Relocating your website from an old domain name to a new one is like moving to a new house – it brings a lot of headaches. Moving a website to a new domain is not as easy as you might think. It’s a tedious task because several steps are involved, including making backups of your database and DNS records. In this article, we have described the steps to move your website to a new domain name. And these steps will help you accomplish the task without losing your visitors andsearch engine rankings!

Why should you move your website to a new domain?

There are a few reasons. Maybe you feel that your domain name is outdated and no longer represents your business well. Maybe you want to change your domain name because you think you can find a domain name that is more SEO-friendly. Maybe you renamed your business and now have a whole new name. 

1.Find a hosting provider that will help you with the migration process.

Many hosting providers offer the transition for free when purchasing a domain name. A trustworthy hosting provider will assist your transition to the new domain name quickly and easily. It would be best to have experts who can handle this task smoothly.

When you transfer to a new domain name, you should ensure that you get the necessary security updates, clean up your website, and remove things you might not need. Some hosting providers offer cost-free domain name registration, which means you can register the domain for free and move your website to a new domain name. The change will be smooth, and you won’t have to spend much on it either.

2.Back up all the files of your website

If you can’t find a hosting provider that can move your website to a new domain, you can do it yourself with the instructions given here. Backing up your files is the most essential (and first) step. You need to back up your files twice to ensure they are not lost. It would help if you did this if something accidentally went wrong while moving your site to your new domain. Two backups provide an extra layer of protection in case the worst happens. Remember to back up your static files and database. It also applies to those who use content management systems like WordPress.

Follow the action below to back up your files

• Plugins help you back up your files quickly and securely: For WordPress, several plugins can help you fully back up your WordPress website. UpdraftPlus is one of the most preferred plugins that you can use to back up your website. You can also try other plugins like Duplicator or VaultPress.
• The backup or backup wizard is what you need to look for: Then, go to your cPanel (control panel). There you will find tools that you can use to backup your website. You can then backup your database and home directory.
• You can make use phpMyAdmin to export your database: You will also need to backup your static files, for which you can use FTP clients such as Cyberduck, WinSCP, or the file manager in cPanel.

Now that you have backed-up all of your files ensure that your new domain can accommodate your website’s files.

3.Transferring your files to the new domain name

After backing up your files, the next step is to move your files to the new domain name. Before moving your files, ensure that your new domain is ready to host your website. First, check the settings and DNS with the domain name registrar.

If your domain name registrar and hosting provider are not the same, your DNS server can tell the domain name registrar where all your website files are located. You will need to provide the DNS address you get from your web hosting provider to the registry. Will make changes to your once the DNS information is registered with the domain name registrar. These changes will take effect in about 24 hours.

Once this is done, you will require to specify and set up storage for your files. You can create a new database using the MySQL Databases or MySQL Database Wizard components. Make a note of your database name, password, and username.if you are using WordPress, as the next step is to update the wp-config.php file in the backup. Update the wp-config.php file in one of the two backups you saved with the new information you just noted.

There are three methods to upload your database and backups. Here are how you can upload your database and static file backups to your new domain name. You can choose the way that is most convenient for you. Remember that you need to take care of your static files and database to make sure your website works optimally.

• cPanel: You can restore and upload your home directory by going to the Backup Wizard app in cPanel.
• Plugins: Some plugins can help you restore your backup. Plugins also allow you to update your wp-config.php.
• Manual setup: Using an FTP client, you can upload all static files to your domain’s public_html folder. You can then use phpMyAdmin to import your database tables into your new domain.

4.Check and fix broken links and develop redirects

Now that your new domain is almost set, there are a few things you need to do before it goes online. Check to make sure your website is working correctly. Inspect the WordPress backend to see if everything is running normally and if your settings are correct.

Check for old broken links. You can utilize a “Broken Link Checker“ to find and remove all broken links on your internet site. You can use WordPress plugins like Broken Weblink Checker or free busted web link checkers like brokenlinkcheck.com to check for broken links. As soon as you enter the name of your internet site and press enter, you will get a result. If you see broken links, you can immediately take the necessary steps to remove them.

Also, make sure that your SSL is installed and working correctly. An SSL certificate is essential for your security and that of your users.

To ensure that your visitors are not redirected to your old domain, set up 301 redirects so that visitors going to your old domain are automatically redirected to your new domain. These redirects tell your users and the search engine that the old website is no longer working and has been permanently moved to the new domain. Setting up 301 redirects is also helpful for your search engine optimization, as you cannot lose your internet search engine rankings. Modify the. htaccess file by connecting to your old website via FTP to establish 301 redirects. As soon as you establish the redirects, you can get rid of the cache and visit your old domain to inspect if the redirects are working correctly. If you are redirected to your new brand domain, you have set up the redirect correctly.

5.Notify Google regarding your brand-new domain

Since you have made all the changes, it is time to Google your new address. You can add your new domain to Google Search Console and Google Analytics. It is essential because you want Google to show your new domain in search results.

You can make use of plugins like XML Sitemaps to create sitemaps automatically. Create and upload a new XML file and ask Google to re-index your internet site. In this manner, Google will undoubtedly replace all the old URLs it has cached with brand-new ones. Even if you have added redirects, having Google update your URLs will help direct your visitors to the correct URL.

There can be numerous factors you want to move your website to a new domain name. As long as you follow all the essential steps and back up your files, you don’t have to worry about losing your files when moving your website to a new domain. Once you have completed all the steps, clear your cache to check if your website has been successfully moved.

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