Migrating Your Website to Cloudways: A Simplified Step-by-Step Guide

Ensuring your website’s performance, security, and reliability is paramount. One way to achieve this is by choosing a trusted hosting platform like Cloudways. If you’ve decided to make the move but are unsure of the migration process, you’re in the right place! Here, we’ll walk you through the steps to seamlessly migrate your website to Cloudways, with a primary focus on their easy-to-use migration plugin.

1. Sign Up & Select Your Server

• Step 1: If you haven’t already, create an account on Cloudways.
• Step 2: Log in and choose the server application (e.g., WordPress).
• Step 3: Pick your desired server size and location.

2. Install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin

Migrating with the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin simplifies the process:

• Step 4: On your existing WordPress site, navigate to the ‘Plugins’ section and click ‘Add New’.
• Step 5: Search for ‘Cloudways WordPress Migrator’ and install the plugin.
• Step 6: Once installed, activate the plugin.

3. Configure the Migrator Plugin

• Step 7: Within your WordPress dashboard, find the Cloudways Migrate tool.
• Step 8: Fill in the required fields:
  • Destination Site URL: Your Cloudways server’s public IP.
  • Database Name: The name of the database on Cloudways.
  • Server Public IP Address: Found on your Cloudways dashboard.
  • SFTP Username & Password: These credentials are available on your Cloudways dashboard.

4. Begin the Migration

• Step 9: Once all fields are filled, click the ‘Migrate’ button.
• Step 10: The plugin will now start transferring your website to Cloudways. This process might take some time depending on your website’s size, so patience is key.

5. Update Domain Settings

• Step 11: After migration, point your domain to your new Cloudways server. Update your domain’s DNS settings and replace the old IP address with your Cloudways server’s IP address.

6. Test Your Site

• Step 12: Before you make everything live, it’s essential to test your site to ensure everything migrated correctly:
  1. Check website pages to ensure they load correctly.
  2. Test the website forms, if any.
  3. Ensure images and other media files are displaying as they should.
  4. Check website functionalities like search, filters, etc.

Optional: Manual Migration

If, for some reason, you prefer not to use the migration plugin or encounter any issues:

• Step 1: Export your website’s database from your old host.
• Step 2: Zip your website files.
• Step 3: Use an SFTP client like FileZilla to upload the zipped files to your Cloudways server.
• Step 4: Import your database to the new server using phpMyAdmin.

Conclusion

Migrating might seem daunting, but with tools like the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin, the process becomes much more manageable. Remember, a successful migration is the first step to ensure your website’s enhanced performance, security, and scalability on a platform as robust as Cloudways.

This guide is designed to provide clear, non-technical steps, making the migration process straightforward and less intimidating for users. If you encounter any issues, always consider reaching out to Cloudways’ support for expert assistance.

If you need assistance with migrating your site, reach out to WP Mantis, they offer a migration service!