How to Create a WordPress Staging Site

What is a Staging Site?

A staging site is a private copy of your WordPress site where you can safely test changes — new plugins, theme edits, or major updates — before applying them to your live site.

Method 1 — Using WP Staging Plugin

1. Install the WP Staging plugin from the WordPress plugin directory.
2. Go to WP Staging → Sites → Create New Staging Site.
3. Enter a destination directory (e.g. staging).
4. Click Start Cloning.
5. The staging site will be accessible at https://yourdomain.com/staging/.

Method 2 — Manual

1. Create a subdomain (e.g. staging.yourdomain.com) in DirectAdmin.
2. Copy your WordPress files to the subdomain's public_html.
3. Export and import your database to a new database.
4. Update wp-config.php with the new database credentials.
5. Run a search-and-replace in the database to update the URL.