Creating a new website is the best approach to improving your company’s sales and revenue.
Content management systems can help you design and develop attractive, feature-rich, highly efficient, scalable, and secure websites at affordable prices.
There are several CMSs available on the internet, two of which are Drupal and WordPress.
Drupal powers more than 1.2% of the websites on the internet. But still, this CMS might not make the website development as efficient as some of the other content management systems, like WordPress.
Drupal has some excellent features and can create fantastic websites. However, in the case of most developers, web development through Drupal can be a little inefficient. WordPress, on the other hand, provides the same features and more and is much easier to use.
That’s why WordPress is growing in popularity more than Drupal. But what if you have already created the website through Drupal? Can you migrate to WordPress?
Simply put, yes. You can easily shift to WordPress and move on to a more efficient and rewarding website development journey.
But if you are still unsure why it might be better to migrate from Drupal to WordPress, we are happy to give you a few reasons.
Why Migrate From Drupal To WordPress?
Here are a few reasons to switch from Drupal to WordPress:
- User-friendliness: One of the benefits of WordPress is its user-friendliness. Even people with zero prior training or experience in programming can create a fully-functional website with WordPress.
- Support: More than 43% of all websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. So you can imagine that WordPress comprises millions of expert developers and beginners who can help you with any issue regarding the platform, from installation and setup to the processes regarding website creation.
- Extensibility: The WordPress library consists of loads of free WordPress themes and plugins that can help you enhance, improve and extend a website’s appearance and functionality.
- Affordability: Setting up WordPress and creating a fully-functional website with it is more affordable than Drupal. Moreover, even hiring WordPress is more cost-efficient as compared to its counterparts.
These are just a few benefits of WordPress that might compel you to switch from Drupal to WordPress to create a new website or update an existing one.
What To Consider Before Switching From Drupal To WordPress?
Migrating from any CMS to another requires some prep work. So here are a couple of things you need to do to ensure the switch from Drupal to WordPress goes well:
Find a New Host or Create a New Website
If your host provider lets you host multiple websites and choose between WordPress and Drupal, you can set up a new website with WordPress. It will help you switch From Drupal to WordPress more easily.
But if your current provider lets you host only one website, you won’t be able to switch to a different CMS without losing data; in that case, you may try choosing a better host provider.
Back-Up Your Data
The most obvious preparation you need to do is back up your data before switching to WordPress. Although the CMS switching process doesn’t involve deleting any files, it won’t hurt to be cautious.
Unfortunately, Drupal doesn’t have any in-built tool that may help you back up the files quickly and efficiently. So you will have to go about it manually.
This process involves two components:
- Drupal’s root directory.
- Your website’s database.
The two officially-recommended modules for backing up the Drupal database are Backup Database & Backup and Migrate.
The next step is backing up the Drupal root directory, for which you can connect your website with SFTP or Secure File Transfer Protocol. This protocol will help you download the root folder to your computer to complete the backup process.
Make sure you save both the website’s database and root directory files to the same folder and compress them. That will help you restore the website in case of any issues.
How To Switch From Drupal To WordPress?
Here’s a guide to switching from Drupal to WordPress:
Install WordPress
For manual installation of WordPress, you will first need to download the installation files from WordPress.org. After uploading the files to the web host, run the WordPress installer and start the installation.
Afterward, you will be granted access to the WordPress dashboard, where you’ll spend quite a lot of time developing the website, so you better familiarize yourself.
Select a Permalink Structure in WordPress
After migrating to WordPress, your content may lose its previous URLs, and the new default ones may look like this: yourwebsitename.com/?=123
So the next step would be to choose a new Permalink by visiting Settings. It would be best to complete this step before shifting the content.
Choose a Drupal To WordPress Plugin
Manually initiating the migration process can be a little tedious. However, there is a plugin you can opt for to make it easier. So select FG Drupal to WordPress from the WordPress plugins library.
The free version of this WordPress plugin will help you migrate everything from posts, pages, and categories to images, tags, and metadata.
But with the premium package, you can also shift the user accounts, navigation menus, comments, and custom fields.
So go to Plugins, click on Add New, and type FG Drupal to WordPress into the search bar. Then click on Install Now, and then Activate it. After that, you’ll be ready to move on to the next process.
Enter the FTP Credentials
In this step of WordPress Migration, you’ll need to enter your Drupal-based website’s URL. After that, you will be asked to choose a method by which the plugin will import and download your website data.
Although the default option is HTTP, you will need to select FTP for a more elaborate website with a broader content library.
Then, enter the rest of the FTP credentials used to access the Drupal website. Go to the web hosting control panel, and you’ll be able to see these credentials.
After entering the credentials, click on Test the FTP Connection. A success message will appear if the credentials are correct and they work.
If they don’t work, you will need to verify and enter the details again.
Enter Your Drupal Database Details
You will need to enter the Drupal database details; specifically, the type of database (MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL) used by your website, port, name, hostname, and user details.
It’s understandable if you don’t remember all these details by heart. You can access them by opening your Drupal website’s settings.php file. You can find this file by connecting to your Drupal site via FTP or the web host’s file manager.
After getting in, navigate to drupal/sites/default/settings.php. Then, use a text editor platform to open the file.
Make sure you don’t mess with any of the settings on settings.php; otherwise, it may crash your website. The only thing you need to do is copy the details requested by FG Drupal to the website.
After filling out the details, click on Test the Database Connection. A success message will be displayed if the details are correct.
Select Your WordPress Content Settings
For this step, visit Tools and click on Import. After that, select Run Importer under Drupal.
This page consists of a wide array of settings that you will need to configure. To start with, you’ll need to select whether the existing WordPress settings need to be removed.
If you have added any test pages to the website, select Remove all WordPress content; otherwise, you won’t need to select anything.
Migrate Your Site From Drupal to WordPress
Select Start/Resume the import and let the process of WordPress Migration run through.
After the process has been completed, you will see a message notifying you of the procedure’s success. But don’t leave the page just yet. Scroll down, and you’ll see a section bearing the name After the migration. Then, click on Modify internal links.
This option will help update the internal links to the WordPress permalink structure set earlier by you. But make sure you follow this step setting the new permalink structure for WordPress Migration; otherwise, it might not work.
Point Your Domain Towards WordPress
Now that your website is imported to WordPress, you need to update your domain information because if your users try to access the older domain info, they’ll end up on the Drupal website.
If you initially used a domain registrar to choose your domain name, then access your account on that platform and go to the DNS settings. If you don’t know how to change these settings, get in touch with a WordPress development expert.
Select a WordPress Theme for Your Website
After your website is migrated from Drupal to WordPress, now comes the fun part. You need to choose a suitable theme for your website.
If you are searching for a cool theme, check out the massive WordPress Theme Repository, which has loads of free and premium themes to choose from. Make sure you choose a unique theme so that it stands out from the crowd.
Follow these steps to the point if you want to make sure your website’s migration from Drupal to WordPress is successful. If you have any doubts regarding the process, get in touch with an expert WordPress development company.
What’s Next After Migrating From Drupal To WordPress?
Now you might be thinking, what’s next after migrating from Drupal to WordPress? Well, there’s no rush to delete the Drupal installation unless you’re paying for two hosting plans.
However, you may keep the Drupal version if you think you might have missed something during the migration process.
WordPress is a fantastic platform for websites. There are loads of free and premium plugins in the WordPress Plugin Library that will help you put the best features and looks on your website.
Final Thoughts
Drupal is one of the most highly-rated content management systems around the world. But its features may come at the cost of user-friendliness. However, WordPress provides the same features and more with excellent user-friendliness.
So if you are thinking of migrating from Drupal to WordPress, go right ahead. Follow the steps mentioned above carefully, or contact a reputed web development company to ensure your website is transitioned successfully from Drupal to WordPress.
