Nothing in MLSImport is keyed to your domain. There is no licence key to release, no domain field to edit and no activation to move, so a normal WordPress migration carries the connection, the import tasks and every imported property with it.
The part that does need attention is outside the plugin: your MLS approved a named website for data access, and your listing URLs are about to change.
Before you start
- You know your MLSImport username and password. You sign in with them on the new site.
- You have asked your MLS or data provider whether your approval names the old address.
- You have a backup, as with any migration.
Move the site
- Migrate WordPress the way you normally would, with your host’s tool or a migration plugin. The plugin needs no special handling.
- On the new site, open MLS Import Settings and check that the account banner is green.
- Open the Tools tab and click Clear Plugin Cached Data.
- Reload the settings screen and confirm your MLS is still selected and the MLS connection banner is green.
- Run one import task manually and watch it finish.
Expected result: both banners green, an import that completes, and properties that already exist on the site updating rather than duplicating, because they are matched on their MLS identifier rather than their URL.
Step three is the one people skip. A migrated database brings the cached API token and the cached MLS list with it, so the new site can appear to work while running on values fetched under the old address. Clearing them forces a fresh fetch, which is the quickest proof that the new site can reach the API in its own right.
Starting fresh instead of migrating
If the new site is a clean WordPress install rather than a copy, you are doing a first setup again: install the plugin, sign in with your MLSImport username and password, pick your MLS, enter your MLS credentials, choose your theme mode, select your fields and rebuild your import tasks.
The properties themselves do not need moving. Run the import tasks on the new site and the listings come down again from the MLS. Photos are served from the MLS image source rather than your media library, so there are no image files to copy either.
Your old URLs
Every property URL changes with the domain. If the old address stays alive, redirect it to the new one at the host or DNS level so indexed listing pages do not break.
If the old site is being switched off, expect its listing URLs to disappear from search results over the following weeks. That is normal for a domain move and is not something the plugin controls.
Once a day the plugin reports the site address to your MLSImport account. After a move that means the account shows the new address within twenty four hours, which is a useful confirmation that the new install is genuinely the one talking to us and the old one has gone quiet.
If it does not work
- The account banner is red on the new site. The username or password did not survive the migration. Type both again on the MLS/RESO Api Options tab and save.
- The MLS list is empty. The cached list came across and expired. Clear the plugin cached data and reload.
- The MLS connection banner is red. Check the credential fields are still filled. A blank required field makes the check return without testing anything, which looks identical to a rejection.
- Imports run but nothing appears. Check the theme on the new site is the one the import tasks were built for, because the property post type differs between themes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to tell you before I move?
Not for the plugin to keep working. Tell us if the move is part of a bigger change, such as a new theme or a different MLS, because those do need checking.
Will my properties be imported twice after the move?
No. Each listing carries its MLS identifier, so an import updates the existing property rather than creating a second one.
Can I run the old and the new site at the same time while I test?
Both will try to import against the same subscription. Ask us first so we can tell you how your plan covers a temporary second address.
Does my MLS need to know about the new domain?
Usually yes. Data access is approved for a named website, so tell your MLS or data provider the new address and ask whether your approval needs updating.
Related
- Using MLSImport on more than one website
- Verifying your MLS connection
- The connection to your MLS fails
- Who needs to hold the credentials
Open a ticket with the old and new addresses if the connection does not come back after the move.