Can You Change WordPress Domain

Manually Changing The Domain Of Your WordPress Site

There may come a time when you need to duplicate the content of your WordPress site and use it on a different domain name. Perhaps you are promoting a product that is known by more than one name, and you would like to have separate domains for each product name.Instead of designing a new site for each and every domain, you may choose to use the content that already exists on one of your current domains. The following article will guide you through duplicating a WordPress site.

Note: Please be aware that following the steps below may not be enough to successfully change your domain due to the way WordPress communicates with the server. It is recommended that you make a full backup of your website using the Backups button in cPanel before proceeding with the remaining steps in this article.

Change Website Url Using The WordPress Admin Dashboard

The next step to change WordPress domain is to add your new domain to the WordPress General Settings.

Head to Dashboard -> Settings -> General. Replace your current WordPress Address and Site Address with your new domain. Hit Save Changes once youre done.

Were not done just yet. Before re-accessing your site using the new address, complete the following remaining steps.

Moving Sites #moving Sites

When moving sites from one location to another, it is sometimes necessary to manually modify data in the database to make the new site URL information to be recognized properly. Many tools exist to assist with this, and those should generally be used instead of manual modifications.

This is presented here as information only. This data may not be complete or accurate.

You should read the Moving WordPress article first, if attempting to move WordPress from one system to another.

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WordPress Website Transfer Guide

In this example, well cover two methods of transferring a WordPress website to a new hosting account.

When I get a website ready to sell I create a folder on my desktop for the site. Inside the folder are several other folders which include the following: WP Site Files, WP Database, Photoshop/Images, License Keys and Other Misc. Files. Using a free FTP client like Filezilla or my hosting providers cPanel, Ill download all of the WordPress site files and put them in a folder. I upload all of these files into a Google Drive folder and share it with the new owner after the sale.

Changing Your Domain In WordPress

Before you dive headfirst into changing your websites domain name, youll want to keep a few considerations in mind. A little preparation is essential, to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible. One mistake could bring down your entire website, but getting your resources and knowledge in order before you begin helps you avoid that scenario.

For instance, youll want to make you have a full backup of your website in place before lifting a finger. That way, if the worst happens, you can roll back your changes to a clean configuration and start over.

Also, youll need to use a File Transfer Protocol client for some of these steps. This is a way to access your server directly from your desktop, and although its simple to use, there is a learning curve involved. As such, youll want to download a suitable client and brush up on your FTP skills.

In addition, youre going to need your server credentials to log in via FTP. These can usually be found within your hosting providers admin panel.

Finally, were assuming that you already have a domain name purchased, and youve gotten it ready by pointing it to the correct nameservers. If not, youll want to make sure this is sorted out before you do anything else.

Also Check: How To Change Ownership Of Domain Name

Export Your Content From WordPresscom

In order to move blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org you will need to export your content from WordPress.com. Therefore log into your WordPress.com account and head over to your blogs dashboard. Then go to Tools » Export.

Youll be directed to a new page where youll be asked to choose between free or guided transfer. In the Export section, click Start Export.

Next, choose All content to export your entire content from WordPress.com and then hit the button.

An XML file will be downloaded in your computer containing all your posts, pages, images, comments, custom fields, categories, tags, navigation menus, and other information.

Back Up Current WordPress Site

The very first thing you should do before changing your WordPress domain is to back up your current site. This way no matter what happens, you can always revert if needed.

Option 1 One-Click Backup for Kinsta Clients

If youre a Kinsta client, you can simply use our simple backup tool in your MyKinsta dashboard. Select your site in the Sites section and click on the backups tab. Youll see a list of your available backups. Simply click on Back up now, choose a backup name , and it will create an additional backup/restore point.

Create WordPress backup

You can then restore your backup at any time with a single click.

Option 2 Back up Your Site With a WordPress Plugin

You can also back up your WordPress site with a third-party plugin. We always recommend utilizing those that have incremental backup options. Even though you probably wont need the incremental feature for this tutorial, these are the ones you should familiarize yourself with or invest in long-term, as the incremental feature decreases server load, disk space, and helps improve reliability. Here is a list of recommended plugins:

• WP Time Capsule

Or if you just want a one-off backup, you can use the free Duplicator plugin and create a local archive backup.

Create WordPress backup with the Duplicator plugin

Option 3 Back Up Your WordPress Site Manually

WordPress wp-content folder

Create manual WordPress backup

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Update Google And Bing

Now that you have your old domain routing requests to your new domain, its time to update your web properties with and Bing Webmaster Tools. If you never set these up for your olddomain.com, go ahead and create them, verify them, and repeat the steps for your newdomain.com. Then follow the steps below. You should have four properties in total between Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools .

Change of Address in Google Search Console

In Google Search Console you will want to do what they call a change of address. This is very important as it lets Google know instantly that everything is changing. So dont skip this step! You will need a verified property for both your old domain and new domain.

Simply click into your old domains profile, click on the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner, and select Change of Address. Then follow the remaining prompts.

Change of Address with Google Search Console

The Change of Address tool is currently only available in the new Google Search Console.

If your site is only in the . You can easily add it again using the URL prefix method and then you can access your site in the . They will most likely move this tool over to the new GSC eventually.

Google Search Console URL prefix

Site Move in Bing Webmaster Tools

Just like Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools has the same type of process called Site Move. And again, you will need a verified property for both your old domain and new domain.

Create A New Site Clone Or Update Existing Site Address

Once you have a backup of your site, the next step is to update your WordPress URL and site address. There are a few ways you can approach this.

• Option 3 Update existing domain

Option 1 Create New Site/Account

Your first option would be to create an entirely new WordPress install with your new domain and then migrate your data over. You would then change the domain after the fact. Why this approach? Sometimes people prefer to leave their old site intact for a while as another backup. Or perhaps you are also moving to a new WordPress host in the process as well.

In this case, you would simply create a second site. If youre a Kinsta client you would want to add a new install and ensure that your new domain is set as the primary domain. You can then migrate a copy of your WordPress site over. Check out our in-depth tutorial using the WordPress Duplicator plugin.

Kinsta primary domain

Option 2 Kinstas Clone Feature

If youre a Kinsta customer, you could go an even easier route and to utilize our one-click clone feature. This allows you to instantly create a copy of your existing WordPress site into a second account.

Clone WordPress site

Option 3 Update Existing WordPress URL and Site Address

The third and final option would be to simply update your existing sites WordPress URL and site address. You would still need to follow these steps, even if you created or cloned a new site above.

Update WordPress address and site URL

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What Should My New Domain Name Be

While we cant tell you exactly what your new domain should be, we can give you some advice. Our article How to Choose the Best Domain covers this topic in-depth and our bulk name generator can offer suggestions, inspire you, as well as give you the chance to buy it there and then.

Here are some more tips to help you on your hunt.

Reflect on your product

The last thing you want to do is feel panic and regret, right after you buy a domain name. If youre selling a product, take some time to reflect on what youre selling, whether its a service or physical object. Jot down some related words and brainstorm ideas.

Try not to pigeonhole your website. For example, if you register chairs.com and later you want to start selling tables, visitors might be confused. Consider a neutral name and consider any future plans.

Describe the brand

Think about what your brand is. What do you aim to achieve? How do you want your product to be perceived? Ask focus groups, look for common words or phrases in customer feedback, emails, testimonials.

Keep it short and clear

Try to be concise when picking a domain name. Understandably, common words and popular phrases can be more expensive, but if you have the funds, a short and clear domain name will give you an advantage on long-winded, rambling ones.

They are likely to be memorable, marketable, and therefore strengthen brand recognition.

Check its legit

How Do You Change Your Domain Name

As we said, changing your WordPress websites domain name is not something you should do lightly. However, when you do find yourself in this situation, the process involves just a few steps:

The process itself is relatively simple, although there are some aspects that require a little technical knowledge. Well cover those in the next few sections, but dont worry well walk you through each step.

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Easy Website Administration For Beginners Organizations Or Beginner Organizations

Spruced Up Reseller Web Site Hosting. Month-to-month Advertising And Marketing Spending Plan Under $750$ 750 $1,500$ 1,500 to $5,000$ 5,000 to $10,000$ 10,000 $25,000$ 25,000 $50,000$ 50,000 $100,000 More than $100,000 Were trying to find to create a strategy that will certainly fit with your economic budget.Managed WordPress intends come with WordPress installation in addition to automated updates and also migrations along with innovative caching Protection plugins and also expert aid and also the only Optimizer and also Safety and security plug-ins that are unique. Link to a 3rd party solution which creates backups , yet I assume it is extra effective to incorporate it right into your hosting supplier.

Misc Post Domain Change Updates And Checks

Due to the fact that every website uses different software and services, there will most likely be a few additional things youll want to check. Below is a list we have compiled of some common ones weve experienced:

• If you migrated or cloned your site we commonly see changes or misconfigurations in the robots.txt file.
• If you are running a comment plugin such as Disqus, you will need to to a new domain.
• If you have email marketing software you will most likely need to update your domain, as well as authenticate your domain again with new DNS records.
• Update Social Media Links
• Update PPC Ad URLs: AdWords, Bing Ads, AdRoll, Facebook Ads, etc.
• If you are involved in any affiliate programs or ad networks such as Mediavine, you might need to update your address with them as well as go through a re-approval process.
• Make sure to monitor 404 errors after moving to a new domain so that you can fix any broken links that pop up. You can view these in Google Search Console under Crawl > Crawl Errors or utilize a third-party WordPress plugin such as Redirection which has 404 error reports. Note: We normally recommend Google Search Console for these kinds of things because plugins like these just utilize additional server resources.

Read Also: How To Find Email Domain And Server

Add The New Domain Name And Upload The Backup

Next up you should add the new domain name to your existing hosting plan.

2. Add your new domain name, create a password and click Add Website.

3. Connect via FileZilla and upload your sites backup.

NOTE: If you use Cloud Hosting, youll need to back up the database too. If you are using Shared hosting, you dont need to worry about it.

Get Support For More Common WordPress Questions From Wp Engine

Of course, a task as major as changing your domain name requires you to have confidence in your site as well as your hosting provider. WP Engine is the market leader in reliable WordPress hosting, and whats more, our support team is stellar!

There are many WordPress-related tasks you may not be sure how to approach, but help is at hand. We have a dedicated Resource Center packed to the roof with helpful articles , which you can access whenever you need it. Check it out today!

Join the 1.2M websites that trust WP Engine as their WordPress host.

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Why Change Your Domain Name

In many cases, changing WordPress domain name is inevitable. The most common scenarios are:

• Rebranding you want to rebuild your companys image with a new brand name. Here, a new domain reflects your rebranding strategys consistency. Some prominent brands like Twitter applied this marketing strategy very successfully.
• Domain Extension Change if you currently running a website on a subdomain like mywebsite.wordpress.com, or youre using a less popular extension like .mobi or .shop which doesnt resonate well with your audience, swapping to a different extension can be a great idea!

Change Your Url Within WordPress

Your first task is to physically change your sites URL within WordPress. However, this step comes with a word of warning. Once you save your changes, your sites back end wont be accessible until youve completed the rest of this procedure.

To begin, log into WordPress, and navigate to the General > Settings screen:

This screen contains global settings for your WordPress site. The fields were interested in are WordPress Address and Site Address :

To change your URL, simply type the new address into both of these fields, and click on Save Changes. As we mentioned, this will make your site temporarily inaccessible.

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