WordPress how-tos
5 step-by-step WordPress jobs with official downloads, exact clicks and checks.
At the end you will have a complete copy of the site on your computer: every file in the WordPress folder including wp-config.php, plus an SQL export of the database, checked and stored in more than one place.
8 stepsWordPressInstall WP-CLIAt the end you will be able to type wp on your server or computer and run WP-CLI commands such as wp db export and wp search-replace against a WordPress site.
8 stepsWordPressChange WordPress URLs with wp search-replaceAt the end every reference to the old address in the WordPress database (links in posts, settings, widgets and serialized plugin data) will point at the new address, and the home and siteurl settings will match.
7 stepsWordPressSet up 301 redirectsAt the end each old URL will answer with a permanent 301 redirect to its new address, which Google treats as a signal that the new URL should be the one shown in search.
8 stepsWordPressTest a migrated site with the hosts file before changing DNSAt the end you will have viewed and tested the site on the new server under its real domain name from your own computer, while everyone else still sees the old server, and then removed the override.
8 stepsWordPressPlaybooks that use these how-tos
A rebrand, a new domain or a URL clean-up all mean old addresses stop being the real ones. This guide covers the redirect map, Google Search Console steps, monitoring, and moving a domain between registrars, with notes for .au domains.
14 min readChecklistHow to move a website between cPanel hosts without downtimeCopy a whole cPanel account (files, databases, email, DNS zone, SSL and cron jobs) to a new host with the WHM Transfer Tool, a full backup or by hand, test it before anyone sees it, then switch DNS so visitors and mail never hit a dead server.
22 min readHow to migrate from Wix or Squarespace to WordPressNeither Wix nor Squarespace hands you a complete copy of your site. This guide shows what you can export from each, how to load it into WordPress, and how to keep your search rankings with a full redirect map.
16 min readHow to migrate from WooCommerce (or Magento) to ShopifyA practical plan for moving an online store to Shopify without losing products, customers, order history or search traffic. Covers WooCommerce in detail and Magento / Adobe Commerce in its own section.
17 min readHow to migrate a WordPress site to a new host without downtimePlugin, manual and command-line methods, DNS and SSL cutover, email and SEO-safe redirects.
20 min readChecklistCommon WordPress errors and fixes
All errors →Error establishing a database connectionWordPress cannot connect to its MySQL or MariaDB database, so no page loads.
WordPressThere has been a critical error on this website. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.A PHP fatal error stopped WordPress loading. Some sites show a blank white screen instead.
WordPressWordPress 404 Not Found on all pages except the home page after migrationThe home page loads but every post and page returns 404, because the rewrite rules did not come across.
WordPressERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS (WordPress behind a proxy or CDN with HTTPS)The browser reports a redirect loop after you move WordPress behind a load balancer, reverse proxy or CDN that handles SSL.
WordPressWordPress redirects to the old domain after migrationThe migrated site sends visitors or the admin login back to the old address because the site URLs in the database were not updated.
WordPressThe uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.iniUploads, including large site backups for import, fail because PHP limits the size of each uploaded file.
WordPressBriefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Please check back in a minute.The site is stuck in maintenance mode after an update or migration was interrupted.
WordPressAllowed memory size exhaustedPHP ran out of memory while loading WordPress, often on a new host with a lower memory limit.
WordPress