Building a wp site before pointing the domain at it

I would recommend installing WordPress in your computer – using XAMPP or MAMP depending on whether you’re using PC or Mac respectively. You can install WP in USB drive too. That way, the issues that sometimes arise from installing WordPress in subdirectory and moving to root won’t be a factor.

When you’ve reconstructed your site in WP wherever you installed it locally, you can export the XML file from your computer/USB drive and import it to your new WP install in your webhost.

That works for me, up to you what you want to do ??

Build the site as you suggest and once all is to your liking point your old site to the new location.

Best way to do this is take https://www.mysite.com to your new host and add it on as an addon domain pointing to the new installation, i.e /public_html if installed in the root folder or /public_html/folder-name if installed in subfolder.

You may have to make some adjustments here and there to get it all working properly but those would be minor adjustments.

Hi ZGani,

Many thanks, after reading all the hassles people have had moving stuff I can’t believe it’s that simple. Two questions, is there any difference between an add-on domain and a bog standard domain?

Normally I install WP in a sub folder and then change the location of index.php via the settings so that it appears in the root folder. In that instance am I right in assuming that I would point add-on domain to public_html rather than the sub folder?

Sorry for late reply – been away.

An add-on domain functions just like a stand alone blog/site – although it points to a folder within your hosting account (public_html) in the address bar it appears as if it is the main domain.

Your approach of setting up your blog(s) will work just fine with an add-on domain.

I’m doing the same thing, building a new site here prior to dropping the existing host.

Question: Why not just build the site on the new host, as if there were no existing site, and access the development site by specifying an entry in the local hosts file? Except for the minor annoyance of having to comment out the entry when I want to hit the live site, this seems like a pretty good solution.

I’m certainly no expert in this area, so would appreciate a heads up if I’m missing something important.

I know that changing the local host file only works for me, and means no one else can view the development site unless they change their own host file.

Here’s a second question, about a second option:

I read somewhere (sorry, whomever you are, I lost the link) that you can change the siteurl and home entries in the wp_options table to point to the development instance and then switch it over just before you’re ready to go live. I’ve been playing with this and it seems to be working.

Anyone out there done this? Does it work, even if you have a fairly complicated site, with multiple sub-folders, posts, images, etc.?

Thanks…

Mike