then you're running php and mysql. If so, install XAMPP, and MySQL.
      Why can't I just work on it online, but put up a "maintenance mode" page on the test site while I build it?
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      • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
        Originally Posted by Dayne Dylan View Post

        Why can't I just work on it online, but put up a "maintenance mode" page on the test site while I build it?
        Because every single time you make a change, you have to FTP up the file, wait for it to load, then go back to the browser, press refresh, and wait.

        Work locally, you make the change, you press refresh. It's there.
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    • Profile picture of the author andryzas
      I wouldn't go with site's replica on subdomain or other subdirectory, if this is not at least password protected with .htaccess or robots.txt with Disallow: /. You have to be careful with google - it finds sites very quickly.


      My preferred way is to play with exact replica of site on local WAMP server, installed on my laptop.

      Of course you can use paid software for replication, or do everything by hand:

      1. Get a copy of database and all files from the site you want to replicate.
      2. Set up backed up database and files on local wamp installation.
      3. Add to your c:\windows\system\drivers\etc\hosts file 1 line:
      '127.0.0.1 MyLiveServer.com' (without quotes)
      4. If pinging MyLiveServer.com shows response from 127.0.0.1 - you're ready to play with your EXACT replica on your local machine by going to MyLiveServer.com - it will load all data from your local machine.
      5. For me it's the safest way of playing around with the data - it's not accessible from internet, only from your local machine, but all the internal linking is working as it should and you will not break anything. In most cases, everything should work out of the box.
      4. If you want to reach REAL server, just edit hosts file by commenting out added line - add a hash (#) before 127.0.0.1.

      I don't know if it's not too geeky, but that's the way I do play with my sites
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      • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
        Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

        Anyone telling you to do this online has rocks in their head.
        Well, then I must have rocks in my head. Goes well with the vodka I pour into it I guess. :p

        For some people, creating a local thing can be more of a pain. I know my brother is on a version of windows and when he tried setting it up it screwed his whole computer up.


        Originally Posted by andryzas View Post

        I wouldn't go with site's replica on subdomain or other subdirectory, if this is not at least password protected with .htaccess or robots.txt with Disallow: /. You have to be careful with google - it finds sites very quickly.
        You can choose immediately when making the site to not let google index it. Also, it won't really jump to the top of the search engine immediately. You own the competing site.

        It's very quick to deactivate any seo plugins you have.

        I like to work directly online - but as mentioned I may have rocks in my head.
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        • Profile picture of the author Leslie B
          Originally Posted by Jill Carpenter View Post


          I like to work directly online - but as mentioned I may have rocks in my head.
          If that's the case, I must be too. I have a whole lot of testdomains exactly for that purpose and it works just as well as working locally (no need to ftp either, 'cause, since they are test domains, I just make the changes immediately in the files through my file manager).

          Leslie
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          Taking it one day at a time!
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