How to Duplicate a Page in WordPress: 3 Simple Ways

WordPress has revolutionized website creation and management with its user-friendly interface and extensive customization options. Whether you’re a blogger, entrepreneur, or small business owner, having control over your website’s content is crucial. One of the essential tasks in managing a site on the platform is knowing how to duplicate pages. In this article, we’ll explore three methods in how to duplicate a page in WordPress, enabling you to streamline your WordPress website management process.

What Does It Mean To Duplicate A Page In WordPress?

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that powers millions of websites around the world. It was first introduced in 2003 as a blogging platform. Since then, it has developed into a flexible CMS that enables users to build, alter, and maintain a wide range of websites, from personal blogs and portfolios to e-commerce sites and business websites.

Duplicating a page in WordPress refers to the process of creating an exact copy of an existing page on your website. The text, layout, settings, and any other components linked to the original page are all duplicated in this copy. Essentially, duplicating a page allows you to quickly and easily replicate the structure and content of one page to create another with similar characteristics.

In WordPress, all primary elements of the original page, including text, pictures, videos, links, and formatting, will remain when you clone a page. Furthermore, any page-specific settings, such as SEO metadata, featured images, custom fields, and page templates, are also duplicated.

Reasons To Duplicate A WordPress

Understanding how to duplicate a page in WordPress is particularly useful for various purposes, including:

Creating Templates

Copying pages is a good way to start making templates that you can use all around your WordPress website. To maintain consistency in design and structure, you can, for instance, copy a page layout for other portions of your website, such as product pages, blog articles, or service offerings.

Testing Design Modifications

Duplicating pages gives you a secure environment in which to test new layouts, styles, or content variants before making major design upgrades or modifications on your live website. You can replicate a page, make the needed adjustments, and preview the alterations without changing your site’s existing content.

Streamlining Information Creation

Duplicating pages can help you save time and effort if you regularly create pages with similar information or layouts. Reducing repeated chores and boosting productivity can be achieved by duplicating an existing page and making necessary modifications to the duplicated information, rather than beginning from scratch every time.

Preserving Consistency

By guaranteeing that pages with comparable goals or styles have a unified appearance, duplicate pages assist preserve consistency throughout your WordPress website. To maintain consistency in style, branding, and user experience, duplicate pages are recommended whether developing a portfolio, blog, or e-commerce website.

How To Duplicate A Page In WordPress Manually

With all the potential benefits it offers, understanding how to duplicate pages in WordPress is essential. Here are three effective methods for cloning pages in WordPress.

It’s easy to duplicate pages manually if you’re more of a hands-on learner. Open the page editor, choose the content to copy, make a new page, and paste the copied content. It’s a straightforward but efficient duplication technique.

Here’s how to duplicate a page in WordPress manually, step-by-step:

1. Access the Page Editor – Login into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the “Pages” section. Next, locate the specific page you wish to duplicate and click on the “Edit” option to enter the page editor.
2. Select and Copy Content – In the page editor, scroll to the main content section of the page. Using your mouse, click and drag to highlight all the content you wish to duplicate. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+A (Command+A on Mac) to “select all.” Next, right-click on the highlighted content and choose “Copy” from the context menu or press Ctrl+C (Command+C on Mac).
3. Return to All Pages – After copying the content, click on the WordPress logo or the “Pages” link in the top-left corner of the editor screen. This action will take you back to the list of all pages on your WordPress site.
4. Create a New Page – To create a duplicate of the page, click on the “Add New” button located at the top of the “All Pages” screen. This will open a new, blank page in the editor.
5. Paste Content – Click within the blank editor area of the new page to place your cursor. Then, right-click and select “Paste” from the context menu. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V (Command+V on Mac) to paste the copied content into the new page.
6. Review and Edit – Once the content has been pasted, review the duplicated page to ensure all elements transferred correctly. Make any necessary edits or adjustments to the content, such as updating links, images, or text.
7. Publish the Duplicate Page – Once you’re ready with the duplicated content and any edits you’ve made, click on the “Publish” button located in the publish box on the right-hand side of the page editor. This will make the duplicated page live on your WordPress site.

Note: If the original page contains custom code or formatting, it’s advisable to switch to the text/HTML tab in the editor before copying to ensure all code is accurately duplicated.

Page Duplication via a WordPress Plugin

There are plenty of alternatives available in WordPress’ vast plugin repository for quickly copying and pasting pages. To duplicate pages, just install a reliable plugin made for this purpose, customize it to your liking, and click a few times. Using a plugin to duplicate a page in WordPress is a simple method that makes the chore of duplicating easier. WordPress has a range of plugins, each with unique features and functionalities, that are expressly made to make page duplication easier.

Here’s how to duplicate a WordPress page using a plugin:

Choose a Plugin

Start by choosing a reliable WordPress plugin for page duplication. You can choose to use a premium plugin from a reputable developer, or you can browse the vast array of plugins found on the WordPress plugin repository. Seek out plugins that are compatible with the version of WordPress you are using, have regular updates, and good reviews.

Install & Activate It

On your WordPress website, install and activate the plugin that you have selected. To accomplish this, go to your WordPress dashboard’s “Plugins” section, select “Add New,” and then look for the plugin by name. Once the plugin has been located, select “Install Now” and then “Activate” to make it active.

Access the Duplicate Page Functionality

Once the plugin has been activated, navigate to the page you want to duplicate. Depending on the plugin you’ve installed, you may find a “Duplicate” or “Clone” option directly within the page editor interface.

Duplicate Page

Click on the “Duplicate” or “Clone” option to initiate the duplication process. The plugin will create an exact copy of the selected page, including all its content, settings, and metadata. Depending on the plugin’s settings, you may have the option to customize certain aspects of the duplicated page before finalizing the duplication.

Review & Edit

After the duplication procedure is finished, the page editor will normally take you to the freshly duplicated page. Check that everything has been copied correctly by going over the duplicated content. After that, you can update the content, photos, and links on the copied page, among other changes.

Publish and/or Save Page

After reviewing and editing the duplicated page, you can choose to publish it immediately or save it as a draft for further refinement. Click on the “Publish” or “Save Draft” button to finalize the duplication process.

Custom Coding to Duplicate a WordPress Page

Using custom code snippets to duplicate pages, after installing WordPress is a workable solution for people who are comfortable with coding. Navigate to your theme files, apply the required code, and copy pages with control and accuracy. Using custom code in WordPress requires gaining access to the theme files and inserting particular code snippets to create a duplicate of the desired page. Although this method gives you precise control over the duplicating process, it does require a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to duplicate a page in WordPress with custom code:

1. Access Theme Files

Go to the theme editor by first logging into your WordPress dashboard. To open the theme editor, choose “Appearance” from the sidebar menu and then click “Theme Editor.” As an alternative, you can directly access your WordPress files by using an FTP client.

2. Identify Page Template

Find the template file that corresponds to the page you wish to duplicate while you are in the theme editor. Template files like page.php, single.php, and custom template files unique to your theme are commonly included with WordPress themes. Choose the template file that corresponds to the page you want to copy.

3. Copy Template File

To protect the original version of the template file, make a copy of it before making any modifications. Copy the contents of the template file to a new file by selecting them first. You have two options: download a copy of the original template file to your computer and make a local duplicate or build a new file directly in the theme editor.

4. Rename Template File

Once you’ve produced a duplicate of the template file, rename it to reflect the new page you’re generating. For instance, you may rename the new file about-us.php if you’re copying an “About Us” page. To guarantee that the file opens and runs properly in WordPress, make sure to keep the.php extension.

5. Edit Template File

To make changes, open the copied template file. You must update any references to the old page in the file to point to the new one, including post titles, content, and page IDs. You can extract data from the database or create dynamic content using WordPress template tags and simple PHP procedures.

6. Save Changes

After you’ve adjusted the template file as needed, save your changes. To save changes straight to your WordPress theme while editing the file in the theme editor, select the “Update File” button. If you are modifying the file locally, use an FTP client to upload the updated file back to your server.

7. Create New Page

Open the WordPress dashboard and create a new page after making changes to the template file. Assign the new page’s template to the duplicate template file you made in the earlier stages. To accomplish this, when modifying the page, choose the relevant template from the “Page Attributes” metabox.

8. Publish Duplicate Page

Once you’ve configured the new page with the duplicated template file, add any additional content or customization as needed. Review the page to ensure everything looks as expected, and then publish the duplicated page to make it live on your WordPress website.

Best Practices and Tips

When it comes to WordPress page duplication, adhering to best practices and advice can simplify the procedure, preserve consistency, and avert any issues. Here are some suggestions to think about:

Plan Ahead

Give your strategy some thought before copying pages. Consider the pages that require duplication, their intended use, and any unique needs or adjustments. You will be able to complete the duplicating process more quickly if you have a well-defined plan in place.

Use Plugins Carefully

Select reliable plugins with good ratings and frequent updates if you’re using them to create duplicate pages. Installing an excessive number of plugins might overburden your website and possibly lead to disputes. If you want to reduce security concerns and guarantee compatibility with future WordPress upgrades, stick to necessary plugins from reliable sources.

Test Duplications

Evaluate the duplication procedure in a staging or development environment prior to duplicating pages on your production WordPress website. This enables you to spot any problems or conflicts before they affect your live site and make necessary adjustments.

Keep Consistency

Try to keep your website’s design, branding, and user experience consistent when you duplicate pages. Establish uniform naming conventions, formatting styles, and layout structures to produce a visually appealing and unified website.

Review and Update Content

After creating duplicate pages, check the copied text to make sure it is accurate and pertinent. Refresh any out-of-date content, graphics, or links to match the status of your website. To make the replica pages as search engine friendly as possible, pay attention to SEO metadata like meta titles and descriptions.

Organize Duplicate Pages

Organize duplicate pages on your WordPress website in a methodical manner. To classify and organize related pages, think about use tags, categories, or custom taxonomies. This facilitates navigation and content management, particularly for large sites with multiple pages.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Duplicating pages in WordPress is a common task that allows you to create exact copies of existing pages, preserving their layout, content, and settings.
• Understanding how to duplicate pages in WordPress is essential for bloggers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who want to maintain control over their WordPress website’s content.
• Manual duplication involves copying and pasting content from one page to another within the WordPress editor, making it a straightforward but effective method.
• Using plugins provides a convenient way to duplicate pages with minimal effort, as many plugins offer dedicated duplication features and customizable options.
• Employing custom code allows for precise control over the duplication process but requires a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP.

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