Do you want your Drupal website to have a fresh start?

Whether you want a friendlier platform, easier customization capabilities, or a more convenient way to manage content, WordPress is able to deliver all those things. However, to ensure a smooth transition to WordPress, you must take several factors into account.

That said, you can take a few essential steps to simplify the transition. Knowing and executing the correct steps can prevent you from making the most common mistakes and maintain your website in perfect working order.

So, with the proper strategy, you can safely make the transition and experience all the convenience and flexibility WordPress provides. Read on to learn more about this strategy.

This guide will walk you through the most important steps in migrating from Drupal to WordPress.

Step 1: Configure Your WordPress Environment

Start by choosing a reliable hosting provider and making sure your server meets WordPress’s requirements. Once WordPress is installed, pick a theme that fits your brand’s look and feel — you can always customize it later to make it uniquely yours.

To make the migration process smoother, you should use the right tools.

For example, content, media files, and even user roles can all be transferred with the help of plugins like FG Drupal to WordPress. But if you would rather have a team of experts handle the heavy lifting, opt for CMStoWP.

It offers professional services to help you switch from Drupal to WordPress smoothly and accurately. As a result, with CMStoWP Drupal to WordPress, the transition can be easily achieved.

For this reason, getting some expert help to set up your WordPress environment is crucial to getting your site up and running.

Step 2: Prepare and Plan

Before starting the migration, take a step back and make a plan. You should figure out exactly what you want to move—content types, taxonomies, custom fields, or media files.

The more organized you are now, the smoother the transition will be. If you’re working with a team, it’s also a good idea to set a deadline and assign roles so everyone knows what to expect.

Most importantly, backup your Drupal website regularly. Think of it as your safety net — if anything unexpected happens during the migration, you’ll have a secure backup. So, a little preparation now can save you a lot of headaches down the road.

Step 3: Export Drupal data

With your plan, it’s time to export everything from your Drupal site. In this context, go to the Drupal admin panel and use the built-in export tools or modules like “Views Data Export” to extract all the important content—pages, posts, custom post types, taxonomies, and media. 

Then, save your data in a structured format like CSV or XML. It will make importing everything into WordPress much easier. You can consider it as carefully packing up your belongings before moving to a new home — this little organizing makes unpacking so much easier!

Step 4: Import Data to WordPress

Now that your Drupal data has been exported, it’s time to bring it into WordPress. In this regard, plugins make this process much easier. They connect directly to your Drupal database and handle most of the heavy lifting for you. 

As you import, take the time to map your content properly. For example, Drupal nodes can be used as WordPress posts or pages. Also, double-check that your site contents, like custom fields, media, and URLs, are correctly imported.

This step is about transferring your content to its new site without mishaps.

Step 5: Verify Data Integrity

Browse your website as if you were a visitor to ensure your pages, posts, and media files appear where you expect them to be. You can do this via your WordPress dashboard. 

Also, internal links are something you should pay attention to – ensure they take you where they should. 

Besides that, make sure there are no missing images or broken links as well. Don’t worry if you see anything out of place. In these situations, a second import is necessary to fill in missing data or correct errors. 

This import may take a few minutes, but it’s worth your while to ensure everything goes smoothly. It’s like unpacking from a big move: Get everything set in place now to avoid headaches later.

Step 6: Install Permalinks and Redirects

Once migrated, it’s important to make sure your URLs are functioning. Drupal and WordPress work with URLs differently, though, so here’s how to keep things running smoothly:

• Permalink Handling: In WordPress, go to “Settings” and “Permalinks.” To be consistent, choose an option that closely resembles your old Drupal URLs.
• Set up 301 Redirects: Redirect existing Drupal URLs to their new WordPress versions. This will preserve your SEO rankings, redirect visitors to the right pages, and avoid broken links.

You will be able to handle permalinks and redirects in such a manner and make the transition smooth for your visitors and search engines.

Step 7: Optimize Your New Website

After migration, it’s time to optimize your site so it works smoothly and performs at its peak. Start by using SEO tools to improve your site’s visibility and rank higher on search engines.

Next, focus on speed and performance. For example, optimize images to reduce the loading time and make your site mobile-friendly to provide a smooth experience across all devices. That means you will have a very fast and responsive site that will keep people engaged, which will later help with search engine rankings. 

Further, review your security measures and protect your site with security tools that guard against cyberspace threats. Overall, spending some time optimizing your website enhances performance and makes for a safer and more pleasant experience for your visitors.

Step 8: Launch and Monitor

It’s finally time to go live! Remove any maintenance tools or placeholders and share your new website with your customers. However, launching your site is not only about going live — you must keep a close eye on things afterward to ensure everything goes to plan.  

Further, analytics tools should be used to monitor traffic and user behavior and check for errors, such as broken links or missing pages. By addressing issues quickly, you can maintain a seamless experience. So, after launch, remembering to be attentive helps your website perform its best.

Conclusion 

While it might sound like a lot, switching from Drupal to WordPress is doable with smart planning and proper execution. 

That is why you must follow the mentioned steps, such as configuring the WordPress Environment, planning, exporting data, and importing it to WordPress, verifying data integrity, installing permalinks and redirects, optimizing the new site, and launching. 

As a result, your transition from Drupal to WordPress becomes extremely convenient. 

So, what are you waiting for? Switch to WordPress with these steps now and leverage its benefits.