Useful Guide to Convert Website to WordPress

 

For a long period in the history of the internet, HTML has been the major platform used for building websites online. It consisted mostly of text and static code. But times have changed and with that have the methods to build websites online. One of the most important players in this revolution has been WordPress. It’s an open source software which has made it easier than ever to create a website. The various WordPress themes and plugins make the whole process of creating a website less tedious and cheaper while also making the website more appealing to the audience. Even with such a tool at disposal, there are still numerous websites on the internet that use static HTML code. In fact, around 25% of all websites currently online tend to use static HTML code, which implies that even to alter a minor detail we need to change the basic code. This whole process seems unnecessary with all the tools at our disposal. This article will provide various useful guidelines to convert website to wordpress.

 

Preparing for the conversion –

Before we jump into the actual methods of conversion there are a few things you must get familiar with to make the whole process go smoother. These are a few additional tips to keep in mind before understanding the whole process of conversion.

 

• Analyzing your website – Clean up your website and remove all unwanted content through thorough analysis. Examine your navigation system and think of ways to improve it. Analyzing your website will give you a better idea on how to recreate it on wordpress and which plugins to use.

 

• Understanding wordpress – It’s good to be informed about the basic functioning of the new platform you are going to be working on. WordPress is easy to understand and usually, single click installs on most sites.

 

• Backup – It is recommended to take a backup of all your static data so that nothing is lost during migration.

 

• Start with a plan – Principle of any migration project might be the same, but the details tend to vary. Evaluate your current website and have a general idea as to how you wish to proceed.

 

Now that you have completed the necessary precaution and have a better understanding of wordpress, we can move right ahead to the methods to convert website to WordPress.

 

1.     Manually create a WordPress theme from existing html site –

This method of conversion is also the most technical one. You can use your pre-existing HTML code as a starting point to create your own wordpress theme. You can apply this method if you have any previous coding experience. You must also have a basic knowledge of html, css, and php. You will end up with a working wordpress theme but it won’t have all the facilities wordpress has to offer. Some of the widgets and features will not be available. Your site will still do its job but it won’t be completely accessible through wordpress. Hence, the next option will prove easier.

 

2.     Child theme –

This method is the least cumbersome of allowing to the fact that it’s easier and cheaper at the same time. Rather than using your previous code as a starting point, you use an available wordpress theme and configure it accordingly to resemble your original website. This method helps you migrate website to wordpress while allowing you to experience the full benefits of wordpress. The plugins required to import data is already available in the wordpress repository and you only need to spend extra if you wish to experience the premium services.

 

3.     Existing wordpress theme –

This method is applicable if you do not wish to retain the features of your previous website. In that case, the answer to the question on how to convert my site to wordpress becomes very clear. Use any existing wordpress theme from the multiple arrays of  an option at your disposal. Set up the site, install a theme of your choice and import your data. The whole process is as simple as it sounds.

 

4.     Hire an html to wordpress conversion service –

This method purely depends on how much you are willing to spend on the switch. The cost of conversion may vary depending on which service you finally decide to opt for. The demerit of this method is it robs you of the opportunity to familiarize with the new platform you are going to use. Which service to hire to convert website to wordpress is completely up to you.

 

HTML to WordPress : post-conversion tips –

These are tips to provide a final touch to your site post conversion.

 

• Necessary plugins – Install plugins that you found handy in your HTML website to provide a

better user experience.

 

• Fix broken links – Check and fix any broken links.

 

• Redirecting links – Set up 301 redirects to inform the search engine that your content has been moved to a new web address.

 

• Customer 404 error page – Redirect your customers to relevant pages in your wordpress site in case they try to access any URL that doesn’t exist.

 

• Submit XML sitemap – Create an XML sitemap and submit it to Google to ensure your site would be included in search engine results as fast as possible.

 

Conclusion –

These are the major methods which can be used to convert website to wordpress. As mentioned earlier, the whole process of altering the basic code just to make a slight change seems tedious and unnecessary with all the new tools at our disposal. WordPress offers various themes and plugins which makes the process of creating a website a whole lot easier. Even if you have a pre-existing HTML code website, you need not worry about the process of converting to wordpress is similarly easy. If you keep in mind the preemptive measures and choose any one of the methods (according to your demand) the whole process of converting to wordpress can be made easier.

 

Author bio:

Brandon Graves is a WordPress developer and manage the services: convert website to wordpress at HireWPGeeks. He is also fond of writing updates on WordPress website development and SEO issues. Follow him on Facebook to get more tech news.