Change Your Site’s Domain Name
If you need to change the domain name associated with your website, first go to your Client Area > Websites> All Site Options for the desired site.
Next, click the kebab menu > Change Primary Domain.
Once you confirm your new domain name, the change will happen in a few seconds!
Bear in mind that you need to register and point the new domain name to your SiteGround website before the primary domain change.
If you had an SSL certificate on the old domain name, we will automatically reissue a new free Lets Encrypt certificate on your new domain. You can manage this certificate or order a paid premium SSL from Site Tools > Security > SSL Manager.
Verify The Profile #verify The Profile
Altering Table Prefixes #altering Table Prefixes
Like many WordPress administrators, you may be running several WordPress installations off of one database using various wp-config.php hacks. Many of these hacks involve dynamically setting table prefixes, and if you do end up altering your table prefix, you must update several entries within the prefix_usermeta table as well.
As in the above section, remember that SQL changes are permanent and so you should back up your database first:
If you are changing table prefixes for a site, then remember to alter the table prefix in the usermeta tables as well. This will allow the new site to properly recognize user permissions from the old site.
UPDATE `newprefix_usermeta` SET `meta_key` = REPLACE
Read Also: Transfer Domain From Shopify To Wix
How To Configure WordPress To Work With A New Domain
There are few ways to change the domain name on your WordPress application:
- Using the Search & Replace tool in Site Tools
Log in Site Tools and navigate to WordPress -> Search & Replace. Fill in the old domain in the field labeled Search String, then the new domain in the field named Replace String and initiate the task with the Search & Replace button.
- From the WordPress admin Dashboard
Access your WordPress Dashboard > Settings> General.
Under the WordPress address and the Site address fields enter the domain that you wish your application to work with and save the changes.
The same modification is valid if you want to add www to your domain.
- Using phpMyAdmin
Change the siteurl and home options in your WordPress database. To do this, use the phpMyAdmin tool available in your Site Tools.
Once in phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database and browse the table wp_options. Find the options siteurl and home and change their values to the new domain you want to use.
How To Change Your Domain Name: A Step
Whether youve been the proud registrant of your domain for one day, a few months or even several years, a change of heart may leave you wondering, How do I change the domain name of an existing website to a new one?.
Dont panic. Were here to help.
Maybe your dream domain name has recently become available, or youve decided to rebrand your website and need to buy a domain name thats more in line with your new look. Whatever the reason, there are steps to follow to ensure that the change wont affect your website, or your website visitors.
If youre a complete newbie to the world of domains or would like to brush up on your knowledge before we begin, start by reading our domain definition.
Ready? Lets begin.
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Changing The Url Directly In The Database #changing The Url Directly In The Database
If you know how to access phpMyAdmin on your host, then you can edit these values directly to get your site up and running again.
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.
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:
Or if you just want a one-off backup, you can use the free Duplicator plugin and create a local archive backup.
Option 3 Back Up Your WordPress Site Manually
Read Also: How To Transfer Google Domain To Squarespace
How To Make A Backup Of A Website
To ensure a smooth process when you switch domain names, its sensible to make a backup of your website, in case anything should happen.
If you use our Stellar Plus and Stellar Business Shared Hosting Plans, you can take advantage of our exclusive tool AutoBackup, where your website data is automatically backed up. This means that you can download your backups locally, which means that youll be ready when it comes to switching domain names.
Depending on which service you used to make your website, there may be alternative ways to make a backup. Here are some articles that you may find useful:
Consider setting up automatic website backups. This will save you time and effort, should you need to restore your website in the future.
How To Change Domain For A WordPress Site Created With Easywp
EasyWP dashboardChangeDomain on another providerNOTE 1NOTE 224 hoursCheck DomainChangePLEASE NOTEALIAS ANAME CNAME Flatteningpoint your domain via A records directlyIP address according to your ALIAS recordIP address according to your ALIAS recordIP address according to your ALIAS recordIP address according to your ALIAS recordALIAS recordsIP addresses
| ALIAS records |
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ChangeYour Domain on NamecheapChangePLEASE NOTEConfirmCurrent Domain
Also Check: Connecting Godaddy Domain To Squarespace
WordPress Wp: Home And Wp: Siteurl Settings
There are 2 WordPress options that you can adjust to change the behavior of how WordPress works.
- WordPress Address / WP_SITEURL: The address where your WordPress core files reside.
- Site Address / WP_HOME: The address typed in a browser to reach your WordPress blog.
| Site Address / WP_HOME |
As you can see from the example above, I have my WordPress core files stored inside my /public_html/wp directory so that they arent clogging up my root directory.
However I still want people just to type in https://www.example.com to get to my WordPress site, so Ive left that set as my Site Address so WordPress knows this is what I want displayed instead of the core files location.
This is just one example of what can be done with WordPress URL settings. You might also need to modify these settings after moving your WordPress website to a new server, or testing a new structure for your website.
What Happens If I Change My Domain Name
Redirects Just do them. A collection of 301 redirects will show Google that you are dedicated to the transfer. Plus, if any of your purchasers have your website online bookmarked, they gainedt run into confusing 404 mistakes . Redirects are pretty technical tell us when you’ve got any questions!
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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.
Does Switching Domain Name Impact Search Engine Optimization
The site owners would now not even consider changing the domain name out of worry of affecting the SEO rankings. The unhealthy factor about search engine marketing is that even a small change could have an effect on its rankings. If your domain is changed any links on your website online beneath the old domain will no longer paintings.
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Why Change Your Domain
There are a number of possible reasons you might change your domain name. Maybe youve outgrown your original name it was too juvenile, or somehow limited in scope, and your business has expanded past that point.
Or perhaps youre rebranding completely, from top to bottom, and the domain is just one part of a bigger process. The exact reason doesnt really matter no ones going to ask why when you change domains just be sure that youre not doing anything hastily or rashly.
You might see some short-lived negative effects to a domain change, from a drop in traffic to uneven or poor SEO results. If youve followed the correct procedure, those should be temporary effects they mostly return to normal once Google has had time to crawl your website.
If youre taking your side-project up a level into a fully functioning business, it might be time to bring in the experts to make sure you migrate over without any issues, or even have a new website professionally designed and developed.
Copy The Old Website To The New Website Location
The first thing to do is to create the new site, get it running nice and fast, and make sure there are no broken links, spelling errors, or missing ALT tags.
The beauty of WordPress is that the entire WordPress site file structure can be moved from one location to another or copied.
There are several ways to make this change but the following method is the safest. If your website is already receiving traffic, you wont want to lose those visitors.
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How To Change Domain Name In WordPress
There are a number of methods for changing the URL address of a website. However, we will only be considering three of them.
Namely: via the WordPress dashboard, via FTP client or cPanel, and then via WordPress database.
Side Note: Having a recent backup of your entire website is a good practice. It will save you from losing data. We have compiled a list of the best WordPress Backup Plugins on the market, check it out.
Do I Want To Purchase A Domain For WordPress
WordPress is a type of web builder and probably the most top CMSes on the earth, because it makes it very easy to create, construct, and grow your web page. In order to have a web site, you need to have a domain name and a internet host. WordPress actually has two different variations, WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
Read Also: How To Find Out Who Owns Domain
Can I Change My Domain On Godaddy
You can replace the domain name associated with your Online Store at any time. You can use any domain that is in the same account as your Online Store plan. Click the Change domain link and make a choice probably the most choices: Choose Select from my domain names if you wish to have to use a domain registered in this account.
Changing The Domain Name That Points To Your WordPress Site
The first step is to get your new domain name pointing to your WordPress site.
This is easier than you may think in fact, you can have more than one domain pointing to your site. So if you just need an extra domain name, you only need to follow this step.
Note: Any links to your content using the old domain will take people to your 404 page or your home page. To fix this, youll need to set up redirections, which you can do with a plugin or in the SiteGround admin screens.
Recommended Reading: How To Transfer Wix Domain To Shopify
Scenario : Adding Security With The Help Of An Https Domain
Using HTTPS helps make your site more secure and can even give you a rankings boost in Google.
To move your site from HTTP to HTTPS, youll first need to install an SSL certificate. Most hosts offer free SSL certificates and make it easy to use them.
Then, youll need to change your sites URL to use the new HTTPS version.