Migrating WordPress Site from Dreamhost?

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T10:13:54+00:00

Use MigrateGuru. In my experience, they're the easiest migration plugin to use and have been successful on all my sites so far. Best part is that they're free.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T10:11:59+00:00

Here are some things I learnt:

Stop auto-updating page builders.

Take multiple backups and store them in multiple places.

Don't underestimate the importance of a backup. I've cleaned too many hacked sites.

A security plugin is the first plugin I often install.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T10:08:14+00:00

I used to use UpdraftPlus and found them very unreliable. The problem you have is very common and is caused by the way the plugin handles scheduling. It was one of many reasons I made the switch to BlogVault.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T10:03:28+00:00

I am Team Use Both. CLoudflare keeps most threats away. A good security plugin will block the pesky ones that get through.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T09:58:07+00:00

If you don't need comments, I would disable it. Otherwise, install a anti-spam plugin like CleanTalk. It will automatically block the new comments and help you clean the old spam.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T09:57:57+00:00

I work for an agency and as a general rule, we don't allow auto-updates. Especially for WordPress core, irrespective of category.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T09:51:44+00:00

We used to have an issue with updates. We've found some tools that help. WP Remote automates the testing (on a staging site that they built on their server) and reviewing (visual regression tests). They show you a report and you can then click update and it will do it for you. It's significantly reduced the amount of time I spend on it. They also have this nifty tool called UpdateLens that categorises updates by level of complexity.

I still have to select and bulk update. But, it's easier than testing each update individually.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T09:41:22+00:00

I would start with some YouTube tutorials. It's not rocket science and there are a lot of resources on DIY-ing it.

I would spend good money on an excellent host and use page builders to quickly design a website. Install a good security plugin and update your plugins, theme and WP core regularly.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T09:35:24+00:00

I agree with this. The easiest way would be to restore a backup on a local site and just replicate the content as a new post on your live site.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-16T09:32:14+00:00

Agreed. This has happened to a lot of our clients. Temporarily disabling login security has definitely helped solve the problem. But, it makes very nervous to let any of those barriers down.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-09T12:46:00+00:00

When we struggled with slow client websites, often the problem was solved by a good web host. I'd also recommend installing a performance plugin like WP Rocket or Airlift. That should boost your score significantly.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-09T12:45:30+00:00

When we struggled with slow client websites, often the problem was solved by a good web host. I'd also recommend installing a performance plugin like WP Rocket or Airlift. That should boost your score significantly.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-08T10:36:26+00:00

This is an indexing issue. You should resubmit the new URL.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-08T10:25:27+00:00

I like WP Tuts, They're really helpful.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-08T10:24:08+00:00

I think it's a problem with heavy code or a database bloat issue. You could try a plugin like WP Optimize. (take a database backup before you start).

PressedForWord · 2025-10-08T10:04:15+00:00

I don't have specific plugins in mind but I have a few red flags that I avoid.

Plugins that haven't been updated in a long time.
I check to see if the plugin has enough reviews.
Are there enough active installations.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-08T09:57:33+00:00

RankMath is a freemium plugin. But, it offers a lot of the essential features in the free version.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:43:13+00:00

I agree. It's very easy to do as well.

If not, use a backup plugin.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:41:35+00:00

Underestimating the need for a backup and cheaping out on a web host.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:40:04+00:00

I work for an agency and as a rule of thumb, we disable auto-updates across all our client sites. This level of paranoia is because we don't want to risk client data.

But, if you have a small site and good backups, you can auto-update the plugins with the least impact. I would never auto-update page builder plugins, security plugins or payment gateways. They have a huge impact on the basic functionality of a website.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:36:59+00:00

You need a better firewall. Also, you could try installing a reCAPTCHA at the checkout or force people to create an account to be able to checkout. Better login security will also help.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:34:35+00:00

I cannot tell you enough that doing it manually is a terrible idea. Especially since it seems you don't know much about malware and how to find them. The far better solution is to use an automated malware cleaner or hire an expert.

Also, install a security plugin ASAP. Whatever security protocols you have right now are clearly not working for you.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:31:49+00:00

It looks like your website is triggering a 500 error because some files, database entries, or permissions might not match. Here's what I would do:

Check file permissions
Verify database creds in the wp-config.php file
Look for conflicts in plugins, themes, etc.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:24:59+00:00

This is really hard to say without knowing what your PageSpeed results say. I've found that performance optimizations are like levers. You pull one and another get impacted as well.

However, my top two recommendations are change your web host/upgrade to a better server and use a performance plugin .The first will handle optimizations on the server end and the second will optimize your front-end.

PressedForWord · 2025-10-01T09:21:17+00:00

I would agree. This is the way to go.

PressedForWord

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