Merging Two WordPress Sites: A Perplexing and Bursting Process

Merging two WordPress sites may seem like a simple task, but it is a complex process that requires careful planning and execution. There could be countless reasons why one would want to consolidate their other websites into one platform or acquire a new business website. Regardless of the motivation, this process must go smoothly without causing any disruption to the user experience.

Step 1: Back Up Both Sites

Before beginning the merging process, it is crucial to take a backup of both sites to safeguard all your data. To accomplish this, various popular WordPress backup plugins such as Updraftplus, BackupBuddy or Duplicator could be used to take a complete backup of both WordPress sites.

Ensure you have all the necessary files, which include WordPress core files, themes, plugins, and databases. This backup plan comes in handy if anything goes wrong during the merge and reverting to the old sites is necessary.

Step 2: Analyze Both Sites to Determine the Primary Site

The following step is to assess both sites and evaluate which one to keep as the primary site—the one that would be the base to merge the other site. Various factors such as domain authority, traffic volume, search engine rankings, content quality, backlinks profile, site design and functionality must be considered while determining the site to keep.

Once the site to keep is decided upon, it is time to move on to the next step.

Step 3: Create a Fresh WordPress Site

Before merging the two WordPress sites, a new WordPress site must be installed. This fresh site will be the new merged WordPress site, and it’ll be used as the basis to merge the other site.

Installation of the fresh WordPress site can be done from the WordPress.org website or via your hosting provider. After installing the site, a theme and some essential plugins such as Yoast SEO, Jetpack, and WPForms should also be installed.

Step 4: Export the Data from the Secondary Site

After installing the fresh WordPress site, the data from the secondary site must be exported using the built-in WordPress export tool. Exporting content, pages, posts, images, and other data could be done with ease using this tool.

To export data, go to the backend of your secondary site and click on ‘Tools’ > ‘Export.’ Select the ‘All Content’ option and click the ‘Download Export File’ button. This will download an XML file that includes all content and data.

Step 5: Import Data to the Fresh Site

For the next step, the exported data from the secondary site must be imported into the fresh WordPress site. Click on ‘Tools’ > ‘Import’ in the backend of your fresh site, select the WordPress option, and install the WordPress importer plugin.

After the importer plugin has been installed, click on the ‘Choose File’ button and select the XML file exported from the secondary site. Click ‘Upload File and Import.

With this, all data and content from the secondary site will be imported into the fresh WordPress site.

Step 6: Redirect Traffic from the Secondary Site to the Fresh Site

Once the data is imported into the fresh WordPress site, the next step is to redirect traffic from the secondary site to the fresh site. Quick Page/Post Redirect Plugin or Redirection plugins could be used to set up 301 redirects for moving traffic from one site to the other.

After setting up the redirects, test them to ensure proper functioning.

Step 7: Merge Themes and Plugins from the Secondary Site to the Fresh Site

The next step is to merge the themes and plugins from the secondary site on to the fresh WordPress site by installing the same theme and plugins used earlier. However, make sure to check if the theme and plugins used previously are compatible with the fresh site before installing them. Run a compatibility checker plugin like Theme Check and Plugin Check to check the compatibility, and if any issues arise with compatibility, find proper alternatives for the theme and plugins.

After installing identical plugins and themes used earlier, configure them to match the settings prevailing on the secondary site.

Step 8: Merge the Users and Permissions

Next, merge the users and permissions from the secondary site onto the fresh site. Merge the users and permissions using the WP-CLI command-line tool by logging into the backend of the fresh site and running the following command: wp import users –authors=import.

Importing all the users from the secondary site into the fresh site will be followed by adjusting their roles and permissions to match the settings present on the secondary site.

Step 9: Fix Broken Links and Images

When merging the two WordPress sites, broken images and links could exist in the new site. To prevent disrupting the user’s experience, fixing such issues is essential.

To fix broken links, use a plugin like Broken Link Checker to detect any broken links on your website and carry out necessary measures to fix it.

To solve broken images, install a plugin like Regenerate Thumbnails that regenerates the media library thumbnails after the installation of a new theme or change in the dimensions of the images.

Step 10: Test and Verify Everything

After completing all prior steps, testing and verifying all steps is crucial. Ensure that the site is functioning correctly, check for broken links and images, and guarantee that the redirects set up are working correctly. Google Search Console can be used to check for crawl errors, search engine rankings, and traffic volume.

Conclusion

Merging two WordPress sites is a complex process that requires careful planning and organization. It’s crucial to take a backup of both sites before beginning the process and analyze both sites to determine which site to keep. After that, a fresh WordPress site must be installed, and data must be exported and imported to the fresh site correctly. Traffic must be redirected accordingly, followed by merging themes, plugins, users, and permissions. To prevent disruptions in a user’s experience, fixing broken links and images is essential. Finally, everything must be tested and verified to ensure that the process was successful.