Everything You Need to Know Before Switching from Drupal to WordPress

Drupal is among the top available content management systems (CMS). It’s a highly flexible and secure software. However, constructing attractive, modern websites with Drupal isn’t as simple as it might be. If you’ve had this experience, moving from Drupal to WordPress could be the best option.

WordPress has several of the exact features of Drupal, but it’s more user-friendly. In addition, it has a large community of users, which makes it easy to seek help for any feature or alteration you’d like to implement on your site.

This guide will explain how moving to Drupal and WordPress is possible. We’ll review what you should do before your move and then walk through the procedure step-by-step. We’ll also discuss what you should do once you’ve started using WordPress. We’re ready to get going!

Migrating From Drupal to WordPress: An Introduction

Drupal is the back-end framework used by at least 13% of the world’s top 1000 websites. Additionally, the software for managing content is used by numerous applications and provides various built-in web features.

Both Drupal and WordPress are reliable CMS for managing content (CMS). Drupal led the way in longevity, having been created in January 2001, while WordPress came out in May 2003. But WordPress is probably the more well-known of both. In fact, it’s the most used CMS worldwide, supplying more than 40% of websites—nearly 15% of all websites!

In the UK, Drupal is utilized by famous organizations like the BBC, MTV and NBC, Amnesty International, and the University of Oxford. Other well-known organizations using Drupal are Lonely Planet, TopDeck Travel, Nasa, and The Economist.

Incredibly, the White House website, although developed on Drupal technology, has now been moved to WordPress. In the case of WordPress, the most prestigious clients are Mercedes Benz, Ted blogs, and Microsoft blogs.

WordPress has a 60.8% market in the CMS market. Amazingly, over 500 websites are developed each day with the open-source framework!

After covering the basics, it’s worth considering how Drupal and WordPress differ and whether there are any commonalities. With this knowledge, you can make an informed decision about migrating your Drupal website to WordPress.

Drupal to WordPress Migration Process for Large Enterprise Websites

Large enterprise websites are also prone to extra migration challenges, including handling large data sets, complex permissions for users and various content types. Here’s how you can tackle the task:

Processing Extensive Data Sets with WP All Import

Enterprise websites usually contain hundreds of pages, posts and media files. Make use of tools like WP All Import to manage the transfer of large databases effectively. This plugin can handle large databases without losing or crashing information, making the process easier for more complex websites.

Managing Multiple Content Types and Taxonomies

Drupal websites can have custom taxonomies and content types that don’t directly connect to WordPress. Consider how you can manage this with Custom post types, taxonomies and custom posts in WordPress that recreate the needed structures. Tools such as CMS2CMS will help you map the content types precisely when transferring.

Rebuilding User Permissions in WordPress

Drupal provides robust user role and permission management, which must be recreated in WordPress. Use the Role Editor plugin in WordPress to replicate the exact user’s permissions, making sure that roles are correctly transferred when you migrate.

The Migration is Broken Down into Manageable Phases

Instead of migrating everything at once, break it down into smaller steps. The incremental migration of your site allows the user to evaluate each part in isolation, which reduces the chance of significant issues following the migration.

Advanced Migration c for Enterprises

For complex enterprise websites, working with dedicated WordPress migration services for advanced migration services can make the process easier. They can handle everything from custom development to content transfer to ensure that massive migrations are carried out with minimum disturbance and the best precision.

Reasons Why You Need Drupal to WordPress Migration

Although Drupal is well-known for its capabilities for large companies, let’s look at why WordPress runs 40% of the websites on the web. These are the top reasons that you must consider Drupal to WordPress migration.

Functionality and Usage

WordPress: Once the installation is completed, the site is ready for use and doesn’t require complicated configurations. WordPress also offers amazing themes designed for novices and advanced users. Even if you have no prior experience, WordPress is a ready-to-go platform that can be used for any type of business.

Drupal: It’s not as straightforward as WordPress and takes time to master the fundamental functions. However, it is not the ideal CMS for those new to the field. The customizable features require dedicated WordPress developers to work at its maximum potential. Drupal isn’t easy to master because it requires greater expertise.

Cost Effectiveness

While the installation and web hosting prices are nearly identical in the two Drupal or WordPress websites, The maintenance costs differ between the poles.

Because Drupal demands technical know-how, its maintenance is costly. You will need experts to fully explore Drupal’s capabilities. Even after web development with Drupal is finished, additional support is required at a payment of an extra fee.

Charges are sky-high due to the tiny size of the Drupal community. This is another reason to consider a Drupal migration to WordPress. However, WordPress maintenance costs less and is very affordable, even for small businesses. 

SEO

Matt Cutts, the former director of Google’s webspam team, said that Google is a fan of WordPress. There’s a good reason for this.

SEO services are a matter of the user experience and responsiveness of the core. WordPress offers both.

Responsive mobile-friendly themes and plugins help make WordPress websites SEO-friendly, which boosts search engine rankings.

In Drupal, the system’s massive load and modules need extra time to load the majority of the time, which makes it not optimized for search engines. The site’s speed is an important factor in determining its SEO friendliness, and Drupal is a bit slower in this regard. Following WordPress SEO tips can help improve performance and boost visibility in search results

Safety: WordPress vs. Drupal

As for the security of its users, WordPress shines brightly with such heavy-duty selections of plugins including Wordfence and Sucuri. It provides much protection to your website like its firewall defense and malware scans, even scanning for any real-time threat.

Such a community support and updated versions guarantee to fix weaknesses in time; its update settings do most of the job automatically without requiring the owner to technically dig into them.

Drupal is a very secure CMS, and large enterprises and government websites prefer it. Its permission system is advanced, and the security team is dedicated, but it usually requires more technical expertise to manage effectively.

Both platforms have strong security, but WordPress has a user-friendly plugin and automatic updates, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Customization and Flexibility: WordPress Advantages

WordPress is notable for its flexibility and customization and offers hundreds of themes as well as over 58,000 plugins to enhance functionality. Whether you need SEO tools, social media integration, or e-commerce options, There’s a plugin to meet any need. Premium themes and plug-ins usually have additional features and dedicated support, which increases their effectiveness.

Page builders such as Elementor and Beaver Builder enable users to build complex layouts with ease using drag-and-drop functionality, which makes professional-looking designs available without the need for coding. For those who are more advanced, WordPress’s open-source design allows for a wide range of customisation, which means your website can be designed to meet your specific requirements.

Drupal can also be customized, but achieving the same result typically requires greater technical knowledge. Its ease of use and the vast selection of plugins and themes make it an excellent option for anyone with any skill level.

Steps to Migrate to a Drupal Site

To transfer your Drupal site to a WordPress site, you can either hire a dedicated WordPress developer or follow these steps:

Map Your Drupal Data

First, before beginning the migration process, you must map the entire Drupal database. Because Drupal is complex, which is not typical, copying and pasting could not be a suitable option for data transfer. In general, it is recommended to look up the publication date and authoring details of SEO metadata, pictures, and attachments on the website, for instance.

You could use a content or user type when exporting the data. This allows you to transfer all of them to WordPress quickly. It is important to note that this is one of the main stages of the migration process, as there is a chance every type of user or content might have a different field type.

Install WordPress

There are many ways of installing WordPress. It is dependent on the web hosting service provider you use as well. Many web hosting companies offer you the chance to download the WordPress site once you have created a new website. You can also download a new version via the wordpress.org website.

To start the WordPress installer, Download the documents and files from the WordPress.org website and then transfer them to your new host. When you do this, they’ll help you install the process. They will provide an explanation of the process and instructions that will aid you in installing WordPress by yourself.

After your WordPress installation is completed, you can gain access to your dashboard. You can now utilize the WordPress plugins to transfer from the Drupal site to WordPress. You can also alter the permalink structure before you continue with the migration process.

Choose Permalink Structure

In WordPress, you can select the URL for the website you want to display. If you move your website, there is a possibility of losing the existing URL structure. This means you must select the permalink structure to create the fresh UDL for the WordPress website. To accomplish this, follow these steps: first, navigate the options. After that, go to the permalinks section. You will find your new URL structures.

Set Up FG Drupal to WordPress Plugin

Most of the time, manual imports and exports of files are required to facilitate migration. However, later on, new plugins have been developed to help make transferring more efficient. One plugin that can aid in the migration of Drupal from Drupal to WordPress can be FG Drupal to WordPress. It allows you to migrate the entire content of your website, including tags, categories, website content, images, SEO data, and metadata. In addition, FG Drupal conversion to WordPress is an absolutely free plugin you can use for the migration process and also offers a premium version.

WordPress Content Settings

To select the WordPress settings for content, visit Tools and then select Import. Then, click Run Importer. You will need to set up an array of options prior to preparing the launch. This is where you must decide whether the importer should delete the content of the current site.

Generally speaking, you can eliminate the test page’s content if the site is already on your site. However, in this case, we don’t have any test pages currently on your site.

Enter FTP Credentials & Drupal Data Parameter

Choose the method that suits your preferred installation of the media plugin for transfer of files from your Drupal website. For content sites, the FTP option is preferred, according to professionals. Obtain FTP credentials by requesting from your web hosting service provider. Then test FTP connection-should be successful when using valid credentials. Contact your provider in case of failure.

Now, enter the Drupal database parameters. A table will appear where you’ll input details like the database type, username, port, and password. After filling up the fields, test the database connection. If issues arise, consult your hosting provider to resolve them.

Migrate Website

You must now alter the post and page settings. You must connect to WordPress to download media files from WordPress images. At this point, you can also select the photos to be featured on your page and post.

Be aware that the plugins may stop loading media files that take more than 20 seconds or more. In this case, the transfer process could be delayed. As this is a standard procedure, you don’t need to be concerned when this plugin is blocking your media files.

Begin your migration process by pressing the Start/Resume button. A success message will display when the process is completed without errors. You can now modify the internal URLs. Make sure you modify URLs once the conversion process has been completed. If you do not, there is a possibility of receiving an error.

Domain Change and Website Design

You can transfer all web content from your old site to the new WordPress. However, you could have your website’s domain pointed in the wrong direction, which is your Drupal website. Therefore, if someone goes to your site, there’s the possibility that they end up on some of your pages on the Drupal website. To avoid this happening, you are recommended to change your domain settings. In other words, connect your website to the new WordPress website.

While you’re running, create a brand new website that has all of the information from your previous site but uses the default WordPress theme. In WordPress, there is an editor for blocks that permits users to alter the appearance of their pages and posts as per their wishes. Once you’ve customized your WordPress website, you can control your new, attractive website on your own, and it is now ready for use.

Things to Consider Before Migrating to WordPress from Drupal

Before you decide to migrate your content between Drupal and WordPress or even convert Drupal information to WordPress, consider a few things. Let’s look at the two most important ones:

Finding a New Reliable WordPress Web Host

There are a few differences in the world of web hosting. Not all companies are made to be the same. If you’re moving from Drupal to WordPress, you’ll have to locate an alternative WordPress web hosting service that is secure in its performance and compatible with Drupal. Find a web host that provides 24/7 support, speedy loading times, and frequent backups. 

Backup Your Drupal Data

Before making or modifying your site, it is crucial to back up your information. This includes all your media files, content, and any custom code you might add to your Drupal website. Backups ensure that you have a backup of your data in the event that anything goes wrong during your migration process.

Content Cleanup Before Drupal to WordPress Migration

The transition between Drupal and WordPress is a great time to audit your website’s content and tidy up your old information. Here’s how to ensure you’re transferring only the necessary details:

Delete Obsolete Pages and Content

As time passes, websites build up obsolete or insignificant content, including older posts on blogs, broken hyperlinks, or discontinued services. This is the perfect moment to remove outdated pages that are no longer helpful to your customers. Eliminating this obstruction makes the process easier and ensures that the new WordPress site is optimized immediately.

Optimize Images and Media Files

Large images could slow down your site. Utilize tools such as Smush or TinyPNG to reduce and optimize images to speed up loading times. This will speed up the transfer of pictures and guarantee that your WordPress site will run smoothly following the launch.

Update Outdated Content

Refresh and review older content before making the switch. Make any necessary changes or fix broken links and enhance your SEO efforts to ensure your new WordPress site ranks higher on search engines.

Streamline Data for a Smoother Migration

Make the most of this opportunity to simplify your website’s data. Sort and categorize your content so that it’s easier to map it during the transition. This makes the switch from Drupal to WordPress faster and less time-consuming. It also reduces the possibility of mistakes occurring in the process.

Conclusion

Moving from one CMS to another can be difficult, but it’s essential. Hiring WordPress developers is the best option if you intend to maintain your site within a group environment and add more to it as time progresses. Drupal, however, is targeted at coders—people who wish to have complete control over the development of their site from the very beginning.

While Drupal offers advanced customization, it demands a high level of technical expertise. Without a skilled web designer, harnessing its full potential can be challenging. WordPress provides businesses with scalability, ease of use, and flexibility, eliminating the need for extensive coding knowledge. Whether you are looking to streamline operations or enhance user experience, WordPress offers a smoother migration path. 

Ultimately, the choice between WordPress and Drupal depends on your unique requirements, but for most businesses, WordPress is the more efficient and accessible option. At AddWeb Solution, we are here to guide you through the entire process, ensuring a seamless and successful transition.