How to Transfer Your Website to WordPress

May 21, 2023 By WP Helpline Off

When you have decided that it’s time to update your website with something new and fresh you will most probably wonder how to go about it. There will be a lot of questions, such as:

Where do I start?
What will my new website look like?
How much will it cost to update my website?
Will I have to redesign everything?
How long will it take?
What’s the best tech to use?
Who do I want to work with?
How can I be sure that the new website will be exactly what I want?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions the task of transferring your website is far more complex than you might think. Depending on your situation there are various ways to go about it, but most likely you will need the help of some expert software developers to complete the process successfully. Luckily, there are people who want to help you and have created tools to make the process easier. In this article we will teach you what you need to know about migrating your site to WordPress and in the process we will cover some of the most important things that you should consider.

The Most Popular Content Management System

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) around. It is extremely flexible and powerful and is used by media companies such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today as well as well-known websites like LinkedIn, HP, and PC World. Since its inception in 2005, WordPress has seen staggering growth in both the user base and the number of plugins (applications that expand the functionality of WordPress) that can be used to create custom sites and applications. Below we will go over a few of the basics of working with WordPress.

Installing WordPress

WordPress can be downloaded directly from the WordPress website and will install in mere minutes, even on outdated hardware. Its modular architecture means that even outdated hardware can run it without a problem. WordPress also has a very high rate of availability from its official servers which is great for those who want to quickly put up a test site or temporarily host a website while they upgrade or move to a bigger server.

Customizing The WordPress Dashboard

The WordPress dashboard is where all the action takes place (pun intended). In addition to giving you a quick look at the status of your site, the dashboard also gives you the ability to create and edit content as well as manage users and settings. The dashboard can be accessed from both your browser and your phone and can be personalized with different themes and layouts to fit your needs.

Selecting The Right Hosting Plan

There are many different types of hosting plans offered by WordPress itself as well as 3rd party hosting providers. The most popular one is called ‘WordPress.org’ and comes with very basic features such as free domain registration, free backups, and free updates.

If you’re looking for something more comprehensive and professional, you can try out the ‘WordPress.com’ plan which offers all the features of the ‘WordPress.org’ plan plus SEO, free backups, and a free custom domain (for a limited time). You can also try out the ‘Pro’ plan which comes with all the features of the ‘WordPress.com’ plan and more. Finally, you can use a 3rd party hosting provider like Bluehost, to get a free dedicated IP (an IP address which is unique to your server and can be used to access your site directly from another device), free domain registration, free backups, and much more.

Deciding On A New Domain

When you have decided that it’s time to update your website with something new and fresh you will most probably wonder where to start. One of the first things that you should do is to pick a new domain for your site. This could be the name of your company, your website’s name, or even a combination of both. Domain squatters can be an irritation, so if you want to keep your new domain you will need to make sure that you legally own it. It is also advisable that you choose a.com domain rather than a.net or.org domain. If you run a business and you decide to use a.com domain name, people will be more likely to click on your site than to a.net or.org site.

If you have chosen a name for your new website, that name should be used throughout your site (e.g., heading, sub-heading, etc.).

Establishing An Email Account

You will also need to set up an email account for your new website. This is different from your personal email account and will be used to notify you of important things such as account confirmations, orders, and notifications from WordPress itself or 3rd party plugins that you have installed. You should also look into getting a mobile device (such as an iPad or Android tablet) so that you can check your email on the go.

The Importance Of Backups

One of the most important things that you can do to ensure that your site will remain functional and available to the public is to make sure that it is regularly backed up. This means that your site’s data is saved to an external device such as a USB hard drive or a network storage device (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud).

If an unexpected hardware or software glitch should occur, your backed-up data will allow you to quickly get up and running again without too much hassle. If you use a 3rd party hosting provider, they will surely provide you with instructions on how to back up and restore your data in case of an emergency.

Deciding On A New Theme

When you are deciding what theme to use for your new WordPress website, it is important to keep in mind that the look and feel of your website will greatly affect your visitors’ experience. There are hundreds of free and premium WordPress themes out there, so you are bound to find something that suits your needs. You should also think about what future-proofing entails. For example, do you want to make sure that your site will look the same in 5 years as it does now? What features do you want it to have?

Coding Standards

Those who develop WordPress themes say that it is important to follow certain coding standards when creating a new theme. This ensures maintainable code and helps prevent issues with compatibility between different browsers and mobile devices. Strictly following these guidelines will also help you become an expert WordPress theme coder and can even land you gigs creating and supporting custom themes for others. The best way to become familiar with these coding standards is by reading the WordPress codex (which you can access from the WordPress website).

Migration Tool

Many website owners decide to migrate their site to WordPress because it provides them with the ability to quickly and easily update their site with the latest content.

If this is how you want to operate you can download the WordPress Migration tool from the WordPress website and use it to import your site’s content. The tool will walk you through the process of migrating your content and settings to WordPress. It will also guide you through the installation of any missing plugins as well as setup of your new site. You can find more information about the WordPress Migration tool on their website.

Scheduling Blog Posts And Getting Help From Experts

WordPress is great for those who want to quickly put up a test site or temporarily host a website while they upgrade or move to a bigger server. This is because it is extremely flexible and easy to use. You can definitely setup a WordPress blog in a matter of minutes and start publishing content. However, if you want to maintain a high quality blog, you should consider investing in a good WordPress theme and some plugins that can enhance the look and feel of your site. Scheduling posts is also one of the things that you can do with WordPress. You can use plugins such as WP Cron to automate the posting of content to your site on a recurring basis. This can be a great way to get more engagement from your readers and increase the amount of content that you publish on a regular basis.

Where Can I Go From Here?

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