Appendix

Upgrading, Backing Up, and Migrating

In This Appendix

Finding the Dashboard upgrade notification

Backing up your database before upgrading

Deactivating plugins

Running the upgrade script from the Dashboard

Upgrading manually

Moving to WordPress from a different platform

Understanding database backup management

Backing up plugins and themes

Storing images and media files

Exporting data from WordPress

Using a plugin to make backups and moving easier

You may, at some point, need to move your site to a different home on the web, either to a new web host or into a different account on your current hosting account. You may also be reading this book because you’re moving your blog from a completely different platform to WordPress. You will also find that during your time as a WordPress user, upgrading the WordPress software is important, as is maintaining backups of your site so that you don’t lose precious months or years of content.

In this appendix, you discover the WordPress upgrade notification system and what to do when WordPress notifies you that a new version of the software is available. This appendix also covers the best practices in upgrading the WordPress platform on your site to ensure the best possible outcome (that is, how not to break your website after a WordPress upgrade).

This appendix also covers how to migrate a blog that exists within a different blogging platform (such as Movable Type or Typepad) to WordPress. And finally, this appendix takes you through how to back up your WordPress files, data, and content and move it to a new hosting provider or different domain.

Getting Notified of an Available Upgrade

When you install WordPress and have logged in for the first time, you can see the version number located at the bottom-right corner of the WordPress Dashboard. So, if anyone asks you what version you’re using, you now know exactly where to look to find that information.

So, you have WordPress installed and you’ve been happily publishing content to your website with it for several weeks, maybe even months. Then one day, you log in and see a message at the top of your Dashboard screen that you’ve never seen before: WordPress X.X.X is available! Please update now. You can see such a message displayed in Figure A-1.

Both the message at the top of the screen and the notification bubble on the Dashboard menu are visual indicators that you’re now using an outdated version of WordPress and that you can (and need to) upgrade the software.

The message at the top of your Dashboard has two links that you can click for more information. The first, in Figure A-1, is a link called WordPress 3.4. Clicking it takes you to the WordPress Codex page titled Version 3.4 that’s filled with information about the version upgrade, including

Installation/upgrade information

Summary of the development cycle for this version

List of revised files

The second link, Please Update Now, takes you to the WordPress Updates page on the WordPress Dashboard, shown in Figure A-2.

At the very top of the WordPress Updates page is another, important, message for you (see Figure A-2): Important: before updating, please back up your database and files. For help with updates, visit the Updating WordPress Codex page. Both links in that message take you to the WordPress Codex pages that contain helpful information on creating backups and updating WordPress.

The WordPress Updates page tells you that an updated version of WordPress is available and you have two different ways to update:

Automatically: By using the built-in WordPress updater

Manually: By downloading the files and installing them on your server

Backing Up Your Database

One step you should always, always take before upgrading your WordPress software installation is to back up your database. This step isn’t required, of course, but it’s a smart step to take to safeguard your website and make absolutely sure that — should the upgrade go wrong for some reason — you have a complete copy of all your website data that can be restored if needed.

The best way to back up your database is to use the MySQL administration interface provided by your web-hosting provider.

cPanel is a web-hosting interface provided by many web hosts as an account management tool containing phpMyAdmin as the preferred tool to manage and administer databases. Not all web hosts use cPanel or phpMyAdmin, however; so if yours doesn’t, consult the user documentation for the tools that your web host provides. The instructions in this appendix are provided using cPanel and phpMyAdmin.

The following takes you through the steps of creating a database backup using the phpMyAdmin interface:

1. Log in to the cPanel for your hosting account.

Typically, you will browse to http://yourdomain.com/cpanel to bring up the login screen for your cPanel. Enter your specific hosting account username and password in the login fields and click OK to log in.

2. Click the phpMyAdmin icon.

The phpMyAdmin interface opens and displays your database.

3. Click the name of the database that you want to back up.

If you have more than one database in your account, the left-side menu in phpMyAdmin displays the names of all of them. Click the one you want to back up, and that database loads in the main interface window on the side of the screen.

4. Click the Export tab at the top of the screen.

The page refreshes and displays the backup utility screen.

5. Select the Save as File box.

6. Select the “zipped” option.

This compiles the database backup file in a .zip file and prepares it for download.

7. Click the Go button.

A pop-up window appears, allowing you to select a location on your computer to store the database backup file. Click the Save button to download it and save it to your computer.

Upgrading WordPress Automatically

To update WordPress automatically, follow these steps:

1. Back up your WordPress website; do not skip this step!

Backing up your website before updating is an important step, just in case something goes wrong with the upgrade. Give yourself some peace of mind by knowing that you have a full copy of your website that can be restored if needed. My advice is to not skip this step under any circumstances.

2. Deactivate all plugins.

This ensures that any plugin conflicts caused by the upgraded version of WordPress cannot affect the upgrade process. It also ensures that your website doesn’t break after the upgrade is completed. You can find more information on working with and managing plugins in Chapter 10; for the purpose of this step, you can deactivate plugins by following these steps:

a. Click the Plugins link in the Plugins menu on the Dashboard.

This loads the Plugins page.

b. Select all plugins by selecting the box to the left of the Plugin column (see Figure A-3).

c. In the drop-down menu at the top, select Deactivate.

d. Click the Apply button.

3. Click the Update Now button on the WordPress Updates page.

This reloads the WordPress Updates page with the following messages (as shown in Figure A-4):

• Downloading update from http://wordpress.org/ wordpress-3.4-no-content.zip. . .

• Unpacking the update. . .

• Verifying the unpacked files. . .

• Installing the latest version. . .

• Upgrading database. . .

• WordPress updated successfully

• Welcome to WordPress 3.4. You will be redirected to the About WordPress screen. If not, click here.

4. Wait until your screen redirects to the About WordPress page.

The Welcome to WordPress page loads in your web browser, and you can see that both the update alert message at the top of the site and the notification message on the Dashboard menu isn’t there anymore. The Welcome screen displays a listing of new features in the version you just installed. You’re now using the latest version of WordPress.

Upgrading WordPress Manually

The second — and least used — method of upgrading WordPress is the manual method. It’s the least-used method mainly because the automatic method, discussed in the previous section, is so easy and quick. In some rare circumstances, you would manually upgrade WordPress because your web-hosting environment can’t accommodate the automatic upgrade process, or maybe you just wanted to go through the experience of manually updating the software, for whatever weird reason.

The steps to manually upgrade WordPress are as follows:

1. Back up your WordPress website and deactivate all plugins.

See Steps 1 and 2 in the previous section, “Upgrading WordPress Automatically.”

2. Navigate to the WordPress Update page by clicking the Please Update Now link.

3. Click the Download button.

This opens a dialog box that allows you to save the .zip file of the latest WordPress download package to your local computer, shown in Figure A-5.

4. Select a location to store the download package and click Save.

The .zip file downloads to your selected location on your computer.

5. Browse to the .zip file on your computer.

6. Unzip the file.

Use a program such as WinZip (www.winzip.com) to unzip files contained within a .zip file.

7. Connect to your web server via FTP.

See Chapter 6 for a refresher on how to use FTP.

8. Delete all the files and folders in your existing WordPress installation directory except the following:

• /wp-content folder

• .htaccess

• wp-config.php

9. Upload the contents of the /wordpress folder — not the folder itself — to your web server.

Most FTP client software lets you select all the files and drag ’n’ drop them to your web server. Other programs have you select the files and click a Transfer button.

10. Navigate to the following URL on your website: http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin.

Don’t panic: Your database still needs to be upgraded to the latest version; so instead of seeing your website on your domain, you see a message telling you that a database upgrade is required, as shown in Figure A-6.

11. Click the Upgrade WordPress Database button.

This action causes WordPress to initiate the upgrade of the MySQL database associated with your website. When the database upgrade is complete, the page refreshes and displays a message saying so.

12. Click the Continue button.

Your browser loads the WordPress login page. The upgrade is now complete, and you can continue using WordPress with all of its newly upgraded features.

During your time as a WordPress user, you’ll upgrade on a regular basis, at least three to four times per year. For some users, this is a frustrating reality of using WordPress; however, because of the very active development environment of the WordPress project, WordPress is the most popular platform available today. Because WordPress is always adding great new features and functions to the platform, upgrading always ensures that you’re on top of the game and using the latest tools and features available.

If you’re the type of person who is uncomfortable performing administrative tasks such as upgrading and creating database backups, you can hire someone to perform these tasks for you — either a member of your company, if you’re a business, or a WordPress consultant skilled in these tasks.

Migrating Your Existing Blog to WordPress

So you have a blog on a different blogging system and want to move your blog to WordPress? This appendix helps you accomplish just that. WordPress makes it relatively easy to pack up your data and archives from one blog platform and move to a new WordPress blog.

WordPress lets you move your blog from platforms such as Blogspot, Typepad, and Movable Type. It also gives you a nifty way to migrate from any blogging platform via RSS feeds, as long as the platform you’re importing from has an RSS feed available. Some platforms, such as Myspace, have some limitations on RSS feed availability, so be sure to check with your platform provider. In this appendix, you discover how to prepare your blog for migration and how to move from the specific platforms for which WordPress provides importer plugins.

For each blogging platform, the WordPress.org platform provides you with a quick and easy-to-install plugin that allows you to import and use your content right away. The importers are packaged in a plugin format because most people use an importer just once, and some people don’t use the importer tools at all. The plugins are there for you to use if you need them. WordPress.com, on the other hand, has the importers built right into the software. Note the differences for the version you’re using.

Movin’ On Up

Bloggers have a variety of reasons to migrate away from one system to WordPress:

Simple curiosity: The use of WordPress — and the whole community of WordPress users — is generating a lot of buzz. People are naturally curious to check out something that all the cool kids are doing.

More control of your blog: This reason applies particularly to those who have a blog on Blogspot, Typepad, or any other hosted service. Hosted programs limit what you can do, create, and mess with. When it comes to plugins, add-ons, and theme creation, hosting a WordPress blog on your own web server wins hands down. In addition, you have complete control of your data, archives, and backup capability when you host your blog on your own server.

Ease of use: Many people find the WordPress interface easier to use, more understandable, and a great deal more user-friendly than many of the other blogging platforms available today.

Both the hosted version of WordPress.com and the self-hosted version of WordPress.org allow you to migrate your blog to their platforms; however, WordPress.com accepts several fewer than WordPress.org does. The following is a list of blogging platforms that have built-in importers, or import plugins, for migration to WordPress:

Blogger

Movable Type and Typepad

LiveJournal

Tumblr

RSS feeds

WordPress.com

In the WordPress.org software (self-hosted), the importers are added to the installation as plugins. The importer plugins included in the previous list are the plugins packaged within the WordPress.org software, or they can be found by searching in the Plugins Directory at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tags/importer. You can import content from several other platforms by installing other plugins not available from the official WordPress Plugin Directory, but you may have to search a bit on Google to find them.

Preparing for the big move

Depending on the size of your blog (that is, how many posts and comments you have), the migration process can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. As with any major change or update you make, no matter where your blog is hosted, the very first thing you need to do is create a backup of your blog. You should back up the following:

Archives: Posts, comments, and trackbacks

Template: Template files and image files

Links: Any links, banners, badges, and elements you have in your current blog

Images: Any images you use in your blog

Table A-1 gives you a few tips on creating the export data for your blog in a few major blogging platforms. Note: This table assumes that you’re logged in to your blog software.

Table A-1 Backing Up Your Blog Data on Major Platforms

Blogging Platform	Backup Information
Movable Type	Click the Import/Export button on the menu of your Movable Type Dashboard; then click the Export Entries From link. When the page stops loading, save it on your computer as a .txt file.
Typepad	Click the name of the blog you want to export; then click the Import/Export link in the Overview menu. Click the Export link at the bottom of the Import/Export page. When the page stops loading, save it on your computer as a .txt file.
Blogger	Back up your template by copying the text of your template to a text editor such as Notepad. Then save it on your computer as a .txt file.
LiveJournal	Browse to http://livejournal.com/export.bml and enter your information; choose XML as the format. Save this file on your computer.
WordPress	Click the Export link on the Tools menu on the Dashboard; the Export page opens. Choose your options on the Export page and then click the Download Export File button; next, save this file on your computer.
RSS feed	Point your browser to the URL of the RSS feed you want to import. Wait until it loads fully (you may need to set your feed to display all posts). View the source code of the page, copy and paste that source code into a .txt file, and save the file on your computer.

This import script allows for a maximum file size of 128MB. If you get an “out of memory” error, try dividing the import file into pieces and uploading them separately. The import script is smart enough to ignore duplicate entries, so if you need to run the script a few times to get it to take everything, you can do so without worrying about duplicating your content.

Converting templates

Every blogging program has a unique way of delivering content and data to your blog. Template tags vary from program to program; no two are the same, and each template file requires conversion if you want to use your template with your new WordPress blog. In such a case, two options are available to you:

Convert the template yourself. To accomplish this task, you need to know WordPress template tags and HTML. If you have a template that you’re using on another blogging platform and want to convert it for use with WordPress, you need to swap the original platform tags for WordPress tags. The information provided in Chapters 11–14 gives you the rundown on working with themes as well as basic WordPress template tags; you may find that information useful if you plan to attempt a template conversion yourself.

Hire an experienced WordPress consultant to do the conversion for you. You can find a list of available WordPress consultants, assembled by the folks at Automattic (the company behind WordPress) at http://codepoet.com.

To use your own template, make sure that you save all the template files, the images, and the stylesheet from your previous blog setup. You need them to convert the template(s) for use in WordPress.

Hundreds of free templates are available for use with WordPress, so it may be a lot easier to abandon the template you’re currently working with and find a free WordPress template that you like. If you’ve paid to have a custom design done for your blog, contact the designer of your theme and hire him to perform the template conversion for you. Also, you can hire several WordPress consultants to perform the conversion for you — including yours truly.

Moving your blog to WordPress

You’ve packed all your stuff and you have your new place prepared. Moving day has arrived!

This section takes you through the steps for moving your blog from one blog platform to WordPress. This section assumes that you already have the WordPress software installed and configured on your own domain.

Find the import function that you need by following these steps:

1. On the Dashboard, click the Import link on the Tools menu.

The Import page opens, listing blogging platforms from which you can import content (such as Blogger and Movable Type). Figure A-7 shows the Import page on the WordPress Dashboard.

2. Click the link for the blogging platform you’re working with.

Click the Install Now button to install the importer plugin to begin using it.

The following sections provide some import directions for a few of the most popular blogging platforms (other than WordPress, that is). Each platform has its own content export methods, so be sure to check the documentation for the blogging platform that you’re using.

Importing from Blogspot/Blogger

I call it Blogspot; you call it Blogger — a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The blogging application owned by Google is referenced either way: Blogspot or Blogger. In the end, we’re talking about the same application.

To begin the import process, first complete the steps in the “Moving your blog to WordPress” section, earlier in this appendix. Then follow these steps:

1. Click the Blogger link on the Import page and install the plugin for importing from Blogger.

Click the Activate Plugin & Install Importer link, and the Import Blogger page loads with instructions to import your file, as shown in Figure A-8.

2. Click the Authorize button to tell WordPress to access your account.

A page from Google opens with a message that says your WordPress blog is trying to access your Google account.

3. Enter the e-mail address and password you use for Google; then click the Sign In button.

The Access Request page in your Google Account opens. When you have successfully logged in, you receive a message from Google stating that your blog at WordPress is requesting access to your Blogger account so that it can post entries on your behalf.

4. Give your permission by clicking the Grant Access button on the Access Request page.

If you have many posts and comments in your Blogger blog, the import can take 30 minutes or more.

After the import script has performed its magic, you’re redirected to your WordPress Dashboard, where the name of your Blogger blog is listed.

5. To finish importing the data from Blogger, click the Import button (below the Magic Button header).

The text on the button changes to Importing . . . while the import takes place. When the import is complete, the text on the button changes to Set Authors (no wonder it’s called the Magic Button!).

6. Click the Set Authors button to assign the authors to the posts.

The Blogger username appears on the left side of the page; a drop-down menu on the right side of the page displays the WordPress login name.

7. Assign authors using the drop-down menu.

If you have just one author on each blog, the process is especially easy: Use the drop-down menu on the right to assign the WordPress login to your Blogger username. If you have multiple authors on both blogs, each Blogger username is listed on the left side with a drop-down menu to the right of each username. Select a WordPress login for each Blogger username to make the author assignments.

8. Click Save Changes.

You’re done!

Importing from LiveJournal

Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org offer an import script for LiveJournal users, and the process of importing from LiveJournal to WordPress is the same for each platform.

To export your blog content from LiveJournal, log in to your LiveJournal blog and then type this URL in your browser’s address bar: www.livejournal.com/export.bml.

LiveJournal lets you export the XML files one month at a time, so if you have a blog with several months’ worth of posts, be prepared to be at this process for a while. First, you have to export the entries one month at a time and then you have to import them into WordPress — yep, you guessed it — one month at a time.

To speed the process a little, you can save all the exported XML LiveJournal files in one text document by copying and pasting each month’s XML file into one plain-text file (created in a text editor such as Notepad), thereby creating one long XML file with all the posts from your LiveJournal blog. You can then save the file as an XML file to prepare it for import into your WordPress blog.

After you export the XML file from LiveJournal, return to the Import page on your WordPress Dashboard and follow these steps:

1. Click the LiveJournal link and install the plugin for installing from LiveJournal.

Click the Activate Plugin & Install Importer link, and the Import LiveJournal page loads with instructions to import your file, as shown in Figure A-9.

2. Click the Browse button.

A window opens, listing files on your computer.

3. Double-click the name of the XML file you saved earlier.

4. Click the Upload and Import button.

When the import script finishes, it reloads the page with a confirmation message that the process is complete. Then WordPress runs the import script and brings over all your posts from your LiveJournal blog.

Importing from Movable Type and Typepad

Movable Type and Typepad were created by the same company, Six Apart. These two blogging platforms run on essentially the same code base, so the import/export procedure is basically the same for both. Refer to Table A-1, earlier in this appendix, for details on how to run the export process in both Movable Type and Typepad. This import script moves all your blog posts, comments, and trackbacks to your WordPress blog.

Go to the Import page on your WordPress Dashboard by following Steps 1 and 2 in the “Moving your blog to WordPress” section, earlier in this appendix. Then follow these steps:

1. Click the Movable Type and Typepad link and install the plugin for importing from Movable Type and Typepad.

Click the Activate Plugin & Install Importer link, and the Import Movable Type or Typepad page loads with instructions to import your file, as shown in Figure A-10.

2. Click the Browse button.

A window opens, listing your files.

3. Double-click the name of the export file you saved from your Movable Type or Typepad blog.

4. Click the Upload File and Import button.

Sit back and let the import script do its magic. When it’s done, it reloads the page with a confirmation message that the process is complete.

When the import script is done, you can assign users to the posts, matching the Movable Type or Typepad usernames with WordPress usernames. If you have just one author on each blog, this process is easy; you simply assign your WordPress login to the Movable Type or Typepad username using the drop-down menu. If you have multiple authors on both blogs, match the Movable Type or Typepad usernames with the correct WordPress login names and then click Save Changes. You’re done!

Importing from WordPress

With this WordPress import script, you can import one WordPress blog into another, and this is true for both the hosted and self-hosted versions of WordPress. WordPress imports all your posts, comments, custom fields, and categories into your blog. Refer to Table A-1, earlier in this appendix, to find out how to use the export feature to obtain your blog data.

When you complete the exporting, follow these steps:

1. Click the WordPress link on the Import page and install the plugin to import from WordPress.

Click the Activate Plugin & Install Importer link, and the Import WordPress page loads with instructions to import your file, as shown in Figure A-11.

2. Click the Browse button.

A window opens, listing the files on your computer.

3. Double-click the export file you saved earlier from your WordPress blog.

4. Click the Upload File and Import button.

The import script gets to work and when it’s done, it reloads the page with a confirmation message that the process is complete.

Importing from an RSS feed

If all else fails, or if WordPress doesn’t provide an import script that you need for your current blog platform, you can import your blog data via the RSS feed for the blog you want to import. With the RSS import method, you can import only posts; you can’t use this method to import comments, trackbacks, categories, or users. WordPress.com currently does not allow you to import blog data via an RSS feed; this function works only with the self-hosted WordPress.org platform.

Refer to Table A-1, earlier in this appendix, for the steps required to create the file you need to import via RSS. Then follow these steps:

1. On the Import page on the WordPress Dashboard, click the RSS link and install the plugin to import from an RSS feed.

Click the Activate & Install link, and the Import RSS page loads with instructions to import your RSS file, as shown in Figure A-12.

2. Click the Browse button on the Import RSS page.

A window opens, listing the files on your computer.

3. Double-click the export file you saved earlier from your RSS feed.

4. Click the Upload File and Import button.

The import script does its magic and then reloads the page with a confirmation message that the process is complete.

Finding other import resources

The WordPress Codex has a long list of other available scripts, plugins, workarounds, and outright hacks for importing from other blog platforms. You can find that information at http://codex.wordpress.org/Importing_Content.

Note: The WordPress Codex is run by a group of volunteers. When you refer to the Codex, be aware that not everything listed in it is necessarily up to date or accurate, including import information (or any other information about running your WordPress blog).

Moving Your Website to a Different Host

You may decide at some point that you need to switch from your current hosting provider to a new one. You may have to do this for several different reasons — maybe you’re unhappy with your current provider and want to move to a new one, or your current provider is going out of business and you’re forced to move. Transferring from one host to another is a reality that some website owners must face, and transferring an existing website, with all its content, files, and data from one host to another, can seem a very daunting task. This section of the appendix should make it easier for you to face.

You have two different ways to go about it:

Manually, through backing up your database and downloading essential files

Using a plugin to automate as much of the process as possible

Obviously, using a tool to automate the process is the easier and more desirable way to go, but just in case you need to do it manually, in the next section of this appendix, I provide you with the instructions for doing it both ways.

Creating a backup and moving manually

Earlier in this appendix, in “Backing Up Your Database,” I provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to make a backup of your database using phpMyAdmin. Follow the steps in that section and you will have a backup of your database with all the recent content you’ve published to your blog. However, when I say “content,” I mean the content that you (or others) have written or typed into your blog via the WordPress Dashboard, including:

Blog posts, pages, and custom post types

Links, categories, and tags

Post and page options, such as excerpts, time and date, custom fields, categories, tags, and passwords

WordPress settings you configured under the Settings menu on the Dashboard

All widgets that you’ve created and configured

All plugin options that you configured for the plugins you installed

Other elements of your website aren’t stored in the database, which you need to download, via FTP, from your web server. The following is a list of those elements, including instructions on where to find them and how to download them to your local computer:

Media files: These are the files you uploaded using the WordPress media upload feature, including images, videos, audio files, and documents. Media files are located in the /wp-content/uploads/ folder; connect to your web server via FTP and download that folder to your local computer.

Plugin files: Although all the plugin settings are stored in the database, the actual plugin files that contain the programming code are not. The plugin files are located in the /wp-content/plugins/ folder; connect to your web server via FTP and download that folder to your local computer.

Theme files: Widgets and options you’ve set for your current theme are stored in the database; however, the theme template files, images, and stylesheets are not. They are stored in the /wp-content/themes folder; connect to your web server via FTP and download that folder to your local computer.

Now that you have your database and WordPress files stored safely on your local computer, moving them to a new host just involves reversing the process:

1. Create a new database on your new hosting account.

You can find the steps for creating a database in Chapter 6.

2. Import your database backup into the new database you just created:

a. Log in to the cPanel for your hosting account.

b. Click the phpMyAdmin icon and click the name of your new database in the left menu.

c. Click the Import tab at the top.

d. Click the Browse button and select the database backup from your local computer.

e. Click the Go button and the old database imports into the new.

3. Install WordPress on your new hosting account.

See Chapter 6 for the steps to install WordPress.

4. Edit the wp-config.php file to include your new database name, username, password, and host.

5. Upload all that you downloaded from the /wp-content/ folder to your new hosting account.

6. In your web browser, browse to your domain.

Your website should work and you are able to log on to the WordPress Dashboard using the same username and password as before because that information is stored in the database you imported.

Using a plugin to back up and move to a new host

A plugin that I use on a regular basis to move a WordPress website from one hosting environment to another is aptly named BackupBuddy. This plugin isn’t free or available in the WordPress Plugin Directory — you need to pay for it, but it’s worth every single penny because it takes the entire backup and migration process and makes mincemeat out of it. This means that it’s very easy, and you can be done in minutes instead of hours. Follow these steps to use this plugin to move your site to a new hosting server:

1. Purchase and download the BackupBuddy plugin from http://ewebscapes.com/backupbuddy.

At this time, the cost for the plugin starts at $75.

2. Install the plugin on your current WordPress website.

By current, I mean the old one, not the new hosting account yet.

3. Activate the plugin on your WordPress Dashboard.

Click the Plugins link in the navigation menu and then click the Activate link under the BackupBuddy plugin name.

4. Navigate to the Backups page in the BackupBuddy options page.

Click the Backups link in the BackupBuddy menu.

5. Click the Full Backup button.

This initiates a full backup of your database, files, and content and wraps it neatly into one .zip file for you to store on your local computer.

6. Download the importbuddy.php file.

Click the importbuddy.php link on the Backups page and download it to your local computer, preferably in the same directory as the backup file you downloaded in Step 5.

7. Connect to your new web server via FTP.

8. Upload the backup.zip file and the importbuddy.php file.

These files should be uploaded in the root, or top-level, directory on your web server. On some web servers, this is the /public_html folder; on others it might be the /httpdocs folder. If you are unsure what your root directory is, your hosting provider should be able to tell you.

9. Create a new database on your new hosting account.

You can find the steps for creating a database in Chapter 6.

10. Navigate to the importbuddy.php file in your web browser.

The URL for this would be something like http://yourdomain.com/importbuddy.php.

11. The BackupBuddy page loads in your web browser.

Follow the steps to import the backup file and install WordPress, including the database information needed: database username, name, password, and host. This entire process takes about 5–10 minutes or maybe more depending on the size of your website.

12. Load your website in your web browser.

After BackupBuddy does its thing, your website is ready to use just as always.