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Steps To Transfer A Website?

by DNChamp
23 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
I have a main site now BUT want to do a change for the new year. This gives me about 2 months to redo my content, keywords etc.

I have a wordpress template I want to use and will put it up on a dummy domain. Once I have it built out though HOW do I transfer that website that is up on the dummy domain and use it under my ACTUAl domain?

I assume all the pages that I make on the dummy URL will carry over but I want it all to be on my NEW domain.

Maybe would it be better to have a coming soon page on my main URL and that way i dont have to worry? I have about 80 indexed pages now and I think if I start new again on the same domain that a lot of those pages will be lost as I will have all new titles and such....

Hope I am making sense here and await to see if there is a step by step process for this.
#steps #transfer #website
  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    No you don't make much sense because you are overcomplicating it

    Everything is there in the WP online manual, the Codex > Moving WordPress « WordPress Codex
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  • Profile picture of the author Patte
    80 sites indexed? You don´t have to worry about anything.
    Develope your site on your "Dummy" Domain and transfer the php-files to you new domain as soon as you would have finished your work.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lchoate
    What you need is an htaccess file (assumes you are hosting on Apache). Inside the htaccess file you MUST do a 301 redirect or you will lose all your page rankings.

    I assume you are saying that you will keep the same domain. If so, you need to do the following in your htaccess file for each page:

    Code:
    Warrior forums wont let me show you. go google htaccess 301 redirect. That's stupid.
    If you are changing domain names, you need to run both sites concurrently for several months with a 301 redirect to the FQDN/path from the old server to the new server. Google will update it's index without dropping you if you do this.

    I'm glad you asked.
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  • Profile picture of the author UMS
    Easiest way is to use WordPress › Duplicator « WordPress Plugins
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  • Profile picture of the author Evan-M
    don't use any duplicator plugins or anything else that is overkill.

    take all the old files in your site, and move them to a new folder named backup ( you can thank me for this later)

    then ftp all the wordpress files to your new server.

    goto php my admin and change the wp_options rows siteurl and home ( id # 3 and 39 i belive ) to your sites url.

    once thats done, login to the admin and goto options - > permalinks, then just click save ( will regenerate a new htaccess file )

    then add the plugin either mowreplace or velvet-blues-update-urls.3.0 . in either of these plugins enter the old url, and then the new url and click replace. ( this will change all the uploads etc to point to the new server instead of the old one. )

    then add 301 redirects for your old pages to point to the new versions of them. this can be done with a plugin or the htaccess file.

    thats it.

    this should literally take you 10 minutes and 8 of them minutes is uploading the site to the new server.
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    Evan-M

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  • Profile picture of the author DNChamp
    Thanx guys..I do not wnat to do a 301 because I want to keep the original domain name ONLY change the webdesign but have it built out on a dummy domain.
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    • Profile picture of the author Evan-M
      Originally Posted by DNChamp View Post

      Thanx guys..I do not wnat to do a 301 because I want to keep the original domain name ONLY change the webdesign but have it built out on a dummy domain.


      the reason for the 301 , is after you put the new site on the domain you will be using, replacing the old pages, chances are the url structure will be different, and you will lose any pr you have gained if you do not 301 the old pages. If you have no pr, you can skip this step.
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      Evan-M

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  • Profile picture of the author DNChamp
    Hmm o yea the site is a PR4 now so I would 301 from my dummy domain to my old one? Remember the domain name has to be the one I have now since that is also my biz
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    • Profile picture of the author Evan-M
      Originally Posted by DNChamp View Post

      Hmm o yea the site is a PR4 now so I would 301 from my dummy domain to my old one? Remember the domain name has to be the one I have now since that is also my biz
      You wouldn't do the 301's until you move the site to the domain it will reside on ( make a list first obviously )

      then 301 the old links to there new equivalent.

      example :

      site.com/about-us.html

      301 to

      site.com/about-us/ (or whatever your permalink structure is)

      this is only necessary if your url structure is changing
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      Evan-M

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  • Profile picture of the author biotinpy12
    I have a website hosted and working that I would like to transfer into an ecommerce site.
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  • Profile picture of the author soniamit
    use 301 redirect , that help you a lot after shifting website in new domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author CoryW
    I actually have a client who has an EMD that got slightly hit by the update. Rankings are still there with some keywords doing okay and others not. He is okay with his current rankings but wants to get away from the EMD in case there's another update and to improve his branding.

    We have been thinking that a branded domain with his business name in it may improve his CTR on Google as well.

    What's the best way to approach this? Should he change his domain outlined here?
    Tell Google when your site moves - Webmaster Tools Help

    And does he just park the new domain at his host? We do not want to build a new website as it is current, updated and has great content.
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    • Profile picture of the author Evan-M
      Originally Posted by CoryW View Post

      I actually have a client who has an EMD that got slightly hit by the update. Rankings are still there with some keywords doing okay and others not. He is okay with his current rankings but wants to get away from the EMD in case there's another update and to improve his branding.
      What does this have to do with the thread????
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      Evan-M

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  • Profile picture of the author Sidv220
    Originally Posted by DNChamp View Post

    I have a main site now BUT want to do a change for the new year. This gives me about 2 months to redo my content, keywords etc.

    I have a wordpress template I want to use and will put it up on a dummy domain. Once I have it built out though HOW do I transfer that website that is up on the dummy domain and use it under my ACTUAl domain?

    I assume all the pages that I make on the dummy URL will carry over but I want it all to be on my NEW domain.

    Maybe would it be better to have a coming soon page on my main URL and that way i dont have to worry? I have about 80 indexed pages now and I think if I start new again on the same domain that a lot of those pages will be lost as I will have all new titles and such....

    Hope I am making sense here and await to see if there is a step by step process for this.
    If I am you, I would develop it on my laptop/WAMP, then migrate. It does require exporting database, then editing a few lines in a text editor (which takes me 10-15 min maximum) and ftp the contents to new site ad import the database.

    I had transferred old HTML web sites with huge amount of data (~200 GB) to new Wordprress sites in a matter of 2-3 days.
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    @Sidv220,

    What's the difference between moving from localhost or from a 'dummy domain'?
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    • Profile picture of the author Sidv220
      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

      @Sidv220,

      What's the difference between moving from localhost or from a 'dummy domain'?
      dummy could be remote.... local=local
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      • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
        Originally Posted by Sidv220 View Post

        dummy could be re
        mote.... local=local
        You seem to have difficulties understanding questions...
        In the PROCESS OF MOVING it, is there an difference?
        Answer (before you miss it again): No, there is no difference in moving a site from localhost (WIMP/XAMPP) or from another domain because the process itself is absolutely the same. Transfer database, transfer files, edit database & config file to reflect the change of location. (Eventually, run the Search & Replace plugin to correct all the instances of the old URL.)
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        • Profile picture of the author Sidv220
          Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

          You seem to have difficulties understanding questions...
          In the PROCESS OF MOVING it, is there an difference?
          Answer (before you miss it again): No, there is no difference in moving a site from localhost (WIMP/XAMPP) or from another domain because the process itself is absolutely the same. Transfer database, transfer files, edit database & config file to reflect the change of location. (Eventually, run the Search & Replace plugin to correct all the instances of the old URL.)
          I know process is same. I was not differentiating between dummy and localhost. I said... i would prepare on my laptop and migrate it, you can call it dummy or whatever you...
          What plugins had to do with URL editing? You must install same plugins on the new server too, but plugins has nothing to do with editing URL in the database..... Am I missing the difference between plugin and url too?
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  • Profile picture of the author DNChamp
    To everyone that has been helping thank you. Now to throw a curve ball, after looking at my site now and the one I want to use as a new template I know I am going to make some new changes.

    The urls that I have now about 50% will change as far as the URL link. Here is what I mean in an example.

    This is the main domain (again a example)

    yes.com

    Here is what I am thinking of doing to the new site vs the old site.

    yes.com (main page)
    http://yes.com/about us/services (now) change to http://yes.com/what-we-do (new)
    http://yes/com/blog (now) change to http://yes.com/read-my-blog (new)

    Above is what will happen as I change keyword structure and pretty much all text. The only thing I really want to keep thje same is my blog post which is about 40 pages of 40 different urls of my post.

    So now that my url structure will be different what steps do I need to preserve my PR4 rating on the main page and keep all the original url structure for my blog post which is a PR3

    Seems that if I do start over with a new template, url structure and such that all my hard work getting all those pages indexed and such will be in vain and I will lose my PR status.

    What to do what to do!
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    • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
      Originally Posted by DNChamp View Post

      This is the main domain (again a example)

      yes.com
      Then do NOT use whatever... use EXAMPLE.COM - it has been reserved by ICANN exactly for that: giving it as an example in documentation
      example.com - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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      • Profile picture of the author DNChamp
        Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

        Then do NOT use whatever... use EXAMPLE.COM - it has been reserved by ICANN exactly for that: giving it as an example in documentation
        example.com - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
        Ok corrected but what about my issue can you kindly advise what shall I do?
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        • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
          Originally Posted by DNChamp View Post

          Ok corrected but what about my issue can you kindly advise what shall I do?
          1. It is NOT really a web design issue... what the PR of your web pages is. Which means it shouldn't even be discussed in this sub-forum. There is a SEO subforum, just FYI!

          2. Don't mix unrelated things: templates (in WP correctly: themes!) and URL structure have nothing to do with each other. You can use 1,000 different themes, all with the same URL 'structure' (aka permalinks, in WP lingo).

          3. I am the wrong person to ask about the obsession with PR... I consider it really "in vain" - It is not your template/theme or the permalinks that will decide the fate of your web pages in the eyes of SEs.
          I think any decent theme with a reasonable (read: common sense based) permalink structure and great content, will do well in SERP.

          4. If it is not clear from #3: I don't believe in SEO as it is understood by most people - using tricks and technical gizmos to promote BS content. Sorry, I don't mean your content is like that, I have no idea. It's just a general experience: when there is no content site owners start worrying about SEO wizardry...

          5. Any real WEB DESIGN questions?
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  • Profile picture of the author George Kapo
    Banned
    Copy all the files to a tar.gz file.
    make a backup of the database.

    Go to the new server, uncompress the files and import back the database. Change in the config file the database name and password if had changed...
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