Develop WordPress site then transfer to real domain

[markmid]

We have an existing static page website hosted at sonic.net (Value Hosting: paulmarcuswines.com). We'd like to create a new version of the site using WordPress and then, when it's ready, transfer it to the live site. We don't want to screw up the existing site during the several weeks or longer that it will take to develop the new WP-based site.

My thought was to do it like this: Install WordPress at username.users.sonic.net (i.e., use Mini Hosting), develop the site there, and then when we have it ready to go, install WordPress to paulmarcuswines.com and transfer the database, files, and settings from the username site. Is that reasonably do-able, and it is a reasonable strategy? I'm not afraid of FTP, a little MySQL, or basic modification of files in the website's file structure, but I don't want to have to major surgery in order to make the transfer.

If there's a better strategy, I'm all ears.

Thanks,
Mark

[[email protected]]

You can do your Wordpress install under a subdirectory of your domain such as /demo, do your development work and then move the site to the top level directory when you are ready. You'll need to change all of the directory references in your database to reflect the change to get it to connect properly. I do this with all of my sites.

[newscat]

That's one good method...AlSO...wordpress has a plugin called WP-duplicator...it will take your file, media etc, and transfer them, and here's the important part/// the plugin will change all the url's to reflect your new domain name be it a sub or top-level domain folder....IT works well many times...watch tutorials if it's confusing at first.
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