How to Move Your Website from Weebly to WordPress (Step-by-Step Guide)

Need to know how to move your website from Weebly to WordPress? This guide will show you exactly what to do, step by step. You’ll learn how to prepare your domain and hosting, export content from Weebly, import it to WordPress, set up redirects, and customise your new site. Let’s get started!

Key Takeaways

• Preparation is vital to migrating from Weebly to WordPress. This includes registering a domain name, purchasing web hosting, and installing the WordPress platform.

• Exporting content from Weebly involves creating a Weebly export file and backing up all content. Meanwhile, the WordPress Importer Tool facilitates importing posts, pages, and media to WordPress.

• Post-migration steps include setting up redirects, choosing a suitable theme, installing essential plugins, and customising the site’s appearance.

Preparation Before Migration

Establishing a strong foundation is important before embarking on the WordPress migration process. These preparatory steps will ensure a seamless transition and set the stage for the actual migration.

Note: If you already have a domain, hosting, and WordPress installed, you can skip this step. Just make sure to back up your data and files before exporting content from Weebly.

Register a Domain Name

The first step in your migration process is securing a domain name. When choosing a domain registrar, consider factors like pricing, the availability of top-level domain (TLD) names, and the registrar’s reputation. 

Companies like DreamHost and Hostinger offer attractive deals, including a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and significant discounts on web hosting. The standard cost for a domain name is around £2.99/yr on Hostinger.

Here are some tips to consider when purchasing a domain name:

• Make sure the domain is registered in your name to avoid potential issues down the road.

• Check for trademarks and similar company names to steer clear of legal troubles.

• Review the domain’s past reputation to ensure it hasn’t been associated with negative content.

• Consider purchasing multiple domain extensions to prevent customer confusion and potential losses.

• Always check the renewal terms and costs beyond the first year.

Related: Choosing the Perfect WordPress Website Domain Name

Purchase Web Hosting

Next, you’ll need to purchase web hosting. For a more optimised experience, opt for a hosting provider that focuses on WordPress. WP Engine, for example, offers multiple tiers of plans specifically designed for WordPress users. The cost for basic web hosting is £12/mo. This investment ensures that your new WordPress site will run smoothly.

Install WordPress

After setting up the domain and hosting, the next step is installing WordPress. This allows you to build your WordPress website. Most hosting providers offer 1-click installation, making it incredibly easy to set up your new WordPress site. Alternatively, you can choose a manual setup through cPanel if you prefer more control over the installation process.

Either way, installing WordPress is a straightforward task that sets the stage for importing your Weebly content.

Related: How to Start a WordPress Website in the UK

Step 1: Exporting Content from Weebly to WordPress

With your WordPress site set up, you can now export your content from Weebly. The process involves navigating your Weebly dashboard to export items and downloading the Weebly export file (an XML file). This export file will be instrumental in the next phase of the migration process.

Generate Weebly Export File

To create a Weebly export file, follow these steps:

• Navigate to Items ⟶ Site Items on your Weebly dashboard.
• Click the ellipsis icon and select Export.
• Enter your Weebly website URL, and provide your name and email address.
• Select the export format and decide whether to include pages in the export file.
• Right-click on the ‘Download Your Weebly Export File’ button and choose ‘Save Link As…’ after the exporter is prepared.

This will save the file to your computer, ready for the next step.

Backup Your Weebly Content

Before progressing with the main migration steps, it’s a good idea to create a backup of your Weebly content on your Weebly site. This includes saving images and CSV files, which can be opened using any spreadsheet application. 

• Weebly will send an email with a link to the exported file to the email address associated with your Weebly account.
  
• Each line in the exported CSV file represents an individual item, and if an item has options like size or colour, there’s a line for each option combination.

Manually save the images from Weebly and upload them into the WordPress media library to ensure nothing is lost during the migration process.

Know more: Essential Elements of Modern Website Design for UK Businesses

Step 2: Importing Content to WordPress from Weebly

Armed with your Weebly export file, you can import the content into WordPress. The WordPress Importer Tool is built specifically for this purpose.

Logging into the WordPress admin area, navigate to Tools ⟶ Import, and select the WordPress importer.

To transfer your content from Weebly to WordPress, follow these steps:

• Upload the Weebly export file.
• Reassign authors if necessary.
• Check the box for ‘Download and import file attachments’ to fetch your images and media files.

This step will ensure that all your content—from posts to media—is successfully transferred to your new WordPress site.

Use WordPress Importer

To begin importing your Weebly content, follow these steps:

• Go to Tools → Import in the WordPress dashboard.
• Under the Import menu, choose the WordPress option.
• You can either drag and drop your Weebly export file into the import box or click to select the file on your computer.

Depending on the content being transferred, the import process may take a few minutes. Once complete, you’ll receive a success message.

Import Posts and Pages

Importing posts and pages accurately is crucial for maintaining the integrity of your content. 

The Load HTML files plugin makes it easy to import page files into your WordPress site. This tool simplifies the process of importing HTML files and integrating them into your website. 

It’s recommended that you check the formatting of the imported posts and pages to ensure they appear correctly. This step ensures that all your posts and pages are seamlessly transferred, making the automated migration process smoother.

Import Images and Media

A plugin like WP All Import is invaluable for importing images and media. These tools efficiently transfer your media from Weebly to the WordPress media library. Ensure that the importer tool includes all media files during the process to avoid missing any crucial images or videos. 

If any external images hosted on third-party sites are not imported correctly, you’ll need to manually upload them to the WordPress media library and update the links.

Also read: Essential Website Development Guide for Small Businesses in the UK

Step 3: Setting Up Redirects

Establishing redirects is crucial for redirecting your Weebly domain to your new WordPress site. This involves updating DNS settings and creating URL redirects to match Weebly’s URL format. Properly setting up redirects will help maintain your site’s SEO rankings and ensure a seamless user experience during the transition.

Update DNS Settings

To update DNS settings, follow these steps:

• Log into your Weebly admin account.
• Visit the Domains page.
• Click on your custom domain.
• Navigate to the settings menu.
• Edit the nameservers to point to your new WordPress hosting provider.
• Copy the IP address from your WordPress account.
• Edit the DNS records of your domain.
• Add two A records pointing to the new IP address.

It’s important to remember that nameserver changes may take some time to propagate fully across the Internet. This process can sometimes take a bit of time to complete, so it’s important to be patient.

Create URL Redirects

Use WordPress’s Add Any Extension to Pages plugin to match Weebly’s URL format. Here’s how:

• Install and activate the plugin.
• Navigate to Settings and select Add Any Extension to Pages.
• Add ‘.html’ in the Extension field to match Weebly’s URL structure.

This will help seamlessly redirect users from your old Weebly URLs to your new WordPress site, maintaining the correct URL structure and avoiding broken links.

Read: SEO Services in London

Step 4: Customising Your New WordPress Site

With your content imported and redirects established, you can begin to personalise your new WordPress site. This involves choosing a theme, installing essential plugins, and tweaking the site’s appearance to reflect your branding.

Choose a WordPress Theme

Whether you need a simple blog layout or a complex eCommerce site, there’s a theme out there for you. Choosing an appropriate theme is vital for your site’s aesthetics and functionality. WordPress offers multitudes of free and premium themes available in the WordPress repository and various marketplaces. So, select a theme that aligns with your brand, content, and design aspirations.

Read: Bricks Builder Review: The Best Visual Site Builder for WordPress

Install Essential WordPress Plugins

To enhance your WordPress site, install essential WordPress plugins for:

• SEO: A WordPress plugin like All in One SEO helps optimise your site’s search engine performance
• Security: Plugins like BlogVault protect your site from threats
• Performance: Plugins like WP Rocket can significantly improve your site’s speed and user experience. Additionally, plugins like MonsterInsights for Google Analytics can help track site performance.

Customise Site Appearance

Using the WordPress customiser tool, you can adjust your site’s appearance, including colours, fonts, and layout options. The theme settings panel allows further customisation, enabling you to modify elements like the header, footer, and sidebar. This ensures your new site reflects your branding and design preferences.

Related: Essential Settings After Installing WordPress

Set Permalink Structure

To avoid 404 errors:

• Update your WordPress permalink structure to match your Weebly URL format.
• Navigate to Settings ⟶ Permalinks and select the Custom Structure option.
• Enter ‘/blog/%postname%’ for the posts’ URL format to match your Weebly blog.

This helps you categorise and organise content more efficiently and maintain a clean URL structure.

Verify URLs

After setting up permalinks, manually test imported URLs to ensure they redirect correctly to the new WordPress site. Tools like Broken Link Checker can help identify and fix any broken links. In addition, MonsterInsights can help monitor 404 errors and broken links within the site’s traffic data. This step is crucial for maintaining a seamless user experience.

Learn more: Essential SEO Tips for Small Business Websites

Step 5: Troubleshooting Common Issues

Despite careful planning, challenges can emerge during the migration process. Common problems include broken links, import errors, and database connection errors. Addressing these issues promptly ensures a smooth transition to your new WordPress site. Refer to our guide on common WordPress errors and solutions to troubleshoot effectively.

Fix Broken Links

Broken links can disrupt the user experience and harm your SEO rankings. Use the Broken Link Checker plugin to identify and fix broken URLs on your WordPress site. This plugin not only detects broken links but also allows you to edit URLs directly from its dashboard.

Resolve Import Errors

If some content was not imported correctly, reattempt the process with the same export file. When using the importer tool, it has the capability to detect duplicate content and skip it. This ensures that only new content is added to the system. 

If media items are not imported, manually upload them to the WordPress media library. Also, address any formatting issues by tweaking the text and layout in WordPress. These steps will help you resolve common import errors and ensure your content is accurately transferred.

Summary

Migrating from Weebly to WordPress is a transformative journey that offers greater flexibility, customisation, and scalability for your website. From preparation to troubleshooting, you can ensure a seamless transition by following the steps outlined in this guide. 

WordPress provides the tools you need to succeed, whether you’re enhancing SEO, boosting security, or improving site performance. With careful planning and execution, your migration process will be smooth, and your new site will be ready to take on new challenges and opportunities.

FAQs About Weebly to WordPress