How Do You Change Your Domain Name On WordPress

Set Up Permanent Redirects And Notify Search Engines Of The Change

This final step is more of a clean-up job. Even once your domain is successfully changed, youll have a lot of links throughout your content and across the web that point back to your previous address. Fortunately, you can permanently redirect those links to your new domain.

To do this, youll need to once again access your site via FTP, and look for the .htaccess file. This is another WordPress configuration file . Within, youll want to add the following code:

#Options +FollowSymLinksRewriteEngine onRewriteRule ^$ http://www.example.COM/$1 

Again, the placeholder URL should be changed reflect your new domain.

Once youre done with that, the final task is to tell Google that youve updated your domain. The process is straightforward within , and will only take a few minutes.

Change WordPress Login Url

Sometimes you might want to change the URL for your WordPress login but not for the live site.

Your login URL is normally your domain name followed by /wp-admin or /wp-login. But its possible to change it to something simpler to provide a better user experience for your users and clients or to brand your site admin and remove obvious reference to WordPress.

You can change the .

Update The Database Tables

Once the domain is working and you can log in to the WordPress Dashboard of the new site, install the Search and Replace plugin. This will help you to easily search all of the tables in the database, search for your old domain and replace each instance with your new domain. You can uninstall the plugin after the tables have been updated.

In addition to the database, you should also check your website for any links hard-coded into widgets, etc. If there are any links, then they will need to be manually edited to reference your new site address.

For additional information on using this plugin, please read through the following article:

You May Like: How Much Do Domain Names Cost

WordPress Domain Name Change

Changing the domain name of a WordPress site is easy and shouldnt take a long time if done correctly. However, if you are not careful during this process, you may end up making your site inaccessible. This is why it is good to make a full backup of your files and database before making any major changes.

Now lets start the steps of changing the domain name of your WordPress site!

Change The Website Url From Your WordPress Dashboard

Now you need to change your domain name on the settings page of your WordPress site. To do this, head straight to the WordPress dashboard and choose from the Settings -> General sidebar. Then replace the old domain name with the new one as shown in the screenshot below:

Once youre done, be sure to click on the Save button.

The work is not yet finished. Before you can access your site again from the new address, complete the following steps.

Also Check: How Much Does It Cost To Purchase A Domain Name

Prepare By Gathering All Necessary Information

Before you change your domain name, youll need the following information immediately accessible:

• Your WordPress administrator login credentials. This is the username and password used to log in to the WordPress dashboard.
• Your file manager or cPanel login credentials.
• Your FTP login credentials.
• Access to PHPmyAdmin through your control panel.

Youll also want to make a complete backup of your WordPress installation.

Here are four options for changing your WordPress domain name, starting with the easiest method and ending with two options that should only be used if you cant get the first two to work.

Reasons For Changing Your WordPress Domain Name

There are plenty of reasons you might want or need to change your domain name. Perhaps your business goals have changed and it’s time to rebrand.

Alternatively, maybe you need to reconsider your domain extensions, such as changing .net to .com or switching from a free platform with a required domain extension to a paid option with just your primary domain name. For example, you might find it more professional to move from yourdomain.wordpress.com to yourdomain.com.

Also Check: How Much Does It Cost For A Domain Name

Follow These Tips For A Stress

No matter the reason, changing a domain name can feel stressful. Even just finding a new domain can be a process in-and-of itself.

But with a little preparation and this guide on handling WordPress domain changes, you can have your new domain set up in no time regardless of whether you do everything manually, or install a plugin to lend you a hand.

Originally published Dec 25, 2020 7:00:00 AM, updated December 25 2020

Topics:

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.

Also Check: How To Transfer Domain From Wix To Shopify

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 

How To Easily Change The Domain Name Of A WordPress Site

If you are a webmaster of a WordPress site, I imagine that you were or might be in a situation where you would have to switch from one domain name to another without changing the content of the site itself.

This can happen if you change the brand of your website to another name or if you simply change the domain extension, say from .net to .co.uk, to localize your website for your target audience.

Also Check: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Domain

Edit The WordPress Config File For Your New Site

Next, you need to edit the .config file. To edit the wp-config.php file for WordPress, follow these instructions:

Your wp-config.php file should now reflect the correct database name, database user, and database password. This is required for WordPress to know which database to obtain the information from.

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.

Don’t Miss: How To Transfer Squarespace Domain To Shopify

Changing The Home And Siteurl Fields In Phpmyadmin

The following section is also available as an instructional video:

You should now be able to log into your site at example.com/wp-login.php.

Changing The Htaccess File #changing The Htaccess File

After changing the information in your Administration> Settings> General panel, you will need to update your .htaccess file if you are using Permalinks or any rewrites or redirects.

If you make a mistake, you can Restoring Your Database From Backup from your backup and try this again. So make sure it is right the first time.

Also Check: Googlemail.com Domain

How Can I Transfer My Ionos Domain Name To Wix

Once youve transferred your Ionos domain name to Wix, they will host your domain name and become your domain name registrar. Transferring a domain name to Wix is not possible for all domain types . Nonetheless, you will be able to transfer the most popular extensions such as .com, .net, .org.

For more information on how to transfer an Ionos domain name to Wix, please search for Transferring a Domain Purchased Elsewhere to Wix in Wixs support pages.

Dont Lose Your Old Traffic Set Up Redirects

While your site should now be fully functioning at your new domain name, youll still want to do at least one more thing:

Redirect traffic from your old domain to your new domain.

See youll still have people linking to your old domain name, as well as people who try to directly access your site at your old domain name. You dont want to lose these valuable links and visitors, so you should take a second to set up something called a 301 redirect.

With a 301 redirect, anyone who tries to access your old domain name will get automatically sent to the corresponding URL on your new site .

To set those redirects up, you just need to put the following code in the .htaccess file of your old domain name :

#Options +FollowSymLinksRewriteEngine onRewriteRule ^$ https://www.newdomain.com/$1

Replace the example with the actual URL for your new domain name. Then add it to the top of your old domains .htaccess file.

Also Check: Making Money Selling Domains

How To Change Domain Name On Existing Website Url: Step By Step

If the internet were like real estate, then domains would be the individual lots or parcels of land where you build your buildings, which are the websites.

Up and moving a building may not be a feasible option in the real world. Luckily its entirely possible in the virtual world.

Whether its due to a business name change or just want to use a different domain, changing the settings can be scary. When your entire website is built upon the domain, considering to attempt to change your domain name yourself might seem a little out of your league.

Fear not, for we have the easy guide to change the domain name on an existing website. And on some of todays most popular website platforms.

We will look at the domain change process on 6 of the more prominent players in the hosting platform industry.

• WordPress

Read Also: How To Get My Domain Back

Email Accounts With Wix

Wixs plans dont include email accounts. Therefore, if youd like a professional-looking email such as , youll need to purchase a separate service.

Wixs approach is to offer , a Google cloud solution that provides professional email. Although is a great product, it is not budget-friendly. For each user you have, you will have to pay $ 6 a month. Not that cheap!

Don’t Miss: How Much Does It Cost To Host A Domain Name

Verify The Profile #verify The Profile

Purchase A New Domain Name

First and foremost, head to Hostingers domain checker and type in your preferred domain. Youll find out if your option is available, and get some suggestions on a few alternatives as well as domain costs.

From there, add your domain to the cart, and proceed to check out. Then register it to ensure its active.

You can also get free domain registration for the first year if you purchase Hostingers annual Premium or Business.

Recommended Reading: How Much Are Domains

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:

• 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.

Option 3 Back Up Your WordPress Site Manually