How to Move Your WordPress Site to GoDaddy

Step 1: Choosing a Hosting Plan

Are you utterly flummoxed by the process of transferring your WordPress site from one hosting company to another? Fret not! We’re here to guide you through the convoluted path of transferring your site to GoDaddy, one of the world’s largest hosting companies.

First, you need to select a hosting plan that suits your needs. GoDaddy offers various options like shared, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting. Make sure that the plan includes the domain name you want to use for your website.

Step 2: Back up Your Existing Site

Before making any moves, it’s crucial to safeguard your WordPress site from dreaded data loss by backing it up. Multiple backup plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, and Duplicator let you create a backup of your site. Save this backup file on your computer or external hard drive.

Step 3: Install WordPress on GoDaddy

If you’re using GoDaddy’s WordPress hosting plan, you don’t need to install WordPress separately. However, if you’re on a different hosting plan, you’ll need to install WordPress before proceeding.

Here’s how you can install WordPress on your GoDaddy account:

1. Login to your GoDaddy account and navigate to the cPanel.
2. Click on the “WordPress” icon.
3. Click on “Install This Application.”
4. Select your domain name for your site.
5. Fill in the required fields such as site name,username, and password.
6. Click on “Install.”

Step 4: Set up a Temporary URL

Now that you have WordPress installed, set up a temporary URL to view your site on the new server. This won’t affect your live site, and you can make sure everything is working fine before making it live.

Here’s how you can create a temporary URL:

1. Login to your GoDaddy account.
2. Navigate to the cPanel.
3. Click on the “Domains” icon.
4. Click on the “Subdomains” icon.
5. Enter “temp” in the “Subdomain” field.
6. Select your domain name from the drop-down list.
7. Click on “Create.”
8. Navigate to the “DNS Zone Editor” and add the subdomain to your DNS settings.
9. If you’re not sure how to set up your DNS settings, contact GoDaddy’s customer support team for assistance.
10. Once the temporary URL is set up, you can view your site by typing “http://temp.yourdomainname.com” into your browser.

Step 5: Upload Your Backup File to GoDaddy

Next up, upload your backup file to GoDaddy. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Login to your GoDaddy account
2. Navigate to the cPanel.
3. Click on the “File Manager” icon.
4. Navigate to the directory where you want to upload your backup file.
5. Click on the “Upload” button.
6. Select your backup file from your local computer.
7. Click on the “Open” button.
8. Wait for the file to upload.

Step 6: Restore Your Backup to GoDaddy

Now it’s time to restore your WordPress site to GoDaddy. Follow these steps to do it:

1. Login to your GoDaddy account.
2. Navigate to the cPanel.
3. Click on the “PhpMyAdmin” icon.
4. Select your WordPress database from the left menu.
5. Click on the “Import” tab.
6. Click on the “Choose File” button.
7. Select your backup file from your GoDaddy account.
8. Click on the “Go” button.
9. Wait for the restore process to complete.
10. Navigate to the “wp-config.php” file and update the database credentials to match your GoDaddy hosting account.

Step 7: Update Your DNS Settings

After restoring your WordPress site to GoDaddy, you must update your DNS settings. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Login to your domain registrar account (where you purchased your domain name).
2. Navigate to the DNS settings page.
3. Update the “A record” to point to your GoDaddy hosting account.
4. Wait for the DNS settings to propagate (this can take up to 24-48 hours).

Step 8: Make Your Site Live

Finally, your site is live on your new hosting account when your DNS settings have propagated. Type your domain name into your browser to test it out.

Congratulations! You have successfully transferred your WordPress site to GoDaddy!