“Unveiled: The Ultimate Guide to Seamlessly Transitioning from Blogger to WordPress!”
Blogging: A booming profession
Blogging has become more than just a hobby, it has established itself as a promising profession in the recent years. If you are already blogging and considering a switch to WordPress, you are not alone. The platform offers greater features, customization options and flexibility compared to Blogger, making it the ideal choice for bloggers.
Transferring your Blogger Content to WordPress
If you are planning to transfer your Blogger content to WordPress, do not fret, it is not as daunting as it seems. Here are a few simple steps for you to follow:
Step 1: Get a Domain and Hosting Service
Before beginning the transfer process, you need to invest in a domain and hosting service. A domain is like your blog’s internet address and hosting is the virtual space where your blog will be stored. Several domain and hosting services are available, including Bluehost, HostGator and Siteground. Once you have picked a hosting service, install WordPress on it.
Step 2: Export Your Blogger Content
The first step towards moving to WordPress is to export your Blogger content. To export, select the desired blog on Blogger, then click on the ‘Settings’ tab and choose ‘Other’. Look for the ‘Export’ option and click on it. A dialogue box will appear asking if you want to download your blog. Select ‘Download’ to save a copy on your computer.
Step 3: Import Your Blogger Content to WordPress
With the Blogger content downloaded, go to your WordPress dashboard, click on ‘Tools’ and select ‘Import’. Look for the ‘Blogger’ option and click on it. A dialogue box will pop up asking you to install the ‘Blogger Importer’ plugin. Select ‘Install Now’ and then ‘Activate Plugin’.
After activating the plugin, you will be asked to upload your Blogger content. Click on ‘Choose File’ and select the downloaded Blogger file from your computer, then click on ‘Upload and Import’. This will import your Blogger content into WordPress.
Step 4: Set Up Permalinks
Your URL structure in WordPress gets determined by the ‘Permalinks’ setting. To ensure the same URL structure, go to ‘Settings’ in the WordPress dashboard and select ‘Permalinks’. Pick ‘Custom Structure’ and key in the following code in the text field:
/%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%.html
Click on ‘Save Changes’ to ensure consequent redirection of all the URLs from Blogger to your new WordPress site.
Step 5: Redirect Visitors from Your Old Blog to Your New Site
To direct your previous blog visitors to your new site, buy domain forwarding from your domain registrar or hosting provider. If your old blog URL is ‘www.oldblog.com’ and your new blog URL is ‘www.newblog.com’, you need to forward the visitors from ‘www.oldblog.com’ to ‘www.newblog.com’. This will also transfer your search engine rankings and traffic to your new site.
Step 6: Redirect Your Feed
Head over to FeedBurner (owned by Google) on a browser and log in to your account. Pick the feed from your Blogger account and head to the ‘Edit Feed Details’ section. Change the ‘Original Feed’ to the new WordPress feed (for instance: http://www.newblog.com/feed). Select ‘Save Feed Details’ to confirm your edits.
Step 7: Check Everything is Working
After you complete the above steps, ensure that everything is working appropriately. Verify that all your pages, posts, categories and tags are correctly transferred. Additionally, make sure your internal links work just fine.
Final Thoughts
Blogger might have been a great starting point, but with WordPress, you get more customization, functions and personalized options to take your blog to new heights. By following these steps, you can transfer your blog from Blogger to WordPress and not lose any of your valuable content. Although it might seem intimidating initially, transferring your blog to WordPress undoubtedly pays off in the long run.
