The best way to Migrate From Drupal to WordPress (Step by way of Step)

Once I first began construction web sites, I thought of the use of Drupal. It’s a powerful platform, nevertheless it was once too difficult and tough to be told, particularly for newcomers.

That’s why I selected WordPress as a substitute. It’s robust, smooth to make use of, and now, it’s what I exploit for all my web sites.

Over time, I’ve helped many trade homeowners and builders transfer from Drupal to WordPress. I are aware of it can really feel overwhelming to transport your entire web page with out dropping content material or breaking the rest.

That’s why I created this straightforward information that can assist you migrate from Drupal to WordPress safely and simply. It walks you via each and every step, the use of strategies I’ve examined and stepped forward with others who’ve made the similar transfer.

Whether or not your web page is small or massive, I’m right here that can assist you make the exchange as easily as imaginable. Let’s get began in combination!

Why Migrate From Drupal to WordPress?

Drupal and WordPress might glance identical. However in follow, those web page developers are very other.

I’ve discovered that Drupal, whilst extremely succesful, can every now and then really feel complicated and overpowered.

Easy content material updates get started taking longer than they will have to. Discovering the best developer to make tweaks isn’t at all times smooth or affordable. And truthfully, the backend can really feel overwhelming every now and then.

In my enjoy, WordPress is a lot more user-friendly, which is why I at all times counsel it to other people having a look to make a web page.

Call to mind it as your favourite on a regular basis software that’s smooth to pick out up and intuitive to make use of. It makes many duties really easy to do, like writing and publishing a brand new weblog submit, including a picture to a web page, or putting in a easy touch shape.

Drupal, however, is extra like a extremely specialised toolkit. It’s exact and strong, however it might really feel like overkill to your day-to-day wishes. It may be tough to do one thing that’s easy in WordPress, like putting in place a customized web page structure.

See my comparability of Drupal vs. WordPress for extra main points.

Step 1. Again Up Your Drupal Website online and Hyperlink Construction

Prior to you get started migrating your Drupal website online, you wish to have to create a secure reproduction of the whole lot.

It’s additionally a perfect thought to again up the hyperlink construction of your web page. You’ll use this knowledge later to remember to don’t lose your seek engine scores.

Backing Up Your Drupal Website online The use of a Module

You’ll be able to again up your Drupal web page simply the use of a module, or extra complicated customers can do it manually (see under).

The Backup and Migrate module makes backing up a Drupal web page lovely simple.

Simply consult with Management » Lengthen and you’re going to to find the module within the ‘Different’ segment. Merely click on the checkbox subsequent to the module after which click on the ‘Set up’ button on the backside of the web page.

As soon as the module is put in, you’ll to find it to your Drupal admin menu. It permits you to create backups of your database, recordsdata, or each. For a complete website online backup, you’ll need to again up the whole lot.

Backing Up Your Drupal Website online Manually

However, if you happen to’re happy with the technical facet of items, then you’ll additionally again up your Drupal website online manually.

First, you’ll wish to again up your web page recordsdata the use of your internet hosting supplier’s record supervisor or FTP device.

When the record supervisor opens, click on at the public_html folder within the left menu after which make a choice your web page’s folder within the left pane. You want to right-click on that folder and create the ‘Compress’ choice from the menu.

When requested for a compression kind, you will have to make a choice the ‘Zip Archive’ choice. After your web page has been compressed, you’ll shut the affirmation message.

Subsequent, you wish to have to search out the compressed zip record within the public_html folder. Proper-click the record and make a choice the ‘Obtain’ choice. Be sure to retailer this backup record in a protected location.

Subsequent, you’ll wish to again up your database the use of phpMyAdmin. You’ll to find this great tool within the account dashboard of maximum respected internet hosting suppliers.

For instance, on Bluehost, you’re going to to find it by way of clicking at the Website hosting tab after which scrolling down the web page.

Clicking the phpMyAdmin button will release the appliance in a brand new browser tab.

From right here, click on to choose your Drupal database from the left column after which click on at the ‘Export’ button on the best.

When you’re requested to choose the export manner, you will have to make a choice ‘Customized’. It’ll display you the entire database tables to your Drupal web page.

To create a complete backup, be sure that the entire tables are decided on.

You currently wish to scroll right down to the ‘Output’ segment and make a choice the ‘Save output to a record’ choice.

For compression, make a choice the ‘zipped’ choice.

In spite of everything, scroll to the ground of the web page and click on the ‘Pass’ button.

The compressed database record will probably be stored in your laptop, and you’ll retailer it safely, together with the record backup you created previous.

Backing Up Your Hyperlink Construction

Subsequent, you wish to have to again up your hyperlink construction. That is essential for Search engine marketing and ensuring that individuals can to find your content material on-line.

You want to make an inventory of your entire present Drupal URLs so to arrange redirects later in WordPress. This fashion, if anyone clicks an outdated hyperlink in your Drupal web page, then they’ll be robotically despatched to the best web page to your new WordPress website online.

I really like to make use of a Chrome extension known as Hyperlink Klipper. It’s unfastened, smooth to make use of, and will temporarily save all of the hyperlinks from a web page. You’ll be able to simply set up it to your browser the use of the hyperlink above.

Subsequent, you wish to have to consult with your Drupal web page’s homepage to your Chrome browser. As soon as there, simply click on the Hyperlink Klipper icon to your browser toolbar and make a selection the choice that claims ‘Extract All Hyperlinks’.

Hyperlink Klipper will do its factor and snatch all of the hyperlinks out of your homepage and the pages it might to find connected from there. It’ll obtain those hyperlinks as a comma-separated values (CSV) record.

Whilst you open that CSV record in Excel or Google Sheets, you’ll see a whole checklist of your Drupal URLs. Be sure to save this record someplace secure since you’ll want it later.

Step 2. Putting in and Surroundings Up WordPress

The necessities for each Drupal and self-hosted WordPress are rather identical. You’ll desire a area title and a WordPress internet hosting account first of all WordPress.

If you have already got a website title and web page internet hosting account to your Drupal web page, then you’ll use them to your WordPress web page as smartly.

However, if you wish to transfer to another internet hosting supplier, then I like to recommend the use of Bluehost, which is without doubt one of the best internet hosting corporations advisable by way of WordPress. They provide WordPress internet hosting and a unfastened area title for simply $1.99 a month.

For this information, I’ll use screenshots from Bluehost to come up with a visible instance of the method.

You want to navigate to the Bluehost web page and click on the fairway ‘Get Began Now’ button.

You’ll then land on their pricing web page, which presentations you other internet hosting plans. Their ‘Fundamental’ plan is best for many web sites.

Pick out a plan that fits you by way of clicking the ‘Make a choice’ button below it.

Subsequent, you’ll be requested in regards to the area title you need to make use of. That is your web page’s cope with, like www.yourwebsite.com.

You want to choose ‘I’ll create my area title later.’ This will give you time emigrate the whole lot prior to pointing your area to WordPress.

After the area step, you’ll wish to fill to your account main points (title, cope with, and so forth) and your fee data to finish the acquisition.

Bluehost will then ship you a affirmation e-mail together with your login main points. Stay this e-mail secure! You’ll want the ones main points to log in in your internet hosting account dashboard.

Whilst you log in in your Bluehost account for the primary time, they set up WordPress robotically for you.

Now, simply search for the ‘Edit Website’ button to your internet hosting dashboard and click on it. That may take you directly in your WordPress admin space, the place you’ll set up your new web page.

And that’s it. You’ve now effectively put in WordPress.

Step 3. Uploading Your Drupal Content material

To make the migration procedure as clean as imaginable, I’ll display you methods to use a unfastened WordPress plugin known as FG Drupal to WordPress. It automates numerous the heavy lifting fascinated with transferring content material between those two platforms.

First, you wish to have to put in and turn on the plugin. For extra main points, see my step by step information on methods to set up a WordPress plugin.

You’ll then to find the importer software below Gear » Import to your WordPress dashboard menu. You’ll see an inventory of various import choices. Search for ‘Drupal’ within the checklist and click on the ‘Run Importer’ hyperlink.

This may increasingly release the FG Drupal to WordPress importer. Now, you’ll wish to give the importer some details about your Drupal web page so it might attach and snatch your content material.

The very first thing it’s going to ask for is your Drupal web page URL.

Subsequent, it wishes your Drupal database main points to get your entire posts, pages, and different content material. You’ll wish to supply:

• ⛁ Database Host: That is generally localhost in case your Drupal and WordPress websites are at the similar server. If now not, you’ll wish to get this out of your Drupal internet hosting supplier.
• ⛁ Database Identify: The title of your Drupal database.
• ⛁ Database Person: The username used to get right of entry to your Drupal database.
• ⛁ Database Password: The password for that database consumer.
• ⛁ Desk prefix: Drupal makes use of desk prefixes to stay issues arranged within the database. You’ll wish to input your Drupal desk prefix right here. It’s ceaselessly one thing like drupal_.

You’ll have written this knowledge down while you first arrange your Drupal web page. In a different way, complicated customers can use FTP to search out the main points to your Drupal settings.php record. Or just touch your Drupal internet hosting supplier and ask for help.

If you’ve entered all of the database main points, click on the ‘Check database connection’ button within the importer. If the whole lot is proper, then you definately will have to see a ‘Connection a hit’ message.

Beneath the relationship settings, you’ll see some further choices within the importer. Those can help you keep watch over what will get imported, like featured photographs, content material photographs, and different issues.

Simply depart the default settings as they’re to your first import.

Whilst you’re waiting, you’ll get started the import by way of clicking the massive ‘Get started / Resume the Import’ button. The importer will get started fetching your content material out of your Drupal web page and bringing it into WordPress. It’ll additionally import your photographs, weblog feedback, and extra.

The time it takes will depend on the quantity of content material you’ve. As soon as the import is completed, you will have to see a luck message.

The FG Drupal to WordPress plugin too can assist you to repair inside hyperlinks.

Once in a while, after a migration, hyperlinks inside your content material may nonetheless be pointing in your outdated Drupal website online construction. The plugin can attempt to replace those to indicate in your new WordPress website online.

Scroll right down to the ground of the importer web page and click on the ‘Regulate inside hyperlinks’ button.

Step 4. Pointing Your Area Identify to Your New WordPress Website online

Now that your content material is imported into WordPress, you wish to have to ensure other people will to find your new website online after they kind to your area title.

If you have already got a website title to your Drupal web page (like yourwebsite.com), then you need to stay the use of that very same area for WordPress. You want to regulate your nameservers to indicate in your new WordPress website online.

Your new WordPress internet hosting supplier, like Bluehost, Hostinger, or SiteGround, gives you the nameserver data you wish to have.

It generally looks as if a couple of addresses, one thing like:

ns1.your-wordpress-hosting.com
ns2.your-wordpress-hosting.com

You exchange those settings together with your area title registrar, the corporate the place you in the beginning registered your area title.

Once in a while, your area registrar may well be the similar corporate as your internet hosting supplier. However ceaselessly, they’re separate. Not unusual area registrars come with corporations like Community Answers and Namecheap.

You want to log in in your account at your area registrar’s web page. If you’re logged in, to find the settings to your area title. Search for one thing like ‘DNS Settings’, ‘Nameservers’, ‘Area Control’, or ‘Set up DNS’.

For instance, here’s the display you’re going to see on Bluehost.

You’ll to find step by step directions for plenty of fashionable area registrars in my information on methods to simply exchange area nameservers.

If you’ve up to date your nameservers, it takes a short time for those adjustments to unfold around the web. This is named DNS propagation.

DNS propagation can take any place from a couple of hours to, in some instances, as much as 24-48 hours. All through this time, some other people may nonetheless see your outdated Drupal web page, whilst others may get started seeing your new WordPress website online.

Step 5. Surroundings Up Permalinks and Redirects

Your outdated Drupal website online had its personal method of structuring URLs. WordPress does issues a little otherwise with permalinks.

For the reason that URLs for each and every submit will probably be other, any person who has a hyperlink in your outdated Drupal content material will finally end up seeing a irritating ‘404 Web page Now not Discovered’ error to your new WordPress website online.

To stop damaged hyperlinks, it’s a must to arrange Search engine marketing-friendly permalinks in WordPress and redirect your guests out of your outdated Drupal URLs to the best pages to your new WordPress website online.

Surroundings Up WordPress Permalinks

WordPress will give you a couple of other choices for a way your web page addresses (URLs) are structured. Those are known as permalinks.

The ‘Put up title’ atmosphere is a well-liked selection. It creates great, blank URLs that generally come with the identify of your web page or weblog submit. This construction may also be useful for each guests and search engines like google as it makes the URL smooth to learn and provides a transparent thought of what the web page is set.

On your WordPress dashboard, move to Settings » Permalinks. You’ll see a bit known as ‘Not unusual Settings’. To find the choice categorized ‘Put up title’ and click on the radio button subsequent to it to choose it.

Then, simply scroll right down to the ground of the web page and click on the ‘Save Adjustments’ button. Executed!

Surroundings Up Redirects from Your Previous Drupal URLs

Now you wish to have to arrange redirects to ensure your outdated Drupal hyperlinks nonetheless paintings. To do that, you’re going to want that checklist of outdated Drupal URLs you grabbed the use of Hyperlink Klipper in Step 1.

To arrange redirects simply in WordPress, you wish to have to put in and turn on a plugin known as Redirection. It’s unfastened and it makes managing redirects a breeze. If you wish to have assist, see my information on methods to set up a WordPress plugin.

As soon as activated, you’ll to find the Redirection plugin settings below Gear » Redirection to your WordPress menu.

Within the Redirection plugin interface, you’ll see fields for Supply URL and Goal URL:

• Supply URL is the place you input your outdated Drupal web page URL – the only you need to redirect from. Simply come with the section after the area title, like /my-old-page.
• Goal URL is the place you input the brand new WordPress URL for a similar web page. Once more, simply come with the section after the area title, like /my-new-page.

Be certain that the ‘301 – Moved Completely’ choice is chosen for the ‘Fit’ kind (it’s generally the default). This tells search engines like google that the web page has completely moved to a brand new location, which is essential for Search engine marketing.

In spite of everything, click on the ‘Upload Redirect’ button to avoid wasting the redirect.

Now, you’ll wish to undergo your checklist of outdated Drupal URLs and repeat those steps for each and every URL you need to redirect. It may be a little repetitive you probably have numerous pages, nevertheless it’s well worth the effort to keep away from damaged hyperlinks and stay your Search engine marketing intact.

For detailed directions, see my information on methods to arrange redirects in WordPress.

Choice: The use of AIOSEO for Redirects

In the event you’re already the use of the All in One Search engine marketing (AIOSEO) plugin, or if you happen to’re making plans to make use of it to reinforce your web page’s Search engine marketing, then it additionally has a redirection supervisor in-built.

It’s a formidable WordPress Search engine marketing plugin that permits you to simply arrange complete website online redirects, plus it gives many different options to assist your web page rank upper in seek effects.

For instance, its 404 error monitoring can simply catch damaged hyperlinks, and you’ll upload schema markup, customized breadcrumbs, native Search engine marketing modules, and a lot more.

Step 6. Surroundings Up Your WordPress Theme

To make your WordPress web page glance superb, you wish to have to make a choice and set up a theme. Those are ready-made design templates to your website online that keep watch over its look, together with the colours, fonts, structure of your pages, and the way your weblog posts are displayed.

There are many unfastened topics and top class topics to be had for each and every imaginable area of interest and trade you’ll consider.

In my enjoy, blank and easy designs generally tend to paintings perfect for many web sites. They appear extra skilled, they’re more straightforward for guests to navigate, and most significantly, they put the focal point the place it will have to be: to your content material.

That can assist you slim issues down, I put in combination a information on deciding on the very best WordPress theme. It walks you via the important thing issues to believe and is helping you keep away from some commonplace traps.

Then, you’ll persist with my step by step information on methods to set up a WordPress theme.

However, you’ll simply create a customized WordPress theme the use of drag-and-drop with the SeedProd web page builder plugin. This can be a nice choice if you wish to completely fit your outdated website online’s glance with out writing code, supplying you with complete keep watch over over the design.

In fact, if you happen to desire, you’ll at all times rent pros to design and code a fully customized WordPress web page for you.

Step 7. Set up Crucial WordPress Plugins

WordPress plugins are more straightforward to put in than Drupal modules. 1000’s are to be had, each unfastened and paid. So, I created a information on how to pick out the most productive plugins to your web page.

However first, let me introduce you to a couple must-have plugins that I like to recommend for just about each and every new WordPress website online:

• WPForms means that you can create all varieties of WordPress bureaucracy – touch bureaucracy, surveys, order bureaucracy, and extra. I apply it to my very own web sites to permit readers to touch me and collect their comments.
• SeedProd is a formidable drag-and-drop web page builder. It means that you can simply customise your WordPress design, create distinctive web page layouts, and even construct a whole customized theme.
• AIOSEO (All in One Search engine marketing) is helping you optimize your weblog for higher seek engine scores. It’s essentially the most robust Search engine marketing plugin for WordPress.
• MonsterInsights connects to Google Analytics and makes it smooth to grasp your site visitors and customer conduct correct inside of your WordPress dashboard.
• OptinMonster is helping you create popups, slide-in bureaucracy, and different opt-in bureaucracy to develop your e-mail checklist and spice up conversions.

You’ll to find extra concepts in my checklist of crucial WordPress plugins. It’s filled with plugins I exploit and consider.

Choice: Get Skilled Lend a hand to Migrate Your Drupal Website online

Whilst lots of it is possible for you to to persist with this information emigrate from Drupal to WordPress, it’s nonetheless a lovely technical mission. Perhaps you’re now not very techy or are just too busy to do it your self.

If that sounds such as you, then our WPBeginner skilled products and services crew can have the same opinion. We’ve helped lots of other people with their WordPress web sites, and we will assist you to too.

Listed below are a few tactics we will make your Drupal to WordPress migration more straightforward:

• Top rate WordPress Fortify Services and products: Succeed in out to our crew anytime you get caught, have questions, or simply need some personalised assist together with your migration. We will information you via particular steps, troubleshoot problems, and even take over sure duties for you.
• Fast Website Release Carrier: Need a fully recent get started with a brand spanking new, customized WordPress web page? Our Fast Website Release provider crew can design and construct a web page from the bottom up. And we will deal with the entire content material migration from Drupal.

In the event you’re curious to be told extra about those products and services or if you happen to simply have some questions on migration basically, then we’re right here to speak! You’ll be able to simply get in contact with our fortify crew on our Website online Design Services and products web page.

Bonus: Studying WordPress

Now that you’ve got a brand new WordPress web page, you’ll need to be informed extra. Thankfully, we now have quite a lot of unfastened assets that can assist you temporarily turn into a WordPress professional:

• The WPBeginner Weblog is the center of WPBeginner. It’s a WordPress finding out library filled with hundreds of easy-to-follow tutorials, guides, and how-to articles.
• The WPBeginner Dictionary is helping you realize all of the WordPress phrases and jargon, like a WordPress translator.
• WPBeginner Movies stroll you via commonplace WordPress duties step by step, visually, from elementary to extra complicated ways.
• Our WPBeginner YouTube Channel is filled with WordPress guidelines, tutorials, and how-tos that can assist you keep up-to-date with the most recent WordPress goodness.
• The WPBeginner Blueprint will give you a peek in the back of the scenes and presentations you our advisable WordPress setup.
• WPBeginner Offers be offering unique reductions and coupons on WordPress topics, plugins, internet hosting, and extra.

I am hoping this educational helped you progress your website online from Drupal to WordPress. You might also need to see our final WordPress Search engine marketing migration tick list for newcomers or our knowledgeable select of the perfect WordPress migration products and services.

In the event you appreciated this text, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You’ll be able to additionally to find us on Twitter and Fb.

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