A Guide to Changing WordPress URLs Without Breaking Your Site

It’s one of those tasks that can make even a seasoned website owner a bit nervous: changing your core WordPress URLs. But honestly, it’s a common job you’ll likely face at some point. Maybe you're finally moving your site from a test environment to its live domain, or perhaps you're doing a full rebrand. Whatever the reason, getting this right is all about understanding the process before you touch a single setting.

The thought of changing your site's address can feel a bit daunting. On one hand, you have the excitement of a new launch or a security upgrade; on the other, there’s the nagging fear of a broken site. Let’s demystify it. This is a normal part of managing a website, and there are very good reasons for doing it. This guide will walk you through the process, step-by-step, in a way that’s easy to understand.

Why Would You Need to Change Your WordPress URL?

If you find yourself needing to update your website's address, you're in good company. This isn't some obscure, once-in-a-lifetime task. Here are some of the most common real-world scenarios:

Switching to HTTPS: Moving from http:// to the secure https:// is no longer optional. It's essential for security, trust, and even SEO, as Google uses it as a ranking signal. This is easily the most frequent reason for a URL update.
Rebranding or a New Domain Name: When your business name changes, your domain needs to keep up. This is a bigger undertaking, but it’s essential for brand consistency.
Moving from a Subdomain: It's common practice to build or redesign a site on a subdomain like dev.yourwebsite.co.uk. Once you're ready for the big reveal, you'll need to point it to the main www.yourwebsite.co.uk address.
Going Live from Staging: Just like with a subdomain, pushing a site from a temporary staging area or a local server to your live domain is a standard part of the development workflow.

Before we go any further, it's vital to understand the two main URL settings in WordPress. People often get them mixed up, which can lead to problems.

WordPress Address vs Site Address: What's the Difference?

In your WordPress settings, you'll see two crucial fields: 'WordPress Address (URL)' and 'Site Address (URL)'. Getting these right is the key to a successful change.

Setting	What It Controls	Common Scenario for Changing It
WordPress Address (URL)	The location of your core WordPress files (like `wp-admin`, `wp-content`).	You've installed WordPress in a subdirectory but want the site to appear at the root domain.
Site Address (URL)	The public-facing address people type in their browser to visit your site.	Moving from `http` to `https` or changing your domain name.

For most websites, these two URLs will be exactly the same. But knowing the difference is crucial if you have a more complex setup.

The Growing Need for URL Management

Being able to confidently manage and change WordPress URLs has never been more important. With WordPress powering a staggering 43.4% of all websites globally as of 2025, its dominance is clear. In the UK alone, countless businesses and individuals depend on the platform. This massive adoption means that mastering fundamental tasks like URL updates is an essential skill for any site owner.

Ultimately, once you understand exactly why your URL needs changing, you'll have the clarity and confidence to dive into the technical steps without breaking a sweat.

Your Pre-Change Safety Net: Backups and Prep Work

Right, before we get into the nuts and bolts of how to change WordPress URLs, let's hit pause. This next bit isn't just a friendly suggestion—it’s the single most important thing you can do to protect your site and your sanity. We need to create a complete, reliable backup.

Think of it as your digital insurance policy. While the methods we'll cover are tried and tested, things can still go sideways. A random server glitch, a plugin conflict, or a simple typo can turn a five-minute job into a full-blown emergency. A solid backup is your undo button, letting you roll everything back to how it was in moments.

Why This Step is Non-Negotiable

Honestly, skipping a backup is like walking a tightrope without a net. The risk might feel small, but the consequences of a fall are huge. If something goes wrong while changing URLs, you could easily end up with a broken site, find yourself locked out of your admin area, or be plagued by mixed content errors.

Without a backup, you're looking at a stressful, time-consuming, and potentially expensive repair job. With one, it's just a minor inconvenience. You simply restore the backup and figure out what went wrong.

How to Create a Full Website Backup

You’ve got a couple of solid options here, and it really just depends on your comfort level.

Using a Plugin (The Easy Way): For most folks, a plugin is the simplest and most dependable route. Tools like UpdraftPlus, All-in-One WP Migration, or Duplicator are brilliant for this. They bundle up all your website files and your database into a neat package you can download. We’ve got a great walkthrough that covers exactly how to backup your WordPress site if you want more detail.
Manual Backups (For the Hands-On User): If you're more of a hands-on person, a manual backup gives you complete control. It’s a two-part job. First, you'll need an FTP client (like FileZilla) to connect to your server and download all your website files. Then, you’ll log into your hosting control panel, find phpMyAdmin, and export a copy of your WordPress database.

Whichever path you take, make sure you download the backup files and stash them somewhere safe, like on your computer or in a cloud storage account.

Key Takeaway: A complete backup of both your files and your database is your absolute safety net. Do not proceed with any URL changes until you have a fresh, verified backup safely stored offline.

Final Preparations for a Smooth Process

With your backup secured, there are just a couple more things to tick off the list. A little prep work now will make the whole process go much smoother.

Activate Maintenance Mode

It’s always a good idea to put your site into maintenance mode first. This stops visitors from landing on a potentially broken site while you're working and prevents new data, like comments or form submissions, from being lost. A simple plugin like WP Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon gets this done in a click.

Gather Your Logins

The last thing you want is to be hunting for passwords in the middle of a critical step. Take a moment to find and check all the logins you might need.

Have these ready and waiting:

WordPress Admin: Your username and password.
Hosting Control Panel: cPanel, Plesk, or whatever your host uses.
FTP/SFTP Access: The hostname, username, password, and port number.
phpMyAdmin: You can usually access this directly from your hosting panel.

Having these details on hand means you can jump straight into the files or database if you need to. Now that your safety net is in place and your tools are ready, you’re all set for a successful URL change.

Updating URLs Directly in the WordPress Dashboard

Sometimes, the simplest solution really is the best one. Before you dive into databases or command lines, it's worth knowing that you can often change your WordPress URLs right from the dashboard. This is the first place you should look.

This built-in method is perfect for straightforward changes. Just installed an SSL certificate and need to switch from http:// to the secure https://? Or maybe you've decided to add or drop the 'www.' prefix from your domain. For these common jobs, the dashboard settings are all you need.

Finding Your URL Settings

Getting to the right screen is a piece of cake. Once you’re logged into your WordPress admin area, just head over to Settings > General on the left-hand menu.

Right at the top of this page, you’ll spot the two fields that matter: WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL). On most standard WordPress sites, these two URLs will be exactly the same.

How to Make the Change

Now for the important bit. Go ahead and carefully type your new URL into both fields. The key here is to be meticulous. Double-check, and then triple-check, for any typos. A single mistake can lock you out of your site, so take your time.

For instance, if you're making the switch to HTTPS, you'd update http://yourwebsite.co.uk to https://yourwebsite.co.uk in both boxes.

Once you’re 100% sure everything is correct, scroll to the bottom and hit that Save Changes button.

Heads-up! The moment you click save, WordPress will log you out. Don't panic; this is supposed to happen. It's a security feature because your login cookie is linked to the old URL. Just log back in using the new site address.

Know the Limitations

While this dashboard method is wonderfully simple, it’s not a magic wand. It only updates the two main address settings in the database. It does not perform a search-and-replace to find and update every single instance of the old URL that might be hiding in your content.

This can cause a few headaches down the line:

Mixed content warnings: Your site loads over HTTPS, but some images or scripts are still being called from the old http:// address, triggering browser security warnings.
Broken internal links: Links you’ve added to posts and pages might still point to the old URL.
Missing images: If image URLs were hardcoded into your content, they won’t appear.

For a brand-new site moving from http to https, you might be fine. But for a complete domain change or migrating an established website, you'll need a more powerful tool to do the job properly. We’ll get into those next.

Check Your Work

After saving your changes and logging back in, it's time for a quick spot check.

Open your website in a private or incognito browser window. This gives you a fresh view, just like a first-time visitor, without any old data from your browser's cache getting in the way. Click through your main menu, visit a few different pages, and make sure your images are all loading correctly. A few minutes of testing now can save you from a lot of trouble later.

Going Deeper: A Proper Search and Replace for Your URLs

Sometimes, simply updating the two URL fields in the WordPress settings isn't enough. When you’re migrating a site to a new domain, switching from HTTP to HTTPS, or cleaning up a complex build, you need to make sure every single instance of the old URL is updated in the database.

This is where search and replace tools come in. They comb through every table in your database to find and update old URL paths, ensuring that image links, internal links, and configuration settings don't break. This might sound intimidating, but with the right approach, it's a completely manageable and essential step for a clean transition.

The Easiest Route: Using a Dedicated Plugin

For most people, a specialised plugin is the perfect way to handle a deep database update. My go-to recommendation is a tool like Better Search Replace. It’s built for one specific job and does it exceptionally well. It ensures everything from image paths embedded in old posts to custom widget settings gets updated correctly.

Before you touch anything, let me say it again: make sure you have a complete, recent backup of your site. This is your safety net, and it's non-negotiable.

Once you've installed and activated the plugin, head over to Tools > Better Search Replace. The process is quite straightforward:

Search for: Pop your old website address in here (e.g., http://yourwebsite.co.uk).
Replace with: Add your shiny new website address (e.g., https://yourwebsite.co.uk).
Select tables: You'll want to select all of your database tables to be thorough. A quick way to do this is to click the first table in the list, hold down the Shift key, and then click the last one.
Run as dry run: This checkbox is your best friend. Always, always run a dry run first. This feature is brilliant—it simulates the entire process and shows you exactly how many database entries would be changed, without actually making any permanent alterations.

After the dry run completes, take a look at the results. If everything looks as expected, you can uncheck the ‘dry run’ box and run the process for real. It’s a wonderfully thorough and reassuring way to get the job done.

The Power User's Choice: WP-CLI

If you're comfortable working with a command line, or if you're a developer, WP-CLI (WordPress Command-Line Interface) is the industry-standard tool for this task. It's incredibly fast, powerful, and completely avoids server timeouts that can sometimes plague plugins on massive websites.

To use WP-CLI, you’ll need SSH access to your hosting account, which is a standard feature with most quality hosting providers.

The command itself is remarkably simple yet powerful. Once you've connected via SSH and navigated to your website's root folder, you'll use this command:

wp search-replace 'http://old-url.co.uk' 'https://new-url.co.uk' --dry-run

Just like the plugin, the --dry-run flag lets you preview all the proposed changes in a neat table without committing to anything. It’s the perfect way to double-check your work.

When you’re satisfied with the preview, simply run the command again without the flag to make the changes permanent:

wp search-replace 'http://old-url.co.uk' 'https://new-url.co.uk'

WP-CLI will then work its magic, methodically updating every single instance of the old URL in your database.

A Quick Tip from Experience: When you run the search-replace command, don't be alarmed if you see thousands of potential changes. This is completely normal. WordPress stores URLs all over the place—in post content, theme options, plugin settings, and all sorts of metadata.

Comparing URL Update Methods

To help you decide which path to take, here's a quick look at how these advanced methods stack up against the simple dashboard change.

Method	Best For	Technical Skill Required	Key Benefit
Dashboard	Simple URL corrections, like adding `www`	Beginner	Quick and easy for basic changes
Plugin	Most users needing a full update (e.g., SSL migration)	Beginner/Intermediate	User-friendly interface with a powerful 'dry run' feature
WP-CLI	Developers, large/complex sites, and automated workflows	Advanced	Extremely fast, reliable, and avoids server timeouts

Ultimately, the best method depends on the complexity of your site and how comfortable you are with the tools. For a comprehensive change, a plugin or WP-CLI is almost always the better choice.

Why This Deeper Change Matters for SEO

Getting this right isn't just about avoiding broken images; it has a real, measurable impact on your site's health and SEO. A clean, consistent URL structure is far easier for search engines like Google to crawl, index, and understand.

This is especially true when simplifying your site's architecture—a common reason to change WordPress URLs. The right changes can lead to tangible improvements.

As the data shows, a well-executed URL update can directly boost key performance metrics that search engines care about.

The UK WordPress Landscape

Knowing how to handle URL changes properly is a critical skill, particularly here in the UK. With WordPress's market share projected to hit around 61.7% in 2025, countless businesses depend on it. A botched URL update can be devastating for traffic and search rankings.

In fact, many UK web agencies report that a huge chunk of their maintenance work—sometimes up to 50%—involves fixing URL-related issues or implementing proper redirects after a clumsy migration. You can find more insights on WordPress's market dominance and its local impact.

Whether you opt for a user-friendly plugin or the raw power of WP-CLI, taking the time to perform a thorough search and replace is what separates a smooth transition from a technical headache.

If these advanced steps feel a bit out of your comfort zone, that’s perfectly fine. Our team handles technical updates like this every day. Feel free to get in touch to see how we can help.

After the Change: Fixing Links and Setting Up Redirects

You’ve handled the technical side of updating your website’s core addresses, which is the hard part. But the job isn't quite finished yet. Now it’s time for the crucial post-change cleanup, making sure both search engines and your loyal visitors can still find you without a hitch.

Think of it like moving your shop to a better location down the street. You wouldn't just lock up and leave; you’d put up a sign with a clear forwarding address so your customers don't show up to an empty building. In the digital world, we do this with redirects and a few other tidy-up tasks.

The Absolute Necessity of 301 Redirects

A 301 redirect is essentially a permanent "we've moved" sign for the internet. It automatically sends anyone trying to visit an old URL to the new one, and just as importantly, it tells search engines like Google that the move is permanent. This is the signal they need to transfer all of your SEO authority—your rankings, backlinks, and credibility—from the old page to the new one.

Without redirects, visitors will hit a dead end (a 404 error page), and search engines will think your content has simply vanished. This can cause your hard-earned rankings to plummet.

The impact of this process on the UK digital landscape is significant. SEO experts estimate that 20-30% of traffic fluctuations on a WordPress site after a URL change are due to improper redirection. On the flip side, well-managed URL changes that properly implement 301 redirects can preserve, or even improve, SEO rankings by up to 15%. You can dig deeper into how UK professionals view these WordPress best practices.

How to Set Up Your Redirects

The good news is you don't need to be a developer to get this sorted. There are a couple of straightforward ways to handle it.

Using a Plugin (The Simple Way): For most people, a plugin is the easiest and safest bet. A tool like Redirection is fantastic. It’s free, powerful, and gives you a user-friendly interface to manage everything. Many plugins can even be set up to automatically create a redirect whenever you change a post's URL.
Editing the .htaccess File (The Advanced Way): If you're comfortable with more technical tasks, you can add redirect rules directly to your site’s .htaccess file. This is a powerful server configuration file in your site's root directory. Be warned, though: a single typo can take your whole site down, so please, make a backup of this file before you touch anything.

A Word of Caution: Editing .htaccess is powerful but risky. If you're not completely confident, just stick with a reliable plugin. It’s far better to be safe than sorry.

Hunting Down Broken Links and Mixed Content

Even after a meticulous search-and-replace, a few gremlins might linger. It’s vital to double-check for two common issues that can pop up.

Broken Internal Links: These are links within your own content that might still point to the old URL. While a sitewide redirect will catch them, it's much better for performance and clean SEO to fix them at the source.
Mixed Content Issues: This often happens when moving to HTTPS. Some elements, like images or scripts, might still be loading from an insecure http:// address. Browsers flag this with a security warning, which is a sure-fire way to scare visitors away.

A free plugin like Broken Link Checker can scan your entire site to help you find and fix these lingering bad links. For mixed content, the Better Search Replace plugin we mentioned earlier is perfect for running one last check. For bigger or more complex moves, you might want to consider bringing in a professional; expert website migration services can ensure every last link is perfectly updated.

Tell Google You Have Moved

The final, crucial step is to give Google a clear heads-up about your new address. This helps speed up the indexing of your new URLs and ensures a smooth transition for your SEO.

Update Google Search Console: If you've changed your domain name, you'll need to add and verify the new domain as a "property" in your Google Search Console account.
Submit a New Sitemap: A sitemap is a road map of all your website's pages. Once your new URLs are live, generate a new sitemap (plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math do this for you) and submit it to Google Search Console. This is like sending Google a direct invitation to come and crawl your new site structure right away.

Taking these final steps ensures that when you change WordPress URLs, you’re doing it in a way that protects your user experience and preserves the valuable SEO authority you've worked so hard to build.

Any Questions?

It’s perfectly normal to have a few questions buzzing around, even after following a step-by-step guide. Changing your site's address is a big deal, and it’s smart to consider all the angles before you dive in. Let's tackle some of the most common worries we see from people in your exact position.

Will changing my URL hurt my SEO?

This is the question on everyone's mind, and for good reason. The short answer is no, not if you do it correctly. The secret lies in setting up sitewide 301 redirects, just like we walked through earlier. A 301 is the official, search-engine-approved way of saying, "Hey, this page has moved over here for good."

When you use them, Google and other search engines will transfer your hard-earned SEO value—your rankings, authority, and all those valuable backlinks—from the old URLs to the new ones. You might see a little bit of a wobble in your rankings for a short time while they recrawl and process the change, but a proper migration should see everything stabilise. The real damage happens when people rush and skip the redirect step.

What if I get locked out of my admin area?

It’s a terrifying thought, isn't it? But it can happen, and it's usually down to a simple typo in the new URL. The first thing to remember is: don't panic. You are not permanently locked out.

If you find yourself unable to log in after you change WordPress URLs, you’ve got a few ways back in:

Edit your wp-config.php file: You can add two lines to this file to manually set the correct Site URL and Home URL. This will override the mistake you made in the database.
Use the functions.php file: Another trick is to add a small snippet of code to your theme's functions.php file. This temporarily forces WordPress to use the right URLs, letting you get back in to fix the settings properly.
Go through phpMyAdmin: If all else fails, you can always go directly into your database via your hosting panel and edit the siteurl and home values in the wp_options table.

This is exactly why we stressed making a backup first. It's your ultimate safety net for moments just like this.

How long until Google notices the new URL?

There isn't a single, fixed timeline for this one. The speed of the changeover depends on things like the size of your website, how often Google already crawls it, and how proactive you are in telling them about the move.

In most cases, you can expect the process to take anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks. Want to speed things up? You absolutely can.

Jump into Google Search Console and submit your new sitemap as soon as the change is complete.
Use the URL Inspection Tool in Search Console to request indexing for your most critical pages, starting with your homepage.
Double-check that your 301 redirects are working flawlessly. This is the clearest signal you can possibly send to the search engines.

Taking these steps tells Google exactly what’s happened, encouraging them to update their index much more quickly.

Do I really have to update every single link by hand?

Oh, heavens no! Can you imagine? That would be an absolute nightmare. This is precisely why using a search-and-replace tool is a non-negotiable part of the process.

A dedicated plugin like Better Search Replace or a command-line tool like WP-CLI does the heavy lifting for you. It intelligently goes through your entire database—every post, page, widget, and setting—and updates all internal links to point to the new domain. This ensures you avoid a minefield of broken links and mixed content errors, all without the mind-numbing manual work.

Feeling a bit more prepared now? We certainly hope so. Changing your WordPress URL is a manageable task when you approach it with a clear plan and the right precautions. By following these steps, you can ensure a smooth transition that protects both your user experience and your hard-earned SEO.

But if you’re still feeling nervous or would just rather have a seasoned pro handle it, we're here to help. Contact us to learn more and see how we can make your URL change go off without a hitch.