Introduction

WordPress is now the most utilized CMS in the world, with over 30% of all sites making use of this platform. There are many good reasons for migrating your current website to WordPress: it is intuitive, has a rich choice of plugins and themes, has good SEO tools, and has a vibrant community.

Moving an existing web site to WordPress could appear to be a herculean task, but following this guide will have your site transferred with ease and little downtime. A professional WordPress development company can do this job very easily because they have skilled and experienced WP resources to do this task quickly.

Here are the key steps you need to take:

Step one: Copy your current website to a new directory or use a different hosting service if possible.

The first important operation is to make sure a full backup of your present website files and your database is made. This is helpful in case something goes wrong, as you will need to refer back to this as a restore point. The most common way to make a backup is to use your hosting control panel or FTP program to download all files onto your local computer. For the database, phpMyAdmin or the tools offered by your host should be used to export all the tables of the database. It is recommended to keep these backup files in a secure place that is not connected to the internet.

Step Two: WordPress Installation and Your Database

You can now proceed to create a new WordPress site that you will transfer your content to. The first and most uncomplicated way of carrying out the process is to place WordPress under the existing domain. Most hosts have auto-installers that will install WordPress with a single click. When it is time, you will be presented with a new database for WordPress to use.

If this is not possible, WordPress can be installed in a sub-domain, for instance wordpress.yourdomain.com, or on a new domain that can be redirected to your main domain at a later date.

Step 3: Install Necessary Plugins

WordPress plugins extend functionality. For a smooth migration, there are two essential plugins you should install:For a smooth migration, there are two essential plugins you should install:

Redirection: bounces the traffic from the previous location to other areas.

All-in-One WP Migration When migrating from another site, it imports the database and files you need.

Locate them under the ‘Add New' plugins, install, and activate them. These plugins will prove to be very useful to ensure that the migration is seamless without any hitches.

The fourth step is to import the content that you want on your website or use your website for.

Now let's go for the final move: moving your website files and the database tables from All-in-One WP Migration to WordPress. Under the plugin's Tools tab:Under the plugin's Tools tab:

  • Click Import From and select the database you want to import from.SQL file
  • Select Import From File, and then open your ZIP file with the website files.

The plugin will import all of the templates, styles, and features into your WordPress site. It may take some time to import if the sites are large, but wait for it to complete the import.

Step 5: Redirect Old URLs

As your WordPress site now houses your site content, the Redirection plugin comes into the picture. It makes sure that anyone who enters your past URLs is automatically forwarded to the WordPress URL equivalent.

Under Redirection, set up 301 redirects that would send traffic from old locations to new WordPress-related pages. This transfers link juice and is useful when it comes to ensuring that site users are not redirected to ‘broken' links.

Step 6: Edit the Elements Inside the WordPress

Once again, all your site content has been imported so you can log into your WordPress admin at yourdomain.com/wp-admin to make any changes you want. Key things you may wish to double-check include:Key things you may wish to double-check include:

  • Permalinks structure
  • Porting the theme of your previous site
  • Reconfigure any settings

Spend time testing that your new, completely migrated site looks and works the way you want it. It is advisable to update old content or themes to match the new design in order to give users the impression that the transition has occurred gradually.

Step 7: Go Live!

Once you have your WordPress site installed, redirects in place, and testing done, there is only one more step: go live! If you've installed WordPress on a separate subdomain or domain, this means rewriting your domain's A records to point to the new site.

It is recommended to pay close attention to the site for the first couple of weeks in order to detect any problems or bumps in the process. But now you will be getting a lot of advantages of making your website using the giant CMS that is WordPress!

Additional Tips

Migrating to WordPress can have its challenges, but keeping these tips in mind will help ensure everything goes smoothly:Migrating to WordPress can have its challenges, but keeping these tips in mind will help ensure everything goes smoothly:

Conclusion

It might sound or look like a daunting task to switch your website to WordPress but by following these fundamental steps highlighted here, you will have everything moved safely without much interferences from visitors. Just follow the guidelines outlined above and in a short span of time, you will be harnessing the full potential of WordPress. Get your favorite plugins and themes, discover cutting-edge features such as headless CMS, and expand your online presence at a record pace.

About Author: CustomWP



CustomWP is a platform for all-in-one WordPress. Get the latest news and updates about WordPress, WordPress tips, and how-to solutions.