Rename Your WordPress Site: A Guide to a Smooth Transition

As a website owner, have you considered changing the name of your WordPress site? Whether you’re rebranding your business, changing your web address, or updating your site’s title, renaming your WordPress site may seem like a complicated task. However, fear not! In this guide, we will help you with the process of renaming your WordPress site and offer tips for a successful transition.

Step 1: Don’t Forget to Create a Backup

Before you proceed to rename your WordPress site, it is crucial to create a backup of your site’s content. You can use a WordPress backup plugin like UpdraftPlus or VaultPress, or you can opt for a manual backup by downloading your site’s database and files. Creating a backup is essential in case anything goes wrong during the renaming process.

Step 2: Change Your Site Name and Tagline

The very first step towards renaming your WordPress site is to change the site name and tagline. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings > General. Change your site name to the new name you have chosen in the Site Title field. You can also provide a brief description of your site in the Tagline field or leave it blank. Click on the Save Changes button to save your new site name and tagline.

Step 3: Rename Your WordPress Database

Renaming your WordPress database is crucial as it stores all your site’s content, including comments, pages, and posts. Next, access your site’s files using an FTP client or web hosting control panel. Now, locate the wp-config.php file in the root directory of your WordPress site and open it in a text editor. Look for the following code:

define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘old_database_name’);

define(‘DB_USER’, ‘database_username’);

define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘database_password’);

Replace old_database_name with the new name of your database, then save the changes to wp-config.php and upload the file back to your server.

Step 4: Update Your Site’s URLs

Changing your site’s name also changes your WordPress site’s URLs, which need an update to ensure that your site’s pages and links redirect to the correct pages. You can use a plugin like Velvet Blues Update URLs to update your site’s URLs. This plugin is free to download from the WordPress plugin repository. To start, download and activate the plugin, then navigate to Tools > Update URLs in your WordPress dashboard. Enter your old site URL in the Old URL field and your new site URL in the New URL field. Click the Update URLs button to update your site’s URLs.

Step 5: Update Your Site’s Links

After updating your WordPress site’s URLs, the next step is to update any internal links within your site to match the new name. This you can do manually by editing each page and post or by using a plugin like Better Search Replace. This plugin lets you search and replace the old site name or URL with the new one, saving you time and effort.

Step 6: Check Your Site’s Functionality

Once you complete the renaming process, it’s vital to check your site’s functionality. Ensure all links are working, and your site’s pages and posts are displaying correctly. You can revert to the backup you created earlier if you run into any issues.

Conclusion

Changing your WordPress site name doesn’t have to be hard. With these six steps, you can change your site name without losing any content quickly. Remember to create a backup for your site’s content before making any changes and check that your site functions correctly after the process. Follow these tips, and you’re on your way to a successful site name change!