How to Migrate a Breakdance Builder Website using All-in-One WP Migration

Migrating a WordPress site can feel like a daunting task, especially with all the little intricacies involved.

But what if I told you there’s an easy way to do it?

I’ve written this guide to help you confidently migrate your Breakdance site without the technical jargon. All you need is the All-in-One WP Migration plugin to do all the heavy lifting for you.

Let’s break down the how-tos below!

Common Reasons to Migrate a WordPress Site

First off, you might wonder why migrating a WordPress site to a new one is necessary. Well, there are a lot of reasons why someone might want to go through this process. 

I’ve listed the most common reasons below. If your situation applies to any of these, then you might need to consider migrating your site.

• Updating to a new host: Perhaps, your old host provider is a bit slower and you found a better deal somewhere. 
• Your site is growing:  When your site is starting to have high traffic, you might need to upgrade from a shared hosting to something better like a dedicated server or cloud hosting.
• Rebranding: Want to change your domain name to a more SEO-friendly one? Or are you planning to give your site a makeover? Then the solution is to start fresh elsewhere and migrate your old site.
• Security threats: Spam and security hack is a common threat online. Sometimes, the best way to deal with this issue is to move to a fresh, clean setup.
• Backup restoration: Migration can sometimes be a necessary step if something messed up your site and you need to restore a backup.

Things to Know Before Migrating Your Breakdance Site

Now that you’ve found a solid reason to migrate your site, here are a few things you need to understand before you dive in.

• Make sure to backup everything. This includes your database, themes, plugins, and uploads. In a few seconds, I’ll guide you on how to save your backup files using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.
• Check for compatibility. The server environment of your new host must meet the requirements of your site, especially if you’re using special themes or plugins.
• Consider a staging site.  This is very important, especially if you have a large site. A staging site provides a safe place for you to test your site in a new environment before making it live. By doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to catch bugs, broken links, or any odd behavior and fix them right away.
• Plan for email. If you are using your hosting for email, then you’ll need to consider how to migrate them, too. Think about how you’re going to set up email on your new host.
• Update DNS settings. This is necessary if you’re changing your domain name.
• Plan the best time to migrate your site. Remember, your site might be down for a little while. So, plan on migrating your site during off-peak hours so that fewer users will be affected.

Steps to Migrate Your Breakdance WordPress Site Using All-in-One WP Migration

1) Install All-in-One WP Migration Plugin

Before we begin, make sure to install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin to both your old and new WordPress sites.

Download All-in-One WP Migration. 

Navigate to Plugins > Add New. Upload the zipped file. Then, install and activate.

2) Export Your WordPress Site

On your WordPress dashboard, head over to All-in-One WP Migration > Export. Here, you have the option to fill in the Find and Replace fields.  Use these if you want to find and replace some info in your database before exporting. Otherwise, leave it blank and everything will remain as is.

You will also notice the Advanced options. Use this to exclude files from the export by clicking on the checkboxes provided. Otherwise, leave it blank.

Once you’re ready, hit Export. 

When you tap Choose File, it should start creating the export file.

Next, you will be prompted to click Download Localhost to save the file on your desktop. Note that the extension will be .wpress. WordPress will require this extension to properly import the file, so make sure not to edit or delete it.

Once the download process is complete, you’re ready to import the backup file to your new WordPress site.

3) Import WordPress File to Your New Site

On your new WordPress Site, go to All-in-One WP Migration > Import. Then, click ‘Import from’ to open the location of your file. You can also drag and drop your file to start importing. 

This might take a couple of minutes, depending on your host and internet connection.

During the process, the application will let you know that it’s going to override your existing database, media, plugins, and themes. Go ahead and click continue.

When the import is successful, a pop-up window will appear to let you know it’s done. Click close.

4) Update Your Permalink Structure 

Note that you’ll be immediately logged out once you refresh your new site. The reason for this is that we just migrated the database from the old site. So, make sure to log in using your old username and password.

Once you’re logged in, go to Settings > Permalinks to update your site’s permalink structure. At the bottom of the page, simply click ‘Save Changes.’  

5) Import Old Breakdance Settings

If you don’t like to change your frontend and site functionalities, I highly recommend you to import your old Breakdance settings as well.

On your old WordPress dashboard, go to Breakdance > Settings > Tools. Then, tap ‘Download Export File.’

Once you’re done, open your new WordPress dashboard. Then, go to Breakdance > Settings > Tools and click ‘Regenerate Cache.’ Here, we are rebuilding the cached file so that they’ll work the same way on our new site.

Finally, let’s import the Breakdance file you’ve previously downloaded. Navigate to the ‘Import Settings’ and upload your file. Once this is complete, your new WordPress site will now have the same features of your old website.

6) Update Your Username and Password

So, you’ve just migrated your old database to your new site. But you don’t like using the same username and password. There’s an easy way to do that.

I highly recommend you to download the Easy Username Updater plugin.

Once you have installed and activated the plugin, you can go to Users > Username Updater and tap the ‘update’ link to change your username.

For the password, just head over to your profile page. On the Account Management section, tap Set New Password. Enter your new password and click Update Profile.

And you’re done!

What’s Next?

Migration might seem a little intimidating, especially if you’re not familiar with all the technical details under the hood.

Thankfully, plugins save the day. They help you make the migration process easier and faster. Here, we have used the All-in-One WP Migration plugin to migrate our Breakdance site.

But note that there are also other good plugins that you can use. We have written another article on how to migrate a site using Duplicator. If you’re interested, go ahead and check this out!

Please drop your comments below if you encountered any issues following the steps above. I’d be happy to help you out!