NOTE: this post is about changing the address of your blog while staying at the same webhosting account. If you are trying to move your blog to a new webhosting account, these directions won’t work, you need to read this.
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
For simplicities sake, let’s break this section into 4 different kinds of name changes:
1. Changing the name of the WordPress installation folder
(eg. www.my-domain.com/wordpress to www.my-domain.com/blog)
2. Moving your blog from a directory to your main domain
(eg. www.my-domain.com/blog to www.my-domain.com)
3. Moving your blog from your main domain to a directory
(eg. www.my-domain.com to www.my-domain.com/blog)
4. Switching your blog to a new domain name
(eg. www.my-old-domain.com/blog to www.my-new-domain.com/blog,
or www.my-old-domain.com to www.my-new-domain.com)
Read through all the steps for that section before you attempt these tutorials. If you do step 1 and realize you don’t know how to do step 2, you may end up with a broken blog until we get a chance to help you.
Select from the dropdown menu below to view the full tutorial for each circumstance.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
This tutorial only applies when your blog is remaining at it’s current webhosting account. You are merely wanting to change the domain name associated with your site/blog, and are adding a new domain name to your existing account. If your domain name change involves switching to a different hosting company, or even switching to a new server with your existing webhost, you need to use this tutorial instead.
Say your blog exists at “my-stupid-old-domain.com” or “my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog”, and you are wanting to change it to “awesome-new-domain.com” or “awesome-new-domain.com/blog”. Much of this kind of change happens outside of ProPhoto and WordPress.
Changing the primary domain name associated with your blog
- You need to purchase your new domain name. You can usually do this through your webhosting company.
- You need to point your new domain at your webhosting account by adding your webhost’s Nameserver information to your new domain name. If you purchased your domain name through your webhosting company (recommended), this is probably already done for you. (If you get stuck at all here, contact your webhosting company and they should be able to help you out).
- You need to add this domain name onto your hosting account as a “parked domain” or an “add-on domain”. This terminology varies from company to company, but here is how it works with Bluehost and Bludomain:
- “parked domain” (most common choice) – This option will point your new domain (“awesome-new-domain.com”) at the same web space as your primary domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com”). After setting it up this way, you should be able to view your blog by going to both the old and new addresses.
- “add-on domain” – This option allows you point your new domain (“awesome-new-domain.com”) at a specific directory on your server. You would want to use this option if you are managing multiple domains and are replacing one other than your primary domain.
(This is another area that you will need to contact your webhosting company about if you get stuck, as this is really their arena.)
- Login to your blog and go to “Settings” > “General”. Change both addresses here to your new domain name.
Change this...
Now your blog officially “lives” at your new domain name. - One last item of business is that your old domain is still pointing to your blog as well, which means that both are getting indexed by search engines. This is generally not a good approach to SEO, so you will want to set up a 301 (permanent) redirect on your old domain, forwarding it to your new domain. A normal redirect will send any link from your old domain to the root of your new domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph” would be redirected to “awesome-new-domain.com”). If you can set up a “wildcard” 301 redirect, this will send links to your old domain to the equivalent address on your new domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph” would be redirected to “awesome-new-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph”). Redirects are again managed via your webhosting account, so you can contact your webhost customer support for help setting this up.
NOTE: this post is about changing the address of your blog while staying at the same webhosting account. If you are trying to move your blog to a new webhosting account, these directions won’t work, you need to read this.
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
For simplicities sake, let’s break this section into 4 different kinds of name changes:
1. Changing the name of the WordPress installation folder
(eg. www.my-domain.com/wordpress to www.my-domain.com/blog)
2. Moving your blog from a directory to your main domain
(eg. www.my-domain.com/blog to www.my-domain.com)
3. Moving your blog from your main domain to a directory
(eg. www.my-domain.com to www.my-domain.com/blog)
4. Switching your blog to a new domain name
(eg. www.my-old-domain.com/blog to www.my-new-domain.com/blog,
or www.my-old-domain.com to www.my-new-domain.com)
Read through all the steps for that section before you attempt these tutorials. If you do step 1 and realize you don’t know how to do step 2, you may end up with a broken blog until we get a chance to help you.
Select from the dropdown menu below to view the full tutorial for each circumstance.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
This tutorial only applies when your blog is remaining at it’s current webhosting account. You are merely wanting to change the domain name associated with your site/blog, and are adding a new domain name to your existing account. If your domain name change involves switching to a different hosting company, or even switching to a new server with your existing webhost, you need to use this tutorial instead.
Say your blog exists at “my-stupid-old-domain.com” or “my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog”, and you are wanting to change it to “awesome-new-domain.com” or “awesome-new-domain.com/blog”. Much of this kind of change happens outside of ProPhoto and WordPress.
Changing the primary domain name associated with your blog
- You need to purchase your new domain name. You can usually do this through your webhosting company.
- You need to point your new domain at your webhosting account by adding your webhost’s Nameserver information to your new domain name. If you purchased your domain name through your webhosting company (recommended), this is probably already done for you. (If you get stuck at all here, contact your webhosting company and they should be able to help you out).
- You need to add this domain name onto your hosting account as a “parked domain” or an “add-on domain”. This terminology varies from company to company, but here is how it works with Bluehost and Bludomain:
- “parked domain” (most common choice) – This option will point your new domain (“awesome-new-domain.com”) at the same web space as your primary domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com”). After setting it up this way, you should be able to view your blog by going to both the old and new addresses.
- “add-on domain” – This option allows you point your new domain (“awesome-new-domain.com”) at a specific directory on your server. You would want to use this option if you are managing multiple domains and are replacing one other than your primary domain.
(This is another area that you will need to contact your webhosting company about if you get stuck, as this is really their arena.)
- Login to your blog and go to “Settings” > “General”. Change both addresses here to your new domain name.
Change this...
Now your blog officially “lives” at your new domain name. - One last item of business is that your old domain is still pointing to your blog as well, which means that both are getting indexed by search engines. This is generally not a good approach to SEO, so you will want to set up a 301 (permanent) redirect on your old domain, forwarding it to your new domain. A normal redirect will send any link from your old domain to the root of your new domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph” would be redirected to “awesome-new-domain.com”). If you can set up a “wildcard” 301 redirect, this will send links to your old domain to the equivalent address on your new domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph” would be redirected to “awesome-new-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph”). Redirects are again managed via your webhosting account, so you can contact your webhost customer support for help setting this up.
NOTE: this post is about changing the address of your blog while staying at the same webhosting account. If you are trying to move your blog to a new webhosting account, these directions won’t work, you need to read this.
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
Click here for a text version of this tutorial
For simplicities sake, let’s break this section into 4 different kinds of name changes:
1. Changing the name of the WordPress installation folder
(eg. www.my-domain.com/wordpress to www.my-domain.com/blog)
2. Moving your blog from a directory to your main domain
(eg. www.my-domain.com/blog to www.my-domain.com)
3. Moving your blog from your main domain to a directory
(eg. www.my-domain.com to www.my-domain.com/blog)
4. Switching your blog to a new domain name
(eg. www.my-old-domain.com/blog to www.my-new-domain.com/blog,
or www.my-old-domain.com to www.my-new-domain.com)
Read through all the steps for that section before you attempt these tutorials. If you do step 1 and realize you don’t know how to do step 2, you may end up with a broken blog until we get a chance to help you.
Select from the dropdown menu below to view the full tutorial for each circumstance.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
The following support instructions involve the use of an FTP program. If you're not sure what an FTP program is, or how to use it, visit this tutorial before proceeding.
This tutorial only applies when your blog is remaining at it’s current webhosting account. You are merely wanting to change the domain name associated with your site/blog, and are adding a new domain name to your existing account. If your domain name change involves switching to a different hosting company, or even switching to a new server with your existing webhost, you need to use this tutorial instead.
Say your blog exists at “my-stupid-old-domain.com” or “my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog”, and you are wanting to change it to “awesome-new-domain.com” or “awesome-new-domain.com/blog”. Much of this kind of change happens outside of ProPhoto and WordPress.
Changing the primary domain name associated with your blog
- You need to purchase your new domain name. You can usually do this through your webhosting company.
- You need to point your new domain at your webhosting account by adding your webhost’s Nameserver information to your new domain name. If you purchased your domain name through your webhosting company (recommended), this is probably already done for you. (If you get stuck at all here, contact your webhosting company and they should be able to help you out).
- You need to add this domain name onto your hosting account as a “parked domain” or an “add-on domain”. This terminology varies from company to company, but here is how it works with Bluehost and Bludomain:
- “parked domain” (most common choice) – This option will point your new domain (“awesome-new-domain.com”) at the same web space as your primary domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com”). After setting it up this way, you should be able to view your blog by going to both the old and new addresses.
- “add-on domain” – This option allows you point your new domain (“awesome-new-domain.com”) at a specific directory on your server. You would want to use this option if you are managing multiple domains and are replacing one other than your primary domain.
(This is another area that you will need to contact your webhosting company about if you get stuck, as this is really their arena.)
- Login to your blog and go to “Settings” > “General”. Change both addresses here to your new domain name.
Change this...
Now your blog officially “lives” at your new domain name. - One last item of business is that your old domain is still pointing to your blog as well, which means that both are getting indexed by search engines. This is generally not a good approach to SEO, so you will want to set up a 301 (permanent) redirect on your old domain, forwarding it to your new domain. A normal redirect will send any link from your old domain to the root of your new domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph” would be redirected to “awesome-new-domain.com”). If you can set up a “wildcard” 301 redirect, this will send links to your old domain to the equivalent address on your new domain (“my-stupid-old-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph” would be redirected to “awesome-new-domain.com/blog/weddings/mary-and-joseph”). Redirects are again managed via your webhosting account, so you can contact your webhost customer support for help setting this up.
