How to Migrate Your Website to WP Engine

Migrating your website to a new hosting provider can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. WP Engine, a premium managed WordPress hosting platform, offers powerful features, superior performance, and top-notch security. This guide will walk you through the process of migrating your website to WP Engine, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free transition.

Why Choose WP Engine?

Before diving into the migration process, it’s important to understand why WP Engine is a preferred choice for WordPress websites. Here are some of the key benefits:

Superior Performance: WP Engine uses a high-performance architecture specifically optimized for WordPress, ensuring faster load times and better overall site performance. Features like EverCache technology and a global CDN (Content Delivery Network) help deliver content quickly to users around the world.
Robust Security: WP Engine offers advanced security features, including daily malware scans, automated backups, and a dedicated security team. The platform also provides proactive threat detection and resolution, ensuring your website remains secure.
Expert Support: WP Engine provides 24/7 support from WordPress experts. Whether you need help with technical issues or advice on optimizing your site, their knowledgeable support team is always available.
Scalability: As your website grows, WP Engine can scale to accommodate increased traffic and resource demands. The platform offers various plans and add-ons to meet the needs of websites of all sizes.
Developer-Friendly Tools: WP Engine offers a range of developer-friendly tools, such as SSH access, Git integration, and a staging environment. These tools make it easier for developers to build, test, and deploy updates.

Pre-Migration Checklist

Before migrating your website, it’s important to prepare thoroughly. This pre-migration checklist will help ensure a smooth transition:

Review Your Current Hosting Environment: Understand the specifications and configurations of your current hosting environment. Take note of the PHP version, database details, and any custom configurations that may need to be replicated on WP Engine.
Audit Your Website: Conduct a thorough audit of your website to identify any potential issues that could impact the migration. Check for broken links, outdated plugins, and any other issues that need to be addressed before migrating.
Gather Credentials: Ensure you have all necessary credentials for both your current hosting provider and WP Engine. This includes FTP/SFTP access, database login details, and admin access to your WordPress dashboard.
Update DNS Settings: Prepare to update your DNS settings to point to WP Engine after the migration. Ensure you have access to your domain registrar or DNS management service.
Plan for Downtime: Although WP Engine strives to minimize downtime, some interruption may be inevitable during the migration process. Plan for this downtime and notify your users or customers in advance.

Backup Your Website

Before starting the migration, it’s crucial to create a complete backup of your website. This ensures that you have a fallback option in case anything goes wrong during the migration process.

Manual Backup
1. Files Backup: Use an FTP client (such as FileZilla) to download all your website files from the current host. Connect to your server, navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation, and download all files and folders
2. Database Backup: Access your hosting control panel (such as cPanel) and use phpMyAdmin to export your database. Select your WordPress database, click on “Export,” choose the “Quick” method, and download the SQL file.
Plugin-Based Backup: Alternatively, you can use a WordPress backup plugin like UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, or Duplicator to create a complete backup of your website. These plugins allow you to easily back up both your files and database with just a few clicks.

Setting Up WP Engine

Once you have backed up your website, it’s time to set up your new WP Engine account.

Sign Up for WP Engine: If you haven’t already, sign up for a WP Engine account. Choose the plan that best suits your needs based on your website’s traffic, storage requirements, and other factors.
Create a New Environment: After signing up, log in to your WP Engine dashboard and create a new environment for your website. This environment will serve as your new hosting space on WP Engine.
Install WordPress: WP Engine will automatically install WordPress for you when you create a new environment. You can access your new WordPress installation from the WP Engine dashboard.
Configure Environment Settings: Customize your environment settings based on your requirements. This includes setting the PHP version, enabling or disabling specific features, and configuring caching settings.
Set Up a Staging Environment: WP Engine offers a staging environment that allows you to test your website before going live. Create a staging environment to ensure everything works correctly after the migration.

Migrating Your Website

With your WP Engine environment set up, it’s time to migrate your website. WP Engine provides a migration plugin that simplifies this process.

Install the WP Engine Automated Migration Plugin: In your current WordPress site, go to the Plugins menu and click “Add New.” Search for the “WP Engine Automated Migration” plugin and install it. Activate the plugin once installed.
Initiate the Migration: Go to the WP Engine Automated Migration plugin settings in your WordPress dashboard. Enter your WP Engine SFTP credentials and select the destination environment. The plugin will guide you through the migration process, transferring your files and database to WP Engine.
Verify the Migration: Once the migration is complete, verify that all your files and data have been transferred correctly. Check your website’s content, functionality, and design to ensure everything is working as expected.
Update DNS Settings: After verifying the migration, update your DNS settings to point to your new WP Engine environment. This involves changing the A record in your DNS settings to the IP address provided by WP Engine. Note that DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally.

Post-Migration Steps

After migrating your website to WP Engine, there are several important steps to take to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Test Your Website: Thoroughly test your website to ensure all pages, links, and functionalities are working correctly. Pay special attention to forms, e-commerce functionality, and any custom features.
Reconfigure Plugins and Themes: Some plugins and themes may require reconfiguration after the migration. Ensure all plugins and themes are updated and configured correctly to work with your new hosting environment.
Check Permalinks: Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings > Permalinks. Click “Save Changes” to refresh your permalinks structure. This can help resolve any issues with broken links or 404 errors.
Set Up SSL: If you were using an SSL certificate on your previous host, ensure it’s properly configured on WP Engine. WP Engine provides free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt, or you can install a custom SSL certificate.
Enable Caching: WP Engine includes advanced caching features to improve your site’s performance. Ensure that caching is enabled and configured correctly in your WP Engine dashboard.
Update Analytics and Tracking: Update any analytics and tracking codes (such as Google Analytics) to ensure they are correctly integrated with your new environment. This will ensure you continue to receive accurate data and insights.
‘Monitor Performance: Keep an eye on your website’s performance and monitor for any issues. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom to test your site’s speed and performance.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Even with careful planning, issues can arise during or after the migration. Here are some common problems and how to troubleshoot them:

DNS Propagation Delay: DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate. If your site isn’t loading after updating DNS settings, wait for the propagation to complete. You can use online tools like “What’s My DNS” to check the status.
Missing Files or Data: If some files or data are missing after the migration, double-check your backup and re-upload the missing items. Use the WP Engine SFTP credentials to manually transfer any missing files.
Broken Links: If you encounter broken links, check your permalinks settings and refresh them as mentioned earlier. Use a plugin like Broken Link Checker to identify and fix broken links.
Plugin or Theme Conflicts: Some plugins or themes may conflict with the new environment. Disable all plugins and re-enable them one by one to identify the problematic plugin. Update or replace any incompatible plugins or themes.
Performance Issues: If your site is experiencing performance issues, review your caching settings and optimize your site accordingly. Use performance monitoring tools to identify and address bottlenecks.

Migrating your website to WP Engine can significantly enhance your site’s performance, security, and scalability. WP Engine offers a robust and reliable hosting solution for WordPress websites, making it an excellent choice for businesses and individuals looking. TechHouse Agency is a certified WP Engine partner. Contact us today for your free estimate.