Migrating from an HTML site to the reliable and scalable WP CMS can work wonders for your online presence. Your site is rendered with more interactivity and attracts higher visibility. But, before you decide to make the big switch, you need to have a thorough understanding of the entire migration process. Here's an overview of the 5 major steps that are involved in the HTML to WordPress Migration process.
Step 1: Grab some info!
Before you take any step in the direction of HTML to WordPress conversion, it is essential that you look around and gather key information related to your website. Before making the big switch, you need to know your website well. Browsing through the website will help you in acknowledging the style and navigation, but there are several hidden things that you won't be able to catch hold of, such as confirmation messages, hidden sales pages, downloads, forms etc. It is essential that you have apt knowledge of all of these pages so the scope of your project is defined properly. A well-defined scope will help in faster migration of your site.
Step 2: It's Development Time.
This is most stretched stage of the entire migration process. Most of the designing work is accomplished at this stage. During the development phase, developers will conduct a thorough review of your site and design its structure in WordPress accordingly. Development takes place away from your domain and regular hosting, usually in a 'Sandbox' environment. It facilitates the developers at the time of designing, testing and migrating content and ensures that your HTML site is intact while its WP counterpart is underway. Some major steps involved in this phase are enlisted below:
Step 3: Time for the Big Switch: Migration
As understood, this is the most critical phase in the entire process. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. Migrating content from HTML site to WP template is a long haul as it is more than just simple copy-paste. It is often seen that the HTML sites are fluffed with unnecessary, irrelevant code snippets that do not fit well with the well-defined, clean and semantic structure of the new WP version. Thus, you need to keep a close eye on the content every time a part of it is migrated. The migration stage comprises of following crucial steps:
Step 4: Ready for the Big Launch
It sounds exciting and easy, but that isn't the case. This step of HTML to WordPress migration is highly stressful. During this stage you need to ensure that your host is ready to accept WP installation. In case you haven't decided upon a host yet, you need to choose one now, which fits in the budget and requisitions of your business. Prior to making the big switch, you need to ensure that all the files have been transferred to your host server. This will minimize the down time of the site on the decided day of launch. Once the file transfer is complete, you need to modify the DNS nameservers. This will make the down time of your site lie anywhere between 2 and 48 hours.
Step 5: Scouting Time!
It's time to act like a scout and check your site over and over again. You don't want to see any bugs once your site goes live, so go through each and every section of your site thoroughly to make sure there are no underlying code errors or broken links. Also ensure that all the content has been migrated and placed properly. Precaution is always better than cure.
And You Are Good to Go!
Finally! You have switched your old school HTML site with robust and scalable WordPress portal. You can go live and enjoy the numerous benefits of the newly acquired CMS.
Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?The-5-Step-Strategy-to-Make-the-Big-Switch-From-HTML-to-WordPress&id=7606370
Step 1: Grab some info!
Before you take any step in the direction of HTML to WordPress conversion, it is essential that you look around and gather key information related to your website. Before making the big switch, you need to know your website well. Browsing through the website will help you in acknowledging the style and navigation, but there are several hidden things that you won't be able to catch hold of, such as confirmation messages, hidden sales pages, downloads, forms etc. It is essential that you have apt knowledge of all of these pages so the scope of your project is defined properly. A well-defined scope will help in faster migration of your site.
Step 2: It's Development Time.
This is most stretched stage of the entire migration process. Most of the designing work is accomplished at this stage. During the development phase, developers will conduct a thorough review of your site and design its structure in WordPress accordingly. Development takes place away from your domain and regular hosting, usually in a 'Sandbox' environment. It facilitates the developers at the time of designing, testing and migrating content and ensures that your HTML site is intact while its WP counterpart is underway. Some major steps involved in this phase are enlisted below:
- Designing and defining loading logos, header and header images.
- Defining the basic navigation structure, this will evolve during the development phase as well as throughout the content migration process.
- Incorporating basic plug-ins that will facilitate the development of footers and sidebars, which will prove beneficial during the migration process as well as at the later stages for content updation
- Developing initial templates for pages such as Blog page and Home Page
- Adding images, defining style templates, styling content area etc.
Step 3: Time for the Big Switch: Migration
As understood, this is the most critical phase in the entire process. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. Migrating content from HTML site to WP template is a long haul as it is more than just simple copy-paste. It is often seen that the HTML sites are fluffed with unnecessary, irrelevant code snippets that do not fit well with the well-defined, clean and semantic structure of the new WP version. Thus, you need to keep a close eye on the content every time a part of it is migrated. The migration stage comprises of following crucial steps:
- Migrating the content from main posts and pages
- Migrating the content on sidebar or updating it with new WP functionality, whichever is defined in the scope document.
- Migrating the navigation structure, if no new structure has been defined during the development stage
- Migrating images and uploading related links
Step 4: Ready for the Big Launch
It sounds exciting and easy, but that isn't the case. This step of HTML to WordPress migration is highly stressful. During this stage you need to ensure that your host is ready to accept WP installation. In case you haven't decided upon a host yet, you need to choose one now, which fits in the budget and requisitions of your business. Prior to making the big switch, you need to ensure that all the files have been transferred to your host server. This will minimize the down time of the site on the decided day of launch. Once the file transfer is complete, you need to modify the DNS nameservers. This will make the down time of your site lie anywhere between 2 and 48 hours.
Step 5: Scouting Time!
It's time to act like a scout and check your site over and over again. You don't want to see any bugs once your site goes live, so go through each and every section of your site thoroughly to make sure there are no underlying code errors or broken links. Also ensure that all the content has been migrated and placed properly. Precaution is always better than cure.
And You Are Good to Go!
Finally! You have switched your old school HTML site with robust and scalable WordPress portal. You can go live and enjoy the numerous benefits of the newly acquired CMS.
Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?The-5-Step-Strategy-to-Make-the-Big-Switch-From-HTML-to-WordPress&id=7606370
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