Introduction
A staging site is a copy of your live website that can be used for testing changes before applying them to your production website.
Staging sites are useful for:
- Testing plugin updates
- Testing theme updates
- Website redesigns
- Troubleshooting problems
- Testing new features
Changes made on the staging site do not affect your live website.
Step 1 – Log Into DirectAdmin
Open your browser and visit: https://cp.yourdomain.co.za
(Replace yourdomain.co.za with your own domain name.)
Enter your DirectAdmin username and password.
Click: Log In
Step 2 – Open WordPress Manager
From the DirectAdmin dashboard
Click: Extra Features
Then click: WordPress Manager by Softaculous
Step 3 – Locate Your WordPress Website
Locate the WordPress installation you wish to create a staging copy of.
Click: Staging
Step 4 – Configure the Staging Site
Choose where the staging website should be created.
Examples:
- staging.yourdomain.co.za
- test.yourdomain.co.za
- yourdomain.co.za/staging
The available options will depend on your hosting configuration.
Step 5 – Create the Staging Site
Review the settings.
Click: Create Staging
WordPress Manager will create a complete copy of your website including:
- Website files
- Database
- Themes
- Plugins
- Content
Step 6 – Access the Staging Website
Once complete, WordPress Manager will display the staging website details.
You can now safely test:
- Plugin updates
- Theme changes
- New functionality
- Website redesigns
without affecting your live website.
Best Practices
When using staging websites:
- Test major updates first.
- Test new plugins before deploying them.
- Verify forms continue working.
- Verify menus display correctly.
- Test on desktop and mobile devices.
Conclusion
Staging sites provide a safe environment for testing website changes before applying them to your live website and are strongly recommended before making major modifications.
