Pre-Migration Checklist

When you’re migrating a WooCommerce or WordPress website you don’t want to waste any time. That’s why we’ve put together this checklist of helpful tips to make your migration as quick and easy as possible.

File and database size

When moving a site from one location to another, the size of your site is directly related to how quick the migration will be. Complete the following tasks to make sure your WordPress or WooCommerce site is as small as possible.

1. Download and remove all backups from site folders (don’t forget to look in the root folder). Here are some paths to backup directories for common backup plugins.
   Solid Backups
   /public_html/wp-content/uploads/backupbuddy_backups
   
   UpdraftPlus
   /public_html/wp-content/updraft
   
   Duplicator
   /public_html/wp-snapshots
   
   All-in-One WP Migration
   /public-html/wp-content/ai1wm-backups
   
   BackWPup 
   /public-html/wp-content/uploads/backwpup-1d2e11-backups/
   
   Backup Guard
   /public-html/wp-content/backup-guard
   
   WPVivid
   /public_html/wp-content/wpvividbackups
   
   
2. Remove cache directories left by old caching plugins. Commonly used caching plugins will use a path like this in the wp-content folder on your sites server wp-content/cache/plugin-name.
3. Remove all unused themes and plugins.
4. Use a tool like WP Optimize or Advanced Database Cleaner to clean your database and compress images.
5. Remove unused media including videos. WPVivid plugin includes an image cleaner tool which will help you find unused media on your site. 

Subfolder installs of WordPress

If you’ve installed multiple instances of WordPress within your site (for instance, installing a second instance of WordPress to run a forum inside a sub-folder), please contact Nexcess support to open a support ticket to complete your migration.

External applications / fonts

1. Remove external font folders or move the fonts folder to a wp-content uploads directory.
2. Some applications that work alongside WordPress use non-standard folders, databases, or database tables. If you’re using any of the applications in the list below, open a support ticket to complete your migration. If you’re no longer using these applications, consider removing the instance from your WordPress folders / database for a quicker migration.
   1. iDevAffiliate
   2. Post Affiliate Pro
   3. InfiniteWP
   4. Moodle

Consider email, DNS, cron, and hacked sites

1. If you have active email forwarders or mailboxes hosted as a part of your current provider’s hosting plan, remember to either move those services to another place or contact your host if you plan to keep them active.
2. For the most part, cron jobs should transition nicely to Nexcess / Liquid Web if they’re a part of standard WordPress. If you have custom cron jobs, make sure to make a note of those jobs so they can be re-initialized once you’ve migrated your site.
3. Some hosts (like Nexcess / Liquid Web) allow you to host your DNS as a part of registering a domain or hosting a website. Make a note of all DNS records and make sure to consider your DNS migration strategy if necessary.
4. It’s important to check your site for malware before migration. Infected sites can be difficult to migrate and work unexpectedly after migration. For more on scanning your site, check out this article.