Knowledgebase

Migrating your WordPress site to hostbas.com without downtime ensures a seamless transition, keeping your site accessible to visitors and preserving your search engine rankings. With the Advanced Panel, which supports Softaculous, hostbas.com offers tools to make the process smooth and efficient. This guide walks you through the steps, and our support team is available 24/7 via Live Chat for assistance.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• An active hosting account with hostbas.com.

• Access to your current WordPress site’s files and database (via your old host’s control panel).

• Access to the Advanced Panel on hostbas.com with your login credentials.

• A domain name associated with your hostbas.com account.

• A backup of your current WordPress site (files and database).

Step 1: Create a Full Backup of Your Current WordPress Site

1. Access Your Current Host’s Control Panel: Log in to your existing host’s control panel (e.g., cPanel, Plesk).

2. Backup Files: Use the File Manager or an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla) to download all WordPress files (usually in /public_html or the root directory).

3. Backup Database:

   • Go to your host’s database management tool (e.g., phpMyAdmin).

   • Select your WordPress database, export it as an SQL file, and save it to your local device.

4. Verify Backup: Ensure both the files and database are complete and not corrupted.

Step 2: Set Up Your Domain on hostbas.com

1. Log in to your hostbas.com account.

2. From the main dashboard, access the Advanced Panel using the credentials sent via email upon signup.

3. In the Advanced Panel, go to Domains > Manage Domains and add your domain if not already linked.

4. Update your domain’s DNS settings to point to hostbas.com’s nameservers (available in your account details). Note: To avoid downtime, complete the migration before DNS changes fully propagate (which can take 24–48 hours).

Step 3: Upload Files to hostbas.com

1. In the Advanced Panel, navigate to File Manager.

2. Upload the WordPress files (downloaded in Step 1) to the root directory of your domain (typically /public_html).

3. Alternatively, use an FTP client like FileZilla with your hostbas.com FTP credentials to upload the files.

4. Ensure file permissions are correct (755 for folders, 644 for files) in File Manager to avoid errors.

Step 4: Import the Database

1. In the Advanced Panel, go to MySQL Databases.

2. Create a new database and a new user, then assign the user to the database with full privileges.

3. Access phpMyAdmin from the Advanced Panel.

4. Select the new database and import the SQL file (from Step 1) to restore your WordPress database.

5. Note the database name, username, and password for the next step.

Step 5: Update the WordPress Configuration

1. In the Advanced Panel, use File Manager to locate the wp-config.php file in your WordPress root directory.

2. Edit the file to update the database connection details:

   • Replace DB_NAME with the new database name.

   • Replace DB_USER with the new database username.

   • Replace DB_PASSWORD with the new database password.

   • Ensure DB_HOST is set to localhost (or confirm with hostbas.com support via Live Chat if different).

3. Save the changes.

Step 6: Test the Site in a Staging Environment

1. Before updating DNS, test your site on hostbas.com using a temporary URL provided in the Advanced Panel (e.g., a preview link or server IP).

2. Check for errors like broken links, missing images, or database issues.

3. If issues arise, verify the wp-config.php settings or file permissions, or contact support via Live Chat.

Step 7: Use a Migration Plugin (Optional)

For a simpler process, use a plugin like Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration:

1. On your old host, install the plugin via the WordPress admin panel.

2. Create a migration package (files and database) and download it.

3. On hostbas.com, install WordPress via Softaculous Apps Installer in the Advanced Panel (if not already installed).

4. Install the same migration plugin, upload the package, and follow the plugin’s instructions to restore the site.

5. Verify the site works correctly using the temporary URL.

Step 8: Update DNS to Point to hostbas.com

1. Once the site is fully functional on hostbas.com, update your domain’s DNS nameservers to hostbas.com’s nameservers at your domain registrar.

2. To minimize downtime, ensure all files and the database are correctly set up before DNS propagation.

3. Propagation may take 24–48 hours, but your site should remain accessible via the old host until complete.

Step 9: Verify and Optimize Post-Migration

1. Access your site via its domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) and WordPress admin panel (yourdomain.com/wp-admin).

2. Check for functionality (pages, posts, plugins, themes).

3. Enable a free SSL certificate (Let’s Encrypt) in the Advanced Panel under Security > SSL/TLS to switch to HTTPS.

4. Update URLs in WordPress (if needed) via Settings > General or a plugin like Really Simple SSL.

5. Test site speed with Google PageSpeed Insights and optimize if needed (e.g., enable caching via WP Rocket).

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during migration:

• Site Not Loading: Verify wp-config.php database settings or file permissions (755 for folders, 644 for files).

• Database Errors: Ensure the SQL file was imported correctly in phpMyAdmin.

• Downtime Issues: Check DNS propagation status using tools like WhatsMyDNS. If premature, revert to old host’s nameservers temporarily.

• Plugin Migration Fails: Confirm the migration package is complete or try manual migration.

• Contact our support team via Live Chat on hostbas.com for immediate assistance.

That’s it! Your WordPress site is now migrated to hostbas.com with minimal or no downtime. Reach out via Live Chat for any questions. Enjoy your seamlessly migrated site with hostbas.com!