Divi 5 is a big step up, and it’s tempting to click update on the live site. Don’t. Do it on a copy first, check it properly, then go live in a quiet window. Here’s the order we use on client sites.
1. Make a full backup you can actually restore
Back up the files and the database, and know how you’d restore them. A backup you’ve never opened isn’t a plan. Keep this Divi 4 backup until the Divi 5 site has been live and checked for a while.
2. Work on a staging copy
Most hosts offer a one-click staging site. Do the whole switch there first. Your visitors keep seeing the working site while you test.
3. List your third-party Divi plugins and modules
Check whether each one supports Divi 5. Modules from add-ons that aren’t Divi 5-ready are the most common thing that breaks. Plan a replacement for any that aren’t.
4. Run the Divi 5 migration on staging
Update to Divi 5 on staging and run Divi’s migration for your existing content. When it finishes, don’t assume everything converted. Check that pages actually show the new format and run the migration again for anything that was left behind.
5. Check the things that most often change
- Every Theme Builder template: header, footer, post and archive templates
- Global colors and fonts
- Line breaks and spacing in text
- The mobile header and menu
- Forms, sliders and anything interactive
- The site on a real phone, not just a narrow browser window
6. Go live in a quiet window
Push staging to live (or repeat the steps on live) when traffic is low. Clear every cache afterwards (your caching plugin, your host’s cache and Divi’s own). Then click through the main pages again on the live site.
7. Keep the way back open
Keep the Divi 4 backup for a few weeks. If something turns up that you missed, you can compare against it or roll back.
Moving finished work from staging to live
If you rebuild pages or templates on staging, Divi Box & Ship can ship the finished pages, templates and presets to the live site, with copy, replace or skip for each item and a JSON backup of anything it overwrites. A Divi 5 box needs a Divi 5 site, so the live site must be on Divi 5 first.
Would you rather have someone else handle it? SU Web Agency, the team behind suweb.ai, offers website care plans.
Disclosure: suweb.ai is made by SU Web Agency, and we make the plugins mentioned here. Everything above works without them.