WordPress Site Migration
Ways to Tackle the Move to New Hosting
WordPress Grand Rapids Meetup
February 16th, 2023
Tim Nolte
Technical Architect – Forum One
Social Media: @tim@mastodon.timnolte.com
GitHub: https://github.com/timnolte
Ways to Migrate Your Site
- “Automatic” or Managed
- Manual
“Automatic” Migration Methods
Hosting Provider Migration Options
Hosting Provider Migration Options Pros
- Well Supported for the Hosting Target
- Generally All Inclusive
- Support Team That Knows the Ins/Outs of the Hosting Target
- Often Completely Hands-off or 1-Click
- Included With the Cost of Hosting
Hosting Provider Migration Options Cons
- Generally Single Use
- May Not Be Compatible With Source Hosting
- Different Tool Required for Each Hosting Target
“Automatic” Migration Methods
Backup/Migration Plugin Options
Free (w/ Premium Add-ons)
Premium/Paid
Backup/Migration Plugin Options Pros
- Free Options
- Longer Term/Wider Range Usage
- Familiar Tool
- No Hosting Provider Lock-in
- Used on Multiple Sites
Backup/Migration Plugin Options Cons
- More Hands On
- Free Tools will Have Sometimes Minimal Support
- Incompatible With Either Source or Target Hosting
- May Require a Premium License/Add-on for Support or Features
Manual Migrations
- Database Export/Import – phpMyAdmin/WP-CLI
- File Backup/Restore – Web Control Panel Backups/SFTP/File Uploads
- Configuration File Editing
Q&A, Open Discussion, Show & Tell