This procedure assumes you are using Reseller Accounts at both the old and new web hosting accounts, but it can easily be followed and adapted for shared hosting.

This process is not difficult to do but you do have to follow the steps carefully:

EXISTING WORDPRESS SITE AT OLD WEB HOST

Step 1 -  WordPress MySql Database Backup and Download to Your Computer

First login to your WordPress Admin dashboard for the blog site you want to move.

Assumption:  You must have the WordPress Database Backup plugin on your site already installed and activated for use.

Under Backup Options (Click on Tools | Backup) you first need to check the box that says Download to Your Computer and then click on Backup Now

When the file downloading process finishes you can open the downloaded file using WinRAR (or use winzip or any other zip program you might have). Then unzip the Database Backup file and save the contents to a new folder on your own computer.

Alternative: You could use cPanel Backups to Download a MySQL Database Backup

Step 2 – Download WordPress Files and Folders to Your Computer using FTP

Secondly you will need to login to your web hsoting account using FTP (eg: Filezilla) and then copy all of the WordPress files and folders down to your own computer. This should include everything from and including the root down (where WordPress is intalled) and all folder contents.

This will contain folders suchas wp-content, wp-admin, wp-uploads etc and all the WordPress PHP files in the folder above these.

DESTINATION WORDPRESS SITE AT NEW WEB HOST

Step 3 – Create a New Account for your site at your New Web Host

Assumption: You know how to do this!

Hint: Under Account Functions click on Create A New Account

 

Don’t forget to write down your new account Username and Password so you can login to your Cpanel for the new web host site.

Step 4 – Create a MySQL Database at the New Web Host for your Site

Login to cPanel for the new Site Account you have Just Created

Click on the MySQL Database Wizard icon or link so you can create a new database. Name the database wrdp1 or whatever you want and take a note of what you called it.

You then need to Create a Databse User with a secure Password and then Add this User to the Database with ALL the Privileges boxes checked.

Step 5 – Import the old Database Data into the New MySQL Database

Go back to the main control panel screen in cPanel and then find PHPMyAdmin option and click on it…

When the PHPMyAdmin window opens you need to click on the Database name you just Created

In the upper right area of the window that is then displayed you will see the IMPORT link and you must click on it.

When it asks for an Import file name just click on the Browse option and search your own computer for the Database Backup file you created from your old site back in STEP 1.

Hint: This will be a file with a .sql extension

When you have found the file just click on the GO button to proceed with the import which will take a little while to compplete. You should then see a message which says Import has been successfully finished and it will also state the number of queries executed during the import.

Step 6 – Copy WordPress Folders and Files to your New Web Host from Your Computer

Login to the account for your site at the New Web Host using your FTP software and copy up (from your own computer) ALL the WordPress folders and files you downloaded from your old web host back in Step 2.

Hint: Using FTP these should end up on your new site account under the public_html folder, for WHM/Cpanel web hosts such as Hostgator

Step 7 – Change WordPress Configuration for the New Database at your New Web Host

You can complete this next task either using your FTP Software or via the web host cPanel File Manager facility

In the public_html folder you need to find the wp-config.php and edit it to change the following:

  1. Database Name
  2. Database Username
  3. Username Password

You need to change them to the new values for the new MySQL that you created above in Step 4

THAT’S IT – YOU ARE DONE !

That really is all there is to moving your WordPress site, except for one last thing…

CHANGE NAME SERVERS

Step 8 – Change Name Servers to point the Internet to your New Web Host

You will need to go to you domain registrar and change the name servers to point to your new reseller hosting account at the new web host.

This changeover could be as quick as minutes or an hour or two, but could take up to 24 or 48 hours according to different web hosts.