How Do I Convert a Static .php site to Wordpress?

by 5 replies
8
Warriors:

I have a static .php review site for an affiliate product whose template came in a package along with an ebook that got me started in IM. I've been thinking hard about converting my site to a wordpress site, being that

1) The original static template I have is not giving me the flexibility to change around the design to match the sales page of the product I'm promoting and with tweaking, it's become harder to keep everything above the fold.
2) I think that since I have 80 articles on EZA and other site, it's time that I stop giving other sites the glory and put these articles on my own site.
3) I hear that google LOVES wordpress sites.

So my questions are:
1) Is there a way to convert safely to Wordpress without messing up my files?
2) Are there any free WP themes out there that work perfect for a review site?
3) How would I keep my squeeze page intact?

Thank you very much for your help,

Ike
#website design #convert #php #site #static #wordpress
  • bah to the g loving wordpress...lol :p

    wordpress is for blogging and unless you really wanna do blogging, i would suggest staying away from it. overall the debate still rages about whether or not there is extra seo in wp, while wp is robust you shouldn't necessarily flip your site into a wp just because g "loves" wp

    if you do want to jump into wp, my suggestion is to deploy the default twentyten theme and dive into the css. that is definitely one of the easiest themes to reskin, we have reskinned it numerous times at the 9-5 with success. the css is robust and the layout of the .php files is nice and clean.

    i would also suggest as an alternative is to have a freelancer do you up a fresh style sheet and html page that you can get in and play with. probably find one perty cheap on a link in here somewhere. shouldn't take more than a day or so.
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks for the feedback.

      Right now, I don't have a web designer in my budget so I waned a free option.
  • It is a very good idea to switch to WP or other CMS of your choice. Most would agree that WP is much easier to use and setup than the others, and has a multitude of great themes. With a little effort, you can make WP look more like a website, as less like a blog, if you wish. Here is an example of a simple html site that I just converted to WP. I used a free theme and modified the CSS:

    http://statfest.com

    I was able to set the whole thing up in an afternoon, just adding a few plugins for the form and SEO.

    You can definitely convert without messing up your files. When you install WP, your files will still be be in on the server. Back up for good measure. You might want to install WP on a test directory and get comfortable with it before you make the switch. You can also try out the many themes that are available. Moving content to WP is simply copy/paste. Uploading pictures is easy too. Practice and have fun, you'll wonder why you didn't do this sooner!

    There are free themes for review-style sites, and even squeeze pages. Search for leads in the warrior forum and google, you'll certainly find something that suits your needs.

    And yes, Google does love WP. And WP has lots of SEO plug-ins that will help you promote your site.

    Talkreal
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Hey, thanks a lot for all your positive info. I did wind up putting WP in a test folder and I'm going to test it out with different themes.
  • I've used Wordpress on many sites, none of which were blogs, and it's even better now with the release of version 3 and the 2010 theme.

    Depending on just what your design/functional requirements are, I'd say play with the default 2010 theme to see what you can do first. You can easily change the background and header images, and the new menu system is super easy to work with too.

    While there are plenty of great free themes out there, you can get a lot for about $40 at elegantthemes.com or themeforest too.
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