How to Migrate a Breakdance Builder Website Using Updraft Migrator
Planning to move your site to a new web host? In this tutorial, I’ll break down the steps to successfully migrate your Breakdance site using Updraft Migrator.
Christy Cañete
Updated August 3, 2023
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Migrating a website can be a real headache if you do not know the technical jargon. If you’re not careful, you might end up with lost data, broken links, or a crashed website.
I’ve designed this guide to help you avoid these mistakes. We’ll focus on how to migrate a Breakdance website using the Updraft Migrator plugin.
By the end, you should be able to understand the migration process and learn how to move your site smoothly to a new web host. I promise - no coding or technical experience needed.
Let’s get started!
Why Migrate a WordPress Site?
There are many possible reasons why you might consider migrating your WordPress site to a new domain.
First up, rebranding your business. Perhaps, you just need a better domain name but you don’t want to totally start from scratch. Search engines love promoting sites with relevant domain names. Moving without totally changing the entire site will also be easier for your site visitors to remember.
Another possible reason is you’re launching a new site. If you want to keep most of the functionalities of your old site, then migration is the way to go.
Last but not the least, security and performance.
Along the way, you might find a more secure hosting environment for your website. Or you want to upgrade to better platforms that offer faster speeds and better uptimes. Either way, you’ll need to migrate your site to switch to a new hosting service provider.
What You Need to Know Before Migrating Your Site
Migrating a WordPress site is a big step. There’s a lot going on under the hood. It comes with risks, too. One wrong move can cause data loss or even mess up with your SEO rankings.
Here are a few technical stuff you need to know before migrating your site.
Migration Requires Moving Files and Databases
WordPress files contain all the codes that control the appearance and functionalities of your website. This includes your themes and plugins.
A database is where your website content is stored. This includes pages, posts, comments, settings, and user info.
When migrating a website, you’ll need to move all your files and database to the new host. This ensures that your website will appear and function the same way in its new home. If you leave any piece behind, you might end up with a broken site.
However, note that migrating is not the same as copying and pasting the files to a new folder. It requires some technical knowledge so that it can be done correctly.
Thankfully, plugins are available to do all the heavy lifting for you. Later, I will guide you on how to successfully migrate your site using the Updraft Migrator plugin.
Staging Site is Beneficial for Migrating a Large Website
A staging site is like a clone of your live site. But it’s hidden from your audience.
The purpose of a staging site is to test out changes. For instance, you’re trying out a new theme or plugin. This can help you check the changes in your site’s appearance and functionalities.
If you’re migrating a WordPress site with hundreds or thousands of pages, then you might need to consider migrating it to a staged environment first. This approach will help you ensure that everything works as expected. Any potential issues can also be fixed right away.
Local vs Hosted WordPress Sites
A local WordPress website allows you to set up a site on your own computer. This is often run using WAMP, MAMP, XAMPP, or LocalWP.
Since a locally hosted website is not visible to the rest of the world, it makes a perfect environment to test, design, or learn WordPress without any risks.
A hosted WordPress website is the one that lives on a server provided by a hosting company. Unlike the local WordPress site, a hosted site can be seen on the internet by anyone. You’ll also need to pay for a domain name and hosting service to make your site live.
In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through how to migrate a hosted WordPress site to a new domain using the Updraft Migrator plugin.
Steps to Migrate Your Breakdance WordPress Site Using Updraft Migrator
1) Install Updraft Migrator Plugin
Here, you will need to install the Updraft Migrator plugin to your old and new sites.
On your WordPress dashboard, simply head over to Plugins > Add New. Then search and install Updraft Migrator. Another way is to upload the plugin’s .zip file then click ‘Install Now.’
2) Enter the Key Site to Your Second Domain
From where you want to migrate the website, navigate to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups. Then, click the Migrate/ Clone option.
Let’s now send the files to the new domain. First, click ‘Send a backup to another site’ then tap ‘Add a site.’
Next, click ‘Add a site.’ Here, you’ll need to enter the site key of the receiving site.
So, open the WordPress dashboard of your second domain. Go to Settings > Updraft Backups and click the Migrate/ Clone tab.
Within the Migrate section, choose ‘Receive a backup from a remote site.’ Then, click ‘Create key.’
A key is now generated. Copy and paste it to the sending end.
Then, tap ‘Add site.’ Click ok on the pop-up window. Both sites are now connected.
3) Send Your WordPress Files to the Second Domain
Before we proceed, make sure that you have saved your backup files on your source site. To do this, tap the ‘Backup/ Restore’ tab and click ‘Backup Now.’
Within the ‘Send to site’ field, click ‘Send.’ Here, you’ll be presented with two options. Since we are sending a backup file, make sure to click ‘Send existing backup.’
Beside the field with a date, click send.
A table will be displayed with the migrated files and backup date. Once it’s done, refresh.
You should see the backup files sent to your new site. Go ahead and click restore.
4) Import Old Breakdance Settings
If you want to keep your old Breakdance settings into your new site, you’ll need to import them.
To do this, open your old WordPress dashboard and head over to Breakdance > Settings > Tools. Then, download your export file. Note that this will be in JSON format.
The next step is to rebuild your cached files so that they’ll work the same way on your new site. Open your new WordPress admin account. Go to Breakdance > Settings > Tools and tap the Regenerate Cache button.
Finally, import the JSOn file you’ve downloaded. Go to the ‘Import Settings’ section and click ‘Choose File.’
Once you’re done, your new site should now have the same looks and features just like the old one.
5) Update Username and Password (Optional)
Once restoration is complete, you need to sign in to your WordPress account using the same username and password of your old site. This is because the migrated file includes the database of your old website.
Once logged in, you can then change your login details.
I highly recommend using the Easy Username Updater to update your username and password. This makes the process easier because you won’t need to check your database or check your site’s source codes to change them.
Simply search for Easy Username Updater. Click install and activate.
Once you have activated the plugin, head over to Users > Username Updater. On the table, click ‘update’ to change the username.
On the Profile page, change your password by clicking Set New Password under the Account Management section. Enter your new password, then click Update Profile.
Wrapping It Up
Migrating your Breakdance site to its new home doesn’t have to be a nightmare. By using plugins like Updraft Migrator, you can easily move your site to a new host like a pro. You can even retain your old site’s old settings.
Hopefully, you’ve found this guide helpful. Feel free to drop your comments below if you have any questions or just want to share your migration experience. I’d love to hear from you!
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