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Really want these sites on WP instead of static. Help?

by katied772
9 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
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I have been using WP just within the past 4-5 months. Originally, I thought I'd never get the hang of it and didn't bother with it.
Now, I have several WP sites and love the platform.
I have two of my original sites that are static html, built with Xsite Pro. While I like Xsite Pro, I feel very limited by it and it takes so much longer than WP to add anything.
I'd really like to have these two sites on WP but I just don't understand the re-directs and all.
Are there any other options?
Can I just copy/paste the content and let the original sites die?
Neither of these sites have much page rank but they are about 4 years old.
One of the sites is on a hyphenated name but I also own the non-hyphenated version, so I thought maybe I could build the same site on that domain.
I find myself neglecting these sites because I just don't like working on them in Xsite Pro, though they could both likely be good sites with some added work.
#sites #static
  • Profile picture of the author mgreener
    Hi,

    If you want to put the sites on Wordpress, then by all means, do so.

    In regards to page rank and rankings in general. Try to keep as many of the pagenames and links the same as possible. For everything that doesn't make it with the exact same name and directory structure, use the Wordpress plugin "Simple 301 Redirects".
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    • Profile picture of the author katied772
      Originally Posted by mgreener View Post

      Hi,

      If you want to put the sites on Wordpress, then by all means, do so.

      In regards to page rank and rankings in general. Try to keep as many of the pagenames and links the same as possible. For everything that doesn't make it with the exact same name and directory structure, use the Wordpress plugin "Simple 301 Redirects".
      So, would I copy/paste the content from my old site to the new one, then when all is copied I would do the redirects? What would I do with the old site then since at least with one site it would have the same domain?
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      • Profile picture of the author katied772
        Or, if I am willing to give up any links and essentially start over (but keep the same domain), can I just copy/paste, then eliminate the old site? Is this even possible?
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        • Profile picture of the author emdubl
          yes it is possible. if your old site is a static HTML site, then you can just create a sub folder - call it "OLDSITE", then move all of the files into that folder.

          do this with whatever FTP program you use to upload files.

          then install wordpress in the root folder of your existing site and set it up as you would any other wordpress site. you can copy and paste content from your old site files as needed. - then delete them when you are complete (maybe download a copy of the files to your pc just in case you need to reference them later)
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          • Profile picture of the author katied772
            Originally Posted by emdubl View Post

            yes it is possible. if your old site is a static HTML site, then you can just create a sub folder - call it "OLDSITE", then move all of the files into that folder.

            do this with whatever FTP program you use to upload files.

            then install wordpress in the root folder of your existing site and set it up as you would any other wordpress site. you can copy and paste content from your old site files as needed. - then delete them when you are complete (maybe download a copy of the files to your pc just in case you need to reference them later)
            Would I have to use an ftp program or could I just save it to a zip file and upload directly to WP like I would a template or plug-in? How do I install it on the same domain as the old siteand how is the record of all old pages deleted from the internet? I am totally non-techie, can you tell?
            Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
    Take care of SEO while changing sites.
    Same content on two domains will affect SEO of 2nd site. Google will see ur 2nd site as duplicate of 1st site. It would be better if U copy all stuffs from 1st sites and then install WP on them.

    Thnx...Any more question..ask me...I like to answer WP related questions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean3000
    I agree that you should move all of your site files to a backup directory (i.e. OLDSITE) then copy/paste your content into a new WordPress installation.

    You don't have to do move your old site's files with FTP, but FTP is easier and faster in my opinion.

    When possible, use the exact same name for the new version of the page. Since your old site is static HTML, I'm guessing this won't really be an option because all pages will end in .html or .htm. This is why you'll need to use the 301 redirect plugin mentioned earlier.

    Once you've moved your old site files to the oldsite directory, this will be what you need to do for each page:

    1) Copy content of www.yoursite.com/oldsite/your_article.html
    2) Paste the content into a new WordPress post or page and publish that post using the slug (custom URL) title your-article
    3) Use the 301 redirect plugin to point all requests for www.yoursite.com/your_article.html to www.yoursite.com/your-article
    4) Repeat for all pages on your site

    While there's always a risk you'll lose SEO when you do this kind of thing, I think Google understands that people need to modify their site's structure from time to time. As long as old links point to pages that contain the same content, I can't imagine your SEO will take a big hit.

    Good luck, let me know if you have any other questions.
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    • Profile picture of the author katied772
      Originally Posted by Sean3000 View Post

      I agree that you should move all of your site files to a backup directory (i.e. OLDSITE) then copy/paste your content into a new WordPress installation.

      You don't have to do move your old site's files with FTP, but FTP is easier and faster in my opinion.

      When possible, use the exact same name for the new version of the page. Since your old site is static HTML, I'm guessing this won't really be an option because all pages will end in .html or .htm. This is why you'll need to use the 301 redirect plugin mentioned earlier.

      Once you've moved your old site files to the oldsite directory, this will be what you need to do for each page:

      1) Copy content of www.yoursite.com/oldsite/your_article.html
      2) Paste the content into a new WordPress post or page and publish that post using the slug (custom URL) title your-article
      3) Use the 301 redirect plugin to point all requests for www.yoursite.com/your_article.html to www.yoursite.com/your-article
      4) Repeat for all pages on your site

      While there's always a risk you'll lose SEO when you do this kind of thing, I think Google understands that people need to modify their site's structure from time to time. As long as old links point to pages that contain the same content, I can't imagine your SEO will take a big hit.

      Good luck, let me know if you have any other questions.
      I use Hostgator. Is the backup file done within Hostgator? One of my sites I have the hyhenated and non-hyphenated domain names. The hyphenated one has my html site on it. The non-hyphenated I have installed as a WP site but have not added content. Was hoping to use this for one of my transfers> Would I install a back-up file (Oldsite) in the Hostgator files for this site and where?
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean3000
    Hostgator does offer a of backup service, but it's more for restoring lost site data than doing the kind of thing you're trying to do. The backup people are referring to on this thread is something you'll do manually. It won't be a single file--it will be a new folder you create on your hosting space that will contain all of your old site's files. You can do this via File Manager or FTP. Once you've created the backup folder (e.g. oldsite) and moved your old site's files into it, you can view the old site by going to www.yoursite.com/oldsite.

    Once you've manually transferred the old site files to your backup folder, you can install WordPress in your root/home directory. It's fine for your backup folder and your WP installation to live in the same directory--they won't have any affect on one another.

    Once you've got your old site moved into the backup folder and your new WordPress site installed, it's just a matter of copy/pasting content into WordPress.

    I would highly recommend keeping the hyphenated version of your site instead of switching to a different domain. I know the non-hyphenated name might seem more professional, but if you've had content on your old domain for any length of time you don't want to give up all that SEO juice (older domains get more points from Google).
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