Staging sites are important to test features before they can be made live. Here is everything to know about these sites.
What does a Staging Site Mean for Your Business and How to Set Up One?
Website development is often seen as a process that involves numerous obstacles. There is the risk of a site crash after updates or changes are made. This is also followed by additional responsibility of website maintenance services along with a number of other concerns that a thriving site demands. This is where a “staging site” becomes essential. A staging site acts as a secure testing ground for implementing website improvements. This minimizes the danger of disruptions when making changes in a live environment. It provides an ideal solution to keep your main website running smoothly during the development process.
In this post, we will have a look into the different types of development environments and how they compare to staging sites. We’ll also discuss several methods for setting up a staging site.
Let’s get started with the practices of staging environments!
What is a Staging Site?
Simply put, a staging site is a duplicate version of your live website. This can be understood as a platform that provides a secure environment for testing changes or new features you plan to implement. It serves as a valuable resource for developers. As the staging site offers a controlled space to review updates, fix bugs, and ensure everything functions as expected before pushing changes to the live site. This method is crucial in the web development process, as it protects the overall performance and user experience of your website.
The key aspect of a staging site is its exact duplication of your live site, including all plugins, configurations, and widgets. This mirroring ensures a smooth and seamless transition when updates are finalized. However, the significant difference between a staging site and a live site is that the staging environment operates offline. This offline status allows for detailed testing and fine-tuning without affecting the live website. This is why staging sites are important to bring in and maintaining site stability.
Points of Difference Between Staging Environment vs. Testing Environment
Both staging and testing environments are essential for evaluating your website, but they differ in purpose and scope. A staging environment is where your website appears in its final, most up-to-date form. Everything should closely resemble the live version, with the only difference being the new feature or update you’re testing. Staging environments are typically used toward the end of the development process to assess the entire website and ensure it is ready for launch.
On the other hand, a testing environment is focused on specific elements or smaller changes. It doesn’t require a fully finished website since the goal is to evaluate particular pieces of code or new functionalities. Testing generally happens earlier in the development process and is a quick way to validate incremental adjustments before moving to the broader staging phase.
The Advantages of a Staging Site
A staging site mainly of WordPress has a number of benefits. Some of them include:
- Capable of producing better websites
- Providing options for immediate bug fixing, error resolution, and keeping the site safe and secured from unverified attack
- Effortless to develop
- Easy to set up locally or through online means
Staging Site: The Challenges It Comes With
There are a few major drawbacks of staging sites that can be viewed as a challenge of working on staging sites. Here are the following:
- Updating your website can take more time, as you’ll need to test any changes first.
- Additionally, many web hosting providers charge for staging site services, although you do have the option of setting one up locally.
- It’s also worth noting that staging sites may not always be exact replicas of live sites. They may lack certain features like caching in staging environments. Fortunately, there are ways to address these challenges in website development. For example, WP Engine’s hosting plans include complimentary staging sites, offering a seamless experience.
These staging sites act as true sandbox environments, complete with full caching capabilities and other advantages. Using a staging site allows for pre-launch testing, ensuring your website runs smoothly and without issues when updates are deployed.
Which Businesses Will Need Staging Site?
For effective website management, utilizing a staging site is highly recommended. In fact, for larger operations, a staging site becomes a vital element of the process. This testing platform allows you to trial and fine-tune website updates before applying them to the live site.
If you are comfortable with the risk that an update could potentially break your site, then you might choose to skip a staging site. However, for those who want to ensure their website continues to generate revenue, provide services, or cater to a steady stream of users, setting up a staging site is a wise and strategic move. It plays a critical role in preserving your website’s functionality and delivering a seamless user experience.
Additionally, there are various approaches to creating a staging environment based on your specific needs, which we will explore in detail below.
The How of Creating a Staging Site Explained
There are key strategies involved in creating a WordPress based staging site. The process that seems easy can be taken for further development. Here is more on all these processes.
Option 1: Set Up a Staging Site Through Your Host
Not all web hosting providers offer staging sites as part of their plans. However, even if it’s not included, you can still set up a staging site, though it may incur extra costs. Utilizing a staging site can be highly beneficial for optimizing your website’s performance and ensuring smooth updates.
If you’re a WP Engine customer, setting up a staging site is simple. Just log into your User Portal and navigate to “Sites > Add Site”, where you can name your new staging site. Afterward, select a Staging environment, and your setup is complete! You can then access your staging site by going to the “Sites” section in your User Portal menu.
Option 2: WordPress Plugin to Create WordPress Website
If your web host doesn’t offer a staging site option, you can still create one using a plugin like WP Staging.
This WordPress plugin creates a complete clone of your website, including all its files and the database. After cloning, you can access your staging site via a unique URL and test changes without affecting your live website. To get started, install and activate the plugin, then select “Start Cloning”. The plugin will scan your website for relevant data. At this stage, you can decide whether to clone the entire site or just specific parts of the database and files, giving you flexibility in what’s mirrored in the staging environment.
Once you’ve made your selections, click “Start Cloning” again to begin the process. You’ll see a real-time progress bar, and the time it takes will depend on your site’s size. When the cloning is complete, your new staging site will be ready for use.
Options 3: Creating Local Staging Site
The previous methods focus on creating online staging sites, which are highly flexible and allow collaboration among multiple team members. However, you can also choose to set up a local, offline staging site, which is accessible only to those with access to your computer.
There are several approaches to creating a local WordPress site, with one of the most widely-used tools being Local by Flywheel. This tool simplifies the process of setting up a local environment, providing an easy way to develop and test your WordPress website offline.
Is Creating a Staging Site Manually Ideal?
Manually setting up a staging site isn’t overly complicated, but it can be tricky, especially for WordPress beginners.
This process involves several steps: creating a subdomain, setting up an FTP account, importing your database, and ensuring the staging site is hidden from public view (since it’s technically still online). Any misstep could accidentally expose unpublished features to your visitors. Additionally, deploying changes from a manual staging site can be challenging, as updates might not transfer smoothly.
In summary, you should only attempt a manual setup if you’re confident in your technical skills. If not, it’s wise to seek help from professionals like our team at WP Engine. No matter the approach, always ensure you have a recent backup of your site before making changes.
Taking Help from Professional Companies Offering Website Development Services
Professional help is always ideal when trying to set up staging site. Companies will not only provide development services but will also ensure website maintenance services in the long run. This will ensure the website relevance for audience. Professionals services for creating WordPress website is easily available at competitive rates due to the demand of the services.
