Why & How to move any site to WordPress theme?
It is quite useful if you have already created a website on any platform or content management system. As your business grows, you can at any time migrate your website to WordPress, no matter which content management system you use. Not only is it cheaper to operate a WordPress website, but it also gives you countless possibilities to improve your site with any features you might think. For example, integrating an e-commerce storefront, specialized social network, forums, etc.
In this blog content, we'll show you how to move to WordPress from any CMS or website.
Why Should You Move Websites to WordPress?
WordPress is the most trusted website builder in the world. It is very flexible and easy to customize. Many of the world's largest brands use WordPress to manage their sites.
WordPress can be managed without any knowledge of programming or programming. It also comes with various built-in features that make it the best choice for beginners and developers alike.
Let's take a quick glance at main reasons why people choose WordPress on other platforms.
SEO Friendly: Whether your site is a small business website, a portfolio site, or any other site, WordPress makes it easy to optimize your site for SEO. You can choose a custom SEO URL in just a few clicks. Also, by installing an SEO plugin, you can easily add meta description, title, and other SEO information, without needing to encode your site.
Easy to customize: With the advent of the Gutenberg editor and WordPress customizer, using WordPress is easier than ever! Just make adjustments and see changes instantly within the control panel without having to preview the page.
Before we begin, it is essential to know that there are two types of WordPress platforms. WordPress.com is a hosted solution and WordPress.org is a self-hosting platform. In this blog post, we will be using self-hosted WordPress.org because it gives you full control over your website. Let's start migrating to WordPress platform from any CMS or website, step-by-step.
Step 1: Identify Your Platform: CMS or Static
The primary thing you need to do is find out whether the original website is based on CMS or just a static / HTML site. The content management system allows you to customize your site from the backend.
You can find out if your site is dynamic or static by visiting Wappalyzer.com. Then enter your site's domain name into the box and determine if you are using any applications.
Step 2: Select a WordPress Hosting Platform
To start a self-hosted WordPress.org site, you will need a domain name and web hosting account.
The domain name is the URL (for example, isitwp.com) that people will type in their browsers to access your website. Web hosting is an area where you will store all your content and files. For more details, see the differences between a domain name and web hosting.
Although there are dozens of WordPress hosting, we recommend Bluehost. It is one of the most popular web hosting providers and officially recommended hosting service from WordPress.org.
We negotiated an agreement with Bluehost to provide our users with a free domain name, a big discount on web hosting and free SSL certificate, and .
Step 3: Install WordPress & Select a Theme
After buying a domain name and web hosting, WordPress must be installed. Many web-hosting providers, including Bluehost, offer WordPress one-click installation to save time.
You should go to your Bluehost account. From there, you can click the WordPress icon to add the name and logo of your website. You should also choose your WordPress theme and click the Install button.
Step 4: Export Your CMS-Based Site
It is effortless to export an existing website or source from a content management system. In the administration section of your site, there will be an option to export the XML file with full content, media and database. You will need to store this file on your computer for Migration.
Step 5: Import Your CMS into WordPress
In order to import a CMS-based website into a WordPress website, the first thing you should do is install and activate the WP All Import plugin in the hosting platform. For more details, you should review our guide on how to install the WordPress plugin.
After activation, you should visit All Import »New Import in the admin area of WordPress. From there, you should click the Upload File button.
Step 6: Manage Redirects and Permalinks
You must add redirects to your website to maintain search engine rankings. When a user visits an old URL, it will be redirected to the same page on the new WordPress site.
You need to simply follow this step-by-step guide on how to set up redirects in WordPress.
The next crucial thing you need to do is to maintain the permalink structure. In the WordPress administration area, you should go to Settings » Permalinks in order to specify the URL format.
Step 7: Things to do After Migration
After a successful migration to WordPress platform, the next thing to do is to take advantage of the full potential of WordPress.
There are a plethora of free and premium plugins available on the market. These plugins will help you improve your website functionality with just a few clicks. You can also see a list of WordPress plugins that you should have.
Your website may look excellent and run smoothly, but we recommend software testing in different browsers for possible errors. For more details, you should see a guide on resolving common errors of WordPress.
We hope this article helps you learn how to migrate to WordPress from any content management system. If you require any expert assistance, you can contact the WordPress development company in India and USA that help you migrate your site to WordPress platform.