Ultimate Guide to WordPress Post-Migration Testing

Moving your WordPress site? Testing after migration is crucial to ensure everything works perfectly. Here’s what you need to focus on:

• Functionality: Verify core features, plugins, and themes work as expected.
• Content Accuracy: Check posts, pages, and media for proper display.
• Performance: Test site speed, responsiveness, and mobile-friendliness.
• SEO: Ensure URLs, redirects, and metadata are correct to protect rankings.
• Security: Confirm SSL setup and resolve mixed content issues.

Key Steps Before Testing:

1. Back Up Your Site: Create multiple backups (database, files, media) and store them securely.
2. Turn Off Caching Plugins: Avoid outdated views by disabling caching tools.
3. Clear All Caches: Browser, server, plugin, and CDN caches must be purged.

Final Checks:

• Test themes, plugins, custom features, and navigation.
• Review content formatting, media files, and broken links.
• Measure speed with tools like PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix.
• Fix database errors, HTTPS issues, and plugin conflicts.

For complex migrations or troubleshooting, professional assistance can save time and ensure a smooth transition.

How to Manually Migrate Your WordPress Site

Before You Start Testing

Before jumping into post-migration testing, make sure you’ve completed these key steps.

Back Up Your Site

Backing up your site is a must to avoid losing data during testing.

“WordPress Backups are your insurance policy against migration failures, ensuring you can always recover your site to a working state.” – Hosted.com Articles

Here’s a quick guide to creating a reliable backup:

• Create multiple backups: Make at least two complete copies of your site, including:
  • Database files
  • WordPress core files
  • Themes and plugins
  • Uploaded media
  • Any custom code
• Store backups securely: Keep one backup on your computer and another in cloud storage (e.g., Google Drive or Dropbox) for added safety.

Turn Off Caching Plugins

Caching plugins can cause issues during testing by showing older versions of your site. Deactivate these common WordPress caching plugins before testing:

• WP Super Cache
• W3 Total Cache
• WP Rocket
• LiteSpeed Cache

You can disable them directly in your WordPress dashboard to ensure you’re seeing the most up-to-date version of your site.

Clear All Cache Types

Clearing caches is essential to avoid outdated content and get accurate test results. Here’s a breakdown of different cache types and how to clear them:

For Chrome users, you can clear your browser cache by:

1. Clicking the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
2. Selecting “More tools” > “Clear browsing data.”
3. Choosing “All time” for the time range.
4. Checking “Cached images and files.”
5. Clicking “Clear data.”

If you’re unsure how to clear server-side cache, reach out to your hosting provider. Many managed WordPress hosts offer one-click cache clearing in their dashboards.

Clearing all caches ensures you’re testing the actual state of your site without hidden issues. Once this is done, you’re ready to start testing your site’s basic functions.

Testing Basic WordPress Functions

Once your site is set up, it’s time to make sure everything works as expected.

Check WordPress Basics

Start by testing the essential WordPress features:

• Log in as both an administrator and a regular user to confirm proper access.
• Navigate through the dashboard to ensure menu items and settings pages load without issues.
• Upload a few new files to test the media library, and check that existing media displays correctly.
• Create test posts using both the Classic and Gutenberg editors to verify content creation works smoothly.

Check Themes and Plugins

Next, review your themes and plugins to ensure they’re functioning as intended:

For a deeper dive into plugin testing:

• Check PHP Compatibility
  Confirm your server’s PHP version meets the requirements for your theme and plugins.
• Verify Plugin Dependencies
  Ensure all required plugins are active and properly configured.
• Review Plugin Settings
  Go through each plugin’s settings to confirm everything transferred correctly.

Once you’ve confirmed your themes and plugins are working, move on to testing custom features.

Test Custom Features

Custom features often include external API connections (like payment gateways or email services) and custom code elements (such as post types, taxonomies, widgets, or shortcodes). Test these thoroughly to ensure they’re functioning as expected.

To help with debugging, add the following lines to your wp-config.php file:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

If your site includes complex customizations, consider using a staging environment for testing. This approach allows you to identify and fix issues without risking your live site.

Content and Media Tests

After checking functionality, it’s time to ensure all content and media display properly following the migration.

Review Posts and Pages

Carefully go through each post and page to confirm:

• Formatting: Check headings, lists, tables, and custom HTML for proper structure.
• Special Characters and Embeds: Ensure characters display correctly and embedded content works as expected.
• Custom Blocks and Third-Party Elements: Verify that these load without issues.

Enable the Show All Changes option during this process to spot any discrepancies caused by the migration.

Check All Media Files

Once the content is verified, move on to media files. Assess their consistency and functionality.

For extensive media libraries, use WordPress media filters to sort files by date. This helps you focus on the most recently migrated content.

Test Navigation Elements

Navigation plays a key role in user experience. Test all elements thoroughly:

• Primary Navigation: Check main menu items, dropdown menus, and how the mobile menu appears.
• Secondary Navigation: Ensure sidebar widget links, category and tag navigation, and breadcrumb links work as intended.
• Search Functionality: Test basic search queries, results display, and advanced filters (if your site uses them).

Verify menu locations in WordPress and manually inspect each link to confirm it leads to the correct destination. Use the same thoroughness as with theme checks to ensure navigation elements guide users seamlessly.

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Speed and Performance Tests

After migration, it’s essential to evaluate your site’s speed and responsiveness. Did you know that a 3-second delay can lead to over half of your visitors leaving the site? That’s a big deal.

Measure Load Speed

Use these tools to check how well your site performs:

Run these tests at different times of the day for a more accurate picture. PageSpeed Insights is especially helpful – it gives you lab data for debugging and field data based on actual user interactions. Don’t overlook Time to First Byte (TTFB), as it often highlights server-related issues that pop up after migration.

Check Mobile Display

Once you’ve assessed load speed, shift focus to how your site performs on mobile. With over 55% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, this is non-negotiable. Pay attention to these areas:

• Responsive Design: Check how your theme adapts across various devices.
• Navigation: Ensure menus work smoothly and buttons are easy to tap.
• Content Layout: Text should stay readable, and images should resize properly.

For a thorough review, try Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool and test your site on actual devices. Landing pages deserve extra attention since poorly optimized ones tend to have higher bounce rates.

Test Web Vitals

Keep an eye on Core Web Vitals – these directly affect user experience and SEO. Here’s what to aim for:

To tackle these challenges:

• Clear all caches, including server-side and plugin caches.
• Remove unnecessary data from your database.
• Ensure your server is properly resourced for your site’s needs.
• Update outdated URLs with tools like Better Search Replace.
• Fix any plugin compatibility problems.

For the best results, run performance tests from different locations to get a broader view of how your site performs globally.

Security and SEO Checks

After assessing performance, it’s time to ensure your site’s security and SEO settings are in order. This step is essential for maintaining user trust and search engine rankings.

Check SSL Setup

Make sure your site uses HTTPS by looking for the padlock icon in the browser. To confirm your SSL setup, follow these steps:

• Verify SSL Status
  Use these tools to check your SSL configuration:

  Tool	What It Tests	Key Indicators
  SSL Labs	Certificate validity, protocol support	A+ to F rating
  Why No Padlock	Mixed content issues	Specific file locations
  Chrome DevTools	Console errors	Real-time SSL warnings

• Update WordPress Settings
  In your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings > General. Update both the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) to include “https://”. This adjustment prevents common post-migration problems.

Once your SSL setup is confirmed, shift your focus to SEO configurations.

Review SEO Files

Carefully examine your SEO files to avoid issues like blocked resources, old sitemaps, or conflicting directives.

“It’s inevitable that we are moving to an all-HTTPS web.” – Yoast

Test URL Settings

Proper URL configuration is essential to maintain SEO performance. Focus on these key elements:

To ensure everything works smoothly, update database URLs using tools like Better Search Replace, check redirects with online tools, add your HTTPS site to Google Search Console, and request a new crawl of your robots.txt file.

Fix Common Migration Problems

After following the testing steps, it’s crucial to address any migration issues quickly to keep your site running smoothly. Post-migration problems are common, but they can be resolved effectively. Here’s how to tackle some of the most frequent issues.

Database Error Solutions

The “Error Establishing a Database Connection” message usually means your WordPress site can’t connect to its database. Here’s a breakdown of typical causes and fixes:

Steps to fix database connection problems:

1. Enable WordPress Debug Mode
   Add this line to your wp-config.php file to display detailed error messages:
   define('WP_DEBUG', true);
2. Verify Database Settings
   Double-check the following database details in your wp-config.php file:
   • DB_NAME
   • DB_USER
   • DB_PASSWORD
   • DB_HOST
3. Run Database Repair
   If there are corrupted tables, add this line to your wp-config.php file:
   define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);

Once database issues are resolved, the next step is to address HTTPS content problems.

Fix HTTPS Content Issues

Mixed content warnings occur when a secure site (HTTPS) loads some resources over HTTP. This can impact both security and SEO performance. Common culprits include:

• Hard-coded image URLs
• JavaScript files
• CSS stylesheets
• External fonts
• Embedded videos

How to resolve HTTPS issues:

• Use browser developer tools to identify mixed content.
• Update internal links to use relative URLs.
• Replace HTTP resource links with their HTTPS versions.
• Force HTTPS using your .htaccess file.

Once HTTPS issues are handled, check for plugin-related conflicts.

Solve Plugin Issues

Plugin conflicts can cause major disruptions, affecting site performance and traffic. Here’s how to resolve them:

1. Initial Troubleshooting
   Clear your caches, update all plugins, and switch to a default theme to rule out any conflicts.
2. Isolate the Problem
   If issues persist, follow these steps:

   Step	Action	Purpose
   1	Switch to a default theme	Rule out theme conflicts.
   2	Deactivate all plugins	Identify if plugins are the issue.
   3	Reactivate plugins one-by-one	Pinpoint the problematic plugin.
   4	Test functionality	Ensure the problem is resolved.

3. Emergency Access
   If you’re locked out of your WordPress dashboard, use an FTP client to rename the plugins folder. This will disable all plugins and allow you to regain access.

With these steps, you can address the most common post-migration issues effectively.

Final Testing Steps

Find Broken Links

Broken links can damage both your SEO efforts and user experience. Use these tools to identify and fix them:

Here’s how to address broken links:

• Install a broken link checker plugin.
• Export the list of broken URLs.
• Prioritize fixing internal links.
• Update or remove broken external links.
• Set up 301 redirects for outdated or moved pages.

“Broken links are more than just an annoyance. They can hurt your search engine rankings and drive visitors away.” – Joella Dunn, Writer at Duplicator

After fixing the links, be sure to update search engines with the changes to keep your site optimized.

Update Search Engines

It’s important to notify search engines about any structural updates to your site. In Google Search Console:

• Submit Your Sitemap
  Upload the main sitemap file, commonly sitemap_index.xml if you’re using Yoast SEO.
• Remove Old Sitemaps
  Delete outdated sitemap entries to prevent confusion during indexing.
• Monitor Indexing Status
  Use the Coverage report to track indexing progress and resolve crawl errors.

This ensures search engines stay updated and your site’s visibility remains intact.

Set Up Site Maintenance

To maintain your site’s performance and security, establish a regular maintenance routine:

Backup Schedule:

• Perform daily incremental backups.
• Schedule full site backups weekly.
• Test backup files monthly to ensure they work.

Update Protocol:

• Update the WordPress core as soon as new versions are released.
• Refresh plugins weekly to avoid compatibility issues.
• Update themes monthly to keep your design current.

Disaster Recovery Plan:

• Keep emergency contact details handy.
• Document backup restoration steps.
• Secure server credentials.
• Set up system alerts for quick action.

Store backups in multiple encrypted locations to avoid data loss.

Monitoring:

• Review logs and run security scans weekly.
• Keep an eye on file sizes to manage storage.
• Optimize storage space regularly.

With these steps in place, your site will run smoothly and remain secure over time.

Next Steps

After completing the earlier checks for performance, security, and content, these final steps will help ensure your site stays optimized following the migration.

Testing Checklist

Run these tests during low-traffic periods. Log any issues you encounter so you can address them methodically.

Professional Help

While many migrations can be handled in-house, some situations call for expert assistance. These include:

• Complex database migrations
• Conflicts with custom plugins
• Addressing security vulnerabilities
• Optimizing site performance
• Emergency recovery scenarios

Professional services can assist with tasks like:

• Setting up a testing environment
• Ensuring uninterrupted site availability
• Configuring DNS settings
• Post-migration monitoring

For urgent needs, 24/7 emergency support with a two-hour response time is available. Partnering with a trusted WordPress service provider ensures your site stays healthy, secure, and up-to-date. This proactive maintenance helps avoid common post-migration challenges and keeps your site running smoothly.

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