Your staging site is most useful when you follow a simple workflow. These tips will help you avoid common mistakes and get the most out of staging.
Keep your staging site — do not delete and recreate
The most common mistake is deleting your staging site after every round of testing and creating a fresh one next time. This wastes your weekly SSL certificate allowance and takes longer than syncing.
Instead: Keep your staging site and use Sync from Live whenever you need a fresh copy.
The recommended workflow
- Create a staging site once.
- Sync from Live to get the latest content from your live site.
- Make your changes — install plugins, update themes, edit content.
- Test your changes by visiting the staging site.
- Push to Live when you are happy.
- Sync from Live again the next time you want to test something.
Repeat steps 2–6 as many times as you like. There is no need to delete your staging site between rounds.
When to use each action
| Action | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Sync from Live | Your staging site is out of date and you want a fresh copy of your live site |
| Push to Live | You are happy with your staging changes and want to apply them to your live site |
| Delete | You genuinely no longer need a staging site at all |
Things to be careful about
Syncing overwrites staging changes
When you Sync from Live, your staging site is completely replaced with a copy of your live site. Any changes you had made on staging will be lost. Make sure you have pushed your changes to live (or no longer need them) before syncing.
Pushing overwrites live content
When you Push to Live, your live site is replaced with the staging version. Web60 takes an automatic backup before pushing, so you can restore if something goes wrong. Still, make sure you have tested your staging changes thoroughly before pushing.
Content added on live after staging was created
If you or your customers add blog posts, pages, or other content on your live site after you created the staging copy, that content will not appear on staging until you sync. Conversely, if you push staging to live without syncing first, that new live content will be overwritten by the older staging copy.
Best practice: Always sync from live before starting a new round of testing.
Use staging tools for deeper testing
You can use the terminal, SFTP, and file manager on your staging site. See Using tools on your staging site for details on the Live/Staging toggle.
Frequently asked questions
Should I delete my staging site after pushing to live?
No. Keep your staging site and use Sync from Live to refresh it when you need to test again. Deleting and recreating wastes your weekly SSL allowance.
What is the best workflow for testing changes?
Create staging once, sync from live to get the latest content, make your changes, test them, then push to live. Repeat by syncing again — no need to delete.
Can I make changes on both staging and live at the same time?
You can, but be careful. If you sync from live after making staging changes, those staging changes will be overwritten. If you push to live, your live content will be replaced with the staging version.
What happens if I forget to sync before making changes?
Your staging site might be out of date compared to live. It will still work, but your changes will be based on an older copy. Sync first to make sure you are working with the latest content.
Last updated: 28 March 2026