Do you want to learn more about WordPress by creating custom code and installing plugins, but you’re terrified of losing or destroying your website? You should use the Staging WordPress Plugin.
This allows you to do whatever you want with your WordPress website without compromising your live website
Ways on How To Install It
There are different approaches to adding it to your website. For starters, several web hosts include a staging site option in their hosting options. SiteGround, Bluehost, and others are among them.
The second option is to do it manually, which is more difficult but gives you more control.
Finally, the easiest solution is to install the Staging Site Plugin, which is significantly easier to do and works in almost all WordPress hosting environments.
Creating a WordPress Staging Site with WP Staging Plugin
This process is easy. You just have to go to plugins then find several WordPress staging plugins that have many reviews to get rid of issues.
- Download, install and activate the plugin you have selected.
- Go to WP Staging menu and Select Create new staging site.
- Provide your preferred staging site name and click the Start Cloning button.
- Wait for a bit. The duration of the cloning will depend on how large is your website.
- Finally, you can start testing it for free.
Manually Creating Staging Site for WordPress
- First, you must have a Cpanel control to make a subdomain. A subdomain is very important since we use that directory to put all the files and useful also for the URL.
- Login to your Cpanel and locate Subdomains under the Domains container. In creating the subdomain, just provide the name of the subdomain then click Create.
- Next, you have to create a new FTP account for the subdomain which ensures that all the files are always kept separate.
- Find FTP accounts and click them. Provide Login details like username and password for the FTP accounts. Then click create FTP Accounts.
- Then, Upload WordPress files to the staging site. Just download the latest version of WordPress in wordpress.org, extract and upload it.
- You have to upload these folders from your original website.
.../wp-content/uploads .../wp-content/themes .../wp-content/plugins
- These files are important because these are the current settings of your original WordPress site.
- You have to export and import your Database from the original website to make sure that get all the users, posts, comments, and contents.
- The easiest way to extract your database is to install a WordPress plugin called WP Migrate DB. Install and activate it, then locate it to Tools > Migrate DB.
- Just follow the settings below. This is essential to make sure that the staging site will work. Then, click export the database.
- Next, you have to create a new database dedicated to your staging site. Go to Cpanel > Mysql Database. Click it and create a new database. Also, provide new database user and password and give the user access to your database.
- Go to PHPMyAdmin and find the database you created. Click the database then import the WP Migrate DB you exported previously. Then click Go to import your database.
- Finally, edit wp-config.php and locate your database info. Put the new database credentials you made earlier like the database name, database username, and password.
How to Push Changes to Your Live Site
If you’re using a staging site set up through your host, you can usually push changes live by clicking a button.
It’s not that easy with a manual system. While there are ways to set up an automated setup from your staging site to your live site, I don’t think that’s a good approach.
Wrapping Up
Creating a WordPress staging site is a great method to test around with changes before you launch them live. If you want the perfect most straightforward way to run a staging site, pay for a host which offers built-in staging sites.