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Change WordPress domain (site URL)

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If you move a WordPress site to a new domain (or switch from staging to production) you must update the WordPress site URL correctly. Otherwise you can get redirect loops, a blank page, or mixed‑content warnings.

This guide is written for WordPress websites hosted on GARMTECH Hosting with Plesk and LiteSpeed.

Before you start (recommended)

  • Back up the website files and database.
  • Make sure the new domain points to your GARMTECH hosting (DNS A/AAAA or nameservers).
  • Plan to update links: WordPress stores the domain inside the database.

Step 1 – Add the new domain in Plesk (if needed)

If the new domain is not yet in Plesk:

  1. Open Plesk for your hosting plan (via My.GARMTECH → your hosting service → Login to Plesk).
  2. Go to Websites & Domains.
  3. Add the domain (or a subdomain) so it points to the correct document root.

Step 2 – Install/enable SSL for the new domain

  1. In Plesk, open the domain.
  2. Go to SSL/TLS Certificates.
  3. Issue/renew a Let’s Encrypt certificate for the new domain.
  4. Enable HTTPS redirection if you want to force HTTPS.

Step 3 – Update WordPress URLs

You need to update both fields:

  • WordPress Address (URL)
  • Site Address (URL)

Option A (recommended): WordPress Admin

  1. Sign in to wp-admin on the old domain (or via Plesk WordPress Toolkit).
  2. Go to Settings → General.
  3. Update the two URL fields to the new domain (use https:// if SSL is enabled).
  4. Save changes. Log in again if WordPress redirects you.

Option B: wp-config.php (if you cannot access wp-admin)

Add these lines to wp-config.php (adjust the domain):

define('WP_HOME', 'https://new-domain.example');
define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://new-domain.example');

Step 4 – Replace old links inside the database

After changing the site URL, posts/images may still contain the old domain. Use one safe method:

  • A trusted WordPress plugin for search & replace, or
  • WP‑CLI search‑replace (advanced), or
  • A database tool that supports serialized data (do not use a plain “find/replace” in SQL for serialized values).

Step 5 – Clear caches

  • If you use LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache), purge all cache after the change.
  • If you use a CDN (for example, Cloudflare), purge cache there too.

Quick troubleshooting

  • Redirect loop → check that WordPress URLs are https:// and match your SSL settings; clear cache; check “force HTTPS” rules.
  • Mixed content → run a search & replace to update old http://old-domain links to https://new-domain.
  • Still opening the old domain → DNS may still be propagating, or the old domain is cached in your browser/CDN.
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