Moving your site to another host

Your own domain

The Your own domain card is on your site page once the site has finished building.

1. Type your domain without https:// and without www. Click Add domain.
2. The card shows two DNS records: an A record named @ and a CNAME record named www. Each has a Copy button. Add both where you bought the domain.
3. Click Check DNS. Each record shows Pointed or Not pointed, with what DNS returned.
4. When both are pointed, click Connect domain.

The card then reads "Connecting…". You can leave the page while it works. When it is done, the card shows the domain as Live with the date the certificate was issued.

Once live:

• Your site answers on your domain with its own certificate.
• www forwards to the domain without www.
• Your preview address forwards to your domain.
• View Site, Open WP Admin and the Site agent use your domain.

If connecting fails, the card shows the reason. Fix the records, click Check DNS, then Connect domain again.

To take the domain off, click Remove domain. The site goes back to its preview address.

Moving to another host

Your dashboard has no export or download button. To move the WordPress site to another company's server, use a WordPress migration plugin, as you would for any WordPress site.

The WordPress Access card on your site page has the admin username and password. Open WP Admin opens the sign-in page. That account is the site's WordPress administrator, so it can install plugins.

Before you start

• If your domain is connected through Your own domain, click Remove domain first, so the domain is free to point at the new host.
• Keep the site here until the copy on the new host works.

Steps

1. Sign in to WP Admin with the details on the WordPress Access card.
2. Install a migration plugin and follow its steps to copy the site to the new host.
3. Check the copy on the new host: pages, images, menu and contact form.
4. Point your domain at the new host.
5. On your site page, click Update it here next to "Migrated to a different domain?" and enter the new domain. See Using the Agent tab after you move your site.

On the moved copy

• The preview banner and the "preview ended" cover show only while the site runs on our hosting. On another host they do not show.
• Leads from the contact form are still saved in WordPress. The WordPress email is sent by the new host's mail setup.