Simple Steps for Drupal to WordPress Migration

Drupal 7’s official end of life on January 5, 2025, has forced thousands of organizations into a critical decision. With WordPress commanding 64.3% of the CMS market and Drupal showing accelerated decline since 2021, understanding Drupal to WordPress migration steps isn’t just about switching platforms—it’s about future-proofing your digital infrastructure while reducing operational complexity.

Summary

This guide covers:

• 10-step migration process using the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin with database configuration and content mapping
• Key migration benefits including reduced costs, expanded talent pool, and superior plugin ecosystem
• Strategic reasons to migrate from security concerns to e-commerce flexibility and total cost of ownership
• Critical pre-migration considerations covering content complexity, multilingual requirements, and budget planning
• Migration partner selection criteria focusing on platform expertise, SEO preservation, and post-launch support
• Timeline expectations ranging from 1-2 weeks for small sites to 6-10 weeks for enterprise implementations

What Are Drupal to WordPress Migration Steps?

The Drupal to WordPress migration process follows a structured workflow that balances automation with manual oversight. Here’s the complete step-by-step breakdown.

Step 1: Install WordPress

Before touching your Drupal site, set up a fresh WordPress installation on your hosting environment. Most quality hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installation through cPanel or custom dashboards.

Choose a hosting provider that specifically supports WordPress—factors like PHP 7.4+ compatibility, MySQL database access, and adequate server resources matter significantly for migration success.

For organizations looking for professional assistance, hiring WordPress development services can ensure a smooth setup, proper configuration, and long-term maintainability.

For enterprise sites, consider staging environments separate from production. This lets you test the migration workflow without risking your live Drupal site. Make sure you have SSH access and sufficient storage space, particularly if you’re working with large media libraries or extensive content databases.

Step 2: Set Your WordPress Permalink Structure

Your URL structure directly impacts SEO continuity during migration. Navigate to Settings > Permalinks in WordPress and configure a structure that closely matches your Drupal URL patterns. If your Drupal site uses paths like /node/123, you’ll need to set up custom permalink structures using plugins like Custom Permalinks or Redirection.

The goal here isn’t perfect URL matching—WordPress and Drupal handle routing differently—but rather establishing a logical structure that minimizes broken links. Document your Drupal URL patterns before migration so you can create appropriate redirect rules later.

Step 3: Install and Configure the FG Drupal to WordPress Plugin

FG Drupal to WordPress is an open-source plugin that migrates articles, stories, pages, categories, tags, and images from Drupal 4 to 11. Access your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, and search for “FG Drupal to WordPress.” Install and activate it immediately.

The free version handles basic content migration—posts, pages, taxonomies, and media files. The premium version includes extra features for migrating users, comments, custom post types, and maintaining SEO elements. For most professional sites, the premium version proves essential because it preserves user accounts, comment threads, and custom fields that often form the backbone of enterprise content strategies.

Step 4: Pick Your WordPress Content Options

Once activated, access the plugin through Tools > Import > Drupal (Run Importer). You’ll see multiple configuration sections controlling what gets migrated and how. The Content Options section lets you specify:

• Which Drupal content types map to WordPress post types
• Whether to import all content or filter by date range
• How to handle draft versus published content
• Whether to preserve original publication dates

Take time here. Rushed decisions about content mapping create cleanup work later. If your Drupal site uses custom content types (not just basic articles and pages), you’ll need to create corresponding custom post types in WordPress using plugins like Custom Post Type UI or Advanced Custom Fields before migration.

Step 5: Add Your FTP Details

Media migration requires FTP or SFTP access to your Drupal server. The plugin needs to download images, PDFs, and other attachments from your Drupal installation and re-upload them to WordPress’s media library.

Input your Drupal site’s FTP hostname, username, password, and port number. If you’re using SFTP (recommended for security), specify that protocol. Test the connection before proceeding—connection failures here will result in missing images after migration, creating time-consuming manual cleanup work.

Step 6: Fill In Your Drupal Database Information

Database connection details are found in your Drupal site’s settings.php file located in sites/default/. You’ll need:

• Database type (usually MySQL or PostgreSQL)
• Database hostname (often ‘localhost’ for shared hosting)
• Database name
• Database username
• Database password
• Table prefix (typically ‘drupal_’ or blank)

The plugin reads directly from your Drupal database to extract content, which means this information must be precise. Use the ‘Test Connection’ button to ensure the connection is established correctly, as incorrect database configurations cause migration errors.

For sites on different servers, you may need to configure remote MySQL access through your hosting control panel. Security-conscious hosts sometimes restrict external database connections, requiring you to whitelist the WordPress server’s IP address.

Step 7: Update Your Import Settings for Posts and Pages

The Import Settings section controls how the plugin processes your Drupal content during transfer. Key settings include:

• Post Status: Choose whether migrated content appears as published, draft, or pending review. For live migrations, importing as drafts lets you review everything before making it public.
• Author Assignment: Decide if all content should be attributed to a single WordPress user or if you want to preserve original Drupal authorship (requires premium version with user migration).
• Featured Images: Tell the plugin how to handle Drupal’s lead images. WordPress uses a featured image system that differs from Drupal’s image field structure.
• Taxonomy Mapping: Define how Drupal vocabularies translate to WordPress categories and tags. This mapping significantly impacts site navigation and content discoverability post-migration.

Step 8: Transfer Your Website From Drupal to WordPress

After configuration, click “Start/Resume the import” and let the plugin work. The process duration varies significantly—smaller sites with a few dozen pages usually migrate in a week or two, while enterprise websites with integrations and multilingual content require six to ten weeks.

Watch the progress bar and log output carefully. The plugin displays real-time status updates showing which content types are being processed. Don’t close the browser window during migration—interrupted transfers may require starting over or create duplicate content issues.

Common issues during transfer include timeout errors (adjust PHP execution time limits), memory limit warnings (increase PHP memory allocation), and authentication failures (verify database credentials). Document any errors for troubleshooting rather than repeatedly attempting failed imports.

Step 9: Redirect Your Domain to WordPress

After successful content migration, you need to handle the technical cutover. Update your domain’s DNS settings to point to your new WordPress installation. This typically involves changing A records in your domain registrar’s control panel.

More critical than DNS changes: implement 301 redirects for all major URLs. Use a redirect plugin like Redirection or Yoast SEO Premium to create redirect rules mapping old Drupal paths to new WordPress URLs. For enterprise websites, this testing and training phase is crucial and should be included in the six-to-ten-week timeline.

Test redirects extensively before going live. Create a spreadsheet of your most important Drupal URLs, then verify each redirects correctly to the WordPress equivalent. Pay special attention to high-traffic pages, conversion-focused landing pages, and content that generates backlinks.

Step 10: Select a Theme for Your New WordPress Site

WordPress themes don’t migrate from Drupal—you’re building the front-end design from scratch. This actually presents an opportunity to modernize your site’s appearance and improve user experience based on current design standards.

Consider whether you want to replicate your existing Drupal design or take the migration as an opportunity for rebranding. If matching the old design, work with a developer to create a custom WordPress theme or heavily customize an existing theme. If embracing change, explore WordPress customization versus pre-made themes to determine which approach fits your budget and timeline.

Premium themes from marketplaces like ThemeForest offer robust customization options without custom development costs. Enterprise sites might prefer frameworks like Genesis or solutions like Divi that provide design flexibility while maintaining code quality standards.

What Are Drupal to WordPress Migration Benefits?

Understanding the strategic advantages of WordPress over Drupal helps justify migration investments to stakeholders. The Drupal to WordPress migration benefits extend far beyond simple platform switching.

Reduced Development Costs: WordPress offers thousands of ready-to-use themes and plugins that reduce the need to build everything from scratch, whereas Drupal relies heavily on custom development and module configuration with longer dev cycles. Key advantages include:

• Faster feature implementation without custom coding
• Lower maintenance costs over time
• Pre-built solutions for standard requirements
• Accessible e-commerce through WooCommerce order management compared to complex Drupal commerce modules

Expanded Talent Pool: WordPress developers vastly outnumber Drupal specialists, making hiring easier and more cost-effective. The learning curve for WordPress is significantly gentler, enabling marketing teams to manage content without constant developer intervention.

Superior Plugin Ecosystem: WordPress offers over 59,000 free plugins compared to Drupal’s module marketplace. This ecosystem advantage delivers:

• Ready-made solutions for most functionality requirements
• Advanced SEO tools like Yoast SEO without custom development
• Comprehensive e-commerce capabilities from WooCommerce PayPal integration to WooCommerce PIM integration
• Sophisticated forms through Gravity Forms or WPForms

Improved Content Management: WordPress’s block editor (Gutenberg) provides intuitive visual editing that non-technical users grasp quickly. Drupal’s admin interface, while powerful, requires more training and technical understanding. This usability gap directly impacts content velocity—marketing teams can publish faster without bottlenecking on developer resources.

Better Long-term Viability: WordPress still trends up and will continue to be recommended for both small businesses and enterprises alike according to industry analysts. The platform’s massive market share ensures continued development, security patches, and community support for decades. Testing Drupal to WordPress migration in staging environments consistently shows performance improvements and reduced server resource requirements.

Why You Should Consider Migrating From Drupal to WordPress

The Drupal 7 end-of-life deadline created immediate urgency, but the strategic case for WordPress extends beyond compliance pressures. Understanding Drupal to WordPress data migration and its long-term benefits helps frame the business case.

Security Without Extended Support Contracts: After January 5, 2025, Drupal 7 no longer receives security updates or compatibility updates, making websites vulnerable to security risks and compliance issues. Extended support providers exist but add recurring costs to an already expensive platform. WordPress receives regular security patches as part of core development, backed by Automattic’s commercial interests in the platform’s security reputation.

Modern Development Workflows: WordPress embraced modern development practices earlier than Drupal. REST API support through WooCommerce REST API capabilities, and integration with JAMstack architectures position WordPress well for contemporary web development approaches. For organizations exploring headless e-commerce solutions, WordPress provides more mature tooling and documentation.

E-commerce Flexibility: If your roadmap includes e-commerce functionality, WooCommerce versus Shopify comparison shows WordPress’s e-commerce plugin dominating the self-hosted commerce space. WooCommerce powers 17% of all e-commerce sites on the internet, offering enterprise-grade features without per-transaction fees. You can even leverage WooCommerce AI chatbot for 90% automation of customer service tasks.

Content Velocity: Organizations consistently report faster content publication cycles after migrating to WordPress. Marketing teams can create landing pages, publish blog posts, and update content without waiting for developer availability. This agility directly impacts campaign execution speed and marketing effectiveness.

Total Cost of Ownership: While the initial Drupal to WordPress migration represents a significant investment, ongoing WordPress maintenance costs typically run 40-60% lower than Drupal. Fewer specialized developer hours, lower hosting requirements (WordPress runs efficiently on less powerful infrastructure), and reduced custom development needs compound savings over time.

Things to Consider Before Migrating From Drupal to WordPress

Migration planning requires an honest assessment of your specific situation and requirements. Successful Drupal to WordPress content migration depends on thorough preparation.

Content Complexity: Sites with multiple templates, user roles, or custom content types face timelines closer to a month, while large enterprise websites require six to ten weeks. Audit your Drupal installation thoroughly:

• Count custom content types, custom fields, and taxonomy vocabularies
• Identify active modules and their functionality
• Map each custom element to WordPress equivalents
• Test Drupal to WordPress migration in staging environments to identify structural issues

Multilingual Requirements: Drupal’s multilingual capabilities differ structurally from WordPress solutions like WPML or Polylang. If your site serves content in multiple languages, budget extra time for testing translated content relationships, language switchers, and URL structure preservation during Drupal to WordPress data migration.

Custom Functionality: Identify Drupal modules providing unique functionality. Key questions include:

• Can WordPress plugins replicate this functionality?
• Do specialized modules in regulated industries have WordPress equivalents?
• Will custom plugin development or third-party integrations be required?
• How does WordPress extensibility compare when evaluating WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace?

User Data and Permissions: Complex user permission structures don’t transfer automatically. Drupal’s granular role-based access control system differs from WordPress’s simpler role structure. Plan how to handle user migration, password resets, and permission mapping before initiating technical migration. The premium version of FG Drupal to WordPress handles user migration, but permission mapping still requires manual configuration.

Downtime Tolerance: Planning around a content freeze during migration prevents data sync issues—adding new content during migration risks losing that content or requiring re-migration. Organizations with 24/7 publishing requirements need careful cutover planning to minimize disruption.

Budget Reality: Professional Drupal 7 to WordPress migration costs vary enormously based on site complexity. Small sites might migrate for under $5,000 using mostly automated tools. Enterprise sites with custom modules, complex integrations, and thousands of pages routinely exceed $50,000 when factoring in strategy, execution, QA, and post-launch support. Organizations should view this as strategic infrastructure investment rather than optional expense.

How to Choose a Migration Partner?

Selecting the right migration partner dramatically impacts project success. Here’s what separates qualified providers from those that create more problems than they solve.

Platform-Specific Experience: Generic web development agencies often lack the Drupal-to-WordPress expertise required for smooth migrations. Partnering with an experienced agency with deep understanding of both Drupal and WordPress ensures smooth transition from initial discovery to custom development. Evaluate potential partners by:

• Reviewing Drupal-to-WordPress migrations completed in the past 12 months
• Requesting case studies from similar-sized organizations in your industry
• Assessing their familiarity with both platforms’ architectural differences
• Verifying their experience with enterprise-scale migrations

Technical Methodology: Quality migration partners follow structured processes: discovery and planning, content audit and mapping, test migration in staging environment, UAT (user acceptance testing), production migration, and post-launch monitoring. Be suspicious of providers promising unrealistically short timelines or guaranteeing zero issues.

SEO Preservation Focus: SEO equity represents significant business value. Your migration partner should demonstrate expertise in redirect strategy, metadata preservation, and search ranking protection. Ask specifically about:

• Their approach to redirect management for all major URLs
• How they preserve structured data and schema markup
• Post-launch SEO monitoring and ranking recovery processes
• Experience preventing traffic drops during migrations

Post-Launch Support: Migration completion doesn’t end the relationship. Budget for post-launch support covering bug fixes, performance optimization, and team training. Reputable partners include 30-90 days of post-launch support in their proposals, recognizing that issues often surface after launch when real user traffic hits the new site.

WordPress VIP Partnership: For enterprise clients, consider agencies with WordPress VIP partnerships. These agencies meet Automattic’s quality standards and have proven enterprise WordPress experience. VIP partnership status indicates serious WordPress commitment beyond basic website building.

Industry Specialization: Agencies with experience in your vertical understand industry-specific requirements and compliance considerations. For example, automotive e-commerce sites face different challenges than healthcare or financial services sites. Industry specialization accelerates project timelines because the partner already knows common requirements and potential pitfalls.

Conclusion

Drupal to WordPress migration represents more than technical platform replacement—it’s an opportunity to modernize your digital infrastructure and position your organization for growth. With approximately 229,000 sites still requiring migration from the top 1 million sites, executing Drupal to WordPress migration steps strategically matters more than speed.

The most successful Drupal 7 to WordPress migration projects prioritize three elements: comprehensive content auditing before technical work begins, rigorous testing in staging environments, and realistic timelines that account for complexity. Organizations approaching WordPress site migration should avoid rushing the process, as technical debt and broken functionality cost more to fix than proper initial execution.

The WordPress ecosystem’s maturity in 2025—with 43.5% market share and 60.5% of the CMS market—provides confidence in platform longevity. Organizations completing Drupal to WordPress content migration now position themselves advantageously for the next decade of digital experience evolution, leveraging WordPress for enterprise capabilities that continue expanding while maintaining backward compatibility and security support.

FAQs

Is Drupal Harder Than WordPress?

Yes. Drupal requires technical knowledge, command-line comfort, and developer involvement for routine tasks. WordPress’s visual interface makes it accessible to non-technical users who can manage content independently.

Is All in One WP Migration Free?

The free version has upload size limitations (typically 512MB). For Drupal to WordPress content migration, FG Drupal to WordPress provides better cross-platform tooling than site cloning plugins.

How to Migrate a Drupal Website?

Audit content, set up WordPress, install FG Drupal to WordPress, configure database connections, map content types, test in staging, implement redirects, migrate to production, and monitor performance.

How Long Does a WordPress Migration Take?

Small sites: 1-2 weeks. Sites with custom content types: about a month. Enterprise sites with integrations: 6-10 weeks, including testing and training.

Is It Worth Learning Drupal in 2025?

No. Drupal has declined since 2021 with fewer job opportunities. WordPress skills offer broader career opportunities and better market alignment. Drupal expertise is mainly valuable for legacy maintenance roles.