A website migration is sometimes the best way for your online business to extend its digital horizons. However, if not done correctly, the move can lead to errors that can significantly lower production and negatively impact on your users’ experience when visiting your site.
To avoid stepping in this minefield, we have compiled a list of common WordPress migration errors and what you can do to fix them.
Most Common Errors With WordPress Migrations
Error Establishing A Database Connection
This error, although quite common, is not well understood in the WordPress community. It gives very little information regarding why your website can no longer communicate or access your database. For the beginner WordPress user, some expert help may be necessary to resolve this error.
If this error pops up, the first course of action should be to check on your wp-config.php file. After making sure that the name of your database is spelled correctly, you can double-check the permission settings, username, and password.
If you cannot find any misspellings concerning your database name, your next step is to go to www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin. If your dashboard throws out an error that tells you your website needs some repairing, then open your wp-config.php file again and type in the following line of code: define(‘WP_ALLOW_REPAIR’,true);
You can then go to www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php and verify whether the errors in your database have been resolved. Although managing the technical side of your website can be a bit daunting at first, it can also help to save on resources. Alternatively, you could get some support from WordPress forums or contact a professional to do the job done for you.
SSL Certificate Issues
Whether you’re just starting out or you have a big WooCommerce website, acquiring an SSL certificate is key to establishing and maintaining your website’s safety. However, during website migrations, errors can sometimes render an SSL certificate completely ineffective.
Should you get the NET::ERR_CERT_INVALID error, then the probability that you didn’t change the domain name in your certificate is fairly high. Seeing that every SSL certificate is tied to a specific domain name, if you change it, the certificate won’t work. To bypass this error, you have to reinstall the certificate.
If you get the mixed content error, this points to some URLs on your website that still responds to the HTTP communication protocol, instead of HTTPS. To fix this error, you have to find and replace all HTTP URLs manually or through the aid of a plugin.
500 Internal Server Error
The Internal Server Error can pop up as a result of plugin incompatibility. Also, the 500 Error may occur if your new host has invalid file permissions. There are a couple of ways of troubleshooting this problem that may solve it.
If the new host doesn’t have direct access to all of your files, then you will have to edit the folder permissions to allow this.
If this doesn’t solve your problem, check on your .htaccess file. You can rename your .htaccess file and reboot your website. If you are still out of luck, you can generate a new .htaccess file and reload the website again.
If the problem has not been resolved yet, delete the new .htaccess file and restore the old one. You can now go to your PHP settings and increase the memory limit.
The next step is to deactivate all WordPress plugins and troubleshoot them one by one to see if any of them is causing the issue.
Downtime During Migration
The worst thing that can happen during the migration of your WordPress website is significant downtime.
Downtime happens when your website’s URLs lead web visitors to your old hosting platform after you have transferred those files to a new web host. As a result, your visitors will see a 404 error.
The best way to go about migrating a website and testing it on a new host to ensure constant uptime is to use an internal address that many hosting companies have.
phpMyAdmin Timing Out
The odds are that your database is not just a couple of files. If your website has been working for a while, it can be rather massive. This is why sometimes phpMyAdmin can time out while trying to import or export it.
You can use the wp import command in WP-CLI. It’s a free open-source tool that is easy to install.
If you don’t want to waste your time on installing and learning WP-CLI, you can use SSH commands to export or import your database. If that doesn’t work either, you can always contact support.
Final Thoughts
There are many errors that could occur when migrating your site. Luckily, many people have encountered them before so you will find a lot of support and useful resources online.
If you’d prefer to save time and leave these problems to the professionals, WordHerd can help you with all your WordPress migration needs.