Preparing your WordPress migration

So you’ve decided to make the leap from WordPress to CloudCannon — and honestly, who could blame you? We all know how those plugin updates, constant maintenance, and security worries can start to wear you down.

CloudCannon's approach is refreshingly different: it’s Git-based, generates lightning-fast static sites, and still gives you that user-friendly content management you're used to, without all the overhead that comes with traditional CMS platforms.

If you already know which static site generator you'd like to use, great — you'll be able to skip almost all the steps in this tutorial! Here are a few popular options, complete with specific instructions:

• Eleventy: A utility (and CLI) to import your WordPress site directly into Eleventy — github.com/11ty/eleventy-import
• Hugo: A WordPress plugin to export your site, formatted for Hugo — github.com/SchumacherFM/wordpress-to-hugo-exporter
• Jekyll: A WordPress plugin to export your site, formatted for Jekyll — github.com/benbalter/wordpress-to-jekyll-exporter

Once you've used these tools and have your site ready for your SSG, you're all set to get started with CloudCannon!

If you're not sure which SSG you'd prefer, or your chosen SSG doesn't have an import tool, let's carry on:

Moving from WordPress to CloudCannon is like moving house: you’ll need to pack things up, move them around, and set them up in a new way. But don’t worry! This article will walk you through the beginning steps of getting your content out of WordPress, ready to set up your shiny new CloudCannon workspace.

Yes, it’ll take some planning and effort, but I promise the end result is worth it: you'll have a faster, more secure site that’s actually enjoyable to maintain. Ready to get started?

Planning

Before we dive into the technical steps, let's take a moment to plan our migration strategy. This phase is like taking inventory — we need to know exactly what we're working with.

We'll start by mapping out your current WordPress site structure, identifying all your content types (posts, pages, custom post types), and making note of any special functionality you'll need to recreate. Then we'll use some helpful tools to export your content in a format that we can easily work with.

This groundwork might feel a bit tedious, but trust me — good preparation now will save you hours of headaches later.

Create a full site backup (just in case)

Before we make any changes, let's create a complete backup of your WordPress site. If anything unexpected happens during the migration, you'll have a perfect snapshot to fall back on. We'll back up not just your content, but your entire WordPress installation, including themes, plugins, and your database. This gives you a safety net and the confidence to proceed with your migration knowing you can always restore everything to exactly how it was.

Database backup

# Using WP-CLI
wp db export backup.sql

# Or using mysqldump
mysqldump -u [username] -p [database_name] > backup.sql

File system backup

# To back up your entire WordPress directory
tar -czf wordpress_backup.tar.gz /path/to/wordpress

# To back up just your content
tar -czf wp-content_backup.tar.gz /path/to/wordpress/wp-content

Site audit checklist

Now it's time to take inventory of your WordPress site's current state, systematically documenting every corner of your website. We'll look at your content structure, review your active plugins, and identify any potential migration challenges. This audit helps us create a clear picture of what needs to be moved and helps prevent any surprises down the road.

Plugin analysis

1. Generate a plugin list:

# Using WP-CLI
wp plugin list --format=csv > plugin_list.csv

1. Document each active plugin:

• Plugin name and version
• Core functionality provided
• Whether functionality needs to be replicated in CloudCannon
• Potential static alternatives

Example documentation format:

Plugin,Version,Purpose,Required in CloudCannon,Alternative
Yoast SEO,19.4,SEO management,Yes,CloudCannon schemas + SSG settings
Contact Form 7,5.6,Forms handling,Yes,Built into CloudCannon
WP Super Cache,1.7,Caching,Yes,Built into CloudCannon
SearchWP,4.3.17,Search,Yes,Pagefind

Custom post types inventory

1. List all custom post types:

// Add to functions.php temporarily
add_action('init', function() {
    $post_types = get_post_types([], 'objects');
    file_put_contents('post-types.json', json_encode($post_types, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT));
});

1. Document each custom post type:

• Post type name
• Associated taxonomies
• Custom fields
• Templates used
• Content relationships

Here’s an example documentation format:

post_type: services
taxonomies:
  - industry
  - service_type
custom_fields:
  - duration
  - process_steps
  - key_benefits
templates:
  - single-service.php
  - archive-service.php
relationships:
  - case_studies
  - team_members

Content structure mapping

1. Create a content hierarchy diagram
2. Document content relationships
3. Map URL structure
4. List all taxonomies and terms

Your structure might look something like this:

└── Services
    ├── Industry
    │   ├── Healthcare
    │   ├── Finance
    │   └── Technology
    ├── Service type
    │   ├── Consulting
    │   ├── Implementation
    │   └── Training
    ├── Delivery method
    │   ├── On-site
    │   ├── Remote
    │   └── Hybrid
    └── Service details
        ├── Process steps
        │   ├── Discovery
        │   ├── Planning
        │   └── Implementation
        └── Key benefits
            ├── Time savings
            ├── Cost reduction
            └── Quality improvement

Feature audit

Finally, let's identify all the special functionality your WordPress site currently provides. This means documenting things like contact forms, commenting features, search functionality, or any custom integrations. Understanding these features now helps us plan how to rebuild them effectively in your new CloudCannon setup.

Create a spreadsheet covering all of your site’s additional functions. For example:

• Dynamic features inventory
• Interactive elements
• Third-party integrations
• API dependencies

Example format:

If you're looking for additional services to replicate features from your WordPress site, check out our Jamstack Ecosystem guide — it lists a huge range of services that work with CloudCannon sites.

By this point, you'll have a very clear picture of all your site content, and which additional features your site relies on.

Next up, we'll export your site's content.