Have you ever made changes to your live website, only to realize that something went wrong and your site is now down? It’s a frustrating experience that can be avoided by using a staging environment for your managed WordPress hosting.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of using a staging environment and how it can help you confidently make changes to your website.
From improved website performance to reduced downtime, discover why every WordPress user should consider integrating a staging environment into their workflow!
Introduction to Staging Environment
A staging environment is a replica of your live website that is used for testing purposes. It is an isolated environment where you can test changes to your website without affecting the live site.
This is especially useful when trying significant changes, such as a new theme or plugin, before making them live.
There are many benefits to using a staging environment, such as:
1. You can test changes in an isolated environment without affecting the live site.
2. You can ensure that changes stay on the site before making them live.
3. If needed, You can easily undo any changes made in the staging environment.
4. You can test multiple versions of a change before deciding which one to make life.
5. Staging environments are typically more stable than live sites so that you can avoid potential downtime due to breaking changes.
If you are looking for a managed WordPress hosting provider that offers a staging environment, we recommend WP Engine. WP Engine provides a robust staging environment that is easy to use and perfect for testing significant changes to your WordPress site.
Benefits of a Staging Environment
When you are running a WordPress site, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. If you still need to set up a staging environment, you could be in for a world of hurt if something goes wrong with your site.
A staging environment is a copy of your live site that you can use to test out changes before you push them to your live site. This is extremely useful for testing plugin and theme updates and any other changes you want to make to your site.
There are a few benefits of using a staging environment:
1. You can test out changes without affecting your live site.
2. you can quickly roll back your changes if something goes wrong.
3. It’s a great way to train new team members to use WordPress without breaking anything.
If you still need to start using your WordPress site’s staging environment, consider it strongly. It could save you a lot of headaches down the road.
How to Set Up a Staging Environment for Managed WordPress Hosting
If you’re like most WordPress users, you probably develop your site locally, then push your changes to a live server when you’re ready to go public.
While this workflow is exemplary for small areas, it can become cumbersome as your site grows. That’s where a staging environment comes in handy.
A staging environment is a copy of your live site that you can use for testing purposes. Before pushing them to your live site, it’s the perfect place to try out new themes, plugins, and code snippets. This article shows you how to set up a staging environment for your Managed WordPress hosting account.
First, you’ll need to log in to your WP Engine account and go to the My Sites tab. Next, click the Add Site button and enter the name of your staging site. Once you’ve done that, click on the blue Create Site button.
Now that your staging site has been created, you’ll need to set up some DNS records so that they can be accessed from a web browser. To do this, log in to your domain registrar’s control panel and add two A records pointing to WP Engine’s IP address (52.4.14.247). The first A record should be for the www subdomain and the second for the root domain (e.g.,example.com).
Once those DNS changes have propagated, you can access your staging site by going to www .staging.example.com in a web browser.
Next, you must transfer your existing content from the live site to the staging site. To do this, log in to your Managed WordPress dashboard and go to the My Sites tab.
Click on the name of your staging site and then click on the blue Import Content button. From there, select which content you’d like to transfer over and click Import Now when ready.
Finally, before making any changes to your staging site, ensure you have a backup of your live site just in case something goes wrong during development. This will ensure that you can quickly restore your live site if needed.
Now that everything is set up, it’s time for you to start developing! With a staging environment, you can make changes safely without worrying about breaking anything on your live site.
Pros and Cons of Using a Staging Environment
When you are ready to launch a new website or make a significant change to an existing one, it is essential to have a plan to test the changes before making them live.
This is where a staging environment comes in handy. A staging environment is a copy of your live site that you can use for testing purposes.
There are several benefits to using a staging environment, including:
1. You can test changes without affecting your live site.
2. You can identify and fix errors before they go live.
3. You can experiment with new features and plugins without impacting your live site.
4. Staging environments can be used to train new staff members to use your website.
5. You can share changes with clients or collaborators before making them live.
However, there are also some potential downsides to using a staging environment that you should be aware of, including:
1) It takes time and effort to set up and maintain a staging environment
2) There is always the potential for human error when transferring changes from the staging environment to the live site
3) If something goes wrong on the staging site, it could impact the live site if the two are not adequately isolated
4) Staging environments can be expensive if you need to use multiple servers
5) Not all managed WordPress hosting providers offer staging environments as part of their service (though many do).
Common Mistakes When Using a Staging Environment
When you are working on developing a new WordPress site, it is essential to have a staging environment set up. This will allow you to test changes to your site before they go live. It can be tempting to skip this step, but doing so can lead to common mistakes.
One mistake is not backing up your site before making changes. If something goes wrong, you could lose all of your progress. Another mistake is to test changes thoroughly before pushing them live. This can lead to broken links or other errors that can frustrate visitors.
Make sure you delete any unnecessary files from your staging environment when finished. Leaving them there can take up valuable space and slow down your site.
Best Practices When Working with Staging Environments
When working with a staging environment, there are a few best practices to keep in mind:
1. Ensure your local development environment is set up correctly before pushing changes to the staging server. This will help avoid any potential errors that could occur during the transfer process.
2. Always test your changes on the staging server before pushing them live to production. This will ensure that everything works as expected and helps avoid any potential downtime for your website.
3. Keep your staging and production environments separate. This will help avoid potential conflicts between the two settings and helps keep your website running smoothly.
4. Make sure to back up your data before making any changes to the staging environment. This will help you restore your website if anything goes wrong.
5. Be careful when making changes to the database on the staging server. Any mistakes made here could break your website, so always make a backup first.
Conclusion
Staging environments can be incredibly beneficial, especially for those hosting managed WordPress websites. With a staging environment, you can quickly test and make changes to your website without the risk of affecting your live environment.
This added layer of security is invaluable for protecting your website from potential disasters and ensuring that you’re always running smoothly online.
If you’re serious about taking complete control over the performance and security of your WordPress installation, then setting up a staging environment is worth considering!