WordPress Migration

Overview

Moving an existing WordPress site to Always ON involves three steps:

  1. Export your site from your current host
  2. Create a new site on Always ON
  3. Import your content

Step 1: Export from Your Current Host

We recommend using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin:

  1. Log in to your existing WordPress admin
  2. Go to Plugins > Add New, search for "All-in-One WP Migration"
  3. Install and activate the plugin
  4. Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Export
  5. Click Export To > File
  6. Download the .wpress file when ready
Tip: The free version supports exports up to a certain size. For larger sites, consider using the "Exclude spam comments" and "Exclude post revisions" options to reduce file size.

Step 2: Create Your Site on Always ON

  1. Go to your dashboard and click "+ New Site"
  2. Enter your domain name and other details
  3. Wait for the deployment to complete
  4. Set up DNS to point to our server (see DNS Setup)

Step 3: Import Your Content

  1. Click "WP Admin" on your site's detail page to access WordPress
  2. Install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin on the new site
  3. Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Import
  4. Upload your .wpress export file
  5. Confirm the import when prompted
  6. After import, go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save (to refresh rewrite rules)

After Migration

  • Check your site: Visit your domain and verify all pages load correctly
  • Update permalinks: Go to Settings > Permalinks, click Save Changes
  • Check images: Verify media files are displaying correctly
  • Test forms: If you use contact forms, send a test submission
  • SSL: If your site shows SSL errors, use the "Fix SSL" button

DNS Switch Strategy

For zero-downtime migration:

  1. Create and import your site on Always ON using a temporary subdomain
  2. Verify everything works
  3. Update the site's domain in Always ON to your real domain
  4. Switch your DNS A record to point to server-ip-addr
  5. Redeploy the site to update SSL for the new domain

Need Help?

If you run into issues during migration, contact us at support@alwayson.host.