Many affordable shared hosting services primarily offer servers situated abroad, resulting in slower speeds for users in South Korea. However, ChemiCloud, which is on par with options like Bluehost, introduced a server in Seoul at the end of July. This allows for faster speeds for users in Korea.
This article outlines the process of migrating WordPress from other web hosting platforms to ChemiCloud.
As a note, if you anticipate high visitor traffic or plan to run multiple sites, you might also consider Cloudways that this WordPress blog is currently utilizing.
Migrating WordPress to ChemiCloud Hosting
To migrate your site, you should have either data and database backups or ensure that your site is live. Occasionally, some users request a migration without having backed up their site after their hosting expires. In such cases, access to the site becomes impossible, making migration unfeasible due to the absence of backups. To proceed, you need to renew your hosting and obtain backups before continuing with the migration process.
You must back up both your data and database. Although rare, I have encountered unfortunate cases where only the data was backed up, leaving the database behind, rendering the migration impossible. Important elements such as site settings, theme options, plugin configurations, posts, and pages are all stored in the database.
Utilizing ChemiCloud's Free WordPress Migration Service
ChemiCloud offers a free website migration service for new customers.
Upon checking with ChemiCloud, they confirmed the ability to migrate up to 10 sites for free.
- If your existing hosting service provides a cPanel environment, then all sites can be migrated for free.
- If not, a maximum of 10 sites can be migrated at no cost.
If you're looking to migrate from hosting services like Bluehost or FastComet that utilize cPanel to ChemiCloud, they will allow for the migration of all your sites. This is likely because they can obtain a full backup from cPanel.
You can create a full site backup using the Backup tool in cPanel.
Manual Migration Process
If you prefer to migrate your WordPress site manually, the following steps can guide you through the process.
- Backup and download the data and database from the existing site.
- Connect the domain to ChemiCloud.
- Install WordPress on ChemiCloud and complete the migration.
If you have prior experience with site migrations, you should find this process straightforward.
For WordPress, using a plugin like All-in-One WP Migration streamlines the migration process. Review the overall migration procedure through the video below, and then refer to the explanations provided after to proceed.
Backing Up Data and Database from the Existing Site
Following the video, download and install the AIO WP Migration plugin. Then, click on WordPress Admin Dashboard » All-in-One WP Migration » Export.
Select the file to back up, then download the backup file to your PC. The extension for the backup file will be .wpress.
Linking Domain and Installing WordPress
If you’re planning to connect your domain to ChemiCloud, you will need to change the domain's nameservers to those of ChemiCloud.
Verifying Nameserver Information
Start by checking the nameserver information.
Log into ChemiCloud, then click on the server info icon on the far right side under the Dashboard » Active Services Tab.
Here, you can view the nameserver information.
Login to your domain registrar (such as Namecheap) to change the domain's nameserver settings.
It may take up to a day for the nameserver changes to propagate. After waiting approximately half a day, you can proceed to add the domain in ChemiCloud's cPanel.
Adding Domain
If you entered your domain name while signing up for ChemiCloud, it should already be listed in the domain section, allowing you to skip this step.
To access cPanel, click the cPanel icon under Active Services.
In the Domains section, click on the Domains tool.
Click the Create A New Domain button.
When the new domain creation screen appears, input your domain name in the Domain field and uncheck the Share document root option under Document Root.
Click the Submit button to create the domain.
Once the nameserver information has propagated sufficiently (usually within a day, although it can take up to 48 hours), the SSL certificate will be installed automatically. If not enough time has passed, you may encounter SSL certificate errors.
Installing WordPress and Completing Migration
Now, you can proceed with installing WordPress and executing the site migration.
To install WordPress, click on WordPress Management in the left panel of cPanel. In the WP Toolkit, click the Install button. (Note that the WP Toolkit has been renamed to WordPress Management.)
When the WordPress installation screen appears, select your domain in the Installation path. Leave the Installation directory field empty. To install WordPress in a subdirectory, enter the subdirectory name in the Installation directory field.
Once the WordPress installation is complete, log into your WordPress site, install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin, and upload the backup file to finish the migration.
After activating AIO WP Migration, navigate to WordPress Dashboard » All-in-One WP Migration » Import.
Click to upload the file by either selecting it or dragging it into the upload area.
After a successful migration, go to Settings » Permalinks to confirm the permalinks settings, and be sure to click the save button several times.
If migration with AIO WP Migration fails, refer to the next article. If issues persist, consider contacting ChemiCloud for assistance.
After migration, check to ensure that the PHP version and WordPress version are similar to those on your previous site to avoid errors.
This concludes the site migration process. If you find that vital files, such as the site ownership verification file for Naver Webmaster tools or ads.txt and robots.txt files, are missing, download them from the original site and upload them via FTP.
For more detailed information about ChemiCloud, refer to their official website.
If you are facing challenges with WordPress migration or any web hosting issues, feel free to request services here.
Conclusion
In summary, we explored how to migrate WordPress to ChemiCloud. If you are a new user, simply contact them via live chat to request your migration, and it should be resolved easily. However, you may still need to change the domain's nameservers manually. You can log into your domain registration website, like Namecheap, to make this change. For those unfamiliar with these tasks, reaching out to the hosting provider for guidance might be a good option.
