How to Build a New WordPress Site While Keeping the Old One Live: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Are you ready to give your WordPress site a fresh look, but unsure how to build a new WordPress site while the old site is live?

Many people think that creating a new site means saying goodbye to the old one during the process, but that’s not the case! You can build a new WordPress site without impacting your existing site, so there’s no downtime or confusion for your visitors.

In this guide, I’ll take you through a step-by-step approach to building a new WordPress site while keeping your old one running smoothly.

Why Build a New Site While Keeping the Old One Live?

Maybe you’re planning to launch a redesigned site for a fresh look or to improve user experience. Or perhaps your business has expanded, and you want a site that reflects those changes. Either way, it’s important to know how to build a new WordPress site while the old site is live to ensure it won’t affect your website’s traffic or rankings.

When I updated my website, ceeveeglobal.com, I expanded it beyond WordPress errors to include sections for plugin reviews, beginners’ guides, and more. But I knew it would be a bad experience for users if I took the site offline. Instead, I chose a safe approach by creating a staging site. Here’s how you can do it too!

Building a New WordPress Site Without Taking the Old Site Offline

Let’s explore some methods to do this while keeping everything user-friendly and, more importantly, live!

1. Staging Site: Many hosting providers offer staging functionality, allowing you to create a copy of your site on a temporary domain or subdirectory.
2. Local Development Environment: This involves creating a version of your site on your local computer.
3. Subdirectory: You can install a new WordPress instance in a subdirectory of your main domain.
4. Development Plugin: Tools like WP Staging create a staging environment directly in WordPress.
5. Third-Party Migration Service: These services can help you create or move sites with minimal downtime.

For this guide, we’ll focus on building your new WordPress site on a staging site, which is one of the easiest and most reliable methods.

Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Staging Site

Step 1: Create Your Staging Subdomain

To get started with a staging site, you’ll first want to create a subdomain that lets you keep everything separate from your live website. A staging environment is perfect for testing any changes to your WordPress site before making them live—it’s like your private website workspace.

Here’s a simple way to set it up, and while I’ll show you how I did it with Namecheap, you can adapt these steps if your domain is hosted elsewhere.

1. Log in to Your Namecheap Account

• Visit Namecheap and log into your account.
• In the dashboard, find and click on Domain List from the left sidebar to view all your domains.

2. Select Your Domain

• Find the domain where you want to create the staging site.
• Click on Manage next to the chosen domain to access its settings.

3. Navigate to Advanced DNS

• In the domain settings, click on the Advanced DNS tab at the top. This is where you can manage DNS records for your domain, including setting up a new subdomain.

4. Add a New Record for Your Subdomain

• Scroll down to the Host Records section, then click Add New Record.
• Choose A Record from the record type dropdown.
• In the Host field, type the name for your subdomain (e.g., staging).
• In the Value field, enter the IP address of your web server (you can get this from your hosting provider or control panel).
• Set the TTL to Automatic and click the checkmark to save.

Step 2: Back Up Your Live Site

Whenever you’re making big changes, it’s wise to back up your current site first. A recent backup will give you peace of mind, allowing you to restore your live site if anything goes wrong.

Most hosting providers offer built-in backup options. If you’re not sure how to create one, check with your hosting provider’s support team. You might also consider using a WordPress plugin like UpdraftPlus for an easy, automated backup.

Step 3: Duplicating Your Live Site with a Plugin

To transfer your existing site’s content to the staging subdomain, you can use a plugin like Duplicator by Snap Creek:

1. Log into Your WordPress Dashboard: Go to Plugins > Add New, and search for “Duplicator.”
2. Install and Activate the Plugin: Follow the prompts to activate Duplicator.
3. Create a New Package: Duplicator will guide you through creating an archive of your site’s files and database. Once done, you’ll have two files: installer.php and a compressed archive of your site.
   
   
4. Download Both Files: Keep these files handy for the next step.

Step 4: Upload Files to the Staging Subdomain

1. Next, you’ll need to upload the Duplicator files to your new subdomain:
2. Go to File Manager: Use your host’s file manager (often found under the “Files” section).
3. Locate the Subdomain Directory: This is where you’ll upload the installer.php and archive files. Usually, it’s in the public_html directory.
4. Upload Both Files: Make sure they’re uploaded to the correct folder for your subdomain.

Step 5: Launch the Duplicator Installer on Your Staging Site

1. Now it’s time to bring the staging site to life!
2. Open a New Browser Tab: Go to the URL of your subdomain, followed by /installer.php.
   For example: staging.yourwebsite.com/installer.php.
3. Follow the Installation Steps: The Duplicator installer will guide you through extracting the site files and database to the staging site. It’s a bit like “unzipping” your website onto the staging subdomain.

Testing Your Staging Site

After setting up the staging site, test everything to ensure it works as expected. Check that:

• Pages load correctly
• Links and images appear as they should
• Plugins and themes function without errors

Remember, this is your testing environment. Don’t worry about small mistakes – now’s the time to make tweaks and ensure the new site looks and works exactly how you want.

Launching the New Site: Moving from Staging to Live

When you’re happy with the new site, it’s time to launch! Most hosting providers offer an easy way to push changes from the staging site to the live site. For example, WP Engine and SiteGround have one-click staging tools, making it easy to swap sites without downtime. If your hosting provider doesn’t support this, you can use Duplicator again to move the staging site back to your main domain.

Additional Tips for a Seamless Transition

1. SEO Checklist: Update your SEO settings, such as meta descriptions and keywords, on the new site.
2. Analytics: Make sure your Google Analytics or other tracking tools are set up correctly on the new site.
3. Testing: Test the live site once it’s launched to catch any issues before visitors do!

The Importance of Choosing Reliable Hosting

If your current hosting provider doesn’t offer staging sites, you might consider upgrading to a provider that does. For a hassle-free experience, Interserver VPS Hosting and DigitalOcean offer fantastic performance with support for staging sites. Not only does this make development easier, but it can also improve your site’s speed and security.

Wrapping Up

Building a new WordPress site while keeping your old one live might seem complicated, but with the right steps, you can do it smoothly and with zero downtime. Knowing how to build a new WordPress site while the old site is live ensures that you can create a fresh, updated site without disrupting your current one. By following this guide, you’re all set to create a fresh, updated site that reflects your goals – all while ensuring a seamless experience for your visitors.

If you found this guide helpful, be sure to check out my WordPress error troubleshooting tool and other AI tools – they’re designed to make managing your site easier!