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If you’re planning to move a website from one domain to another using cPanel, you’re in the right place. Whether it’s for rebranding, SEO, or targeting a new audience, transferring your site properly is crucial. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the exact steps to move a website without breaking it or affecting its performance.

Moving a website is not as complicated as it sounds — especially if your hosting environment supports cPanel, like it does with Hostrago’s affordable hosting plans. With a few simple tweaks and the right method, you can transfer files, update your database, and configure redirects for a smooth website migration.

Why Move a Website to Another Domain?

There are many reasons you might want to move a website to a different domain:

  • Rebranding your business or blog
  • Switching from a long or old domain to a shorter, more SEO-friendly one
  • Targeting a new market or region
  • Recovering from a domain penalty or Google issue
  • Wanting a more professional domain

Prerequisites Before You Begin

Before you move a website to a new domain using cPanel, ensure the following:

  • Backup of your full website (files + database)
  • Access to cPanel for both the old and new domain
  • The new domain is already added to your cPanel as Addon Domain or as the Primary Domain
  • FTP access or cPanel File Manager
  • Access to phpMyAdmin

Step-by-Step: How to Move a Website to Another Domain on cPanel

1. Backup Your Website

Before making any changes, take a full backup of your website to avoid data loss.

Steps:

  1. Login to your cPanel
  2. Navigate to File Manager
  3. Select your old domain’s root folder (usually public_html or a subfolder)
  4. Compress the folder and download it
  5. Go to phpMyAdmin and export the database

2. Upload Files to the New Domain Directory

  1. In File Manager, navigate to the directory where the new domain is hosted
  2. Upload and extract the compressed website files here
    • For Addon Domains, it might be public_html/newdomain.com
  3. Make sure all files are extracted properly

3. Create a New Database (If Needed)

If you’re using a different database:

  1. In cPanel, go to MySQL® Databases
  2. Create a new database and database user
  3. Assign all privileges to the user
  4. Import your old database via phpMyAdmin under the new database

🔗 Helpful Guide: How to Grant All Privileges to a MySQL User

4. Update Database Configuration

Once the database is uploaded, update your website’s config file:

  • WordPress: Edit wp-config.php
  • Joomla: Edit configuration.php
  • Other CMS: Check their specific config file

Make sure you change:

  • DB Name
  • DB User
  • DB Password
  • DB Host (usually localhost)

5. Fix Internal Links and URLs

Your old domain URLs will still exist in your files or database. You need to replace them with the new domain.

For WordPress Sites:

Use plugins like:

  • Better Search Replace
  • Velvet Blues Update URLs
  • WP Migrate DB

For other CMS or custom sites:

Manually update links in the database using SQL or a text editor.

Set Up 301 Redirects

A 301 redirect tells search engines that your site has permanently moved.

In your old domain’s .htaccess file, add:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^olddomain\.com [NC,OR]

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.olddomain\.com [NC]

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301,NC]

This ensures all traffic from the old domain automatically redirects to the new domain — preserving SEO value.

Testing & Final Checks

After the transfer, double-check:

  • All pages and links work on the new domain
  • SSL is active (install new SSL if needed via cPanel)
  • No mixed content errors
  • Redirects from the old domain are working
  • Emails (if hosted) are updated accordingly

Conclusion

Transferring or moving a website to another domain may seem technical, but with cPanel and this step-by-step guide, the process becomes straightforward. Remember to take full backups, update your links, set up 301 redirects, and notify Google — and you’ll avoid SEO loss or downtime.

If you’re looking for reliable hosting with easy migration, check out Hostrago’s web hosting plans. We also offer free migration assistance and 24/7 expert support to ensure your website transfer is smooth and secure.

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