Developing wordpress then moving (plugin questions)

[gregpayette]

I've never developed a site that wasn't on the root server where it would stay.

But it's something I need to do. Just not sure how that works.

A couple of questions (for the smart developer people...because frankly, I can't call myself a developer):

-Is this what I'd use either backup buddy or WP migrate for? It seems it...I'm just scared/worried I'll build a whole site on wordpress and go to move it and completely mess something up. In my pre-Wordpress days, moving a site seemed easy. Now, it just hurts my head thinking about it.

#2: I have a bunch of friend's and family's sites as "add-ons" through Bluehost. I'd like to move them all to my new host, then break them apart on their own (if this is even necessary...I'm not sure). Is this something I'd be able to do with one of the plugins mentioned above?

Thanks so much for the help.

Greg

[nutsandbolts]

Yes, this is a case for BackupBuddy (which is my favorite plugin ever, by the way). The good thing is that you can make a complete backup, and if something goes wrong during the move, the development site is still sitting there and you haven't lost anything. So take deep breaths and know that it can't get completely broken because you'll have a working copy.

Now, all that said, if the site already exists and you're just changing the design, you won't want to use a migration solution because it will overwrite the entire site. If you just need to move the design, just download the theme folder via FTP, zip it, and upload it to the live site.

It's not necessary to split up the addon domains unless you want a reseller account where everyone has his/her own CPanel. If you plan to keep allowing your friends and family to use your hosting account, you can leave them just as they are now (reseller accounts are quite a bit more expensive). If your new host has CPanel, they can just move your entire account over and all the sites will come with it. The one drawback to BackupBuddy and plugins like it is that you can't use them to move CPanel settings, email accounts, etc. - definitely check with your new host to see if they'll migrate all the sites for you, since most decent hosts do it for free.

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Andrea Whitmer, Owner/Developer, Nuts and Bolts Media
I provide development and training services for designers • Find me on Twitter and Google+

[gregpayette]

Thanks Andrea. I think I'll give it a try. Host is going to move for me so goal would be for backup and developing on my site, then moving to client's site. I watched some videos on the backup buddy site last night. Seems pretty easy.

Thank you,

Greg

[samjolman]

Andrea, this is all super helpful! So glad I found this post. I'm asking some similar questions.

I have a current WP site using the original Minimum theme. And I am converting to the newer Minimum theme to get mobile responsive stuff. So I currently have the new them uploaded here: http://www.samjolman.com/temp and the old one at http://www.samjolman.com.

A few more questions:
1. When I move the theme folder, what will come with that? Does any content come with it? Plugins, pictures?
2. Will all my blog posts still be the same on the original/root website? I don't want to lose any comments, social likes/tweets or link backs, etc. Do I need to worry about this?

Thank you so much!

[nutsandbolts]

Hi Sam,

The theme folder will only move your theme files, so it won't include any content or plugins. What I usually do is download the folder to my desktop, zip the whole folder, and upload under Appearance > Themes like any other theme.

Unfortunately that means you'll need to go in and configure all your widget areas, install any new plugins, etc. But since you're just switching themes, all your content, social shares, etc. will remain intact.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!

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Andrea Whitmer, Owner/Developer, Nuts and Bolts Media
I provide development and training services for designers • Find me on Twitter and Google+

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