The easiest way to migrate a WordPress site to a new installation is to use Seravo.com’s pre-installed All-in-One WP Migration and Backup plugin. However this is only reliable on smaller sites.
Using the plugin is easy and efficient. If you are unsure of your skills, you can always order the migration from Seravo customer service as a paid expert service, in which case we will handle both the migration and the integrity check for you.
Starting the Migration
1. Install and activate the plugin on the site that is to be transferred from the Plugins section.
In the Plugins menu, go to the Add New section at the top and search for All-in-One WP Migration.
2. Export the site with the help of the Export function in to a .wpress file by selecting Export to > File. Download the file to your local device.
3. Download the file on to your computer. The download of the compressed file might take a moment. Do not close your browser before the download is complete. The download is finished when you have the *.wpress file on your local machine.
The file downloads as a compressed .zip file. There is no need to extract the file separately.
4. Go to the admin area of the site to which the file will be migrated, meaning your new site hosted by Seravo. The plugin is pre-installed on Seravo, so you can go active it from Plugins menu. Start the migration using the Import function by clicking Import from > File.
The Import function uploads the .wpress file as is to the new site.
5. The plugin asks to ensure that your website is backed up. There is no need for it now, if the new site is already empty, so you can press Continue.
6. The plugin asks you to save the permalink structure, which you can do by selecting the Permalinks Settings link. The Permalinks Settings page opens in a new browser window, and at the bottom of the page you will find a Save settings button. Nothing needs to be changed; this is just a step to ensure that the WordPress address structure is loaded correctly after the migration.
It is recommended to double-check the address structures, as issues with domain redirects might otherwise occur. If you are unsure, please do not hesitate to contact Seravo customer service.
7. The site migration is complete! Please note that because the old site's user credentials were transferred and the new site's content, including user credentials, was overwritten, you will need to log in again using the old credentials. The site now automatically uses the new site's address, and the old site will continue to function until the domain is pointed to Seravo's server.
8. After the migration, now remove the unnecessary All-in-One WP Migration and Backup plugin and perform an integrity check on the site to ensure everything is in working order.
9. Point the domain to Seravo's server. In a normal case, you do not need to make any changes to the site's settings. If the site's temporary address was example.fi-c.seravo.com and Seravo's server detects that the address example.com is starting to point to it, Seravo will update the site's settings so that the correct address example.com comes into use as soon as possible.
Exceptions
Changing the Address for the Entire Site
If the domain is not updated correctly when the site is published, you can do it yourself using the search-replace tool. This tool is found in the WordPress admin menu under Tools > Database. If you are changing email addresses, remember to include the @ symbol, meaning search for @example.fi-c.seravo.com and replace with @example.com. The action can also be performed using the command line tool wp search-replace.
The search-replace tool looks like this.
Migration File Size Limit and Modification
The file size limit for the All-in-One WP Migration and Backup plugin on Seravo's service is 12GB. The plugin mentions a paid extension that increases the size limit, which applies to an older version and is actually smaller than this built-in limit, at 512MB. We do not recommend using this.
Removing Must-Use Plugins During Migration
If you are downloading a site from a service provider that uses a provider-specific plugin in the must-use folder, you should uncheck this option under the Advanced options menu. Otherwise, the import step in phase 4 may crash with an error.
Other Things to Note During and After Migration
Check the address structure(s) and email redirects twice. Remember to save the changes.
The plugin transfers the database, including user credentials and passwords. The login details provided by Seravo will no longer work as they are and must be updated. Log in to the site using the old, previously used credentials.
The site will use a temporary address until publication is completed and it is pointed to the correct domain.
More information: Avoiding interruptions during publishing
After migration, it is recommended to update the WP core and plugins and perform an integrity check.
Once the site migration and import are complete, we strongly recommend deleting the plugin. Unnecessary plugins can impair the site's functionality.
Would you like Seravo’s WP experts to help you with moving your site?
Migration and site integrity check can be done as a expert work usually in 1-2 hours. Contact Seravo's WP experts for quote!