In the event you occur to’ve ever tried updating an earlier HTML internet content material, you know how frustrating it can be. Each and every small change way opening code, saving information, and re-uploading them merely to fix a line of text or change an image.

That’s one of the vital number one reasons such a large amount of people switch their internet websites to WordPress. It’s an entire content material subject material regulate device that permits you to make updates right kind from your dashboard. No coding, no FTP, and no additional tool.

I’ve helped a lot of readers make this switch. Some only want to upload a single HTML internet web page, while others are ready to rebuild their entire web content in WordPress.

In this educational, I’ll walk you by means of each and every possible choices step by step. You’ll learn to switch your content material subject material safely, steer clear of downtime, and keep your search ratings intact.

Why Convert Your HTML Website to WordPress?

An important reasons why to modify from HTML to WordPress is convenience. WordPress makes it easy to exchange your content material subject material, change your design, and add new choices without touching any code.

However, with a static HTML web content, each and every edit requires opening information, changing code, and uploading them another time. That can take hours, even for something smooth like converting an image or fixing a typo.

WordPress works otherwise. It’s a whole content material control machine (CMS) that will give you a dashboard to handle the whole thing. You’ll log in, make edits, and submit changes straight away, and no longer the use of a coding required.

It moreover will give you whole keep an eye on over your web content’s glance. As an alternative of manually rebuilding layouts, you’ll choose from loads of ready-made WordPress issues that straight away change your web content’s design.

And for many who ever need additional capacity — like including touch paperwork, improving SEO, or creating image galleries — you’ll do it via choosing from the 60,000+ WordPress plugins. The ones are like apps for your web content and can also be installed with only a few clicks.

In summary, switching to WordPress saves you time, keeps your web content up to date, and helps it expand as your needs change.

You’ll be told further in our comparison of WordPress vs static HTML internet websites.

Convert HTML to WordPress

Now that why WordPress is a great variety, let’s check out how you can make the switch.

The best approach will depend on your function. Are you merely making an attempt as a way to upload a single HTML internet web page to your web content, or do you need to turn into all of your internet content material?

I’ll quilt the easiest ways to handle each and every. We can get began with the most simple scenario first.

• Use Case 1: You Wish to Upload a Unmarried HTML Web page to WordPress
  • Approach 1: Add the HTML Record to Your Web page (Perfect Approach)
  • Approach 2: Recreate the HTML Web page The use of a Web page Builder (Best possible Approach)
• Use Case 2: You Wish to Convert a Complete HTML Site to WordPress
  • Step 1. Set up and Set Up WordPress
  • Step 2: Discover a WordPress Theme That Fits Your Outdated Web page
  • Step 3: Set Up WordPress Permalinks
  • Step 4: Recreate Your Content material in WordPress
  • Step 5: Set Up Redirects to Maintain Your search engine optimization
  • Step 6: Level Your Area Identify to Your New WordPress Site
  • Step 7: Set up Very important WordPress Plugins
• What About Changing HTML Manually Right into a WordPress Theme?
  • The Developer Approach: Changing HTML to a Customized Theme
  • Why I Don’t Suggest This for Maximum Customers
• Bonus Sources for Finding out WordPress
• Continuously Requested Questions About Changing HTML to WordPress

Use Case 1: You Need to Add a Single HTML Internet web page to WordPress

Let’s get began with a common scenario I see. You don’t want to switch an entire internet content material, on the other hand you’ve a single HTML file you need as a way to upload to your WordPress web content.

In all probability you downloaded an HTML template from an web marketplace, or a fashion designer gave you a file for a decided on advertising and marketing marketing campaign. It’s a scenario many shoppers to find themselves in.

Now not ordinary examples include custom landing pages, a unique ‘coming temporarily’ internet web page, a unique product sales internet web page template, or in all probability a smooth one-page online resume.

If that’s your function, there are a couple of ways to handle it. I’ll get began with the quickest approach first.

Means 1: Upload the HTML Document to Your Internet web page (Absolute best Means)

Now, you’ll have a single HTML file, and also you’ll simply upload it immediately to your WordPress web hosting account.

But if the internet web page moreover accommodates additional CSS information and images, then you need to place all the information together in a folder and then upload the folder to your internet content material.

You’ll do this using the file manager to your web host’s dashboard or specific FTP shopper tool for House home windows or Mac. You’ll to find clear instructions in our newbie’s knowledge on how one can use FTP to add recordsdata to WordPress.

You merely need to add the file or folder to your internet content material’s number one folder. This is continuously referred to as the public_html or root list, which is the top-level folder that holds your entire internet content material’s information.

Once uploaded, anyone can get right to use it immediately via going to its URL, similar to:

yourdomain.com/mylandingpage.html

I’ve a whole knowledge that displays you exactly how one can add an HTML web page to WordPress in order that you don’t run into any 404 errors.

Stumbling blocks: While uploading an HTML file is rapid, it’s essential to snatch the downsides. This method completely isolates the internet web page from WordPress.

Your uploaded internet web page isn’t going to make use of your WordPress theme’s styling. This means it won’t have your internet content material’s header, footer, or fonts, so it’ll almost definitely look inconsistent with the rest of your web content.

It may additionally’t be edited from the WordPress dashboard, and it won’t get pleasure from any of your plugins, like your SEO or caching apparatus.

This makes it a poor variety for pages that require not unusual updates.

Means 2: Recreate the HTML Internet web page Using a Internet web page Builder (Absolute best imaginable Means)

A a lot better variety is to recreate the internet web page immediately inside WordPress using a web page builder plugin.

This is a tool that permits you to assemble custom internet web page layouts visually with a drag-and-drop editor, no coding required. This implies will give you whole keep an eye on and is way more simple than it sounds.

I love to suggest using SeedProd. It’s an impressive drag-and-drop internet web page builder that permits you to visually recreate any structure without touching code. You’ll simply add columns, text, photos, and buttons to check your distinctive HTML internet web page.

An important get advantages is that the new internet web page will robotically use your theme’s design, making it look utterly consistent. It’ll moreover artwork with all your other plugins.

Absolute best imaginable of all, when you need to make a change, you’ll edit the internet web page right kind from your WordPress admin space similar to some other internet web page to your web content.

We’ve written helpful tutorials on how you can use SeedProd to create quite a lot of forms of pages:

• Create a Customized House Web page in WordPress
• Create a Touchdown Web page With WordPress
• Create Stunning Coming Quickly Pages in WordPress with SeedProd
• Create a Gross sales Web page in WordPress (That Converts)
• Create a Skilled On-line Resume in WordPress
• Create a Services and products Phase in WordPress
• Upload a Portfolio to Your WordPress Web page
• Create an On-line Eating place Menu in WordPress

Use Case 2: You Need to Convert a Whole HTML Website to WordPress

Now, let’s take at the reverse common function: shifting all of your static HTML internet content material over to WordPress. This is for when you need to completely modernize your web content and arrange the whole thing in one place.

Probably the most easiest and loyal approach is to systematically rebuild your web content’s design and content material subject material using stylish WordPress apparatus. This is much more simple than taking a look to transform code manually and will give you a far upper outcome.

Step 1. Arrange and Set Up WordPress

The first thing you need is WordPress web hosting. This is the place where your internet content material information live on the internet. A very good host makes sure your web content runs simply and is available to visitors.

I love to suggest Bluehost to new WordPress shoppers. I take advantage of Bluehost myself and to find them to be very unswerving, specifically for many who’re merely getting started. They usually continuously have very good gives.

This present day, they’re offering WPBeginner readers a free house establish and a big bargain on internet web hosting. You’ll get started for merely $2.99 a month, which makes it an fairly priced variety.

For this data, I’ll use screenshots from Bluehost merely to show you the process. On the other hand the fundamental steps are stunning an identical, without reference to which top WordPress internet web hosting provider you choose.

To start out out, head over to the Bluehost web content and click on on on the button that says ‘Get Started Now.’

You’ll then see their pricing internet web page with different plans. For plenty of internet websites, specifically while you’re merely starting out, the Starter plan is totally very good.

Pick a plan via clicking the ‘Select Plan’ button.

Next up, you’ll be asked about your area identify. This is your internet content material’s deal with on the web (like www.yourwebsite.com).

Simply choose ‘I’ll create my house establish later.’ This helps to keep your earlier HTML web content online whilst you assemble your new one. We’ll switch the realm over at the very end, in order that you don’t have any downtime.

After that, you’ll need to fill to your account details and price wisdom to complete the purchase.

Bluehost will then send you an email correspondence at the side of your login details. Keep that email correspondence secure! You’ll use those details to log in to your internet web hosting account dashboard.

Proper right here’s my favorite segment: When you log in for the main time, Bluehost installs WordPress robotically for you.

Now, simply seek for the ‘Edit Internet web page’ button and click on on it. That may take you straight away to your WordPress dashboard.

And that’s it, you’ve got WordPress installed!

Need reasonably further help with the WordPress arrange? Check out our detailed WordPress set up instructional that walks you by means of every step.

Step 2: Find a WordPress Theme That Suits Your Out of date Internet web page

The next issue to do is choose a WordPress theme that looks similar to your earlier HTML web content’s design. You’ll to find helpful tips on what to believe in our knowledge on settling on the very best WordPress theme.

Don’t fear about finding a real have compatibility, as you’ll customise it.

A theme will give you a certified design foundation, controlling your web content’s header, footer, colors, and fonts without having to code. There are millions of great free and peak fee WordPress issues available.

Step 3: Set Up WordPress Permalinks

WordPress provides a few permalink possible choices to come up with keep an eye on over how your internet content material addresses (URLs) are structured.

I always counsel using the ‘Put up establish’ permalink development. It creates clean, easy-to-read URLs consistent with your internet web page or post establish (like yourwebsite.com/about-us).

This isn’t only upper for visitors however as well as will give you a pleasing little SEO boost via at the side of keywords immediately inside the deal with.

Now, simple permalinks don’t give any context regarding the post the least bit, like this:

yourblog.com/?p=123

‘Put up establish’ permalinks are so much nicer and further informative, like this:

yourblog.com/your-blog-post-title

I’m sure you’ll agree that the second selection is way more simple to snatch.

It’s rapid and easy to choose an selection from the Settings » Permalinks internet web page of your dashboard.

Throughout the phase referred to as ‘Now not ordinary Settings’, choose the ‘Put up establish’ selection.

Then simply scroll down and click on at the ‘Save Changes’ button.

That’s it for permalinks! Now, WordPress will use the “Put up establish” development for your entire new pages and posts.

Step 4: Recreate Your Content material subject material in WordPress

Once your theme is lively, it’s time to move your content material subject material from the former HTML information into WordPress.

For this, you’ll choose the most efficient approach consistent with how complex every internet web page is.

WordPress Block Editor

For plenty of of your vital pages, like your ‘About,’ ‘Products and services and merchandise,’ or ‘Contact’ pages, the built-in WordPress block editor is easiest imaginable. If a internet web page is maximum recurrently text and images in a smooth structure, this is the easiest path.

You’ll simply create a brand spanking new internet web page to your WordPress admin, then copy the text from your earlier HTML file and paste it into the editor. From there, you’ll use blocks as a way to upload headings, photos, lists, and buttons to development your content material subject material.

For detailed instructions, please see our knowledge on how one can use the WordPress block editor.

Internet web page Builder Plugin

If your earlier web content had a practice homepage, landing pages, or pages with complex multi-column layouts, then a web page builder is the simpler variety. It will give you the flexibility to recreate those specific designs.

For this, I love to suggest SeedProd. It’s a drag-and-drop builder that permits you to visually recreate any structure, supplying you with whole keep an eye on over the design without writing code. This is ideally suited for buying those essential, custom-designed pages to seem very good.

You’ll find a helpful checklist of tutorials earlier in this article that quilt how you can create quite a lot of forms of pages in WordPress using SeedProd.

Step 5: Set Up Redirects to Take care of Your SEO

This is a step you utterly can’t skip, specifically if your earlier internet content material used to be as soon as getting guests from search engines like google.

It’s very almost definitely that your earlier HTML internet content material URLs are different from your new WordPress permalinks. In the event you occur to don’t deal with this, then anyone who has a link to your earlier web content will see a frustrating 404 ‘Internet web page not found out’ error to your new WordPress web content.

To steer clear of this, you need to organize redirects to robotically send visitors from your earlier HTML URLs to the correct pages to your new WordPress web content.

You’ll need to arrange and switch at the Redirection plugin. It’s free and in point of fact environment friendly. If you want to have help, see our knowledge on how one can set up a WordPress plugin.

This plugin provides a user-friendly interface for managing redirects safely. It’s much more simple and extra protected than taking a look to manually edit your internet content material’s .htaccess document, where a small mistake would possibly simply take all of your web content offline.

Once activated, you’ll to find the Redirection plugin settings beneath Apparatus » Redirection.

Throughout the Redirection plugin interface, ‘Provide URL’ is where you enter your earlier HTML internet content material URL.

For example, for many who had an ‘about us’ internet web page to your earlier web content with the URL https://your-old-website.com/about.html, then you definitely indubitably enter /about.html.

‘Function URL’ is where you enter the new WordPress URL for the corresponding internet web page.

For example, if your new ‘about us’ internet web page in WordPress has the permalink about-us, then you might enter /about-us/.

Make sure the ‘301 – Moved Utterly’ selection is selected for the redirect type. A 301 redirect tells search engines like google that the internet web page has utterly moved to a brand spanking new location. This is essential for SEO.

In the end, click on at the ‘Add Redirect’ button to save lots of a whole lot of the redirect.

For detailed instructions, see our knowledge on how one can arrange redirects in WordPress.

It’s crucial to do this for each and every single internet web page you move from your earlier web content. Take your time and carefully map every earlier URL to its new one to verify no visitors or search engines like google get out of place.

After you’ve added your redirects, it’s always a good idea to test them. Type your earlier HTML internet content material URLs into your browser and make sure they correctly redirect you to the most efficient pages to your new WordPress web content.

Taking the time to do this makes sure you don’t lose the dear guests and authority you’ve already built. It’s the vital factor to a a good fortune migration.

Selection: If you already have AIOSEO or are making an allowance for using it for SEO, then likelihood is that you’ll want to use its Redirection Manager instead of putting in place a separate Redirection plugin.

This is a peak fee plugin, nevertheless it unquestionably has an impressive Redirection Manager built in and lets you arrange complete website redirects.

Besides that, AIOSEO has many various choices to help your internet content material rank upper in search results.

It offers 404 error monitoring to easily catch any broken links and lets you merely add schema markup, custom breadcrumbs, local SEO modules, and further.

Step 6: Stage Your House Establish to Your New WordPress Website

You’re just about there! You’ve got your content material subject material in WordPress, your photos imported, and your internet content material is looking very good. Now, let’s make your new WordPress web content if truth be told appear when people type your house establish (like yourwebsite.com) into their browser.

To try this, you need to exchange your house establish settings. Specifically, you’ll be changing something referred to as nameservers.

Nameservers are identical to the internet’s snatch deal with guide. They’re specific addresses that tell the internet exactly the position your house establish must transfer to look out its internet content material.

At the moment, your house’s ‘deal with guide get right of entry to’ (its nameservers) is pointing to the former location where your static HTML internet content material used to be as soon as previously stored.

To get your new WordPress internet content material to show up, you need to exchange this deal with guide get right of entry to. You’ll change the nameservers to suggest to your new WordPress internet web hosting company.

This tells all the internet, “For yourwebsite.com, don’t transfer to the former internet content material anymore. Move to my new WordPress host instead.”

Your WordPress internet web hosting provider (similar to Bluehost, Hostinger, or SiteGround) provides you with the nameserver wisdom you need. It generally seems to be like something like this:

ns1.hostingprovider.com
ns2.hostingprovider.com

Your internet web hosting provider will provide you with the best nameservers to use.

On the other hand where do you exchange the ones nameserver settings? It’s dependent upon where you registered your house establish. That is referred to as your area identify registrar.

It might be the an identical company where you got your internet web hosting, or it can be a separate house registrar company like Community Answers or Namecheap.

You’ll need to log in to your account at your house registrar. Then, seek for the settings for your house establish, similar to ‘DNS Settings’, ‘Nameservers’, or ‘House Regulate’.

For example, that is the computer screen I see on my Bluehost account.

The steps you need to take change depending on the company you employ. You’ll to find step-by-step instructions for a lot of standard house registrars in our knowledge on how one can simply exchange area nameservers.

On every occasion you exchange the ones nameservers, it will most probably take a while for the change to spread all the way through all the internet. This is generally only a few hours, on the other hand each so incessantly it takes a couple of days.

That is referred to as ‘DNS propagation’. All over this time, some visitors would perhaps however see your earlier web content, while others gets began seeing your new WordPress web content.

Once DNS propagation is entire, when people type your house establish into their browser, they will be directed to your new WordPress internet content material hosted at the side of your new provider!

Step 7: Arrange Crucial WordPress Plugins

Now, for one of the vital biggest reasons people switch to WordPress from HTML internet websites: plugins!

Recall to mind plugins as apps for your internet content material. The ones are little add-ons that you simply’ll set as much as straight away add new choices and capacity to your WordPress web content.

With a static HTML internet content material, together with any new function used to be as soon as generally a coding problem. On the other hand with WordPress, it’s continuously as simple as putting in place and activating a plugin.

It’s like going from a fundamental flip phone to a smartphone. Plugins unlock an entire universe of possibilities for your internet content material, without having to be a coding whiz.

What kind of problems can plugins do? With reference to the remainder you’ll believe.

There are plugins for backups, improving protection, putting in caching, starting an eCommerce retailer, operating to your search engine marketing, and further.

There are millions of WordPress plugins available, each and every free and paid. It can be reasonably overwhelming to choose, I know. A question I continuously pay attention is ‘Which plugins do I if truth be told need?’

So we created a knowledge on how you can pick out the most productive plugins for your internet content material. It’s price testing to learn to overview plugins and to find the most efficient ones for your needs.

On the other hand to come up with a quick get began, listed below are a few top plugins that I continuously counsel putting in place on a brand spanking new WordPress internet content material:

• WPForms helps you merely create difficult bureaucracy. I take advantage of WPForms alone web pages and to find it user-friendly. See our whole WPForms assessment for more information about its choices.
• SeedProd is a drag-and-drop internet content material builder that permits you to merely customize your internet content material design. It’s great for creating custom internet web page layouts and even entire WordPress problems without coding. Check out our detailed SeedProd assessment to be informed further.
• AIOSEO (All in One SEO) is no doubt considered one of the freshest and whole SEO plugins for WordPress. You’ll get began optimizing all of your web content for upper search engine ratings in lower than 10 minutes. See our AIOSEO assessment for added details.
• MonsterInsights helps you understand your internet content material guests and buyer conduct. It connects your WordPress web content to Google Analytics and displays you key internet content material stats right kind to your dashboard. You’ll be told what it will most probably do in our complete MonsterInsights assessment.
• OptinMonster helps you expand an email correspondence tick list and boost conversions. It’s an impressive toolkit for creating popups, opt-in bureaucracy, and further. See our whole OptinMonster assessment for more information.

For a lot more plugin ideas, check out my tick list of very important WordPress plugins.

What About Converting HTML Manually Proper right into a WordPress Theme?

You have to wonder if you’ll simply convert your earlier HTML code into a brand spanking new WordPress theme. I continuously get this question, specifically from people who are further technically curious.

The Developer Means: Converting HTML to a Custom designed Theme

Technically, certain, a developer can do this. The process involves creating the core WordPress theme information (like header.php, footer.php, and index.php) and then rebuilding your HTML structure within them.

This involves converting the static content material subject material to your HTML information with specific WordPress code referred to as template tags. The ones tags are PHP functions that dynamically pull content material subject material like your posts and pages from the WordPress database, making your web content manageable.

Why I Don’t Recommend This for Most Shoppers

However, I honestly don’t counsel the program for plenty of trade householders or newbies. While it might sound setting pleasant, it comes with an overly steep finding out curve and a number of other different number one downsides:

• It requires robust coding knowledge. You want a solid understanding of HTML, CSS, and specifically PHP to do this correctly.
• You will have to be told the WordPress template hierarchy. That’s the complex set of rules that determines which template file WordPress uses for any given internet web page.
• It’s a time-consuming process. Manually converting code takes a lot of time and is also very prone to errors.
• The danger is key. It’s in point of fact smooth to make a small mistake that might destroy all of your internet content material.

That’s why I strongly advise sticking with the methods we’ve already covered. They come up with all the benefits of WordPress without the technical headaches.

Bonus Assets for Learning WordPress

So, you’ve made the jump from a static HTML internet content material to the dynamic global of WordPress.

Now, for many who’re brooding about, ‘WordPress is very good, on the other hand there’s such a lot to be informed!’, then you definitely’re no doubt not by myself. It’s true, WordPress has a ton of choices and possible choices.

On the other hand don’t fear! WordPress is if truth be told fairly user-friendly, and likewise you’ll get the grasp of it faster than likelihood is that you’ll think. And the most efficient segment? WPBeginner is the largest WordPress helpful useful resource web content for newbies, and we’re proper right here to help you each and every step of one of the best ways.

Listed here are merely one of the crucial completely free assets you’ll to find on WPBeginner to help you snatch WordPress:

• The WPBeginner Weblog is the center of WPBeginner. You’ll to find loads of step-by-step tutorials, guides, and articles on the whole thing WordPress.
• The WPBeginner Dictionary is our thesaurus where you’ll be told WordPress terminology.
• WPBeginner Movies is our library of video tutorials that walk you by means of common WordPress tasks step-by-step. It’s easiest imaginable for visual newbies!
• Our WPBeginner YouTube Channel offers a lot more video help and is used by over one million subscribers.
• The WPBeginner Blueprint introduces you to the apparatus and plugins we use proper right here on WPBeginner. It’s like looking at the back of the scenes at our non-public WordPress setup.
• WPBeginner Offers is where we acquire distinctive discounts and coupons on WordPress services and products and merchandise, just for WPBeginner shoppers. You’ll get monetary savings on problems, plugins, internet web hosting, and further.

Often Asked Questions About Converting HTML to WordPress

Having helped many shoppers make this switch from HTML to WordPress, I get a lot of common questions. Listed here are the answers to one of the vital most eternally asked questions.

1. Will converting from HTML to WordPress impact my SEO?

It is going to most probably, each and every without a doubt and negatively. In the event you occur to look at the steps correctly, specifically putting in place 301 redirects for your entire earlier pages, you’ll protect and even reinforce your SEO. WordPress and plugins like AIOSEO offer far upper apparatus for optimization than a static HTML web content. However, for many who fail to organize redirects, you’ll lose your provide ratings.

2. How long does it take to migrate a web content from HTML to WordPress?

This will depend on the scale of your internet content material. For a small web content with 5-10 pages, you will have to almost definitely entire the process in a day. For a larger web content with dozens or numerous pages, it’ll be a multi-day problem. The name of the game is to be methodical and turn content material subject material internet web page via internet web page.

3. Can I keep the exact same design from my HTML web content?

When you’ll find a WordPress theme that looks an identical, getting a real 1:1 have compatibility is hard without custom development. My advice is to be aware of finding a modern, clean theme that is similar to your earlier design and then using the internet web page builder to recreate your key internet web page layouts. The target is to modernize and make regulate easier, not merely to create a very good clone.

I’m hoping this educational helped you convert your static HTML web content to WordPress. You may also want to see my final WordPress search engine optimization migration tick list for newbies or my professional pick of the very best WordPress migration products and services.

In the event you occur to preferred this text, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You’ll moreover to find us on Twitter and Fb.

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