Drupal to WordPress Migration: Tips for Preserving Content Integrity and SEO

Enterprises and large businesses are seeing the value in migrating from Drupal to WordPress.

However, the transition is easier said than done, particularly if the website is content-heavy with intricate hierarchies.

The custom taxonomies and tailored layouts of complex websites make it challenging for teams to preserve the user experience, SEO, and overall functionality after CMS migration. Losing or misconfiguring content relationships such as multi-level menus or categorization can result in broken user paths.

This leads to a disjointed user experience and reduced search engine visibility.

In this article, let’s look at how enterprises and businesses can efficiently migrate complex content structures while moving from Drupal to WordPress.

1. Pre-Migration Planning

The process begins with a thorough content audit to map the intricate content structure of the existing Drupal website. This involves identifying and documenting various content types, fields, and taxonomies on the platform.

Enterprises can see the broader picture of their site’s architecture which makes it easier to visualize and plan the Drupal to WordPress migration process. Moreover, teams can also determine how to replicate the same or even prove it on their new WordPress website.

It is also crucial to list the integrations with third-party services and plugins, especially if they are a part of the content management workflow. The migration specialists can think about the corresponding WordPress plugins ahead of time to streamline the transition further.

Furthermore, companies need to document the hierarchies and user roles. This ensures the content relationships remain intact on the new site and the team members have the relevant permissions. It can play a key role in minimizing operational disruptions after migration.

Keep in mind that backing up the entire Drupal website during an in-depth site audit is non-negotiable. This secures against unexpected issues, allowing a rollback if data is lost, and simplifies website testing after moving from Drupal to WordPress.

2. Content and Data Migration

The content and data migration process requires attention to detail where teams map Drupal nodes to corresponding WordPress structures. 

In Drupal, content is organized into "nodes" that represent different content types such as articles or product pages. WordPress, however, uses "posts", "pages", and "custom post types" to organize content.

Mapping each node to the right WordPress structure is critical while considering attributes such as categories and tags. It is pivotal for maintaining functionality and retaining consistency in user experience in the new platform.

Another challenge that enterprises may face while migrating content from Drupal to WordPress is moving large files and databases. Media content like images, videos, and documents can amount to terabytes for large company websites.

An effective way to address this is by leveraging automated tools like WP All Import or plugins like Media Library Assistant. If the plugins are not compatible with the server (like WPVIP), the WordPress Command Line Interface (WP-CLI) can offer a powerful and efficient solution.

The WP-CLI executes file transfer commands directly on the server, moving files from Drupal straight to the WordPress media library. This also optimizes server resources while reducing the chances of failure or errors in the interim.

These strategies help avoid migration mistakes and expedite the overall process.

Finally, teams need to recreate the user profiles with the appropriate permissions. Plugins like User Role Editor can help replicate Drupal’s role-based access control easily. It is a good practice to use this opportunity to change passwords to enhance security.

3. Post-Migration Adjustments

After all data and user details are moved to WordPress, it is essential to check whether the integrity of the content and its structure is maintained. Teams may employ manual methods to check the key pages, menus, and links to be thorough.

For an in-depth analysis of the whole site, tools like Screaming Frog and Broken Link Checker can help. Enterprises can quickly find broken links and other architectural issues in comprehensive reports, speeding up the adjustment process.

It is important to understand that these issues may not be caused by undefined or undetected errors in the migration process, but could be underlying misconfigurations in the older Drupal site itself. 

This necessitates the implementation of various SEO preservation strategies. It not only fixes the existing problems with things like metadata but also refreshes the overall website. 

Teams can take this opportunity to update the titles, meta descriptions, and alt texts for images. Tools like Rank Math and Yoast SEO can help manage this at scale. In some instances, teams may even find areas of update for website URLs and rich snippets.

Speaking of updating website URLs, it is crucial to set 301 redirects to ensure the older URLs point to the new ones. This is key for maintaining a delightful reading experience for visitors and ensures search engines look at the website favorably.

Additionally, enterprises must update the robots.txt and XML sitemap and submit them to the search engines. It is crucial for getting all the pages on the new WordPress website reindexed.

4. Testing and Optimization

Enterprises need to give their new WordPress website a thorough shake before setting it live for their audience. It is better to run various tests on a staging environment to conduct thorough checks without affecting the current Drupal website.

The key tests include:

• Functional: Verifies that all features work as expected, ensuring the website's usability and integrations.
• Performance: Tests load times and responsiveness to ensure the website performs well under different conditions (like devices and browsers) and user loads.
• Content: Ensures that all content is accurate, displays correctly, and meets the branding and quality standards.
• Security: Checks for vulnerabilities to protect the website from potential threats and unauthorized access.

Additionally, teams should look at the user role and permissions to ensure the access levels remain as intended.

Another way of enhancing the performance of content-heavy enterprise websites is to leverage caching plugins such as WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache. They help reduce server load and improve load times by storing static versions of web pages.

Finally, server optimizations like partnering with a reliable hosting provider, optimizing PHP settings, and implementing a content delivery network (CDN) can further enhance site performance.

Be mindful that site optimization is a continuous process, regardless of the CMS used. Best practices like compressing images, implementing lazy loading, and minifying CSS and JavaScript can significantly improve load speed.

Wrapping Up

Migrating complex enterprise websites from Drupal to WordPress requires meticulous planning and careful execution. The goal is to preserve all critical elements — content hierarchy, user roles, SEO attributes, and performance optimization.

Of course, it can get difficult to do all of this in-house, particularly in fast-paced environments where cross-functional teams collaborate frequently. It involves hiring new hiring specialists, communicating with stakeholders, and the whole nine yards.

This results in an extensively long timeline, frequent operational disruptions, and high costs.

A better approach is to partner with an experienced Drupal to WordPress migration team for a seamless CMS transition.

Multidots has successfully helped many enterprises and large organizations move from Drupal to WordPress with minimal downtime. The battle-tested approach of the WordPress VIP Partner offers end-to-end migration services tailored to enterprise needs.

Ready to make a swift and safe jump to WordPress?

Contact us today for a free consultation.

FAQs