How to Migrate from WordPress to Drupal: A Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to migrate your website to Drupal

Diego Delgado García

Migrating from one content management system (CMS) to another can be an intimidating process, especially if you are considering migrating from WordPress to Drupal. However, with the right guidance and the right steps, it is a procedure that you can handle successfully. This step-by-step guide will help you migrate your WordPress website to Drupal without any hassle.

Warning: Before you begin, it is highly recommended that you make a backup of your WordPress website. This will ensure that you have a backup version if something goes wrong during the migration process.

migration process

Step 1: Prepare the Drupal site

First, you must install and configure your new Drupal site. You must install the latest version of Drupal on your server and make sure that all configurations are done correctly.

Step 2: Enable the Migrate module and Migrate Drupal

The next step is to enable the Migrate and Migrate Drupal modules. These modules are included in the core of Drupal 8 and later and provide the necessary tools to migrate data from one site to another. To enable these modules, go to the "Extend" page and look for "Migrate" and "Migrate Drupal".

Step 3: Install and enable the WordPress Migrate module

To facilitate the migration from WordPress to Drupal, you can use the WordPress Migrate module. This module allows you to import content, users and taxonomies from WordPress to Drupal. You can download the module from the Drupal modules page and enable it on the "Extend" page.

Step 4: Configure the migration

Once the WordPress Migrate module is enabled, you need to configure the migration. Go to the module settings page (Settings -> Content Migration). Here, you will need to provide your WordPress site URL and WordPress database access credentials.

Step 5: Run the migration

With the migration configured, the next step is to run it. On the migration page, click "Run" to start the process. This step may take some time, depending on the amount of content you are migrating.

Step 6: Verify the migration

Once the migration is complete, it is important to verify that all data was successfully migrated. Review your new Drupal site and make sure all content, users, and taxonomies have been transferred and all links are working properly.

Step 7: Customize your Drupal site

With all your data migrated, you can now start customizing your new Drupal site. This can include setting up themes, installing add-on modules, and customizing the structure of your site.

I need a company to help me migrate our website

Migrating your WordPress website to Drupal can be a considerable technical challenge, depending on the size and complexity of your site. The best way to ensure that the migration goes smoothly and efficiently is by hiring a team of professionals who specialize in this task. "Linkses Network" is a highly recommended company for this type of project. With extensive experience developing PHP solutions, including WordPress and Drupal, they are perfectly equipped to expertly handle your migration, ensuring that all your data is transferred securely and that your new Drupal site is optimized to meet your needs. .

Wordpress to Drupal plugin equivalence

Yoast SEO (WordPress) - Yoast SEO for Drupal / Drupal SEO Tools (Drupal):

Yoast SEO is one of the most popular SEO tools for WordPress. In Drupal, you can use the Yoast SEO for Drupal module, which provides similar functionality. You can also use the Drupal SEO Tools module, which provides a complete suite of tools to optimize your site.

WooCommerce (WordPress) - Drupal Commerce (Drupal):

WooCommerce is the most widely used eCommerce solution on WordPress. In Drupal, the equivalent solution is Drupal Commerce, which is also a very powerful and flexible e-commerce system.

Contact Form 7 (WordPress) - Webform / Contact (Drupal):

Contact Form 7 is one of the most popular contact form plugins for WordPress. In Drupal, you can use the Webform module to create complex contact forms, or the Contact module included in Drupal core for simpler forms.

Akismet (WordPress) - Antispam / Honeypot (Drupal):

Akismet is a popular WordPress spam fighting service. In Drupal, you can use the Antispam module, which can be integrated with external services like Akismet, or the Honeypot module, which prevents form spam.

Jetpack (WordPress) - Various modules in Drupal:

Jetpack is an all-in-one WordPress package that offers various features from SEO to security and site backup. No single Drupal module provides all of Jetpack's features, but most of this functionality can be achieved through a combination of Drupal modules such as Boost for performance improvements, Pathauto for URL customization, Google Analytics for analytics, and Backup and Migrate for backups, to name a few.

Advanced Custom Fields (WordPress) - Field Group / Paragraphs (Drupal):

Advanced Custom Fields is a popular WordPress plugin that provides custom field interfaces for your posts. In Drupal, you can use the Field Group module to group fields, and Paragraphs to create flexible, custom content.

Elementor (WordPress) - Layout Builder / Panel (Drupal):

Elementor is a popular page builder for WordPress. In Drupal, you can use the Layout Builder module, which is a page builder tool included in Drupal core, or the Panels module, which allows you to create custom layouts for different parts of your site.

WP Super Cache (WordPress) - Boost (Drupal):

WP Super Cache is a popular WordPress plugin to speed up the loading of your website. The Boost module in Drupal provides similar functionality, caching static HTML pages to improve performance.

Wordfence Security (WordPress) - Security Review / Paranoia (Drupal):

Wordfence is a renowned security plugin for WordPress. In Drupal, you can use the Security Review module, which reviews your site's security settings, and Paranoia, which helps block possible routes to exploit vulnerabilities on your site.

All in One SEO Pack (WordPress) - Metatag (Drupal):

All in One SEO Pack is a complete SEO tool for WordPress. The Metatag module in Drupal allows customization of metatags, which can significantly improve the SEO of your site.

Smush (WordPress) - ImageAPI Optimize (Drupal):

Smush is a popular WordPress plugin for optimizing images. In Drupal, you can use the ImageAPI Optimize module, which enables image optimization to improve the speed of your site.

WPML (WordPress) - Internationalization (Drupal):

WPML is a popular WordPress plugin for making multilingual sites. In Drupal, you can use the Internationalization suite of modules to create multilingual sites.

BuddyPress (WordPress) - Organic Groups / Group (Drupal):

BuddyPress is a WordPress plugin for creating social networks and communities. In Drupal, you can use the Organic Groups or Group modules to create similar group functionality.

UpdraftPlus (WordPress) - Backup and Migrate (Drupal):

UpdraftPlus is a popular WordPress backup and migration plugin. In Drupal, you can use the Backup and Migrate module to create backup copies of your site and restore or migrate it when necessary.

Slider Revolution (WordPress) - Views Slideshow (Drupal):

Slider Revolution is a WordPress plugin for creating stunning slideshows. In Drupal, you can use the Views Slideshow module to create slideshows.

In conclusion

The process of migrating from WordPress to Drupal can seem daunting at first, but with proper planning and choosing the right tools , it can be a manageable and successful process. Having Drupal modules that make migration easy, along with an active Drupal community willing to help, makes the transition easier.

However, it's important to remember that migrating to Drupal can involve significant changes to the structure and functionality of your site , so it's crucial to take the time to familiarize yourself with Drupal and its capabilities before starting the migration. Also, it is always recommended to have a backup of your data and make sure that everything is working properly after the migration.

If the process seems too technical or complex, consider hiring CMS migration experts like "Linkses Network". They can carry out the migration for you, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently, so you can take full advantage of Drupal with as little stress as possible. Ultimately, migrating from WordPress to Drupal can open up new possibilities for your website and provide a robust and flexible platform for future growth.