Zavon

Switching from WordPress

Overview

This guide moves a website from WordPress to Pages. You rebuild your pages, import your articles and pictures, keep your old addresses working and connect your domain.

Before you start

You need a role that can edit pages and media. To connect the domain, you need access to its DNS records.

Keep your WordPress site online until the move is done. Make a list of its pages and their addresses.

Keep a copy of your site

  1. Export from WordPress

    In WordPress, select Tools › Export. Save the file it makes.

  2. Keep the file

    Keep the file as your record of the old site. Pages does not read it.

Import your articles

  1. Open the screen

    In the sidebar, select Site › Posts. Then select Import article.

  2. Paste the address

    Paste the article’s address into Article link.

  3. Keep the old address

    Optionally, type the old address in Original address (optional).

  4. Import

    Select Import. Pages makes a draft post with the article’s pictures in your media library.

  5. Publish

    Read the draft, correct it and publish it.

A blog post open in the Pages editor
A post in the editor. Shown with a fictional organisation.

Bring your pictures

  1. Open the library

    In the sidebar, select Site › Media.

  2. Upload

    Drag up to 10 photos onto the screen, or upload a zip of up to 200 MB.

  3. Copy one picture

    In a picture field, open From a link. Paste the Picture address and select Copy into the library.

The media library with photos uploading
Uploading to the media library. Shown with a fictional organisation.

Keep your old addresses working

  1. List the old addresses

    Write each old address beside the new page it goes to.

  2. Send the list

    Send the list to Zavon. We add a permanent redirect for each address.

  3. Check them

    Open a few old addresses. Each one opens its new page.

Connect your domain

  1. Add the domain

    In the sidebar, select Site › Sites and domains. Add your domain.

  2. Prove it is yours

    Add the TXT record first. Wait until it shows as found.

  3. Switch the site

    Change the routing records. Visitors see the new site when the records update.

The DNS records for a domain in Pages, each with a copy button
The records for a domain. Shown with a fictional organisation.

Troubleshooting

If Pages cannot reach the article, paste the page’s HTML into Article HTML instead.

If an article has more than 20 pictures, Pages copies the first 20. Add the rest from the media library.

If an old address still shows a page, a live page uses that address. A redirect applies only where no page is.

Good to know

Renamed pages. When you change a page’s address in Pages, the old address redirects on its own.

A folder of addresses. A redirect for a folder also moves the addresses under it.

Search engines. Check your settings under Settings › SEO. Pages makes the sitemap for you.

Create a page: build the pages you had.
Write a blog post: posts in full.
Media library: pictures and uploads.
Your own domain: the records in full.
Search engine settings: titles, descriptions and the sitemap.