All-in-One WP Migration is one of the most reliable ways to import a WordPress website into a new hosting environment. Whether you are a business owner moving to a new host, a developer setting up a staging site, or a client who received a backup file from your web team, this step-by-step guide walks you through the entire WordPress site import process from start to finish. By the end of this article, you will know exactly how to import your WordPress backup, verify that everything transferred correctly, and protect your SEO value during the move.

📘 Related Guide: Need to create the backup file first? Read our complete walkthrough on how to export a WordPress website using All-in-One WP Migration.

What You Need Before You Start the Import

Before you begin importing a WordPress website with All-in-One WP Migration, make sure you have the following items ready. Missing any one of these will stall the process or cause errors during the upload.

• A WordPress hosting account — You need an active hosting plan with a provider such as SiteGround, WP Engine, Bluehost, GoDaddy, or any host that supports WordPress.
• A fresh WordPress installation — WordPress must already be installed on the new hosting account. Most hosts offer one-click WordPress installation through cPanel or their own dashboard.
• Admin login credentials — You need the username and password to log into the WordPress admin dashboard on the new site (typically yourdomain.com/wp-admin).
• The All-in-One WP Migration backup file — This is the .wpress file that was exported from the original site. It must have been created using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin. Other backup formats will not work.
• Enough server storage — Your hosting account needs enough disk space to hold both the compressed backup file and the fully extracted website. A good rule of thumb is to have at least three times the backup file size available.

Install WordPress on the New Hosting Account

If WordPress is not already installed on your new host, you need to set it up before you can import anything. Log into your hosting control panel and look for the WordPress installer. Most hosting providers place this under a section labeled “Auto Installers,” “Softaculous,” or “One-Click Install.”

During installation, choose your domain name and set a temporary admin username and password. These credentials will be overwritten during the import, so do not spend time customizing the new WordPress installation. Just get it running.

If your domain is not yet pointed to the new host, you can either update your DNS records first or use a temporary URL provided by your hosting company to access the site. Either way, you need to be able to reach /wp-admin on the new server before proceeding.

Install the All-in-One WP Migration Plugin

Once you are logged into the WordPress admin dashboard on the new hosting account, navigate to Plugins → Add New. In the search bar, type All-in-One WP Migration. The plugin is developed by ServMask and has millions of active installations.

Click Install Now, then click Activate. After activation, you will see a new menu item labeled All-in-One WP Migration in the left sidebar of your WordPress dashboard. The plugin is free to use for imports under a certain file size. If your backup file exceeds the free limit, you may need the Unlimited Extension from ServMask, or you can increase your server’s upload limit manually.

Upload the Backup File

This is the core step of the entire All-in-One WP Migration import process. Navigate to All-in-One WP Migration → Import in the WordPress admin sidebar. You will see a large drag-and-drop area or a button labeled Import From → File.

Click the button and select the .wpress backup file from your computer. The upload will begin immediately. Depending on the size of your backup and your internet connection speed, this can take anywhere from two minutes to over an hour for larger sites.

Do not close the browser tab or navigate away from the page during the upload. The import runs in your browser session, and leaving the page will cancel the process. If you are on a slow connection, consider using a wired ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi to avoid interruptions.

Confirm the Import

After the file finishes uploading, All-in-One WP Migration will display a warning message stating that the import will overwrite your current WordPress database, media, plugins, and themes. This is expected. Since you installed a fresh WordPress site in the earlier step, there is nothing valuable to lose.

Click Proceed to confirm. The plugin will begin extracting and replacing the site data. A progress bar will show the status. When the import is complete, you will see a success message with a prompt to save your permalink structure.

Do not skip the permalink step. This is critical for your URLs to work correctly after the import.

Save Permalinks After Import

Immediately after the import completes, go to Settings → Permalinks in the WordPress admin dashboard. You do not need to change anything on this page. Simply click Save Changes.

This step forces WordPress to regenerate the .htaccess file (or equivalent rewrite rules on Nginx servers), which controls how your page URLs are structured. Without this step, internal pages may return 404 errors even though the content imported successfully. This is one of the most commonly missed steps in any WordPress migration, and it takes five seconds to complete.

Test the Website After Import

Once permalinks are saved, open your website in a new browser tab and verify that everything transferred correctly. Work through this checklist systematically:

1. Homepage — Does it load with the correct layout, images, and text?
2. Service pages and inner pages — Click through your main navigation and confirm that all pages load without errors.
3. Contact forms — Submit a test entry through every form on the site. Confirm that the form submission arrives at the correct email address.
4. Images — Scroll through several pages and verify that all images display correctly. Broken images are the most common post-migration issue.
5. Navigation menus — Check both desktop and mobile menus. Confirm that all links point to the correct pages.
6. Mobile view — Open the site on your phone or use your browser’s responsive mode. Confirm that the layout is intact.
7. Plugins and theme settings — Go to Plugins in the admin dashboard and confirm that all plugins are active. Check your theme’s customizer settings to verify that logos, colors, and fonts transferred.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Even with a straightforward tool like All-in-One WP Migration, issues can arise. Here are the most common problems and their solutions:

Upload Size Limit Too Low

The free version of All-in-One WP Migration has a maximum upload size (typically 256 MB or less depending on your server). If your backup file exceeds this limit, you have three options: purchase the Unlimited Extension from ServMask, increase your server’s upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in the php.ini file, or ask your hosting provider to increase the limit for you.

Timeout During Import

Large sites may cause the import to time out before completing. This is usually a server configuration issue. Contact your hosting provider and ask them to increase the max_execution_time and memory_limit values in PHP. Most quality hosts will do this on request.

Plugin Version Mismatch

If the backup was created with a different version of All-in-One WP Migration than the one installed on the new site, the import may fail. Always update the plugin to the latest version on both the source and destination sites before exporting and importing.

Missing Images or Broken Links

If images do not display after import, the most common cause is a domain mismatch. If the backup was created on oldsite.com and imported to newsite.com, some image URLs may still reference the old domain. Use a search-and-replace plugin like Better Search Replace to update all instances of the old domain in the database.

Login Issues After Import

After a successful import, your login credentials will be the ones from the original site, not the temporary credentials you created during the fresh WordPress installation. Use the username and password from the site that was backed up. If you do not remember them, use the “Lost your password?” link on the login page.

Important SEO Checks After Migration

Importing a website is only half the job. If you do not verify your SEO settings after the move, you risk losing search rankings that took months or years to build. Search engine optimization requires careful attention during any migration. Work through these checks:

• Confirm domain settings — In Settings → General, verify that both the WordPress Address and Site Address show the correct domain with the correct protocol (https, not http).
• Check indexing settings — Go to Settings → Reading and confirm that “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked. This setting is sometimes enabled on staging sites and can accidentally carry over during import.
• Review title tags and meta descriptions — If you use an SEO plugin like Yoast or RankMath, spot-check your most important pages to confirm that title tags and meta descriptions transferred correctly.
• Confirm redirects — If you had 301 redirects configured on the old site (through a plugin or .htaccess), verify that they still work on the new server.
• Check analytics and Search Console — Log into Google Analytics and Google Search Console to confirm that tracking is active and data is flowing. If the domain changed, you will need to add and verify the new property.
• Test form tracking and call tracking — If you use conversion tracking scripts, call tracking numbers, or CRM integrations, verify that they are firing correctly on the new site.
• Re-submit your sitemap — If the domain changed, go to Google Search Console and submit your XML sitemap at the new URL. This helps Google discover and index your pages on the new domain faster.

When to Get Professional Help

All-in-One WP Migration handles most standard imports without issues. However, there are situations where a professional migration is the safer choice. Consider getting expert help if your site is too large to import through the browser-based uploader, if your new hosting environment requires custom server configuration such as Nginx rewrites or specific PHP versions, if you cannot afford any SEO disruption during the move, or if you have tracking integrations, CRM connections, or e-commerce systems that need to be preserved and tested during the transition.

Elite Web Professionals provides full WordPress website migration services that include backup verification, server configuration, DNS management, SEO preservation, and post-migration testing. If you would rather have the move handled for you, contact our team and we will take care of the entire process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will importing overwrite my current site?

Yes. The All-in-One WP Migration import process completely replaces the existing WordPress database, themes, plugins, and media files on the destination site. This is why you should always start with a fresh WordPress installation or create a backup of the destination site before importing.

Do I need WordPress installed first?

Yes. You must have a working WordPress installation on the new hosting account before you can install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin and run the import. The plugin operates from within the WordPress admin dashboard.

What if my backup file is too large?

If your .wpress file exceeds the upload limit, you can purchase the Unlimited Extension from ServMask, increase your server’s PHP upload limits, or contact your hosting provider for assistance. Some hosts also allow you to upload the file via FTP and import it from the server directly.

Will this keep my SEO settings?

Yes, as long as you are using the same domain. All SEO plugin settings, title tags, meta descriptions, and schema markup are stored in the WordPress database, which is fully transferred during the import. If you are changing domains, you will need to set up 301 redirects from the old domain to the new one and update Google Search Console.

Can Elite Web Professionals import it for me?

Absolutely. If you prefer to have the migration handled professionally with full SEO preservation, form testing, and post-migration verification, contact Elite Web Professionals. We handle WordPress migrations for businesses across the United States every week.