How to Migrate from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

Have you been contemplating moving from WordPress.com to a self-hosted platform like WordPress.org? If you have already made your decision, we are here to help you migrate from WordPress.com to WordPress.org in a few simple steps. Many of you must have started with WordPress.com as beginners but soon realize there are limitations to the platform. To meet your growing business and website needs, it’s important to move to a more flexible platform with extensive features. In this blog, we will tell you why you should choose WordPress.org over WordPress.com and how to easily shift from one platform to another.

Why Move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?

There is no doubt that WordPress.com is a platform that is easy to set up and perfect for beginners to start their websites. However, soon the limitations of this platform start to hamper your business growth. This is where WordPress.org comes into the picture to help you with its vast range of features and ability to extend your website according to your needs. WordPress.org is a powerful and popular self-hosted platform that allows you to have full ownership of your website. Let’s take you through a quick comparison between both platforms to help you discover the difference between both.

So, with the above comparison, it’s quite clear that moving from WordPress.com to WordPress.org is an ideal choice for you.

Key Differences Between WordPress.com and WordPress.org

While the table above gives a quick comparison, it’s important to dive deeper into the key differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com, though beginner-friendly, limits your customization options, control over SEO, and monetization methods unless you opt for premium plans.

On the other hand, WordPress.org offers full control over your site, with the ability to install unlimited plugins, themes, and powerful SEO tools. Additionally, you own your content entirely and can monetize your website without restrictions.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for scalability and flexibility, WordPress.org is the ideal platform as it provides a professional-grade foundation for businesses and growing websites.

Prerequisites before Migrating to WordPress.org

Before you begin the migration process, it’s crucial to have a few things prepared:

1. Domain Name: If you’ve been using a custom domain name on WordPress.com, make sure you have access to your domain registrar or plan to transfer it to your new host.
2. Web Hosting Provider: Choose a reliable WordPress hosting provider that supports seamless migration and offers good performance for your new site. Providers like DreamHost or Kinsta can be good starting points.
3. Backup: Always back up your content and settings before migrating. This ensures that, in case of any errors, you still have your data safe.

By taking care of these prerequisites, you’ll have a smooth migration process.

How to Migrate from WordPress.com to WordPress.org? 

We have prepared an easy step-by-step guide for you to seamlessly shift from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

Step 1: Export Data from WordPress.com 

To migrate your content from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, export all your data from WordPress.com first.

• Sign into your WordPress blog and navigate to WP Admin
• There you will find a Tool category in your sidebar and select Export
• Select the start export option in the Export box
• On the next page, make sure to select All content and click on download export file
• Your file is now downloaded in a .xml format which contains all your posts and pages. Save this file in your system as it is needed in further steps

Step 2: Install and Set up WordPress

We advise you to choose a WordPress hosting service for an easy installation and setup of WordPress. When you sign up with such a web hosting service, it will automatically install WordPress for you. You can also choose from the top web hosting services with Seahawk’s Web Host Rankings and start with an easy and automated installation. You can simply log in to your hosting account, click Login to WordPress and kick off your WordPress setup. Once you finish this, you can move on to the next step of importing your content into WordPress.org.

However, for WordPress to start, you’ll need to modify your DNS and update your existing domain records on WordPress. If you are functioning on a domain registrar, you can log in to its settings and manage the DNS there. You can also use a web host service and update your domain records from your hosting control panel.

Know: How To Migrate From Joomla To WordPress

Step 3: Import Content to WordPress.org 

Once you have WordPress installed on your host, you can continue to login into your WordPress Admin for your new WordPress website.

• Go to https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin
• From your WordPress admin panel navigate to Tools> Import
• Next, you will find an official import option for WordPress. Scroll down and click on Install Now
• Your WordPress will automatically install the plugin and the link will be modified to the Run Importer option now. Click on the link to continue
• Now click on choose file, select the same XML file from your system downloaded in the first step, and click on the Upload file and import button
• WordPress will now begin with the automated process of importing all your pages and posts from WordPress.com
• However, before migrating all your content, you will get an option of choosing an author to assign all your posts to
• You can either create the same author profile from WordPress.com or create a new author profile or simply just import all the content to the existing author profile
• Once you have chosen the author, make sure to Download and import the attachments to keep your posts/pages from breaking
• Finally, click on submit, and Voila, all your content is now migrated to your new WordPress.org site

Step 4: Check Your Site for Any Errors 

It’s always a good idea to recheck and review your website rather than face any issues later. With the above steps, we made sure that you make a seamless migration from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. However, it’s your job to examine if all the pages, posts, and media are imported successfully to your new site.

Double-checking is crucial for discovering any missed items like images and other things so that you can go back to WordPress.com and download the things manually that you missed out on during the automated process.

Step 5: Redirect the WordPress.com site to WordPress.org

The final step after the review is to redirect your old WordPress.com site to your new self-hosted WordPress.org site. This step is important as it makes sure you do not lose any SEO or rankings of your site.

However, WordPress.com charges a certain fee to provide this service to its users. You need to pay a small fee of $13/ year and migrate your WordPress.com to WordPress.org completely. This will not only help you maintain traffic but also improve your search engine rankings.

• Go to the WordPress.com site redirected page.
• Enter your new domain name in the box, click on go and make the payment
• Once the payment is done, it will add a 301 redirect redirecting your WordPress.com blogs visitors and search engines to your new WordOress.org site

Common Migration Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

When migrating from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, several common issues can occur. Here are a few to look out for and how to avoid them:

1. Missing Media Files: Sometimes, media files don’t fully transfer during migration. To avoid this, ensure you check the “Download and import file attachments” option when importing content to WordPress.org.
2. Broken Links: After migration, check all internal and external links to ensure they aren’t broken. You can use a plugin like “Broken Link Checker” to scan for any issues and fix them accordingly.
3. SEO Ranking Drop: If not handled properly, your SEO rankings can take a hit. Make sure to set up a 301 redirect for your old WordPress.com site to your new WordPress.org site to retain traffic and rankings.

Addressing these pitfalls in advance will help ensure a seamless and error-free transition to your new site.

Conclusion

Building a great website helps you offer an enhanced user experience. And with WordPress.org, you have all the freedom to build your website the way you want. With its wide variety of plugins and features, you can customize your new site your way. If you have already created your website and are looking to create the best experience for your users, you can get our exceptional Managed SEO services for your new self-hosted WordPress website. So, go ahead and make the most out of your seamless migration from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.