How to migrate your WordPress website to Hustly

Choose a migration method

There are three main ways to migrate your WordPress website to Hustly:

Method 1: Migrate your WordPress website using a plugin (UpdraftPlus)

An easy and quick way to migrate your WordPress website to Hustly is using the third-party WordPress plugin UpdraftPlus.

The plugin allows you to create a backup of your existing website and restore that backup on a fresh WordPress installation on Hustly. The free version of UpdraftPlus is adequate for this migration process.

Step 1: Create a backup of your existing website

Install UpdraftPlus on your existing WordPress website and create a complete backup.

Step 2: Download your backup files

Download all of the backup files created by UpdraftPlus and save them in a secure location on your computer.

Step 3: Create your website in Hustly

Add a website to your Hustly account using your actual domain name and install a fresh copy of WordPress.

At this point, your public DNS can continue pointing to your existing host. You can use your computer’s hosts file to access the new copy on Hustly before changing DNS.

Temporarily point your computer to Hustly

Find your Hustly server IP address and add an entry for your domain to your computer’s hosts file. Replace the example IP and domain below with your own:

203.0.113.10 example.com www.example.com

• Windows: Open Notepad as Administrator and edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
• macOS: Open Terminal and run sudo nano /etc/hosts.
• Linux: Open a terminal and run sudo nano /etc/hosts.

Save the file. When you visit your domain from this computer, it should now open the website on the Hustly server while other visitors continue to reach your existing host.

Step 4: Install UpdraftPlus on the new website

Log in to the WordPress admin area on the new Hustly website and install UpdraftPlus.

Step 5: Upload and restore your backup

Open UpdraftPlus and upload the backup files downloaded from your original website.

Select the backup and restore your website. Wait for the restore process to finish.

Step 6: Test the migrated website

Check the website carefully and make sure your pages, plugins, theme, images and other important functionality are working correctly.

Step 7: Update your DNS records

Once you are satisfied that the migrated website is working correctly, update your domain’s DNS records to point to your Hustly server.

Method 2: Manually migrate your WordPress website

This method involves manually copying your WordPress files and database to your Hustly hosting account. It is particularly useful for advanced users who prefer complete control over the migration process.

Step 1: Create your website in Hustly

Add a website in your Hustly account using your actual domain name. Your domain can continue pointing to the old server while you complete the migration.

Temporarily point your computer to Hustly

Add your Hustly server IP and domain to your computer’s hosts file:

203.0.113.10 example.com www.example.com

• Windows: Edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts using Notepad opened as Administrator.
• macOS: Run sudo nano /etc/hosts in Terminal.
• Linux: Run sudo nano /etc/hosts in a terminal.

This allows only your computer to open the new Hustly copy using the real domain name before you change public DNS.

Step 2: Disable caching and remove cached files

Before copying your WordPress files, temporarily disable any caching or performance optimization plugins on the source website.

After disabling them, remove generated cache files that do not need to be transferred. Where applicable, this includes:

• Cached files generated by the caching plugin.
• The contents of directories such as wp-content/cache.
• wp-content/advanced-cache.php, if it was created by the caching plugin you disabled.

Step 3: Copy your WordPress files

Copy your WordPress files from the existing hosting account to your website on Hustly.

You can copy the files using the browser-based File Manager in your hosting panel or FTP. FTP credentials for your Hustly websites are available in the individual hosting panels.

Please refer to our detailed guide on managing your files using File Manager or FTP with Hustly.

Step 4: Export your existing database

Export the WordPress database from your existing hosting provider.

An easy way to do this is using phpMyAdmin. Select your WordPress database, export it as an SQL file and save the exported database somewhere safe on your computer.

Step 5: Create a new database in Hustly

Navigate to the database management section for your website in your Hosting Admin Panel (Plesk) and create a new database and database user.

When creating the database, save the following details:

• Database name
• Database username
• Database password
• Database host, if a value other than the default is shown

You will need these details when updating wp-config.php.

Step 6: Import your database

Open phpMyAdmin for the new database and import the SQL database file exported from your previous hosting provider.

Wait for the import to finish and confirm that the WordPress database tables are visible.

Step 7: Update wp-config.php

Your copied wp-config.php file still contains the database connection details from your old hosting provider.

Open the file and locate:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'old_database_name' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'old_database_user' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'old_database_password' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost:3306' );

Replace the values using the database details you saved earlier:

• DB_NAME : your new database name.
• DB_USER : your new database username.
• DB_PASSWORD : your new database password.
• DB_HOST : your database host. This will normally remain localhost:3306.

For example:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'new_database_name' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'new_database_user' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'your_database_password' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

Save the file.

Step 8: Test the migrated website

Open your domain in your browser. Because of the hosts file entry, your computer should open the copy hosted on Hustly rather than the old server.

Check your pages, images, plugins, theme and other important functionality.

Step 9: Flush permalinks if required

If internal pages return errors, log in to WordPress and navigate to Settings > Permalinks, then click Save Changes.

Step 10: Update your DNS records

Once you have confirmed that the website is working correctly on Hustly, update your domain’s DNS records to point to the Hustly server.

Method 3: Migrate using the Plesk Website Importing tool / FTP

This method uses an FTP connection to import an existing WordPress website into Hustly using the built-in Website Importing feature in Plesk.

To use this method, you must have FTP access to your existing website.

Step 1: Open Website Importing in Plesk

Login to your Plesk hosting panel and select the target domain you want to migrate your website to.

Select the Website Importing option.

Step 2: Enter your FTP details

You will be taken to the next dialogue, where you will be asked to enter your FTP credentials.

Switch to Advanced mode and enter your details as shown below.

Fill out the details as shown above. Please ensure that you enter the correct Source document root directory.

The website importer will automatically find all installed websites on the source site and allow you to select the website you want to import.

For a more detailed guide about the settings, check the official Plesk documentation here.

Step 3: Complete the import

Wait for the import process to finish.

Once the import is complete, you can preview the site on Hustly before changing DNS by temporarily adding your Hustly server IP and domain to your local hosts file:

203.0.113.10 example.com www.example.com

Windows: edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts as Administrator. macOS/Linux: edit /etc/hosts.

Check that the imported website is working correctly.

Step 4: Point your domain to Hustly

Once the website has been tested, configure your DNS settings to point your domain name to your Hustly server.

After changing DNS, remove the temporary entry from your hosts file so your computer returns to normal public DNS resolution.

We hope you found this guide useful. Please let us know what you think in the comments section below.