How to Make a WordPress Site Live Only for Testers

Creating a live version of your WordPress site prematurely can be risky. Instead, use a robust cloning tool to make an exact unlive copy for testing purposes. This way, you can experiment without affecting your live site. In this guide, we'll explore how to achieve this, including updates to your robots.txt file, managing DNS, and implementing session-based access controls for your testers.

1. Use a WP Staging Tool Like WP Staging Pro

WordPress has a wide range of tools that can help you create a staging environment for testing before going live. One such tool is WP Staging Pro. It provides an easy-to-use interface to clone, backup, and manage your live WordPress site. Here's how you can use it:

Install WP Staging Pro: You can download the plugin from the WordPress repository. Configure the Staging Site: Follow the on-screen instructions to set up a new staging site. Make sure to choose a subdomain name that clearly indicates this is a testing environment, such as Clone Your Live Site: Use the WP Staging Pro dashboard to clone your live site into the staging environment. This will create an exact copy of your live site, ready for testing. Test Your Changes: Use the staging site to test new content, themes, or plugins. This environment is completely separate from your live site, so you can make changes and experiment without any risk. Preview Before Going Live: Once you are satisfied with the changes, preview them on the live site and make any necessary adjustments. Then, you can push the code to the live site.

By using WP Staging Pro, you ensure that your testers have access to a fully functional, but unlive version of your site. This makes the testing process more efficient and secure.

2. Update Your Robots.txt File

To prevent search engines from indexing your testing environment, you need to update your robots.txt file. This file tells search engines which parts of your site they can or cannot crawl. To disallow the staging environment, follow these steps:

Locate the robots.txt File: The robots.txt file is usually located in the root directory of your WordPress site. Edit the robots.txt File: Open the file in a text editor and add the following lines:

User-agent: *Disallow: /staging/

Save the Changes: After making the necessary changes, save the file.

These lines tell search engines to disallow access to the staging directory, effectively hiding it from the public and preventing it from appearing in search results.

3. Manage DNS and IP Access

To ensure that only authorized testers have access to the staging environment, you can manage DNS and IP access. If you are more technical, you can implement access controls using IP addresses or querystrings.

Using IP Addresses

You can set up your staging environment to only accept connections from specific IP addresses. Here's how to do it:

Obtain the IP Addresses: First, get the IP addresses of the testers who will be using the staging site. Edit the .htaccess File: The .htaccess file is located in the root directory of your WordPress site. Open it in a text editor and add the following lines:

Order Deny,AllowDeny from allAllow from 192.168.1.100Allow from 192.168.1.101

Save the Changes: After adding the necessary lines, save the file. Replace 192.168.1.100 and 192.168.1.101 with the actual IP addresses of your testers.

This configuration will restrict access to the staging site to only the specified IP addresses.

Using Querystrings

A more flexible approach is to use querystrings to manage testing access. This method allows you to dynamically control access based on the URL:

Add the Querystring to URLs: When testers need access, provide them with a URL that includes a specific querystring. For example, Implement the Redirect Logic in PHP: You can put conditional redirect logic in your PHP code to handle these querystrings. Here’s an example:

?phpif ( ! isset( $_GET['test'] ) ) {    // User did not provide a test parameter    header('Location: '); // Redirect to alternative site    exit();} else {    // Set a session variable to allow testing    session_start();    $_SESSION['test_mode']  true;}?

In this code, the script checks whether the test querystring is present. If it is not, the user is redirected to another site. If it is present, a session variable is set to allow testing.

Conclusion

By using a WP staging tool, updating your robots.txt file, and controlling access through DNS or querystrings, you can create a secure and efficient testing environment for your WordPress site. This approach ensures that your live site remains stable while you test and refine new features. Remember to revert any changes made in the staging environment before going live.