WordPress Site Cloning: Creating an Exact Copy of Your Site

WordPress is a frequently used content management system (CMS) that powers countless websites on the internet today. Its flexibility is one of its primary advantages, permitting you to reproduce or transfer your content to another platform efficiently. Whether you require a cloned version of your website for testing or need to migrate your website to a different host or domain, duplicating your WordPress site is easy, provided you follow the correct process.

Method 1: Creating a Manual Copy of Your WordPress Site

Step 1: Create a Backup of Your WordPress Site Files

To create a copy of your WordPress site, you must first back up your site files in their current state. You can accomplish this using a free and easy-to-use FTP client like FileZilla. After accessing your server, you can download all your site files and folders to your local drive, which may take some time, depending on your file sizes.

Step 2: Export Your WordPress Database

Next, export your WordPress database, which includes your site’s content, comments, pages, posts, and settings. You should also export your user accounts and password hashes. You can export your database using phpMyAdmin, which is usually available in your hosting cPanel. Login to phpMyAdmin, choose your WordPress database from the left-hand panel, and click the “Export” tab. Choose the default options, including “SQL” as your export format, and click Export. This will download the file to your local drive and can be readily restored using the same tool.

Step 3: Create a New Database for Your Copy Site

After backing up your WordPress site files, it’s time to create a new database for your copy site. If you’re migrating to a new hosting provider, create the new database using your new host’s control panel. In phpMyAdmin, click the “+ Add New Database” button and give your new database a name. Then click “Create”.

Step 4: Upload Your WordPress Site Files to Your New Server Space

To upload your WordPress site files to your new server space, connect to your new web server using an FTP client, navigate to the directory that will host your WordPress site files, and drag and drop all the files from your local drive to the new server space. This may take some time if your site has a lot of content.

Step 5: Import Your WordPress Database file

Next, import your WordPress database to your new server. On your new server’s phpMyAdmin, select your new database on the left-hand panel. Click the “Import” tab and choose the SQL file you downloaded earlier. Ensure that the character set and collation are set to utf8_general_ci, then click “Go” to proceed. This will import your database to your new server.

Step 6: Configure Your WordPress Settings

Your WordPress site clone is now ready for use, but you need to configure its settings before visitors can access it. Check your site’s configuration file (wp-config.php) and ensure that the site URL points to the new server address. Then check that the permalinks appear correct and re-save them if necessary.

Method 2: Creating a Copy of Your WordPress Site Using a Plugin

If you find the manual process outlined above too convoluted, you can use a plugin to automatically generate a WordPress site copy. Multiple plugins can do this, but we’ll use the “WP Clone by WP Academy” plugin in this tutorial.

Step 1: Install and Activate the WP Clone Plugin

To begin, install and activate the “WP Clone by WP Academy” plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory.

Step 2: Create a Backup of Your Source Site

Create a backup of your source site before beginning the cloning process. Make sure your site files are backed up and that you have a copy of your WordPress database.

Step 3: Go to the WP Clone Settings Page

Access the WP Clone settings page from within your WordPress site, and click the “Create Backup” button to initiate the process of creating a backup of your site files and database.

Step 4: Download the Backup File

After the backup has completed, download the backup file to your local computer. The backup file is a compressed (zip) archive that contains all of your site files and database. Save the backup file to a secure location.

Step 5: Upload the Backup File to Your New Server

Set up a new WordPress installation on your new server or hosting provider and install and activate the WP Clone plugin on it. Access the WP Clone settings page and click the “Upload Backup” button. Select the backup file you downloaded earlier and upload it to the new server.

Step 6: Restore the Backup on the New Server

Next, click the “Restore Backup” button on the new server to restore the backup. The plugin will extract and restore all your site files and database to the new server. Once the restore process completes, your WordPress site clone will be ready for use.

Step 7: Update Your Settings and Permalinks

Finally, update your site’s settings and permalinks to verify that your new site is functioning correctly. Check your site URL in your site’s configuration file and verify that your permalinks are correct.

Conclusion

Creating an exact copy of your WordPress site is an easy process if you follow the steps outlined above. Whether you choose to do it manually or use a plugin, you can readily duplicate or migrate your content to another platform. Having a duplicate WordPress site allows you to test your changes before going live, guaranteeing that everything works as intended.