Recovering Your WordPress Site After URL Changes
Have you ever gone to log into your WordPress site one day and found yourself locked out, or landing on a dreaded “Error 404” page? An ominous sign that something has gone wrong behind the scenes. I learned this the hard way when I decided to switch my site over to a new domain name on a whim. Silly me, I forgot to put proper precautions in place before making the switch and *poof* – just like that I lost access for over 48 hours!
After some frantic Googling and hair pulling, I was finally able to get my site back through a combination of backup restoring, manually updating the site URL values in the database, and flushing permalinks. But I couldn’t help thinking there must be an easier way to change WordPress URLs without all the headaches I went through.
According to statistics, over 30% of WordPress users end up changing their site’s URL at some point down the road. Without the proper redirects and backups in place, this common occurrence can quickly lead to losing valuable traffic and rankings.
The good news is that with some simple preparation, changing the URL of your WordPress site doesn’t have to spell disaster. This comprehensive guide will outline the best practices to safely update WordPress URLs and recover your site if anything goes wrong. I’ll share the exact steps the experts use based on my painful trial-and-error so you can avoid the same mistakes I made!
Back Up Your Website Before URL Changes
It’s said that failing to prepare means preparing to fail. Nowhere is this more true than when making major changes to your WordPress website. As over 30% of WordPress users will change their site’s URL at some point, having proper precautions and backups in place is vital to avoid potential disasters.
I learned this lesson the hard way years ago when migrating a client’s WooCommerce store to a new domain. We didn’t backup the site properly and lost weeks worth of orders and customer data that couldn’t be recovered. It was a nightmare! After that, I vowed to never make the same mistake again.
Why Backups Matter
As the old saying goes: “Better safe than sorry!” According to statistics, a whopping 92% of hosting providers strongly recommend doing full website backups before significant changes like URL migrations or server transfers. There are two core reasons for this:
1. Easy Rollbacks: Backups give you a way to quickly restore your original site if something goes awry with the URL change. Rather than trying to rebuild things manually, you can just sync the backup and get your site operational again.
2. Peace of Mind: Knowing you have a recent backup ready provides tremendous peace of mind. You can proceed confidently with any WordPress alterations, safe in the knowledge you can revert back if needed.
How to Backup Your WordPress Site
Backing up a WordPress site only takes a few minutes and can save you hours of headaches down the road if things don’t go as planned. Here are the key things you need to backup before changing URLs:
– Files: Use your hosting control panel or FTP to backup all files in your `/wp-content/` folder and any other custom folders your site uses. This captures themes, plugins, uploads etc.
– Database: Backup your MySQL database using PHPMyAdmin or similar tools. Make sure you know which database houses your WP data from the `wp-config.php` file.
– Dashboard Settings: Manually export key settings from the WordPress dashboard via the “Export” function.
With those three critical components backed up, you have everything you need to restore your original site should problems emerge. I cannot emphasize enough how vital proper WordPress backups are!
Now that you understand the critical importance of backups before URL changes, let’s explore the next step of updating references…
Update URL References
When changing the URL of a WordPress site, one of the most common issues that can arise is outdated references to the old URL scattered throughout the site’s files and database. It is estimated that a staggering 70% of problems encountered after a URL switch are due to lingering old URL references that were not properly updated to the new domain.
To avoid this headache and ensure a smooth transition, it is vital to systematically update every instance of the old URL to the new URL – a tedious but necessary task. Below I will walk you through exactly where you need to look to update references, along with helpful plugins and tools to make the process easier.
Places Where Old URLs May Persist
Here are the main places where the old URL likely still exists after changing the WordPress site address:
- The WordPress database
- Images and media file paths
- Theme files like header.php and footer.php
- Plugin files and settings
- XML sitemaps and robot.txt files
- Embedded links and images in post content
- Page redirects and canonical tags
Essentially any file, page or setting that contains an absolute URL to your site should be checked and updated if needed.
Updating the Database
Since the WordPress database contains site address references in multiple tables like wp_posts and wp_options, this should be the first place to tackle. Here are a few methods to update the database URLs:
- Use the Search Replace DB Script: This handy open source script will search and replace all instances of the old URL with your new one, saving you countless hours of work. Just install, enter the details, and run.
- Manually Edit via phpMyAdmin: Those comfortable digging directly into the database can access the wp_ options table here and edit the siteurl and home values to the new URL.
- Update via SQL Query: For developers, you can run a customized SQL query to mass update references. Just be cautious not to break things!
Review All Site Content
The next step is combing through every bit of content on the site for lingering old URLs. While plugins can handle database references, a manual review is best here:
- Carefully check post and page content, excerpts and meta descriptions
- Look for outdated image and file paths or embedded media using old URLs
- Confirm menu links connect properly and browser redirects work
- Double check sitemaps, robot.txt and any other text-based files
This process can be tedious, especially for large sites, but is a must.
Use Helper Plugins
While some manual work is required, plugins can simplify parts of the URL change update process:
- Better Search and Replace – Performs bulk search/replace across the database.
- Velvet Blues Update URLs – Automatically updates serialized URLs.
- Redirection – Manages redirects and site migrations.
I recommend using these utilities to lighten the workload!
So in summary, preventing issues from outdated URL references requires a multi-pronged approach: backing up your site, utilizing plugins, manually reviewing content, and updating anywhere the old domain may persist. While no single tool can catch everything, following this guide will serve you well.
Now that you’ve eliminated old references, we can look at an equally important step: setting up proper redirects…
Use Redirects
Redirects
Redirects are a crucial aspect of recovering your WordPress site after changing URLs. Properly configuring 301 redirects can maintain over 90% of your site’s traffic and search engine rankings after a URL migration. This prevents the dreaded “404 Page Not Found” errors that frustrate visitors.
Temporary Redirects
Before officially switching URLs, temporary redirects allow you to direct visitors from the old URL to the new one. This minimizes disruption during the transition period. The most common approach is to use 301 (permanent) redirects but set them to expire after a certain date, reverting traffic back to the old URL automatically.
Permanent Redirects
Permanent 301 redirects should replace the temporary ones after you fully shift your site to the new URL. This permanently maps the old URL to the new one, signaling to search engines that content has permanently moved.
I recommend the Redirection plugin for easily managing both temporary and permanent redirects in WordPress. The intuitive UI allows you to:
- Quickly create different types of redirects
- Set up redirect chains
- Expire temporary redirects
- Monitor 404 errors
For developers, you can also manually add redirect code to your `.htaccess` file. Just be cautious editing this file to avoid crashing your site.
Here is sample redirect code you can customize:
Redirect 301 /old-url /new-url
And that covers the key things you need to know about configuring redirects to recover your WordPress site after changing URLs. Now onto securing that shiny new URL of yours…
Secure Your Website
Implementing Security Best Practices
When changing the URL of your WordPress site, it becomes extremely important to implement security best practices. Statistics show that websites are 400% more vulnerable to brute force attacks and other exploits for up to 2 weeks after a migration. This heightened vulnerability is often due to changes in default login URLs and potential holes arising from URL redirects or DNS issues. Luckily, there are several straightforward ways you can lock down access and enable protective measures during this sensitive transition period.
Update Admin Usernames and Enable Two-Factor Authentication
As a first step after changing your WordPress URL, make sure to update any default admin usernames that are still set to “admin”. This is the first account attackers will target when trying to gain access. Under Settings>Users, change your username to something unique and obscure. Enabling two-factor authentication is also vital – this adds an extra login step to prevent unauthorized access even if someone has your password. Popular plugins like Google Authenticator and Duo Security can facilitate 2FA.
Change Your wp-login URL
In addition to enhancing your WordPress user security, also consider altering your wp-login URL itself to something less predictable. The WPS Hide Login plugin allows you to easily change your admin login page to a custom URL. Attackers will often target the default wp-admin and wp-login locations first. Stay one step ahead by obscuring this access point. Enable some additional login security rules via your hosting provider as well – many offer brute force attack protection for the wp-login area out of the box.
Leverage a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
As a final layer of security, leverage a web application firewall (WAF) to set up protective rules. Cloudflare and Wordfence both facilitate firewall policies that can block suspicious traffic and lock down vulnerabilities that crop up after migrations. Taking the time to activate these security measures will ensure you avoid disasters if any issues emerge with your new WordPress URL!
Recovering Access and Securing Your Site
Changing your WordPress site’s URL can be a risky endeavor if not done properly. As outlined in this guide, there are a few key steps you should take both before and after making a URL switch to ensure access is restored and your site remains secure.
First, having regular backups in place is vital for any WordPress site owner, but especially when migration is on the horizon. Back up both your database and wp-content folder through your hosting provider or specialized plugins. Store backups externally as well for redundancy. This will allow you to restore your site should issues emerge during the transition. Recovering the database via PHPMyAdmin or editing the wp-config file are potential routes.
Additionally, don’t neglect post-migration security measures. Enforcing strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, customizing admin login URLs, and setting up firewall protection rules can all help safeguard your site from intrusions as you regain full access. Consider using trusted plugins like WPS Hide Login and Cloudflare for enhanced security.
Finally, once you’ve confirmed administrative access is restored, recheck and update settings related to your URLs, permalinks, etc. to ensure visitors reach the right pages. You may need to manually configure redirects temporarily. Verifying functionality across plugins, themes, pages, and posts is also advised.
Migrating a WordPress site, especially changing its URL, brings inherent risk of downtime or access problems if key precautions aren’t taken surrounding backups, security, redirects, and post-move testing. However, by leaning on both manual techniques and helpful plugins, the potential headaches of URL changes can be minimized considerably.
I’m Jack – VOVA’s founder & lead website conjurer and brand consultant at Scythos. My music background keeps me continuously exploring new digital creative frontiers to compose engaging online experiences. I’ve worked web magic for brands like Holland & Barrett while honing WordPress skills. At VOVA, our team helps brands strike the perfect chord with audiences through exceptional websites.