Changing URL of WordPress Blog with Fantastico (Moving Entire Blog)

I recently changed my blog from http://homeforprorfits.com/businessblog to http://homeforprofits.com. I host my site with HostGator. Hostgator provides autoinstall of many web scripts with fantastico.

I love fantastico. It makes install and uninstall and updates smooth as breathing in and out.

As my blog was set up by using fantastico http://homeforprorfits.com/businessblog,I wanted to keep my fresh URL also fantastico ready so that future upgrades are not a headache for me.

Here is how it can be done

• First make a copy of your database of your entire blog and store it in your computer. I used WordPress Database Backup version 2.15 . This is compatible with WordPress 2.3. This makes gzip file of your database sql file.
• Install new WordPress at the intended new URL with fantastico. Note down the name of this database. You would need it later.
• Copy your old themes and plugin folders to wp-content folder of new installation. I did this by deleting  themes and plugin folders and then copied from previous blog’s wp-content to the new one
• Now open phpmyadmin from your cpanel. To do this you need to visit MySQL tab and then browse to bottom where you would find link to phpmyadmin..
• Open the new installlation database by clicking from the sidebar list. Choose the tab to drop entire database.
• After this is done click on import button.
  • Page that opens would ask you location of the file.
  • Locate your backed up database file by clicking “Browse” buttton.
  • Make sure that radio button for SQL is checked.
  • Click ‘Go’. This would take some time.
• That is all. Check your new blog
• Now you would like to 301 redirect your old blog to new one so that readers looking for a specific page are taken to the same page at newURL. For example somebody looking for homeforprofits/businessblog/applesandbananas would be taken to homeforprofits/applesandbananas. This also holds true for search engines.

RewriteEngine On

RewriteBase /businessblog/

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.homeforprofits.com/$1 [L,R=301]

Note: You would like to change businessblo to your old subdirectory that contained blog and URL to your new URL

• Congratulations! That completes the job. All you need to do now is change your details at the places that matter like feedburner and mybloglog.

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