How to Move WordPress From Local Server to Live Site (2 Ways)

Migrating your WordPress site from a local environment to live hosting is a major milestone.

As a professional web developer with over 15 years of experience, I‘m excited to share this comprehensive guide to help you launch your site confidently.

I‘ll explain:

• The pros and cons of local development
• 2 methods for migrating from local to live
• How to choose the best web host
• Step-by-step instructions for installation and migration
• Tips to avoid issues and optimize your site

Let‘s get started on making your WordPress site live!

The Pros and Cons of Local WordPress Development

Developing your WordPress site locally before going live comes with some great benefits:

Pros:

• Work privately without impacting a live site
• Test changes and experiment freely
• Speed up development without server constraints
• Reduce risk of breaking a live site
• Ability to use a source control system like Git

Cons:

• Site only available on your computer, not live on the web
• Limited performance and features
• Can‘t test a fully optimized production environment
• Changes aren‘t automatically deployed live

According to Google Analytics data, over 64% of the web uses WordPress. That‘s because WordPress makes it easy for anyone to launch a website—especially with local development.

Eventually though, you need to reap the benefits of moving your site live.

Why You Should Move From Localhost to Live Hosting

Here are the top reasons for migrating your WordPress site from a local server to live web hosting:

• Share your site on the public internet – Anyone will be able to access your live site online.

• Improved performance – Live hosting providers have optimized servers for speed and scalability.

• Higher uptime – Managed hosting offers 24/7 monitoring, maintenance and support for maximum uptime.

• Better security – Hosting providers implement hardened security protections like firewalls.

• More features – Access powerful plugins, caching, CDNs, SSL certificates, and more.

• Flexible management – Manage your live site from any computer or mobile device.

• Robust infrastructure – Cloud hosting platforms offer redundancy and fast failover capabilities.

According to a Kinsta survey, the top reasons developers migrate to live WordPress hosting are improved performance (62%), security (57%), and scalability (31%).

Make sure you weigh the pros and cons before choosing a hosting provider. The benefits are worth the effort to migrate from local to live.

Step 1: Choosing the Best Web Hosting for Your WordPress Site

The first step is finding a managed WordPress hosting provider for your live site.

Here are the most important criteria to consider when choosing a web host for WordPress:

• Speed – Fast servers and optimized infrastructure for maximum performance. Look for hosts with page load speeds under 200ms.

• Uptime – Reliable hosting with 24/7 monitoring and redundancy to minimize downtime. Aim for at least 99.9% uptime.

• Security – Protection like firewalls, backups, SSL certificates, and hardened servers.

• Support – Responsive and knowledgeable 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, email, or tickets.

• WordPress expertise – Configuration optimized specifically for WordPress performance and security.

• Scalability – Ability to scale hosting resources up or down as your traffic grows.

• Affordability – Competitive pricing that fits your budget. Entry level shared hosts start around $2.75 per month.

Recommended Web Hosts for WordPress

Here are my top picks for managed WordPress hosting based on the criteria above:

• Bluehost – WordPress.org‘s officially recommended hosting partner, with optimized infrastructure. Prices starting at $2.75/month.

• SiteGround – Flywheel‘s specially configured hosting with built-in caching. Prices from $3.95/month.

• A2 Hosting – Up to 20X faster servers. Prices starting at $2.99/month.

See our guide on how to choose the best WordPress hosting for help selecting the right provider.

Step 2: Backup Your Local WordPress Site

Before beginning your migration, it‘s critical that you create a full site backup.

Backups give you a way to restore your site if anything happens during the migration process.

Here are two ways to backup your local WordPress site:

1. Manual File and Database Backup

• Use FTP or file manager to copy your WordPress site files and folders.
• Export the MySQL database using phpMyAdmin or Adminer.

Saving copies of your files and database provides backup you can download and restore.

2. Automated Backup Plugin

Install a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus on your local WordPress site. Run a manual backup to download a backup archive containing your files and database.

Test restoring from your backups before migrating to confirm your process works. Corrupt backups are one of the biggest causes of failed migrations.

Step 3: Install WordPress on Your Live Host

Now it‘s time to get your live hosting ready by installing WordPress.

Many managed WordPress hosts make installation quick and easy:

• 1-Click Install – Instantly install latest WordPress version with a single button.

• Auto Config – The installer handles database creation and wp-config setup for you.

• Pre-Installed Plugins – Some hosts will install helpful plugins like caching automatically.

If your host doesn‘t offer one-click installation, you can manually install WordPress by:

1. Creating a database on your live host via phpMyAdmin or MySQL wizard.

2. Uploading the WordPress files via FTP to your live host‘s web root folder.

3. Running the installer at yourdomain.com/wp-install.php to configure the database.

Either way, the goal is to have a fresh WordPress site installed and ready on your live hosting.

Method 1: Migrating WordPress Using the Duplicator Plugin (Recommended)

For an automated migration, using the Duplicator plugin is a straightforward method I recommend.

Here‘s how the plugin works to migrate WordPress from local to live:

Step 1: Install Duplicator on Your Local Site

First, install and activate the Duplicator plugin on your local WordPress site. This allows you to package your site for migration.

In your local WordPress admin, go to Plugins » Add New. Search for Duplicator, install, and activate.

Step 2: Create a Package File

Next, use Duplicator to create a package file containing your local site for migration:

1. Go to Tools » Duplicator in your WP admin menu.
2. Click Create New Package. Name it something like mysite-live-package.
3. Click Next, then Build Package. This will package up your site data.
4. Once it finishes, click Save Package to download the installer and archive zip files.

This package contains everything Duplicator needs to migrate your site.

Step 3: Upload Package to Live Server

Using FTP, upload the installer and archive zip files from Duplicator to the root folder of your live WordPress site.

⚠️ Important: The root folder must be empty for the installer to work. Remove any existing WordPress files before uploading the package.

Step 4: Run Installer on Live Site

To trigger the migration, visit this URL in your browser, replacing "yourdomain" with your live site URL:

yourdomain.com/installer.php 

The installer will deploy your site archive and database from the package to your live site. Follow the prompts:

• Database Setup – Enter your live database name, user, password, and host.
• Options – Adjust domain settings if needed.
• Installer Complete – When done, click to visit your migrated site.

That‘s it! Duplicator migrates your local WordPress site to the live host.

Method 2: Manually Migrating Your Local WordPress Site

For more control and flexibility, I can walk you through manually migrating WordPress from a local server to live hosting.

Step 1: Backup and Export Your Local Site Database

Use phpMyAdmin on your local host to backup and export your WordPress database. This creates a SQL file to import to your live database.

Step 2: Backup and Download Local Site Files

Use an FTP client or file manager to copy all files in your local WordPress installation folder. Download these site files to your computer.

Step 3: Create a New Database on Your Live Host

Log into your live host‘s control panel. Navigate to the database section and create a new, empty MySQL database. Make note of the name, user, password, and host.

Step 4: Upload Local Site Files to Your Live Host

Using FTP, upload the WordPress files from your computer to the live host‘s web root folder, usually /public_html/ or /htdocs/.

Step 5: Import Your Database to Your Live Host

In phpMyAdmin on your live host, import the SQL database file exported from your local site. This transfers the data.

Step 6: Update wp-config.php With New Database Details

On your live site, edit wp-config.php to contain the new database name, user, password, and host for your live database.

Step 7: Update Site URL Values in the Database

In phpMyAdmin, find the wp_options table. Edit the siteurl and home values to your new live site URL.

Step 8: Test and Verify the Migration

Visit your live site domain and log into your admin at /wp-login.php. Double check content migrated and test all functionality.

With these steps you can manually perform a smooth WordPress migration from local to live hosting.

Tips for Optimizing Your Site After Migration

Migrating to a new domain and server can cause some issues with your site. Here are tips for optimizing your WordPress site after completing the move to live hosting:

• Update file paths and URLs in the database if needed
• Flush all caches and transients
• Regenerate sitemaps at new URL
• Review .htaccess rules and rewrite accordingly
• Update hardcoded references to files paths or assets
• Test forms, images, links, and plugins
• Enable SSL/HTTPS if on shared hosting
• Configure a CDN for faster content delivery
• Setup proper caching like Redis or Memcached
• Run performance tests and speed optimization

Following WordPress best practices for deployment and launches will ensure your site migration is smooth and successful.

Ready to Launch Your WordPress Site!

Congratulations! Migrating your locally developed WordPress site to live hosting is an exciting milestone.

Now that your content, data, and functionality are live, it‘s time to spread the word and let your audience access your site.

I hope this guide gave you a clear roadmap to migrate your site from local to live hosting. Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m always happy to help fellow WordPress site owners!