How to Upload Your Downloaded WordPress Files to a New Domain [Step-by-Step for Beginners]

So you’ve downloaded your WordPress files and bought a new domain—great!
But now you’re wondering, “How do I upload WordPress to my new domain without breaking anything?”

Don’t worry. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the exact steps to move your WordPress files and launch your site on a new domain—even if you’re a total beginner.

Table of Contents

🔍 Why Upload WordPress Files to a New Domain?

There can be many reasons:

You changed your brand or domain name
You’re moving from localhost to live hosting
You’re redesigning or rebranding your old website
You’re building a client project

Whatever the case, the steps are mostly the same—and once you learn this, you can confidently move or launch any WordPress site in the future.

🚀 Step-by-Step Guide to Upload WordPress to a New Domain

🧩 Step 1: Prepare Your Files & Database

Before uploading anything:

Make sure your WordPress files (like wp-content, wp-admin, etc.) are in a .zip file
If you have a database (important for existing sites), keep the .sql file ready

💡 Pro Tip: If it’s a fresh WordPress install, you may not need a database import. But for full site migration, the database is 100% necessary.

🔐 Step 2: Log in to Your Hosting Account

Use your hosting provider’s panel (like Hostinger, GoDaddy, Bluehost, etc.)

Go to:
Hosting Dashboard → File Manager
or
Use FTP Client like FileZilla

📁 Step 3: Upload the WordPress Files

Now navigate to the root folder of your new domain:

Usually it’s:

public_html (for main domain)
public_html/yourdomain.com (for subdomains or addon domains)

Upload your `.zip` file here:

Right-click → Upload
Then Extract it after upload
Make sure folders like wp-content, wp-admin are visible in the root, not nested inside another folder

🧠 Step 4: Create a New Database (for migrated sites)

If you have a .sql file:

Go to MySQL Databases in hosting panel
Create a New Database
Create a New Database User
Add User to Database with full permissions
Save these:
- Database Name
- Username
- Password
- Hostname (usually localhost)

📦 Step 5: Import the Old Database (if migrating)

Go to phpMyAdmin
Select the new database
Click Import
Upload your .sql file
Click Go

Done! Your site content is now restored.

🛠 Step 6: Edit `wp-config.php`

Inside the extracted WordPress files, open wp-config.php.

Update these lines:

define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name');
define('DB_USER', 'your_database_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_database_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); // or hosting-specific value

🌐 Step 7: Update Site URL for New Domain

Go to phpMyAdmin → open your database → open wp_options table.

Update:

siteurl
home

Replace old domain with:
https://yournewdomain.com

⚠️ If site doesn’t load:
Add this temporary code in your theme’s functions.php:

update_option('siteurl','https://yournewdomain.com');
update_option('home','https://yournewdomain.com');

Load the site once, then remove the code.

✅ Step 8: Test Your Site

Open your new domain and check if:

Homepage loads fine
Admin panel works (yourdomain.com/wp-admin)
Menus and images are intact

🔁 Final Optional Steps:

Go to Settings → Permalinks → Click Save (to fix links)
Install Really Simple SSL if using HTTPS
Add your site to Google Search Console for indexing
Use a caching plugin for speed (like LiteSpeed Cache or WP Super Cache)

Bonus Tips for SEO & Ranking:

Use SEO plugins like RankMath or Yoast
Update your meta titles/descriptions per page
Submit XML sitemap to Google
Use Google PageSpeed Insights to improve speed
Start a blog section to rank for long-tail keywords (like this one 😎)

Conclusion

Uploading your WordPress files to a new domain isn’t hard—it just requires a step-by-step flow. Once you’ve done it once, you can do it again easily for yourself or clients.

If you found this useful, feel free to share or bookmark this post.
And if you face any issues, drop a comment or message me—I’ll try to help.

Absolutely! Here are some SEO-friendly, helpful FAQs for your blog post on Uploading WordPress Files to a New Domain. These will boost your ranking and also provide clarity to your readers:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I upload WordPress files without using FTP?

Yes. Most hosting providers offer a File Manager inside their control panel (like Hostinger, cPanel, etc.), where you can upload and extract your .zip files directly — no need for FTP like FileZilla unless you prefer it.

2. Do I need a database to upload WordPress to a new domain?

Yes, if you’re migrating an existing site. WordPress needs both files and a MySQL database to work. If you’re installing fresh WordPress, you can skip the import and just install it normally.

3. How do I update my WordPress site URL after migration?

Go to phpMyAdmin, open your new database, find the wp_options table, and update:

siteurl
home
with your new domain name (e.g. https://yournewdomain.com)

Or temporarily add this code in functions.php:

update_option('siteurl','https://yournewdomain.com');
update_option('home','https://yournewdomain.com');

Then remove it after the site loads.

4. Why is my new domain showing a blank page or error?

This usually happens if:

wp-config.php has wrong database details
Database wasn’t imported correctly
Site URL wasn’t updated to the new domain

Check these carefully and also try clearing your browser cache.

5. Is there a plugin to migrate WordPress instead of doing it manually?

Yes! Plugins like:

All-in-One WP Migration
Duplicator
UpdraftPlus

…can make the process easier, especially for beginners. But manual uploads give you more control and work without plugin limitations.

6. Will uploading WordPress files to a new domain affect my SEO?

If you’re moving your site to a new domain, SEO can be affected unless:

You set up 301 redirects from the old domain
Update all internal links and image paths
Submit the new domain to Google Search Console

For new sites, there’s no issue.