Migrating manually using SFTP and database export

If the Web60 Migration plugin is not suitable for your situation, you can migrate your WordPress site manually. This involves exporting your database from your current host, downloading your site files, and uploading everything to Web60.

Manual migration gives you full control and works with any hosting provider, but takes more steps than the automated plugin.

What you will need

• Access to your current host's control panel or terminal
• SFTP software on your computer (such as FileZilla)
• Your Web60 SFTP credentials (from the SFTP tab in your dashboard)
• About 30–60 minutes depending on your site size

Step 1: Export your database from your current host

1. Log in to your current hosting control panel.
2. Open phpMyAdmin (or your host's database tool).
3. Select your WordPress database.
4. Click Export, choose Quick export method and SQL format.
5. Click Go to download the .sql file to your computer.

Alternatively, if you have terminal access on your current host:

wp db export backup.sql

Step 2: Download your site files

Connect to your current host via SFTP and download the entire WordPress directory. This is usually located at public_html/ or htdocs/. Make sure you download everything, including:

• wp-content/ (themes, plugins, uploads)
• wp-config.php
• .htaccess
• All other WordPress core files

Save everything to a folder on your computer.

Step 3: Upload files to Web60

1. Go to your Web60 dashboard, click your site name, then click SFTP.
2. Generate a password if you have not already.
3. Connect to Web60 using FileZilla or your preferred SFTP software:
   • Host: wp1.smarthost.ie
   • Port: 2222
   • Username: your site name (shown on the SFTP page)
   • Password: the password you generated
4. Upload all your WordPress files to the root directory on Web60. This will overwrite the default WordPress installation.

For large sites, you can use command-line file syncing tools instead of FileZilla for a faster transfer. See Transferring files with scp and rsync.

Step 4: Import your database

Open the terminal in your Web60 dashboard and import the database file you exported:

wp db import backup.sql

If you uploaded the SQL file via SFTP, it will be in your site root directory.

Step 5: Update URLs in the database

Your database still contains references to your old domain. Update them using search and replace:

1. First, preview the changes:

wp search-replace 'https://oldsite.com' 'https://yoursite.smartsitebuilder.ie' --dry-run

2. If the preview looks correct, apply the changes:

wp search-replace 'https://oldsite.com' 'https://yoursite.smartsitebuilder.ie'

3. Flush the cache:

wp cache flush

Replace oldsite.com with your actual old domain and yoursite.smartsitebuilder.ie with your Web60 temporary domain.

Step 6: Verify and connect your domain

1. Visit your Web60 temporary domain to check the site is working.
2. Work through the post-migration checklist to verify everything.
3. When you are satisfied, connect your custom domain from the Domain tab in your dashboard.

Tips for large sites

• Use command-line sync tools instead of FileZilla for transferring files. They are significantly faster for large directories. See Transferring files with scp and rsync.
• Compress your files before transferring: create a .tar.gz archive on your current host, transfer the single file, then extract it on Web60.
• For databases larger than 500MB, consider splitting the export or using the command line instead of phpMyAdmin.

Need help?

If you run into issues during manual migration, visit our support page or email hello@smarthost.ie. Include your site name, your old host, and a description of where you got stuck.