How to migrate WordPress 3.X from one domain to another
I recently came across this situation on a client site where they wanted to change their domain from something like www.whatever.com to www.whatever-new-site.com and their site runs on WordPress 3.91. This is also applicable if you develop a site on a testing url like “testing.whateverdomain.com” and you want to change the site to run off “www.whateverdomain.com” when it goes live. After a lot of research and trial & error, here is the easiest approach to handle this.
- go to plugins and download and install Velvet Blues Update URLs 3.2.2
- go to TOOLS -> Update URLs
- enter the OLD DOMAIN and the NEW DOMAIN
- check all the checkboxes that apply (I have always checked all 6 checkboxes and never had any issues)
- click on UPDATE URLs NOW
- go to settings -> general and update the domain info in there. Save the changes.
- At this point you need to adjust your web server settings to begin serving and responding to the site on the new domain name.
- You can now access the site from the new domain name and all should be fine!