Transfer Wordpress From One Host to Another Using Softaculous

Yesterday, I stumbled on a guide on Softaculous website which explains how to restore a backup on a new server.

I tried the trick and it worked for me in moving a WordPress blog of a client from a webhosting provider to my reseller hosting account (different webhost). I didn't use any WordPress backup & restore plugin, no Filezilla and I didn't change any database settings. In fact, I didn't use phpMyAdmin at all.



This was possible because the cPanel username for the blog is the same on both servers.

While creating the account for the site on my reseller hosting account, I ensured I used the same cPanel username on the old server for the site, to avoid issues since I'm aware that the database name will have the cPanel username as the prefix and the path to the domain will also depend on the cPanel username.

This is the same reason why Softaculous states clearly in the guide that the backup will work fine only if the domain name and the path to the domain is the same as installation on old server.

Below are the steps taken:

==> Change the nameservers of the domain name to the nameservers of the new server
==> Back up my installation (directory and database) on the old server using softaculous
==> Download the backup to my PC
==> Create "Softaculous backup" folder on the new server
==> Upload the backup to the "Softaculous backup" folder created on the new server
==> Restore the back up

That's all.

After changing the nameservers, I intentionally waited for 24hours before restoring the backup so as to monitor the propagation of the new nameservers. So, once I discovered that the site is offline due to change in nameservers, I restored the backup with Softaculous and the site ws back online instantly!

So, follow the steps in the guide if you can ensure that the cPanel username on the new and old servers will be the same.

If you don't understand the "Step 5" in the guide, you can read "how to create softaculous backups folder in cPanel"

Have fun!

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How To Create Softaculous BackUps Folder in cPanel

Yesterday, while following the guide on Softaculous website that explains how to restore a backup on a new server, I was stucked at "Step 5" for some minutes.





The "Step 5" simply requires that I copy the backup file to my new server at the following path /home/USERNAME/softaculous_backups/



I was looking for the folder without knowing I have to create it by myself....lol.



After brainstorming for some minutes, I decided to create it by myself and it worked!



So, if you don't know how to create the softaculous_backups folder, follow me through the steps below:



==> Sign in to your cPanel and scroll down to the 'Files" section



==> Click on "File Manager".

==> Select "Home Directory" and ensure you select "show hidden files" as seen in the screenshot below:

==> Click "Go"



You will be redirected to the "File Manager" page.



==> Click "Create New Folder" icon. A window will pop up.

==> Enter "softaculous_backups" as the New Folder Name

==> Leave next field empty and click "Create New Folder"

That's all.



You can proceed to upload your softaculous backUps to the folder.



I hope this helps.



Recommended: How I Transfer WordPress from One Host To Another Using Softaculous

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How To Point Website Subdomain To Blogger Blog

If you already have a web site and simply want to add a Blogger blog to the site, you can get it done easily. All you just need to do is to make the blog a part of the web site domain structure, by publishing it to a sub domain of the web site. The URL of the web site and the blog, being combined, will improve name recognition from your website users, and from the search engines.





If you don't know what a sub-domain is, it is simply a domain that is part of a larger domain, with its own unique content. An example is blog.nairaforsms.com.



In this post, I'm sharing with you, how I created the blog.nairaforsms.com sub-domain and pointed it to the Blogger blog, www.nairaforsms.blogspot.com.



Let's Get Started



==> Log in to your Blogger blog's dashboard

==> Go to Settings > Publishing

==> Click the "Add a custom domain" link

==> In the box below "Advanced Settings", enter the subdomain eg blog.nairaforsms.com (without www)

==> Click "Save"



An error message will be displayed. Don't worry. Don't close the page.



==> Open a new tab or window

==> Login to your site CPanel and click "Advanced DNS Zone Editor"

==> In the drop-down, choose the domain name of your site



You will need to create two CName records displayed in the error message on your Blogger dashboard by filling the fields under the "Add a Record".

==> Enter "blog" in the "Name" field (without the quotation marks). You can use any name though.

==> Enter "1800" as "TTL"

==> Select "CNAME" from the "TYPE" drop-down box

==> Enter "ghs.google.com" in the "CNAME" field

==> Click the "Add Record" button.



If you scroll down the page, you should see the record listed under the "Zone File Records".



Now, you need to repeat the steps above for the second CNAME displayed in the error message on your blogger dashboard.



Once you've successfully created the two CNAME records, return to your Blogger dashboard and click the "Save" button.



If it saves successfully,visiting www.somename.blogspot.com, should automatically redirect you to blog.yoursite.com just as www.nairaforsms.blogspot.com automatically redirects to blog.nairaforsms.com



That's all.



Try it and let me now if it works for you. 

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Colorpicker.com: Get Color Codes Online

When you are working with colors while editing your website/blog HTML/CSS for colour matching combinations, you might need to enter the hex code of the color you want to use instead of just the color name.



Getting the hex code of colors is something that gets easier if you have a colour chart or picker you can use. There are online html color pickers as well as the ones you can use offline. I once shared an offline color picker download on this blog and today, am sharing with you a color picker you can access on the internet.



Colorpicker.com is a website where you can quickly get the color codes you would like to use in your website/blog or applications. The website simply generates hex codes for you by just clicking anywhere in the colour chart on the site.

To choose a color, you can click on the color chart and the hex code will be displayed at the top of the Color Picker site. There is also a bar you can move up and down for more color combinations. All in all, it's fairly easy to use and am sure you will find it helpful.



Do you know color picker addons or color wheel websites that can be useful in blog/web design? please, let me hear from you via comments.

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