My Experience Losing Articles from Staging Site to Domain Name - Learn from My Mistakes

byBrendaMZ

7.1K followers

1 week ago

(cover image: Wooded block letters in black with the words Lost & Found)

Hi, Everyone at Wealthy Affiliate!

I want to share my experience of losing two articles I published and indexed in Google Search Console before requesting a staging site on my domain name. Several weeks ago, I was experiencing a "white screen of death" issue and had a few articles that became corrupted, which caused some technical errors on my website. Hence, is why I needed a staging site to figure out and troubleshoot the issue.

Honestly, setting out on the exciting adventure of website creation is an exhilarating pursuit, brimming with boundless potential and the freedom of artistic creation. That is how it was for me when I created my new website last November. Yet, amidst the excitement of crafting my virtual domain, a hidden peril often goes unnoticed - the shift from staging site to domain name.

I want to recount my loss of content during this critical stage and offer valuable insights on how every one of you here at Wealthy Affiliate can prevent similar errors. Join me as I share the realm of website development and glean lessons from my oops blunders along the journey.

My Personal Experience Losing Articles During Site Transition

Transitioning from a staging site to a live domain can be nerve-wracking for any website owner. That is how it was for me. Several weeks ago, I remember the sinking feeling in my stomach when I realized that some of my carefully crafted articles had vanished somehow into the digital abyss during this transition.

How did I find out?

1. I noticed that the two articles I had written, published, and indexed a few days earlier were no longer there. I remember writing them. I have a list of all my articles in a Google Spreadsheet that I got from Jay, our trainer here.
2. I returned to that list and then to my site to double-check if my post was there. Nope, not at all.
3. I went to the trash folder, thinking it might be there, but it's not there either.
4. The last place to look was in SiteContent—the article is there; when you click it (it's already published), you get this error message: "Oops, article not found."

I lost some of my work and it feels awful. It's like I never wrote it in the first place. I panicked when I found out. I got an email from Google Search Console saying that two of my articles couldn't be found. I usually save all my articles in MS Word, but it seems I didn't save those two. I felt lost and didn't know what to do next.

Welcome To The World of SiteSupport

I instantly remembered that Wealthy Affiliate does have website backups. I sent a call for help and created a ticket with SiteSupport. Then I saw Kyle in live chat and asked him for help. He eased my worries and said SiteSupport should help me with that, no worries.

After calming down, I had a few conversations with SiteSupport and provided them with the article names. I anxiously waited for their response. Finally, they found my article, which had been returned as a draft in SiteContent. I

I realized that none of my images were in the draft, but I had them in my media files in my WordPress back office. I republished the article and inserted the media images in the block editor. I changed the permalink and used a 301 redirect to point the old URL to two new articles. Problem solved!

What Have I Learned?

I never did find out exactly why or how it happened, but it did happen. So, what have I learned from this experience?

A valuable lesson about the importance of backups: Always double-check every step of the migration process. The frustration and stress were palpable as I tried to piece together what had happened and how to prevent it from occurring again.

• Things can go awry during site transitions: Losing those articles was a stark reminder that despite careful planning, such incidents can still occur. It taught me the importance of meticulous planning when changing a website's structure or content.
• Keep documents together: Organization and document storage are crucial. In the chaos of addressing the issue, I realized I had not saved my documents as usual.
• Always have a backup plan: I've realized the importance of having a backup plan in case something goes wrong. It's crucial to quickly revert to a previous version or restore lost data.
• Stay calm and patient: Don't panic while under pressure. The experience taught me to be patient and stay calm under pressure. It can be tempting to panic and make rash decisions when faced with unexpected challenges.
• Technology is not infallible: Despite our best efforts, technology can still fail us. It's important to remember that no system or process is perfect, and there will always be room for error. That's why backups and contingency plans are essential.

Losing those articles was frustrating and stressful, but it taught me valuable lessons about backups, planning, organization, problem-solving, and communication. I'm grateful for this experience as it has made me wiser.

Final Thoughts Moving Forward

Moving from a staging site to a domain name may seem overwhelming, but it doesn't have to mean losing valuable content. My experience with this transition taught me some vital lessons With proper planning and attention to detail, you can move your staging site to a domain name without losing content or causing disruptions.

Take it one step at a time, stay organized, and your new website will be up and running. Every setback is an opportunity for growth. Keep pushing forward, and never stop learning from your experiences.

-BrendaMZ

PS. Have any of you experienced any technological issues with your website? How did you solve it?