Create a WordPress Staging Site: A Step-by-Step Guide
When making updates, it's crucial to avoid mistakes that could affect visitors on your live WordPress site. To do this, you can create a WordPress staging site, which acts as a private clone of your live website. It's a safe sandbox where you can test changes, updates, and new features without impacting your live site. This guide will cover how to create, access, publish, and remove a WordPress staging site using our built-in tool.
Please click the navigational tabs below to learn more about how to create a WordPress staging site.
Important:
- This guide assumes that you already have an active WordPress website.
- If you need guidance on how to create a website, you can refer to WordPress's support article.
- If you haven't set up your WordPress account yet, please see our guide on How Do I Get Started with WordPress?
How to Create a Staging Site
Follow the steps given below to learn how to create a WordPress staging site:
- Log in to your Account Manager via https://www.networksolutions.com/my-account/login.
- Click on WordPress on the left side menu.
- After that, scroll down to Tools in your WordPress Control Panel and select Site Staging.
- A list of your live WordPress sites will appear. Click on > Create Staging Site for the site you want to duplicate.
You will see a green banner confirming your staging site is being created. Please wait for up to 10 minutes for this to be completed.
How to Access Your Staging Site
To gain access to the staging site you have created, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Account Manager via https://www.networksolutions.com/my-account/login.
- Click on WordPress on the left side menu.
- After that, scroll down to Tools in your WordPress Control Panel and select Site Staging.
- Click on the link that appears under the Staging Admin Panel Login column.
- Enter your login credentials (the same ones you use for your live website) and click the Log In button.
- Once you are logged in to the WordPress Dashboard, you can make updates just as you would on your live site.
It is important to note that your staging site functions similarly to your production/live site.
How to Publish Your Staging Site to Live
When you are ready to make your changes live, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Account Manager via https://www.networksolutions.com/my-account/login.
- Click on WordPress on the left side menu.
- After that, scroll down to Tools in your WordPress Control Panel and select Site Staging.
- Click on > Publish staging site to your live site.
- A green banner will appear, indicating that the content is being copied to your live site. Depending on the size of your site, this may take up to 30 minutes.
Wait for the given time frame and check your live website for the changes you made.
How to Remove Your Staging Site
Follow the steps below to delete your staging site:
- Log in to your Account Manager via https://www.networksolutions.com/my-account/login.
- Click on WordPress on the left side menu.
- After that, scroll down to Tools in your WordPress Control Panel and select Site Staging.
- Click > Remove Staging site.
- Read the information in the pop-up window carefully, then click the Continue button to confirm.
- A green banner will confirm that your WordPress staging site has been successfully removed.
Using Plugins for Staging
Another way to create a WordPress staging site is by using third-party plugins.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- In the left-hand menu, navigate to Plugins and select Add New.
- In the search bar, search for a staging plugin, such as WP Staging.
- For more information on installing and using a specific plugin, check the official documentation on the plugin's page, like the WP Staging article on WordPress.org.
Review
This guide has walked you through the complete lifecycle of our Site Staging tool. You've learned how to create a WordPress staging site for safe testing, how to access it, how to publish your changes to your live site, and finally, how to remove the staging environment when it's no longer needed. Using this tool is a best practice for maintaining a professional and stable website.