When switching your website’s content management system from one platform to another, there are a few key things you should consider beforehand in order to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible during the migration process.
Below is an overview of some important considerations before making this move:
Data Retention – As part of the transition, it’s essential that all existing data stored on Sitecore is properly moved across and retained on WordPress; including page content, images and documents. As such, you should check that all data transfers are secure.
Evaluate Your Goals & Existing Content – One of the first steps when migrating web content is evaluating your current goals and objectives as well as any existing content.
Determine the most appropriate method for migrating your data – Depending on how much content is being moved, it may not always make sense (or even be possible) to transfer everything manually by copying/pasting between systems in a one-by-one manner; instead, automated tools might prove more efficient for bulk migrations where hundreds or thousands of pages. There are multiple options for migrating from Sitecore to WordPress, and it’s important to choose the best one based on your individual circumstances. Using the Sitecore Import Export Tool package is popular.
Consider Any Potential Risks – Moving over large amounts of content between two different platforms always carries certain levels of risk; therefore, you should be aware of these before making the decision to proceed with the migration process. Be sure to consider any potential issues that might arise when moving across such as compatibility concerns or security issues. No matter which migration method you choose, it’s essential to be aware of potential risks that could arise during the process.
Backup All Existing Sitecore Data – It goes without saying that when migrating from one platform over another, it’s absolutely essential that all of your existing information is backed up beforehand just as an extra precautionary measure in case anything should go wrong during the transfer itself.
Themes & Templates – When migrating to WordPress, you will need to find a theme that meets the design and functionality requirements of your organization’s website. There are thousands available, commercially and some for free, for most organizations, their websites require custom WordPress themes built by web designers and developers who specialize in building bespoke themes.
Content Migration – In addition to finding an appropriate theme that suit’s your organization’s brand and design, content migration is also necessary when transitioning from Sitecore over to WordPress. Depending on the size of your website, this process could take a while and requires patience to execute properly. If you have access to Sitecore’s API, then it will be relatively easy for developers to extract content data from Sitecore in JSON or XML format, which can then be imported into WordPress.
When your organization is considering moving from Sitecore to WordPress, it’s essential to understand all of the data that needs to be transferred across, as well as evaluate your goals and existing content.
If this sounds challenging for your organization, perhaps the most important consideration for your organization is which migration provider you’ll utilize.
Learn more about our solution for migrating from Sitecore to WordPress.
Basic steps to switch from Sitecore over to WordPress
Let’s take a moment to talk about the basic process and steps your organization should follow, if you were to move forward with a switch from Sitecore to WordPress.
Generally speaking, the process is:
- Assess existing Sitecore infrastructure and current site architecture
- Prepare a migration plan for your content, design, and functionality
- Implement the plan and QA new website
- Publish new website live
