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How to Migrate a WordPress Website from GoDaddy to Neurax Host

Overview This guide explains how to migrate a WordPress website from GoDaddy to Neurax Host using a manual migration method. The migration involves exporting website files and the WordPress database from GoDaddy, then restoring them on Neurax. This guide is based on GoDaddy's standard Linux Hosting with cPanel environment. The same process applies to most WordPress websites hosted on GoDaddy.

Prerequisites Before you begin, ensure you have: • An active GoDaddy hosting account • A WordPress website hosted on GoDaddy • An active Neurax hosting account with cPanel access • Access to the website domain • Sufficient disk space on your computer

Phase 1: Export Website from GoDaddy Step 1: Access GoDaddy Hosting Purpose Open the hosting account containing the WordPress website. Instructions

  1. Log in to your GoDaddy account.

  2. Open My Products.

  3. Locate the Web Hosting (cPanel) account.

  4. Click Manage.

  5. Click cPanel Admin. Expected Outcome The cPanel dashboard opens.

Step 2: Create and Download Website Files Backup Purpose Create a backup of website files stored on GoDaddy. Instructions

  1. In cPanel, locate the Files section.
  2. Open Backup or JetBackup 5 (depending on the hosting plan).
  3. Select Home Directory backup.
  4. Choose the latest available backup.
  5. Click Download.
  6. Save the backup file on your computer. Expected Outcome A compressed archive containing website files is downloaded.

Step 3: Export the WordPress Database Purpose Download the MySQL database used by WordPress. Instructions

  1. Return to the cPanel homepage.
  2. Open Backup Wizard.
  3. Click Back Up.
  4. Under Select Partial Backup, choose MySQL Databases.
  5. Select the WordPress database.
  6. Download the database backup. Expected Outcome A database backup file is downloaded.

Step 4: Verify Downloaded Files Purpose Ensure all migration files are available locally. Verify that you have: website-files.zip database.sql (or similarly named backup files) Expected Outcome All files required for migration to Neurax are available on your computer.

Phase 2: Upload Website to Neurax Step 5: Log in to Neurax cPanel Purpose Access the destination hosting account. Instructions Log in to your Neurax cPanel account. Expected Outcome The cPanel dashboard appears.

Step 6: Open File Manager Purpose Access the website root directory on Neurax. Instructions

  1. Open File Manager.

  2. Navigate to: public_html

Expected Outcome The website root directory opens.

Step 7: Upload Website Backup Purpose Transfer website files to Neurax. Instructions

  1. Click Upload.

  2. Select: public_html.zip or backup.zip

  3. Wait until upload reaches 100%.

Expected Outcome The ZIP archive appears inside public_html.

Step 8: Extract the Website Files Purpose Extract the uploaded archive so WordPress files become accessible to the web server. Instructions

  1. Select the uploaded ZIP file.
  2. Click Extract.
  3. Extract the files into: /home/USERNAME/public_html
  4. Wait for extraction to complete. Expected Outcome You should see WordPress files such as: • wp-admin • wp-content • wp-includes • wp-config.php • index.php Warning: Ensure there is no nested folder structure like: public_html/public_html/wp-admin The correct structure is: public_html/wp-admin public_html/wp-content public_html/wp-includes

Phase 4: Create and Import Database Step 9: Create a New Database Purpose Create a database that WordPress will use on Neurax. Instructions

  1. Open Manage My Databases in cPanel.

  2. Under Create New Database, enter a database name.

  3. Click Create Database.

Expected Outcome A new database is successfully created.

Step 10: Create a Database User Purpose Create a database user that WordPress will use to access the database. Instructions

  1. Scroll to Add New User.
  2. Enter a username.
  3. Generate or create a secure password.
  4. Click Create User.

Expected Outcome The database user is created successfully. Important: Save the password securely. You will need it later.

Step 11: Assign the User to the Database Purpose Grant the database user permission to access and modify the database. Instructions

  1. Locate Add User to Database.

  2. Select the database user.

  3. Select the database.

  4. Click Add.

  5. Check: ALL PRIVILEGES

  6. Click Make Changes.

Expected Outcome The database user now has full access to the database.

Step 12: Import the SQL Database Purpose Restore the WordPress database exported from Hostinger. Instructions

  1. Open phpMyAdmin.

  2. Select the newly created database.

  3. Click Import.

  4. Click Choose File.

  5. Select the SQL file exported from Hostinger. Example: database.sql

  6. Click Go.

Expected Outcome You should see a success message similar to: Import has been successfully finished.

Phase 5: Configure WordPress Step 13: Edit wp-config.php Purpose Update WordPress to use the new Neurax database. Instructions

  1. Open File Manager → public_html.

  2. Locate: wp-config.php

  3. Click Edit.

  4. Locate and update the following values: define('DB_NAME', ' YOUR_DATABASE_NAME'); define('DB_USER', ' YOUR_DATABASE_USERNAME'); define('DB_PASSWORD', 'YOUR_DATABASE_PASSWORD'); define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

  5. Save the file. Expected Outcome WordPress can now connect to the Neurax database.

Phase 6: Verify Domain Configuration Step 14: Verify the Domain Purpose Ensure the website domain points to the correct document root. Instructions

  1. Open Domains in cPanel.
  2. Verify that your domain is listed.
  3. Confirm the Document Root is: /public_html Expected Outcome The domain is mapped to the WordPress installation.

Phase 7: Verify Website Functionality Step 15: Test the Website Purpose Confirm that the migrated website is working correctly. Instructions Open your domain in a browser: https://yourdomain.com Verify: • Homepage loads successfully • Images appear correctly • Navigation menus work • No database errors occur Expected Outcome The website loads successfully from Neurax hosting.

Step 16: Verify WordPress Admin Access Purpose Ensure the WordPress backend functions correctly. Instructions Open: https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin Log in using your existing WordPress credentials. Expected Outcome The WordPress dashboard opens successfully.

Optional: Enable HTTPS Step 17: Enable SSL After confirming the website works:

  1. Open SSL/TLS Status.
  2. Run AutoSSL if required.
  3. Return to Domains.
  4. Enable: Force HTTPS Redirect

Expected Outcome: The website automatically redirects to HTTPS. Post-Migration Checklist Verify the following: • Website homepage loads • WordPress admin login works • Images load correctly • Contact forms work • Plugins are active • Permalinks work correctly • HTTPS is enabled

Troubleshooting Guide:

This section covers common issues that users may encounter during or after migrating a WordPress website from GoDaddy to Neurax.

  1. ZIP File Upload Fails Symptoms • Upload gets stuck. • Upload stops before reaching 100%. • Browser shows an error. Possible Causes • Slow internet connection. • Browser timeout. • File size too large. Solutions • Retry the upload using a stable internet connection. • Compress the website again if necessary. • Use FTP/SFTP for large files.

  2. ZIP File Extracts into Another Folder Symptoms The file structure appears as: public_html/public_html/wp-admin instead of: public_html/wp-admin Solution Move all files from the inner public_html folder to the root public_html directory. The correct structure should contain: • wp-admin • wp-content • wp-includes • wp-config.php • index.php

  3. Website Shows "Error Establishing a Database Connection" Cause Incorrect database credentials in wp-config.php. Solution Verify the following values: define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name'); define('DB_USER', 'your_database_user'); define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_database_password'); define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); Save the file and refresh the website.

  4. SQL Import Fails Symptoms • phpMyAdmin displays an error. • Import stops unexpectedly. Possible Causes • Wrong database selected. • Corrupted SQL file. • File size exceeds server limits. Solutions • Ensure the correct database is selected before importing. • Re-export the database from WHC. • Split large SQL files if necessary.

  5. Website Opens but Styling Is Broken Symptoms • Website appears without CSS. • Images are missing. Cause The wp-content/uploads folder was not copied properly. Solution Verify that the following directory exists: public_html/wp-content/uploads Re-upload missing files if required.

  6. Website Displays 404 Errors Symptoms Pages return: 404 Not Found Solution

  7. Log in to WordPress Admin.

  8. Navigate to: Settings → Permalinks

  9. Click Save Changes without modifying any settings. WordPress automatically regenerates rewrite rules.

  10. WordPress Admin Login Does Not Work Cause Incorrect credentials or migration issues. Solution • Verify username and password. • Reset the password if necessary. • Check database import success.

  11. Domain Opens Old Hosting Instead of Neurax Cause DNS propagation is incomplete. Solution • Update nameservers or DNS records. • Wait up to 24–48 hours for propagation.

  12. HTTPS Is Not Working Symptoms Browser displays: Not Secure Solution

  13. Install or enable SSL.

  14. Run AutoSSL if available.

  15. Enable Force HTTPS Redirect.

  16. Blank White Screen (White Screen of Death) Cause Plugin conflict or PHP error. Solution

  17. Rename the plugins folder: wp-content/plugins to: plugins_old

  18. Refresh the website.

  19. Re-enable plugins one by one.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Can I migrate a website without a domain? Answer: Yes. A temporary domain or subdomain can be used for testing before connecting the actual domain. 90 Q2. Will migration delete my GoDaddy website? Answer: No. Migration only copies files and databases. The original website remains intact unless manually deleted.

Q3. How long does migration take? Answer: Small websites may take 10–30 minutes, while larger websites can take several hours depending on file size and internet speed.

Q4. Do I need coding knowledge to migrate WordPress? Answer: No. Most migrations can be performed using File Manager and phpMyAdmin without coding.

Q5. Can I migrate only the files without the database? Answer: No. WordPress requires both website files and the database to function correctly.

Q6. What files are mandatory for WordPress migration? Answer: Important files include: • wp-admin • wp-content • wp-includes • wp-config.php • .htaccess

Q7. Why must wp-config.php be edited? Answer: Because the new hosting environment uses different database credentials that WordPress must reference.

Q8. Can I use the same database name on Neurax? Answer: Yes, if available. Otherwise, create a new database and update wp-config.php accordingly.

Q9. Is it safe to delete ZIP files after migration? Answer: Yes. Once the website functions correctly, backup ZIP files may be removed to save storage space.

Q10. How do I verify that migration succeeded? Answer: Check the following: • Website homepage loads correctly • Images are visible • WordPress Admin opens • Plugins work properly • HTTPS is enabled • No database errors appear

Q11. Does changing DNS immediately move the website? Answer: No. DNS propagation may take up to 24–48 hours worldwide.

Q12. What should I do before starting migration? Answer: Always create:

  1. Website file backup
  2. Database backup
  3. Screenshots of existing settings This ensures easy recovery if any issue occurs.
Tags Web hosting Wordpress hosting WP Engine

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