How to Clone a Website in WordPress – Rocon’s Easy Guide

For developers, agencies, and site owners, cloning a WordPress website is among the most frequent and useful chores. The ability to precisely and quickly duplicate your WordPress website is a must-have talent whether you are building a staging environment, moving to a new server, rebuilding your site, or launching comparable websites for several clients.

From tools to manual techniques, best practices to use cases, and frequent errors to avoid, this all-encompassing book covers all you need to know about cloning a WordPress site.

Cloning a WordPress website is making an exact replica of your site comprising:

The core files of WordPress

• Plugins and themes
• Media materials
• Database (settings, users, pages, posts)
• Whether it’s on a staging domain, a different host, or as a backup version, the aim is to have a completely functional replica of your original site that functions precisely the same.

1. Migration of Sites

Transferring your site between hosts without downtime.

2. Environment for Staging

Building a test or development environment to securely implement changes.

3. New Project Template

To hasten development, use an already-existing site as a basis template.

4. Recovery from Disaster

Keep the same backup should your primary site fail.

5. Rework or Redesign

Work on a clone even as your original site is active.

A WordPress site can be cloned in two primary ways:  

A- Cloning Via Plugin

Advantages:

• Easy, fast, and straightforward
• Manages database copying and all files
• Some even automatically alter URLs.

Common cloning tools:

• Duplicator All-in-One WP Migration
• WP Staging UpdraftPlus (including clone/migration)

B- Manual Cloning (For experienced users)

Steps call for:

• FTP file downloading
• Exporting/importing the data base
• Modifying wp-config.php
• Changing database URLs
• Good for total control, but more dangerous and labor-intensive.

One of the most dependable and popular plugins, Duplicator lets you clone a WordPress site as follows.

Step 1:

• Install Duplicator
• From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins. Search for “Duplicator” under Plugins in your WordPress dashboard and install it.

Make a Package in Step 2:

• Navigate to Duplicator > Packages > Create New Name the package and click Next
• The plugin will check your website
• Once the scan is finished, click Build.

Step 3: Get Archive Files and Installer

• Once constructed, get the Archive.zip and Installer.php files
• These are all you require to duplicate the website

Step 4: Upload to New Location

Using FTP or File Manager, upload both files to the root directory of your new server.

• Make sure your domain points to the right folder.

Step 5:Install the program

Go to yourdomain.com/installer.php

• Follow these instructions: enter your new database information, check connection, launch site

Step 6: Revise Permalinks and Test

• Sign into your replicated site
• Click on Settings > Permalinks Keep
• Check every page, link, and form.

Should your plugin fail or you like a hands-on approach, here is how to clone manually:

1- Download WordPress files in step 1

Connect via cPanel File Manager or FTP (FileZilla).

Get all files from the root directory of WordPress

2- Database Export: Step 2

Visit phpMyAdmin on your present host

Choose the WordPress database. Press Export Select Quick and SQL

3- Send Files to New Host: Step 3

Create a directory or point your domain on your new host

Using FTP, upload all WordPress files

4- Build a New Database: Step 4

Build a new DB, user, and provide rights under cPanel > MySQL Databases.

5- Import the database in step 5

Open phpMyAdmin > Choose new DB > Bring in your .sql file

6- Revise wp-config.php: Step 6

Change the file to show the new DB name, user, and password.

7- Change Site URL in the Database: Step 7

Under phpMyAdmin > wp_options > Change home and siteurl fields to new domain

8- Search & Replace URLs: Step 8

A script such as WP-CLI search-replace or a plugin such as Better Search Replace can help.

9- Final Testing: Step 9

Access your cloned site

Examine every page, link, and function

Ignoring Backups

• Before trying any clone, always backup your original site.

Not Changing URLs

• Cloning to a new domain or subdirectory will cause links and assets to break if you forget to update internal URLs.

Wrong File Permissions

• Make sure your new host has appropriate permissions for plugin/theme changes and uploads.

Replacing Current Websites

• Unless you are sure, make sure you are not installing the clone on top of a live or current site.

Ignoring SSL Settings

• Should your previous website use HTTPS, ensure the new domain also has SSL configured.

One-Click Cloning Tools & Services

• If your managed WordPress hosting provider is Rocon you might already have a built-in one-click Staging/Cloning feature.
• These systems remove the need for plugins or manual handling and automate the whole process.

• Before cloning, always utilize fresh backups.
• Change your staging or clone site name to prevent misunderstanding.
• Use password protection to limit access to clone/staging sites.
• After the clone, clear cache and create permalinks anew.
• For every context, use different database table prefixes.

• Don’t let cloned or staging sites be publicly accessible.
• Turn off search engine indexing for cloned environments.
• Always remove unneeded clone files such as installer.php. after migration

• Duplicating a Multisite Network
• Cloning can get increasingly difficult for WordPress Multisite configurations. Every network site runs one WordPress installation and database. While maintaining user roles and media routes, specialized tools like NS Cloner can assist clone subsites inside a network. Before altering a multisite, always back up completely.

• To see how plugins, themes, and settings function, developers sometimes copy sites across several environments—local, staging, production. This method enables performance checks and proactive troubleshooting. Maintaining environments in sync guarantees more seamless deployment cycles.

• For agencies, duplicating a WordPress site allows you to show a functional demo for possible customers. Duplicating a tried-and-true template and minimally altering the material or design will help you to speed your pitch and reduce development time.

• Ongoing project development can be made more efficient by automating cloning procedures using Git repositories and deployment tools such as Buddy, DeployBot, or GitHub Actions. Many times, developers keep version-controlled themes/plugins and configuration files, therefore allowing systematic deployment and cloning of modifications with least manual effort.
• Automation guarantees consistency and lowers human error for teams. It’s particularly useful when a big WordPress project CI/CD workflow includes cloning. For such processes, hosting companies that enable Git integration provide a competitive advantage.
• Workflow automation is not only for programmers; it can also be tailored for content teams. Plugins that sync content across staging and live sites without full-site cloning help keep both environments in sync.

• Optimization actions following cloning aid to guarantee the replicated site operates exactly as effectively. Clean up cache, minify assets, and lazy load media using solutions such as WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache. If you use services like Cloudflare or Bunny.net, check your CDN configuration.
• Equally crucial is database cleansing. Using tools like WP-Optimize, get rid of temporary choices, spam comments, and outdated post modifications. It improves reaction time and reduces the burden.
• Reconfigure tracking codes and analytics as well. Replicate statistics Update or disable IDs during staging/testing phases as they can distort data.

• A well-documented cloning procedure can significantly cut setup time if you run several WordPress sites. Install your chosen theme, plugin stack, and settings on a base system. Instead of beginning from scratch, clone this basis for every new project.
• By providing clients “pre-built” site templates, you can even profit from cloning processes. Niche-specific WordPress installations—such as for restaurants, coaches, or charities—can be offered or provided as turnkey solutions with little change required, for instance. Scaling is all about efficiency; cloning is the foundation of scalable WordPress site creation.

Cloning a WordPress site doesn’t have to be a stressful or dangerous process. You may confidently copy your site for migrations, testing, backups, and scalability objectives using the appropriate tools and meticulous attention to detail.

Following best practices will save you time, reduce downtime, and guarantee a smooth experience whether you use a plugin or do it manually.

Master the cloning technique to get more control, flexibility, and peace of mind in running your WordPress sites.

Power your site with Rocon’s Managed WordPress hosting, crafted for scalability, reliability, speed, and simplicity. With Rocon, you get:

• Effortless control in the Rocon dashboard
• Unlimited free migrations, handled by our expert migrations team
• 24/7/365 support from WordPress experts
• AWS’s premium infrastructure
• Enterprise-grade security
• Free SSL, CDN and WAF

Enjoy your first month free!