Developing a website in WordPress while leaving the existing website running

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  howardthomas3592 · Member · Dec 28, 2018 at 4:54 pm

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  Hello, I am completely new to website design/development and thus completely new to WordPress. My company has a simple website which was created by someone outside the company. We now wish to take control of our site and as it needs changes redesigning the site from scratch in WordPress seems a good way to go. So… can I develop the new website whilst leaving the existing one up and running and then, when we are happy with the new one swap the existing site out for the new WP based one? If so how would I go about this? Many thanks. Howard

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  darusja · Staff · Dec 28, 2018 at 6:12 pm

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  Hello,
  can you tell the adress of a current website?

  If both sites are hosted by wordpress.com, I see two solutions:

  1. Export content from the new, ready website and import it to the old one.

  Import a Website

  2. Redirect the traffic from the old site to the new one.

  Site Redirect

  
  However this option is a paid one. It could be good if you wanted to have a new adress, but I assume, that the goal is to keep the old one.

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  howardthomas3592 · Member · Dec 28, 2018 at 7:08 pm

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  Thankyou Dariazet, the website is switchbubble.com – and yes, you’re right we want to retain the current website address. I will look at the links you enclosed with your reply.

  Thanks again, Howard

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  themagicrobot · Member · Dec 28, 2018 at 8:09 pm

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  Note that your site is currently hosted by Blacknight not here at WordPress.com. You could create a new site here (you may well need a Business plan if you are in the UK and selling stuff that needs anything more than a basic PayPal button) or you could create a site at another host and then use the WordPress.org software. See: https://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

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  howardthomas3592 · Member · Dec 28, 2018 at 10:04 pm

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  Thanks themagicrobot, I appreciate the response.

  Yes you’re right it is hosted by Blacknight and they support WP from their application vault so I guess I could have a crack at developing the new site from withion their hosting environment. As I say I am completely new to this so I appreciate your input.

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  darusja · Staff · Dec 29, 2018 at 5:39 pm

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  In case you want to create the new website here in wordpress.com and keep the old domain, you have two options.

  1. When the site is finished, either transfer your domain to WordPress.com: https://en.support.wordpress.com/incoming-domain-transfer/

  2. Or map your domain to point to your new site: https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/map-existing-domain/
  Note that you will need an upgraded WordPress.com plan for either of these options: https://wordpress.com/pricing/

  If you want to use selfhosted version of WordPress, where you have to manage the hosting, the domain by yourself, the best will be to to go to https://wordpress.org/support/ for more support.

  I hope it’s more clear now.

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  howardthomas3592 · Member · Dec 29, 2018 at 6:47 pm

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  Thankyou again Dariazet for taking the trouble to respond – I do appreciate it. Your response is noted :)

  Howard