When the popularity of a free site grows, a webmaster may want to move it to a second-level domain. In this case, he will inevitably face the problem of how to copy the entire site to another domain.
First, make sure the old and new versions of the site are running the same version of the CMS. When installing a new site, you can enter the same administrator name and password as before.
Make sure the new site is up and running and not showing errors. If you have just registered a new domain, the resource may remain unavailable for a certain period of time. Continue with the transfer of your data, as the pages will start to open after the DNS server name is changed.
How the site transfer process works
Remove all directory and content from the new site. Copy the entire content of the old resource to the new one. It will include all themes, plugins and downloadable content (media, for example). You can do this in any way that you like, for example, create an archive from the content of the old site, and using Cpanel, download it to your computer, then upload it to the new site and unpack it. Another way is to use FTP to download old content and re-host it.
Importing a database to a new domain
Open the DB Admin page. Enter the name of the new site and the full path where it is hosted. Save the database from the old resource on your computer.
Open MySQL Database Manager in a new location (PHPMyAdmin most likely). Select the name of the database used for the new site. Select the database structure settings by clicking the "Check All" option. This will clear all database records for the new site. Now select the Import tab and find the file you saved from the old site. Add it to the new base.
Your new site is ready to go and will work under a new name. All links to content and notes will be available at the new addresses. However, the administrator and registered users will be able to log in with the same usernames and passwords. All plugins and sidebars should function as before. In other words, you are completely cloning the old site, but it will now work under the new domain name.
If you are moving to a new hosting at the same time, you must also update the nameserver in your domain manager account. It may take several hours or even a day for the necessary information to be saved.
It is desirable that the old domain remains available for some time. With its help, you can inform the visitors of your resource that the address has been changed by placing an ad on the page.
