I just responded to a Twitter post asking about transferring your domain, and thought you’d benefit from the answer. Here goes:

@RealtorMichelle: Halp! If I move my wordpress blog to my own domain do I still get their easy tools to write and the stats and “backstage” stuff? #wp

WordPress is a bit of a different animal than a basic website. When you want to transfer your site, you generally have two options:

1. Redirect the old domain to the new one. Users type in http://www.123.com  and are automatically sent to the new address at  http://www.234.com .
2. Transfer your website files from the old host to the new one. Similar to adding files to a portable hard drive, you download your website onto your computer, then upload it back onto the new host. You can keep the traffic from the old site coming by redirecting the old domain to the new one.

If you have a simple, non-Wordpress site with static HTML pages (no special programming), transferring your website files is relatively painless. It’s better than redirecting your domain (see below) because visitors won’t have the moment of confusion when the website address changes automatically. The new domain will also stick in people’s heads better, since it stays on the screen.

WordPress is more complicated than a basic site. If you transfer your WP blog, you’ll keep all the features, but it’s tricky. Transferring a WordPress blog involves downloading all the website files, installing the WordPress system on the new domain, uploading the files in the right place, and other tweaking.

You can save some hassle by simply redirecting your domain, without changing your WordPress install. Here’s how:

• Go into the control panel for your new domain and look for nameservers or DNS.
• Write the old host’s nameservers (e.g., ns111.hostingcompany.com) into the appropriate spot there.
• Wait 48 hours or so for the change to be finalized throughout the Web.

Your visitors might still see the old address once the site loads, but they can still type in your new address to reach your site.

Relatedly, if you transfer all your site’s files over to the new host, switch the old domain’s nameservers to those pointing to the new host.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Move a WordPress blog to a new URL? (ask.metafilter.com)
• Converting a Static Website to WordPress: Mary Shelley and Frankenstein Part 2 (kimwoodbridge.com)
• How to Choose a Good Domain Name – Tips and Tricks (lbjwebdesign.com)
• How to Move to a New Web Host (eblogtip.com)