How to Migrate Your WordPress Site to Swelis Hosting (Step by Step)

Your WordPress site has outgrown its current home. Maybe the support tickets take days, maybe page loads have gotten sluggish, or maybe you just want FTP access that actually works. Whatever brought you here, the migration itself probably feels like the scary part. Moving a live site with years of content, dozens of plugins, and actual traffic — surely that's a recipe for broken links, lost images, and a week of 404 pages?

It doesn't have to be. WordPress migrations are methodical, not mysterious. You back up everything, spin up a fresh install at the destination, import your content, then point DNS to the new server. Each step is reversible until the final DNS switch, and even that can be rolled back in minutes if something goes wrong.

This guide walks through the entire process — from pre-flight checks on your current host to verifying everything works on Swelis. Whether you're coming from SiteGround, Bluehost, GoDaddy, or a VPS you've been babysitting for too long, the steps are the same.

Pre-Migration Checklist

Before you touch anything, gather information from your current site and make sure you have a complete backup. Rushing past this step is how migrations turn into disasters.

Document Your Current Setup

Log into your existing WordPress admin and note these details:

The permalink structure matters most for SEO. If your current site uses /%postname%/ and the new site defaults to /?p=123, every inbound link and search result breaks. Write it down.

Audit Your Plugins

Not every plugin needs to come with you. This is a good time to deactivate anything you installed "to try out" three years ago. Fewer plugins means a faster migration, smaller backup files, and less chance of compatibility issues on the new server.

For the plugins you keep, check version compatibility. If a plugin hasn't been updated in two years and doesn't list compatibility with your WordPress version, consider whether you actually need it or whether a maintained alternative exists.

Take a Full Backup

You need a backup that includes:

• All WordPress files (wp-content, wp-includes, wp-admin, root files like wp-config.php)
• The MySQL database (all tables, including custom ones from plugins)
• Any custom configurations outside WordPress (.htaccess, server-level redirects)

There are two ways to do this: a plugin-based export or a manual file/database dump. The plugin route is easier; the manual route gives you more control and works even if your WordPress admin is inaccessible.

Exporting from Your Current Host

Option A: All-in-One WP Migration Plugin

This is the simplest approach for most sites under 500 MB (the free version limit).

1. Install and activate the All-in-One WP Migration plugin on your current site
2. Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Export
3. Click "Export To" and choose "File"
4. Wait for the export to complete (this can take a few minutes for larger sites)
5. Download the .wpress file to your local machine

The exported file contains everything: database, media uploads, themes, plugins, and configuration. You'll import this file on the new server.

If your site exceeds 500 MB, you can either purchase the premium extension or use the manual method below.

Option B: Manual Export (FTP + phpMyAdmin)

For larger sites or when you need more control:

Export the database:

1. Log into phpMyAdmin on your current host (usually via cPanel or your host's control panel)
2. Select your WordPress database from the left sidebar
3. Click the "Export" tab
4. Choose "Quick" export method with "SQL" format
5. Click "Go" to download the .sql file

Download your files:

1. Connect to your current server via FTP (FileZilla, Cyberduck, or your preferred client)
2. Navigate to your WordPress installation directory
3. Download the entire directory to your local machine — all of it, including wp-content, wp-includes, and root files

This may take a while depending on how many media files you have. A site with thousands of images can be 10+ GB.

Keep both the database export and the file download somewhere safe. You now have a complete, portable copy of your WordPress site.

Setting Up WordPress on Swelis

Now for the destination. You'll create a fresh WordPress installation on Swelis, then import your content into it.

One-Click WordPress Install

Swelis offers a one-click WordPress deployment that handles the server configuration for you. From your Swelis dashboard:

1. Click "Create New Service" and select WordPress
2. Choose your resources (RAM, storage) based on your site's needs
3. Click "Deploy"

Within a minute or two, you'll have a running WordPress installation with:

• A dedicated public IP address
• FTP credentials for direct file access
• A working WordPress admin URL

The dashboard shows you the admin login URL immediately after deployment. Log in and verify the installation is working before proceeding.

Get Your FTP Credentials

For the migration, you'll need FTP access. Simply check your email for one titled "Your FTP credentials".

You can also use the built-in file manager for smaller operations, but FTP is faster for bulk uploads.

Importing Your Content

With a fresh WordPress running on Swelis and your backup ready, it's time to move everything over.

If You Used All-in-One WP Migration

1. Install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin on your new Swelis WordPress site
2. Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Import
3. Upload your .wpress file (drag and drop or click to browse)
4. Wait for the import to complete
5. When prompted, click "Proceed" to confirm the import

The plugin will overwrite the fresh installation with your migrated content. After the import finishes, go to Settings > Permalinks and click "Save Changes" (even without changing anything) to regenerate the .htaccess rules.

Log out and log back in using your old site's credentials — the import replaced the user database, so the temporary admin account from the fresh install no longer exists.

If You Used Manual Export

This takes more steps but works for any size site.

Upload your files:

1. Connect to your Swelis server via FTP using the credentials from earlier
2. Navigate to the WordPress root directory
3. Delete the default wp-content folder (or rename it to wp-content-backup)
4. Upload your exported wp-content folder
5. Upload wp-config.php, .htaccess, and any other root-level files you customized (but don't overwrite the Swelis-generated wp-config.php yet)

Import the database:

1. Open the Swelis control panel and go to your WordPress service
2. Access phpMyAdmin (or use the database credentials to connect via a MySQL client)
3. Select the WordPress database
4. Go to the "Import" tab
5. Upload your .sql export file
6. Click "Go" to import

Update wp-config.php:

Your old wp-config.php has database credentials for your previous host. You need to update it with the Swelis database details:

define('DB_NAME', 'your_swelis_database');
define('DB_USER', 'your_swelis_db_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_swelis_db_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

Get these values from the Swelis dashboard under your service's database settings.

Update site URLs (if testing before DNS cutover):

If your Swelis server is using a temporary URL or IP address while you test, update the WordPress URLs in the database:

UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'http://your-temp-url' WHERE option_name = 'siteurl';
UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'http://your-temp-url' WHERE option_name = 'home';

Replace your-temp-url with the actual URL. Remember to change these back to your real domain before going live.

DNS Cutover Without Downtime

This is the part that makes people nervous. But if you prepare correctly, the actual switch takes seconds and the site never goes down.

Lower Your TTL in Advance

DNS records have a TTL (time to live) that tells resolvers how long to cache the record. If your current TTL is 86400 (24 hours), that means after you update DNS, some visitors will still see the old server for up to a day.

At least 24-48 hours before migration:

1. Log into your domain registrar or DNS provider
2. Find your A record for the domain (and www subdomain if applicable)
3. Lower the TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes)

This doesn't change where the domain points — it just tells DNS resolvers to check back more frequently. When you do switch the IP, the change propagates in minutes instead of hours.

Update the A Record

Once your Swelis site is fully tested and ready:

1. Get your Swelis server's public IP from the control panel
2. In your DNS settings, update the A record to point to the new IP
3. If you have a www subdomain, update that too (or use a CNAME pointing to the root domain)

Example DNS configuration:

Replace 185.203.120.XX with your actual Swelis IP.

Verify the Switch

After updating DNS, verify the change is propagating:

dig yourdomain.com +short

You should see your new Swelis IP address. If you still see the old IP, wait a few minutes and try again — or use a different DNS resolver to check:

dig @8.8.8.8 yourdomain.com +short

Once DNS is pointing to Swelis, visit your site in a browser. Clear your cache first, or use an incognito window. Check:

• Homepage loads correctly
• Admin dashboard is accessible
• A few random posts/pages work
• Images display properly
• Forms submit without errors

If everything looks good, your migration is complete.

Troubleshooting Common Migration Issues

Even careful migrations sometimes hit snags. Here's how to fix the most common ones.

Broken Internal Links or Missing Images

This usually happens when the site URL in the database doesn't match the actual domain. WordPress stores full URLs in the database, not relative paths.

Fix: Use a search-replace tool to update URLs in the database. The Better Search Replace plugin does this safely:

1. Install Better Search Replace on the new site
2. Search for your old URL (e.g., https://oldhost.example.com)
3. Replace with your new URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com)
4. Run on all tables
5. Check "dry run" first to see what would change

Mixed Content Warnings (HTTP/HTTPS)

If your old site used HTTP and the new site uses HTTPS (or vice versa), browsers will block "mixed content" — HTTP resources loaded on an HTTPS page.

Fix: Run the same search-replace as above, but specifically replacing http://yourdomain.com with https://yourdomain.com.

Permalinks Return 404 Errors

WordPress permalinks depend on .htaccess rules that route requests to index.php. If these rules are missing or incorrect, every page except the homepage returns a 404.

Fix: Go to Settings > Permalinks in WordPress admin and click "Save Changes" without modifying anything. This regenerates the .htaccess file.

Serialized Data Corruption

WordPress stores some data in serialized PHP format. Simple find-replace in the database can corrupt this because serialized data includes string length counts.

Fix: Use a serialization-aware tool like Better Search Replace or WP-CLI's search-replace command instead of raw SQL queries.

Plugin License Issues

Some premium plugins are licensed to a specific domain or server. After migration, they may show as unlicensed.

Fix: Log into the plugin vendor's site and update your license to the new domain. Most vendors allow this; some have a limit on how often you can switch.

After Migration: First-Day Checklist

Once the site is live on Swelis, take a few minutes to set up for ongoing success.

Enable automatic backups. Swelis includes automatic backup rotation — verify it's configured for your WordPress service. You can also take manual backups before major changes.

Test your contact forms. Send a test submission through every form on the site. Email delivery issues are common after server changes.

Check your caching. If you use a caching plugin, clear all caches and verify pages are serving fresh content.

Monitor for errors. Watch your server logs and WordPress error logs for the first few days. Issues that didn't appear in testing sometimes surface under real traffic.

Update your old host. Once you've confirmed everything works, cancel your old hosting account. But wait at least a week — keep it as a fallback until you're confident the migration is complete.

Quick Reference

Total estimated time: 2-4 hours depending on site size, with most of that being file transfers.

Related Guides

• Deploy WordPress or Joomla in Under 2 Minutes — the quick-start for fresh WordPress installations on Swelis
• A Complete Tour of the Swelis Control Panel — get familiar with the dashboard, file manager, FTP, and service settings
• Backup Strategies for Game Servers and Websites — automatic backups, manual snapshots, and how to restore when things go wrong
• How to Add a Custom Domain to Your Minecraft Server — while aimed at Minecraft, the DNS concepts (A records, TTL, SRV records) apply to any service
• How to Optimize Server and Website Performance — once you're migrated, squeeze more speed out of your WordPress site