How to Go Live on the Same Server
Once a dev site is 100% complete and ready to launch (go live), there are 5 critical steps to follow. This involves domain access, DNS record changes, and eventually pointing the live domain to the server where the new site is hosted.
* NOTE: Editing domain DNS and records should be handled very delicately. Incorrect DNS adjustments can result in websites crashing, email disappearing, or other network problems.
Operating Spaces
Step 1 - Add Domain to Cloudflare
- Open Cloudflare and Log in
- Click the Add a Site button
- Type in the live domain and click Add site
- Select the Free $0 option at the bottom and click Continue
- After existing DNS records populate, click the Continue button
- Check ALL OPTIONS on the Quick Start Guide page and click Finish
Step 2 - Point Nameservers to Cloudflare
Cross Reference DNS Records
Be sure to cross-reference the current registrar's DNS records against those that populated in Cloudflare. If any DNS records are missing from Cloudflare, add them now. Once the following step is complete, original records will be gone forever.
- Login to domain registrar (GoDaddy, Bluehost, Network Solutions, etc)
- Backup the existing DNS Zone file (export as TXT / upload to Monday.com task)
- Change the nameservers (copy / paste from Cloudflare)
- Save. It could take up to 48 hours to process, but it's normally much faster.
If everything was done correctly in the steps above, there should be no outward-facing changes or redirection from the current website, as the primary A record hasn’t yet been pointed to GRO’s IP address. Once the new nameservers take effect, there will be a banner in Cloudflare saying “Great news! Cloudflare is now protecting your site.”
Step 3 - Cloudflare Settings
- Security > WAF: Create and deploy a rule for countries outside the U.S. to be prompted with a Managed Challenge
- Security > Bots: Bot Fight Mode ON
- Caching > Configuration: Browser Cache TTL - Respect Existing Headers
- SSL / TLS Overview: Make sure mode is set to Full
Step 4 - Detach
- Go to cPanel > WP Toolkit
- Navigate to the dev site you’re pushing live.
- Run a backup before moving forward.
- After the backup is complete, click the three-dot icon to the right.
- Detach. This basically disconnects the site from being associated with WP Toolkit.
- Go to Tools > File Manager.
- Public-html > sites > dev site folder
- Locate the .wp-toolkit-ignore file and trash the file.
Step 5 - Export SQL File
- Go back to the cPanel dashboard.
- Search for phpMyAdmin
- Click into the dev site folder
- Click the Export tab.
- Click Export.
- Save to computer.
Step 6 - Find and Replace
- Go back to the cPanel dashboard.
- Search for phpMyAdmin
- Click into the dev site folder
- Click the Export tab.
- Click Export.
- Save to computer.
Step 6 - Find and Replace
- Open the SQL file.
- Do a find and replace (find: xyz.gromarketing.site, replace: xyz.com)
- Replace all.
- Save as a new file.
- Right-click SQL file, Compress
Step 7 - Import NEW SQL File
- Go back to phpMyAdmin > dev folder > Structure tab. Scroll down.
- Select Check all / Check tables having overhead
- With selected: Drop
- Select Yes.
- Command + Shift + R to refresh.
- Click into the dev site folder
- Click the Import tab
- Choose file > upload the new compressed SQL file you created from find and replace.
- Import. A success message should appear once it is uploaded.
- On the left panel of phpMyAdmin, scroll down, and select xxxx_options table
- Verify live site information of site url and home, then close.
- Go back to WP Toolkit
- Click Scan. Confirm the live site is listed.
Step 8 - Update A Record IP Address
- Before leaving cPanel, copy the Shared IP Address from the dashboard
- From Cloudflare, locate your live domain and click the DNS tab
- Locate the A record associated with the domain (this should already contain an IP address)
- Add a comment with the old IP and new IP.
- Click Edit and paste (overwrite) the IP address copied from cPanel
- Click the Save button
- Under Caching > Configuration, click Purge Everything
- Delete old dev DNS record from Cloudflare under gromarketing.site (i.e. xyz.gromarketing.site)
After the site launch, it’s imperative to follow the Post-Launch Checklist.
