Drupal is without doubt one of the best possible Content Management Systems (CMSs) to be had. It’s extremely scalable and safe device. Then again, developing fashionable, fashionable internet sites the use of Drupal isn’t as simple because it may well be. If that’s your revel in, migrating from Drupal to WordPress may well be the solution.

WordPress gives most of the identical options as Drupal, but it surely’s a lot more straightforward to make use of. Moreover, the WordPress community is massive, making it more straightforward to search out lend a hand for any function or exchange you wish to have to your web site.

This information will talk about why it will make sense emigrate from Drupal to WordPress. We’ll talk about what you wish to have to do prior to you progress after which move in the course of the migration procedure step-by-step. In the end, we’ll speak about what to do after you get started the use of WordPress. Let’s get to paintings!

Why You Will have to Imagine Transferring From Drupal to WordPress

There are more than one causes to make use of Drupal. It’s open-source device and one of the robust CMSs in the marketplace. Drupal installations can scale simply, and there’s a big neighborhood of customers and builders who may give new customers and fans with lend a hand:

The Drupal website
Drupal

The disadvantage of the use of Drupal is that it’s no longer a beginner-friendly CMS. There’s an important finding out curve to mastering it, and updating the device is usually a very concerned procedure. Should you’re a seasoned developer, you’ll be able to paintings round the ones problems.

Then again, in the event you’re running to your first web site or a easy mission, you’ll want to be a lot using WordPress:

The WordPres homepage
WordPress

WordPress can do the whole thing Drupal can whilst being a a lot more user-friendly possibility. Plus, it’s a lot more straightforward to get started with WordPress.

Moreover, if you have already got a Drupal web site, you’ll be able to migrate it to WordPress in a quite little while and get started reaping the advantages straight away. Then again, prior to you get began, there are a few things you wish to have to understand.

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Issues to Imagine Prior to Migrating From Drupal to WordPress

Migrating a web site from one CMS to some other calls for some preparation. Prior to shifting from Drupal to WordPress, you wish to have to discover a internet host or arrange a brand new web site. You’ll additionally must again up your present information.

Set Up a New Web page or Discover a New Internet Host

Many internet hosts assist you to to make a choice from Drupal and WordPress (amongst many different choices) whilst you’re putting in a brand new web site. Your supplier may also host more than one internet sites via its platform.

In case you have a webhosting plan that helps more than one internet sites, you can arrange a brand new one for WordPress. Doing that may make it easier to migrate your Drupal web site with out signing up for a brand new webhosting supplier or converting plans.

That way works smartly if you’re glad together with your present webhosting supplier. Transferring to WordPress opens up a complete international of probabilities and devoted webhosting services and products.

Many suppliers focal point totally on WordPress internet sites and be offering options to make existence more straightforward for customers such as you – Kinsta is one among them:

The Kinsta homepage
Kinsta is a controlled webhosting supplier considering velocity and function.

Managed WordPress hosting takes numerous repairs paintings off your fingers. Some duties that you just don’t have to fret about in the event you’re the use of Kinsta come with:

We deal with all of the ones duties without reference to which Kinsta plan you select (all par for the path with managed hosting). You additionally get entry to capability comparable to staging websites and integration with DevKinsta (our native WordPress construction device).

In case your present webhosting plan simplest lets you have a unmarried concurrent web site, you’ll be able to’t exchange it with a WordPress set up with out dropping your Drupal information. You wish to have to both improve your plan or join a brand new internet host in that state of affairs.

Prior to you join any internet webhosting carrier, we advise researching. There are many great Kinsta alternatives that may fit your wishes in the event you’re working with a limited budget or shopping to host a private web site.

Again Up Your Drupal Knowledge

On every occasion you’re about to make vital adjustments for your web site, we advise backing up the whole thing first. The Drupal migration procedure doesn’t contain deleting any information out of your web site. Then again, it by no means hurts to practice best possible practices if one thing is going incorrect.

Backing up Drupal internet sites is a quite concerned procedure. The CMS doesn’t come with any integrated backup gear, so you wish to have to do the whole thing manually.

Backing up a Drupal web site comes to making copies of 2 elements:

  • Your web site’s database
  • The Drupal root listing

Drupal formally recommends the use of modules for backing up your database. Two of the developer-recommended choices are Backup and Migrate and Backup Database.

As soon as you select a database-backup fashion, you’ll additionally wish to reproduction all of the Drupal root listing. The easiest way to try this is to hook up with your web site by way of Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and obtain a duplicate of the basis folder for your pc.

We propose saving each the database and root listing backup information in the similar folder or compressing them in combination. That means, you’ll have an entire web site reproduction that you’ll be able to use to revive your Drupal web site in case the rest occurs.

Migrate From Drupal to WordPress (10 Steps)

Prior to we get to paintings, you wish to have to have a internet host able to arrange a brand new web site. We’ll get started from scratch when putting in WordPress and shifting your Drupal content material to the brand new web site.

Step 1: Set up WordPress

There are a number of tactics to put in WordPress, relying to your internet host. Should you’re the use of Kinsta, you’ll get the way to set up WordPress mechanically whilst you arrange a brand new web site:

Installing WordPress in MyKinsta
Putting in WordPress in MyKinsta

Different internet hosts most often include some device installer, such as Softaculous. You’ll use it that will help you arrange well-liked CMSs, comparable to WordPress, with just a few clicks.

Should you’re extra of a DIY-kind-of-person, you’ll be able to additionally install WordPress manually. To take action, obtain the CMS installation files from WordPress.org. You’ll wish to add the ones information for your internet host and run the WordPress installer. It’s going to stroll you via the remainder of the method.

As soon as your WordPress set up is able, you’ll acquire get entry to to the dashboard. You’ll spend maximum of your time the use of WordPress right here, so it’s smart to get aware of it:

The WordPress dashboard
WordPress dashboard

We’ll use a WordPress plugin emigrate your web site from Drupal because it’s the perfect manner. Then again, prior to we get to that, we’d like to select a permalink construction in your web site.

Step 2: Make a selection a Permalink Construction in WordPress

Drupal will give you numerous keep watch over over how your web site’s URLs glance. Let’s say, as an example, that you’ve a Drupal publish with the next URL:

yourwebsite.com/weblog/name-of-the-post

That’s a clean-looking URL structure excellent for any web site. By means of default, WordPress makes use of a special URL or permalink construction that appears like this:

yourwebsite.com/?=123

After you migrate to WordPress, the content material you carry over will lose the URL construction you put up in Drupal. That implies your pages and posts can have URLs that appear to be the former instance.

WordPress makes it simple to change your site’s permalink structure, and the sooner you do it, the easier. Should you exchange the permalink construction prior to migrating content material, you’ll be able to simply exchange interior hyperlinks in a while, which we’ll duvet in some other step.

For now, move to Settings > Permalinks and make a selection a brand new URL construction. Our favourite is the Put up call possibility:

The site permalink section in the wordpress dashboard
Trade permalink construction within the WordPress dashboard

The Put up call URL construction lets you set customized permalinks for each and every web page and publish that you just put up. Then again, you’ll be able to arrange a customized URL construction, however the Put up call possibility will suffice generally.

Step 3: Set Up the FG Drupal to WordPress Plugin

Historically, migrating a web site from some other platform to WordPress calls for numerous handbook exporting and uploading of information. Then again, since Drupal is the sort of well-liked CMS, devoted plugins can lend a hand facilitate the migration process.

FG Drupal to WordPress is one such plugin, and it’s our favourite device for the task. It’s going to mean you can attach WordPress to Drupal and migrate your whole web site’s content material, together with posts, pages, classes, tags, pictures, and metadata:

FG Drupal to WordPress  plugin
FG Drupal to WordPress

It’s necessary to notice that FG Drupal to WordPress is a unfastened plugin that gives a premium version. The unfastened device can do the whole thing that we discussed within the closing paragraph. Moreover, in the event you pay for a top rate license, the plugin will let you migrate feedback, person accounts (together with authors and directors), customized fields, and navigation menus.

In our revel in, the unfastened model of the plugin does the whole thing that the majority customers want. The one caveat is for internet sites that wish to import customers.

For instance, consider you’re operating a web-based retailer in Drupal, and you wish to have emigrate your buyer base to WordPress. On this state of affairs, the top rate model of FG Drupal to WordPress can prevent numerous time.

As soon as making a decision which model of the plugin to make use of, it’s time to put in it. We’ll be the use of the unfastened model, in an effort to practice alongside, move to Plugins > Upload New and search for the plugin the use of the hunt bar throughout the web page:

Installing the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin
Putting in FG Drupal to WordPress

Click on on Set up Now and provides WordPress a while to put in the plugin. When it’s able, you’ll see an way to turn on it. Choose that button and now let’s get to paintings on uploading your Drupal content material into WordPress.

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Step 4: Choose Your WordPress Content material Settings

To start out the migration procedure, move to Equipment > Import in WordPress. Later on, click on on Run Importer beneath Drupal:

Run the Drupal importer tool in WordPress
Run the Drupal importer device in WordPress

The importer web page features a huge vary of settings that you wish to have to configure prior to launching the migration procedure. Let’s get started through deciding on whether or not the importer must take away all present WordPress content material:

Select import options
Choose import choices

Because you’re the use of a brand spanking new web site, you shouldn’t wish to wipe its content material prior to launching the migration. Then again, you’ll be able to make a selection the Take away all WordPress content material possibility in the event you’ve added any take a look at pages or posts for your web site.

Step 5: Input Your FTP Credentials

Subsequent, WordPress will ask in your Drupal web site’s URL. You’ll additionally want to select how the plugin will obtain media information out of your Drupal web site. The default possibility makes use of easy HTTP downloads.

Then again, we advise the FTP option in the event you’re coping with a big web site with a huge library of content material:

Enter FTP credentials
Input FTP credentials

You’ll wish to input the FTP credentials that you just use to get entry to your Drupal web site. Should you’re no longer positive what those credentials are, you must have the ability to get entry to them via your internet webhosting keep watch over panel. Then again, just be sure you’re the use of the credentials in your Drupal web site and no longer those for WordPress.

After you input the credentials, you’ll be able to click on at the button that claims Take a look at the FTP connection. If the credentials paintings, you’ll see a good fortune message. Should you see an error message as a substitute, there is also an issue with the credentials or the desired protocol.

Step 6: Input Your Drupal Database Parameters

Subsequent, the plugin will ask you to go into your Drupal database parameters. You’ll wish to specify what form of database your Drupal web site makes use of (MySQL, SQLite, or PostgreSQL), its hostname, port, call, and your person main points:

Enter Your Drupal Database Parameters
Input your Drupal database Parameters

Don’t fear in the event you don’t recall the ones main points. You’ll in finding that knowledge through opening your Drupal web site’s settings.php report and digging round within it. You’ll wish to attach for your Drupal web site using FTP or your internet host’s report supervisor to search out that report.

Whenever you’re in, navigate to drupal/websites/default/settings.php and use a textual content editor to open the report. Watch out to not exchange settings.php, as any changes would possibly smash your web site. You simplest wish to find and duplicate the tips that FG Drupal to WordPress requests.

Input the database parameters and click on on Take a look at the database connection to verify the proper settings. The plugin will display you a good fortune message if the whole thing is as much as code.

Step 7: Regulate Your Put up and Web page Import Settings

The closing settings you wish to have to configure keep watch over how the plugin imports posts and pages from Drupal. At the start, you select whether or not the plugin will upload publish and web page summaries to their content material in WordPress or import them as excerpts.

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We propose the latter possibility as it’ll prevent from including excerpts manually in WordPress:

Post and page behavior settings
Put up and web page conduct settings

Subsequent, you wish to have to inform WordPress the place it must retailer the media information it imports. We propose opting for the default choices, which can use the usual WordPress media directories to retailer the imported information.

You’ll additionally select which symbol WordPress must use as a featured part in your posts and pages. The symbol box possibility will make a selection the Symbol report you employ in Drupal. You’ll see it right here underneath the Drupal editor and the Tags box:

Choose image field settings
Make a selection symbol box settings

The remainder of the plugin’s settings make it easier to forestall this system from producing thumbnails or including the featured symbol to the frame of your imported content material. We propose protecting all of the ones additional choices disabled.

Right here’s what your media settings must appear to be now:

Proper media settings
Media settings must appear to be this

By means of default, FG Drupal to WordPress will abort the import procedure for a media report if it takes over 20 seconds to load. That atmosphere can lend a hand save you the migration from getting caught in the event you’re no longer getting a reaction out of your Drupal web site’s server. Then again, it shouldn’t be a subject in the event you’re the use of a good internet host.

Step 8: Migrate Your Web site From Drupal to WordPress

Now that you just’re able, click on on Get started / Resume the import and practice the migration procedure in the course of the development bar and log box proper underneath:

Watch for the progress bar to finish the migration
Wait for the development bar to complete the migration

As soon as the migration is entire, you’ll see a last good fortune message. Prior to you permit this web page, scroll right down to the After the migration segment and click on at the button that claims Regulate interior hyperlinks:

Modify internal links after the migration
Regulate interior hyperlinks after the migration

That function will replace interior hyperlinks inside of your web site to mirror the brand new WordPress permalink construction. After you employ it, we advise testing a few of your pages and posts to verify interior hyperlinks are running accurately.

It’s crucial that you just simplest do that procedure after atmosphere the permalink construction in your WordPress web site, which we did all the way through the former step. Should you adjust the permalink construction in a while, your interior URLs would possibly no longer paintings.

Step 9: Level Your Area Towards WordPress

By means of now, your whole Drupal content material is in WordPress. You could have an absolutely running web site, and the one factor lacking is updating your area information. At this time, if guests attempt to get entry to your area, they’ll move for your Drupal web site.

As an alternative of registering a brand new area, you wish to have to indicate the prevailing one towards WordPress. That procedure can range relying on whether or not you used a domain registrar or arrange the area via your webhosting supplier.

Should you used a site registrar, you’ll wish to get entry to your account from that platform and replace the valuables’s DNS settings. That knowledge tells the area the place it must direct guests. Should you’re no longer positive the right way to exchange those settings, you’ll be able to test your area registrar’s documentation.

Then again, in the event you’re a Kinsta person, you’ll be able to use MyKinsta to point a domain toward your website. You’ll wish to test the area all the way through the method, however Kinsta will deal with the remainder.

Step 10: Make a selection a Theme for Your WordPress Web page

Even supposing your entire Drupal content material is now in WordPress, your web site more than likely appears so much other than prior to. That’s since you’re most likely the use of one of the vital WordPress default themes. They’re no longer dangerous choices, however they’re intended to be custom designed or changed with different templates.

One of the vital many upsides of the use of WordPress is that you’ve a large collection of possible choices for subject matters. There are millions of free and premium themes to select from.

Should you’re new to WordPress, we advise beginning your seek within the WordPress.org theme repository:

The WordPress theme repository
The WordPress theme repository

In case you have get entry to to a staging website, you’ll be able to take a look at new subject matters prior to making any adjustments everlasting. That means, you’ll be ready to check out dozens of subject matters with out impacting the person revel in to your web site.

After you select a theme, you’ll be able to get started customizing the style of your pages and posts the use of the Block Editor. The Block Editor’s revel in is miles forward of what Drupal gives with options and simplicity of use. Due to this fact, it’ll more than likely grow to be one among your favourite sides of the use of WordPress. You’ll even customize your WordPress theme itself.

If opting for a template proves tough, we will level you towards our favorite WordPress themes. That record comprises choices for several types of internet sites, so the likelihood is that just right that you just’ll in finding one thing that you just like (plus, they all are responsive).

It’s additionally value noting that you just don’t wish to select a theme that appears identical to your earlier Drupal web site. Migrating from Drupal to WordPress will give you the very best alternative to revamp your web site and provides it the refresh it merits.

What to Do After You Migrate From Drupal to WordPress

Whenever you end migrating from Drupal to WordPress, you could surprise what to do together with your former web site. Now that each one of its content material is on a special web site, you’ll be able to move forward and delete that Drupal set up.

Should you’re the use of a unmarried internet host for each internet sites, you don’t wish to rush to delete the Drupal web site. Then again, in the event you’re paying for 2 webhosting plans, there’s no reason why to stay spending that cash.

You may just briefly stay the Drupal web site round in the event you ignored the rest all the way through the migration. Whenever you’re positive that you just finished the method accurately, move forward and delete the web site. In a worst-case state of affairs, you could have a backup of that web site proper prior to the migration.

As for WordPress, you could have a variety of new options and gear to play with. For starters, we advise that you just take a look at the WordPress.org plugin library. It accommodates 1000’s of unfastened plugins, a lot of which will upload options that you just didn’t know your web site may just be offering:

Discovering the correct plugins can also be simply as difficult as opting for the very best theme whilst you’re new to WordPress. That’s why we put in combination a hand-picked record of the best WordPress plugins for you to check out out.

There are many reasons to consider switching from Drupal to WordPress, one of which is how much easier WordPress is to use. 💪 Learn how to get your site set up in this guide ⬇Click to Tweet

Abstract

Drupal is an unbelievable CMS in the event you worth safety and scalability. Then again, it pales in comparison to WordPress relating to customization choices, ease of use, and styling your web site.

With WordPress, you’ll be able to construct the web site of your desires the use of the correct plugins and theme. Each side of WordPress is customizable, and migrating your content material from Drupal is simple because of the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin.

Do you could have any questions on the right way to migrate from Drupal to WordPress? Let’s speak about them within the feedback segment underneath!

The publish How to Migrate From Drupal to WordPress (in 10 Steps) seemed first on Kinsta®.

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