Looking for a guide on migrating from Drupal to WordPress? Say no more! Here is your comprehensive guide on everything you need to know for a seamless Drupal to WordPress migration.
Drupal is a popular open-source content management system (CMS). It is used to build and manage websites. It was developed and released in 2001. There are many versions, like Drupal 7, Drupal 10, etc., used for developing custom websites. It is widely used by various businesses, from startups to large enterprises. Drupal is highly flexible and developed in PHP. It can handle high-traffic websites with strong security. Additionally, it has built-in tools for multilingual support. However, it is not beginner-friendly and requires technical expertise. Drupal also has a slow updating system with limited themes and plugins.
WordPress came into existence in 2003. Its intuitive interface and beginner-friendly features for building websites. At present, 43.4% of websites worldwide use this open-source CMS. It suits any website, from personal blogs to startups, enterprises, eCommerce sites, and international multisites. It is easy to install and set up with quick web application development. WordPress is versatile and offers intensive customization with thousands of themes and plugins. Moreover, WordPress is cost-effective. All these features make it the most popular and leading CMS.
Due to WordPress’s popularity, many migrate their website from Drupal and other CMS. Here, we will discuss everything related to migrating from Drupal to WordPress. So make sure you stick around!
Reasons To Migrate From Drupal To WordPress
There are several reasons for migrating from Drupal to WordPress. Here are some of them:
- WordPress is beginner-friendly, unlike Drupal, which requires coding knowledge. Therefore, it is not ideal for non-tech startup businesses.
- Installing and configuring Drupal takes longer. You will need an expert developer for advanced customization and mobile development. Themes and modules are also limited. WordPress offers easy setup. It has an extensive library of free and paid WordPress plugins and WordPress themes.
- Compared to WordPress, Drupal requires high-performance hosting. You need to optimize your Drupal website properly to prevent it from getting slower.
- Drupal is complex and requires high maintenance. Thus, website development is more expensive. WordPress is more affordable and versatile.
- WordPress has built-in SEO features. Thus, it helps your website rank higher on search engines. You need to hire an SEO agency to optimize Drupal websites.
- WordPress has an automated feature for backups, updates, and security. Updating Drupal modules may cause compatibility issues. Transitioning versions in Drupal is also time-consuming, and you may have to rebuild parts of your websites.
- The community size of Drupal is small and developer-oriented. Compared to this, WordPress has a massive community worldwide. If you have any WordPress-related problems, you can easily find tutorials, forums, and support.
Things To Consider Before Migrating From Drupal To WordPress
You need to make some preparations before migrating from Drupal to WordPress website. Take a look at things you must consider before you switch your site from Drupal to WordPress:
New website or new web hosting
You need to ensure that your current host for the Drupal website supports WordPress installation, or else you have to switch to a new host. If you have a hosting service with multisite plans, you can set up a new WordPress website. You do not have to search for new web hosting. However, if you are unsatisfied with the current host provider, it is best to change to one with a good plan for your new site.
There are various types of web hosting services available. For small and medium business websites, shared hosting is a more convenient option. Similarly, managed hosting is most suitable for large business websites. If you are switching to WordPress.org, getting web hosting specializing in WordPress is best. There are also cloud hosting available for WordPress. Some of the best WordPress hosting for websites are Bluehost, WP Engine, Dreamhost, and Pantheon.
Evaluate the complexity of your data
The core components of Drupal websites are different from those of WordPress. Hence, the migration process may not be seamless. It may be necessary to alter and insert custom codes during migration. You need to identify the content type of your Drupal site and examine categories, tags, and any custom taxonomies.
Similarly, you must locate Drupal’s custom fields and replicate them to the WordPress Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). You must assess metadata and media files to ensure they are mapped in WordPress. It is also essential to consider URL structure, a solution for preserving SEO rankings with redirection and multilingual content during migration.
Back up your Drupal data
You must back up your Drupal website’s data before making any significant changes. No files are deleted during the migration process, but it is always best to be careful. However, Drupal does not have built-in backup tools, so you must do everything manually. While backing up your site, you must make a copy of your site’s database and the Drupal root directory. Save both components in the same folder and compress them together. With this, you are ready to migrate your website from Drupal to WordPress.
Migration Process From Drupal To WordPress
Now that you know what to consider when migrating from Drupal to WordPress, let’s proceed through the step-by-step process.
Step 1: Map your Drupal data
The first step of the migration process is to map your website’s Drupal data. It is not an easy process or a simple copy-and-paste step. Drupal is a complex system with a modular architecture. Many site components and fields need to be converted while migrating into WordPress. Therefore, it is necessary to map out your Drupal data before the process.
The data primarily includes the following:
- Authoring information
- Publishing dates
- Images
- Attachments
- SEO metadata
While mapping the data, export it on a content-type or user-type basis. This helps you quickly import data to a WordPress site. It is also crucial as each content or user type may have a different field type. You will then convert the data to XML, CSV, or JSON files using the Views and a Views Data Export module. Based on the Drupal version, your file type will also differ. As mapping the data is a crucial first step, hire an experienced WordPress developer with the expertise to avoid any mistakes.
Step 2: Get web hosting and install WordPress
The next step is to get a web host for your WordPress. As mentioned above, you must ensure that your existing web host supports WordPress. If it does not, you must get one that is appropriate for your WordPress website. After setting up your web host, create your domain name and install WordPress.
Step 3: Install plugins for migration
The best and most convenient way of migrating from Drupal to WordPress is using a plugin. Download the WP All Import Pro plugin with Advanced Custom Field (ACF). The plugin helps to map fields from Drupal to custom ACF in WordPress. After installing the plugin, you must upload the XML, CSV, or JSON files created in the first step. You can choose the data you want to import. Most often, you will have to import all the data as you migrate the whole site.
Another plugin you can install to migrate Drupal to WordPress is the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin. The free version of the plugin is enough for simple imports like articles, stories, pages, images, categories, and tags. However, you will need to upgrade to the plugin’s premium version to import custom taxonomies, usually used by large businesses for their websites.
Step 4: Modify Internal Links (Optional)
It is an optional process, but it is recommended that you modify the internal links after your Drupal website has fully migrated. Click the button, and it automatically fixes any problem that can hamper your links from functioning properly.
Step 5: Data clean-up and sync media
After the optional step, it is time for data clean-up. You can configure the data and write custom fields if necessary. You must also be careful as the media syncs. Sometimes, the images, attachments, and other media may not get properly processed during migration. It may cause media not to load or broken links in new WordPress websites.
To avoid such problems, you can use the MediaSync plugin. Files that did not move to the uploads directory in WordPress can be transferred using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). Then, you can use MediaSync to sync the data and files. You can download plugins to get all the features of your Drupal website on WordPress. There are numerous free and paid plugins with various functionalities in the WordPress library.
Step 6: Test the WordPress site
The final step of migrating from Drupal to WordPress is to test out the WordPress site. It allows you to check whether your site is functioning correctly or not. You should check every element of the site. These include:
- Page and posts
- Forms
- Links
- Media (images, videos, texts, and others)
- Theme and plugin
- Search functionality
- Responsiveness
- Performance and speed
- SEO elements
Testing your site helps you catch errors or broken links during migration from Drupal to WordPress and fixes any bugs or issues. Hence, the final step is crucial for the migration process.
Optimizing Your New WordPress Site
With the migration process over, you need to optimize the WordPress website. Take a look at a few tips for optimizing the site:
Install essential plugins
As mentioned before, there are thousands of free and paid plugins in WordPress that provide various functionalities. The best way to optimize your WordPress site is by installing essential plugins. However, do not install too many unnecessary ones. It may slow down the site and hamper its functionality. You should install SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, caching plugins, security plugins, image optimization, and analytics. These help to enhance the website and secure it from outside invasion and malware.
Monitor and perform tests regularly
You need to monitor your site and perform regular tests to identify your site’s performance. Most often, sites may lag due to a lack of image optimization, unnecessary code, heavy and outdated themes, and too many plugins, to name a few. Hence, you need to test your WordPress website regularly. You can use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics. These help to monitor and analyze the site’s performance. Likewise, you can check the website speed using PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom.
Clean your database frequently
Another tip for optimizing your WordPress site is to clean your database frequently. Your site can slow down when unnecessary data begins to accumulate. It can fill your storage space and increase your website’s loading speed. Website speed is crucial for ranking higher in search engines. So, you must frequently declutter your database. One of the most convenient ways to clean a database is by installing plugins like WP Optimize. These help to clean unnecessary data while optimizing image and database tables. There are also plugins for advanced database cleansing. You can also manually clean it or schedule automatic database clean-ups.
Set up Google Analytics
You should set up Google Analytics to optimize the WordPress content and website. This web analytical tool helps you to understand the behavior of the visitors. You can gain analytics into which pages they frequent, the time spent on each page, and the links they take from your site. Google Analytics also allows you to track traffic sources and improve your SEO. It also measures the effectiveness of your call-to-action (CTA). Therefore, setting up Google Analytics on your WordPress site helps you boost traffic, improve user experience, and increase conversion rate. For the best effect, use the latest version of Google Analytics.
Final Say
Drupal and WordPress are popular open-source CMS. Migrating from Drupal to WordPress might seem daunting. However, as you can see, it does not have to be overly complicated. The entire process is easy with the right tools and steps. WordPress is a beginner-friendly platform. Moreover, it is suitable for any type of website. Drupal is also a great CMS with many features. But, WordPress’s user-friendliness, interactiveness, and rich features have made it popular for websites worldwide.
We hope you find this guide useful for your Drupal migration to WordPress. Whatever your reason for migrating, make sure of things to consider while migrating and follow the step-by-step process. You can now build a WordPress website that suits your requirements and preferences. If you need professional help migrating from Drupal to WordPress, Sampression can help. Visit our website for more information!