Outdated content management systems are a headache for digital publishers, but migrating to WordPress isn’t always a simple process. It’s not uncommon for publishers to delay their migration to WordPress out of fear that they might get stuck in the middle of the process or that existing content will be lost in the transition.
What’s the solution? Do you stick with an outdated CMS or risk losing data when you migrate to WordPress on your own?
Thankfully, those aren’t your only options. When publishers work with web developers who specialize in WordPress migrations, they can take advantage of all that WordPress has to offer while minimizing the downsides during the transition.
There’s a reason why WordPress now powers over 35% of the web. The platform itself is incredibly intuitive. Publishers who use WordPress have more control over the content on their websites. Most publishers who make the switch find that they’re spending much less time managing their CMS on a daily basis and they have more free time to spend on the types of projects that will actually grow their businesses.
Just because the process of migrating a website to WordPress is straightforward doesn’t mean it’s always seamless. In this article, we’ll show you how to navigate your migration to WordPress and avoid the kinds of missteps that can result in headaches. We’ll also explain which parts of the process you can handle on your own, and when you should bring in a web development firm like Web Publisher PRO for support.
How to Migrate to WordPress?
For most publishers, migrating to WordPress is a five-step process:
- Choose the right WordPress hosting
- Install WordPress
- Export your existing website
- Import your website into WordPress
- Add redirects and manage the permalinks structure
If you’re existing website is run by a CMS platform, then it’s worth checking to see whether a plugin has been developed to streamline the migration process. If this is the case, then you’re in luck. Your migration to WordPress should be straightforward if you add the plugin and follow the outlined steps. If you can’t find a WordPress migration plugin designed for your existing CMS, then you’ll need to migrate your website manually.
Working with a web developer simplify the process for publishers who are want to migrate their websites manually. At Web Publisher PRO, we work with online publishers every day. We build customized migration plans and help to plan new website structures. Our experience allows us to execute migrations flawlessly and without missing any steps. Along the way, we’ve also picked up a few tricks that can make the migration to WordPress easier for any type of publisher.
Migrating to WordPress – 3 Tips for Success
- Have a solid plan. The migration to WordPress is always easier for publishers who have put together a plan before getting started. Even if you’re looking to handle the migration to WordPress on your own, it’s a good idea to consult with a web developer on the best strategies before jumping in headfirst.When assessing your strategy, you’ll want to look through the pages on your website and identify every type of content. Then, you’ll want to note any areas that require special attention, such as photo galleries or content archives. The more content you need to import, the more thorough your plan needs to be.
If you are importing an entire publication, then working with a web development firm that specializes in WordPress migrations is the recommended approach.
- Make the right adjustments. WordPress is known as a plug-and-play solution, but in order for a migration to WordPress to go seamlessly, publishers will need to make adjustments to the settings and plugins. For example, with WordPress already installed, publishers will want to update permalinks and update their users.Most digital publishers will also want to pre-install plugins as part of the migration process. Plugins can be useful for SEO management, form management, security, and backups. Because selecting the right plugins is so important, this is another step that is often handled by professional web developers.
- Look for an importing tool. If your old CMS has an importing tool, then consider yourself lucky. With an importing tool, you can import content from your old CMS into the WordPress CMS by following some basic instructions.If there are not any importing tools available with your existing CMS, then a manual migration is your best option. Publishers who have a high volume of content should bring on a web development firm that specializes in WordPress migrations to ensure that they don’t lose content during the migration. The more content a publisher has, the more important it becomes to work with a firm that specializes in this process.
At Web Publisher PRO, we can migrate websites from any content management system to WordPress. Because we specialize in this, we’ve seen the challenges that publishers run into when they take a DIY approach. Although it is possible for publishers to migrate websites to WordPress without the assistance of a web developer, the process is often more challenging that publishers realize. If they’re not careful, publishers can end up losing valuable data during the migration.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to simplify your migration to WordPress, reach out to our team here at Web Publisher PRO. In addition to CMS migrations, we also offer hosting, maintenance, and ongoing support. We’re an industry leader in the media market for CMS migrations, having helped hundreds of publishers just like yourself.
