Moving your website content from WordPress to SharePoint doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Whether you're transitioning for better team collaboration, enhanced security, or to integrate with Microsoft 365, this guide walks you through the entire process using free methods and tools. I'll show you exactly how to migrate your WordPress site to SharePoint without spending a dime, while preserving your content integrity and minimizing downtime.

Why Migrate from WordPress to SharePoint?

Before diving into the migration process, let's quickly look at why you might want to make this switch:

• Better integration with Microsoft 365 applications
• Enhanced document management capabilities
• Improved security features and compliance options
• Streamlined team collaboration tools
• Centralized content management within your organization

Many organizations find that SharePoint offers better enterprise-level features when they outgrow WordPress. The good news is that you can migrate without purchasing expensive third-party tools.

Prerequisites for WordPress to SharePoint Migration

Before starting your migration journey, make sure you have:

• Admin access to your WordPress site
• Admin permissions on your SharePoint site
• Basic understanding of both platforms
• Backup of your WordPress site (extremely important!)
• List of all WordPress plugins and their functions
• Inventory of your content types and structure

Taking time for proper preparation will save you countless headaches during the actual migration process.

Step-by-Step WordPress to SharePoint Migration Guide

Phase 1: Planning Your Migration

A successful migration starts with thorough planning. Here's how to prepare:

1. Audit Your WordPress Content

First, take inventory of everything on your WordPress site:

• Number of pages and posts
• Media files (images, videos, documents)
• Custom post types
• Comments
• User accounts and roles
• Forms and form submissions
• E-commerce data (if applicable)

Use a plugin like All-in-One WP Migration to generate a report of your site structure, or manually document everything if your site is smaller.

2. Map Content to SharePoint Structure

Create a detailed plan for where each type of WordPress content will go in SharePoint:

• WordPress pages → SharePoint pages
• Blog posts → SharePoint news posts or a dedicated blog site
• Media files → SharePoint document libraries
• Custom post types → SharePoint lists or libraries
• User permissions → SharePoint permission groups

This mapping document will serve as your roadmap throughout the migration process.

3. Set Up Your SharePoint Environment

Before migrating any content, prepare your SharePoint destination:

• Create necessary site collections
• Set up document libraries for different content types
• Configure SharePoint lists as needed
• Establish user groups and permissions
• Create page templates that match your WordPress structure

Phase 2: Exporting WordPress Content

Now that you've planned your migration, it's time to extract content from WordPress:

1. Use WordPress's Built-in Export Tool

WordPress includes a free export tool that creates XML files containing your content:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
2. Go to Tools → Export
3. Select "All content" (or choose specific content types)
4. Click "Download Export File"

This will generate an XML file with your posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, and tags.

2. Export Media Files Separately

The WordPress export doesn't include media files, so you'll need to get these separately:

1. Connect to your WordPress site via FTP (using FileZilla or similar)
2. Navigate to the /wp-content/uploads/ directory
3. Download all files and folders

Alternatively, use a plugin like “Export Media Library” to download a zip file of all media.

3. Export Plugin Data (If Needed)

If you have critical data stored by plugins (like forms or e-commerce information), you'll need to export this separately:

• Check if your plugins have export functions
• Export databases tables directly using phpMyAdmin if necessary
• Document plugin settings you'll need to recreate in SharePoint

Phase 3: Importing Content to SharePoint

1. Set Up Basic SharePoint Structure

Before importing content, create your basic structure in SharePoint:

1. Create document libraries for different content types
2. Set up any required lists
3. Configure metadata columns that match your WordPress categories/tags
4. Establish site navigation similar to your WordPress menu

2. Manual Content Migration

For smaller sites, manual migration often works best:

1. Open your WordPress XML file in a text editor or Excel
2. Create new pages in SharePoint for each WordPress page/post
3. Copy and paste content, adjusting formatting as needed
4. Upload media files to appropriate document libraries
5. Update links to point to the new SharePoint locations

This approach gives you the most control over how content appears in SharePoint.

3. Using Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool

Microsoft offers a free SharePoint Migration Tool that can help with file transfers:

1. Download the SharePoint Migration Tool from Microsoft's website
2. Install and open the application
3. Select "File share" as the source
4. Point to the folder containing your WordPress media files
5. Select your SharePoint site as the destination
6. Map the source files to the appropriate SharePoint libraries
7. Start the migration

This tool works well for transferring media files but doesn't handle WordPress post/page content directly.

Phase 4: Converting WordPress Posts to SharePoint Pages

1. Using CSV Import Method

For bulk page creation, you can use SharePoint's list import capabilities:

1. Convert your WordPress XML export to CSV format (using Excel or online converters)
2. Clean up the CSV to include only the columns you need (title, content, date, author, etc.)
3. Create a SharePoint list with matching columns
4. Import the CSV into your SharePoint list
5. Use Power Automate (formerly Flow) to create pages from list items

This approach requires some technical setup but can save time for larger migrations.

2. HTML Content Conversion

WordPress and SharePoint handle HTML differently, so you'll need to clean up content:

• Replace WordPress shortcodes with SharePoint equivalents
• Fix image links to point to SharePoint locations
• Adjust heading styles to match SharePoint formatting
• Remove any WordPress-specific HTML that SharePoint doesn't support

You can use tools like Notepad++ with regular expressions to make bulk replacements.

3. Recreating Page Layouts

SharePoint offers different page layout options than WordPress:

1. Choose appropriate SharePoint page templates (basic page, news post, etc.)
2. Use web parts to recreate WordPress widgets and blocks
3. Set up page sections to match your WordPress layout
4. Add SharePoint web parts for interactive elements

Modern SharePoint pages are responsive by default, which is an advantage over some WordPress themes.

Phase 5: Handling Special Content Types

1. Migrating WordPress Forms

If your WordPress site uses contact forms:

1. Create equivalent forms using Microsoft Forms
2. Embed the forms in SharePoint pages
3. Set up appropriate submission handling (email notifications, etc.)
4. Configure form permissions to match your requirements

Microsoft Forms integrates natively with SharePoint and offers similar functionality to basic WordPress form plugins.

2. Blog Posts and Comments

For WordPress blogs with active comments:

• Migrate posts to SharePoint news posts or a dedicated blog site
• Consider using SharePoint's comments feature (more limited than WordPress)
• For extensive commenting needs, consider embedding a third-party comment system
• Set up appropriate notification flows for new comments

3. Custom Post Types

For WordPress custom post types:

1. Create SharePoint lists with columns matching your custom fields
2. Import data using CSV files exported from WordPress
3. Set up appropriate views to display the information
4. Create page templates to display list items in a user-friendly way

Phase 6: Handling Media and Attachments

1. Organizing Media in Document Libraries

SharePoint uses document libraries for media storage:

1. Create separate document libraries for different media types (images, documents, videos)
2. Upload your WordPress media files to appropriate libraries
3. Set up metadata columns to categorize media (similar to WordPress media categories)
4. Configure appropriate permissions for each library

2. Updating Media Links

After uploading media, you'll need to update links in your content:

• Create a spreadsheet mapping old WordPress URLs to new SharePoint URLs
• Use find-and-replace tools to update links in your content
• Test all pages to ensure media displays correctly
• Fix any broken links manually

3. Handling PDFs and Documents

For PDF files and other documents:

1. Upload to a dedicated SharePoint document library
2. Set appropriate metadata (title, description, categories)
3. Configure versioning settings if needed
4. Update links in content to point to the new locations

SharePoint excels at document management, so this is an area where you'll gain functionality.

Phase 7: URL Structure and Redirects

1. Planning Your SharePoint URL Structure

SharePoint URLs differ from WordPress:

• Plan a logical URL structure for your SharePoint site
• Try to keep important page URLs similar to your WordPress structure
• Document all URL changes for redirect planning

2. Setting Up Redirects

To prevent broken links, set up redirects from old WordPress URLs to new SharePoint ones:

1. Keep your WordPress domain active temporarily
2. Install a redirection plugin on WordPress
3. Create redirects from old WordPress URLs to new SharePoint URLs
4. Test all redirects to ensure they work correctly

If you're changing domains entirely, you may need to work with your IT team to set up server-level redirects.

3. Updating External Links

Don't forget about links from other websites:

• Identify important external websites linking to your WordPress site
• Contact site owners to update their links (when possible)
• Ensure redirects are in place for links you can't get updated

Phase 8: Testing and Quality Assurance

1. Content Verification

Before going live with your SharePoint site, verify all content:

• Check that all pages and posts migrated correctly
• Verify images and other media display properly
• Ensure formatting is consistent across the site
• Test interactive elements like forms

2. Functionality Testing

Test all site functionality:

1. Verify navigation works correctly
2. Test search functionality
3. Check that all links work (internal and external)
4. Test on different devices and browsers
5. Verify user permissions work as expected

3. Performance Optimization

Optimize your SharePoint site for performance:

• Compress large images
• Remove unnecessary web parts
• Organize content for quick access
• Test load times on various connections

Phase 9: Going Live with Your SharePoint Site

1. Final Preparation

Before the official launch:

1. Conduct a final content review
2. Verify all redirects are working
3. Brief your team on the new SharePoint structure
4. Prepare user training materials if needed

2. Launch Process

When ready to go live:

1. Update DNS settings if domains change
2. Activate all redirects
3. Monitor traffic and user feedback
4. Be prepared to make quick adjustments

3. Post-Launch Support

After launch:

• Provide support for users adjusting to SharePoint
• Fix any issues that arise quickly
• Collect feedback for future improvements
• Document the entire migration process for future reference

Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Complex WordPress Plugins

If your WordPress site relies heavily on plugins with no SharePoint equivalent:

• Identify the core functionality you need
• Look for Microsoft 365 apps that provide similar features
• Consider using Power Apps for custom functionality
• In some cases, you might need to simplify features during migration

Challenge: Large Media Libraries

For sites with thousands of images or large files:

• Break up the migration into smaller batches
• Use SharePoint's bulk upload feature
• Consider temporary cloud storage as an intermediate step
• Verify all files transferred correctly before removing the originals

Challenge: Custom Themes

If your WordPress site has a highly customized theme:

• Focus on content migration first, then styling
• Use SharePoint's theming options to match your brand colors
• Consider hiring a SharePoint designer for complex customizations
• Use modern SharePoint pages which offer more design flexibility

Free Tools for WordPress to SharePoint Migration

Here's a comparison of free tools that can help with your migration:

Tool	Best For	Limitations
WordPress Export Tool	Exporting posts and pages as XML	Doesn't include media files
SharePoint Migration Tool	Moving files and folders to SharePoint	Limited support for content structure
Power Automate (free tier)	Automating content transfers	Monthly flow limits on free plan
Excel/Google Sheets	Converting and cleaning data	Manual setup required
FileZilla	Downloading WordPress media files	Manual upload to SharePoint still needed

Tips for a Successful Migration

• Start with a small test migration before moving everything
• Document every step of your process
• Keep your WordPress site running until SharePoint is fully tested
• Train your content editors on SharePoint before launch
• Plan your migration during a low-traffic period
• Communicate the change to your users well in advance
• Have a rollback plan in case of major issues

Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. 

Simply download PicBackMan (it's free!) , register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.

Conclusion

Migrating from WordPress to SharePoint doesn't require expensive tools or consultants if you're willing to put in some effort. By following this guide, you can successfully transfer your content while taking advantage of SharePoint's collaboration features and Microsoft 365 integration.

Remember that migration is also an opportunity to clean up and reorganize your content. Take the time to evaluate what's truly necessary to bring over, and you might end up with a more streamlined, effective site in SharePoint.

The process requires patience and attention to detail, but the benefits of having your content in SharePoint—especially for organizations already using Microsoft products—can make it well worth the effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I migrate my WordPress site to SharePoint completely for free?

Yes, you can migrate your WordPress site to SharePoint without paying for third-party migration tools. The process requires more manual work, but using the built-in WordPress export tool, SharePoint Migration Tool, and following the steps in this guide, you can complete the migration without additional costs beyond your existing SharePoint license.

2. How long does a typical WordPress to SharePoint migration take?

The time required depends on the size and complexity of your WordPress site. A small site with a few dozen pages might take 1-2 weeks, while larger sites with thousands of pages and custom functionality could take 1-3 months. Planning and content mapping typically takes about 25% of the total time, with the actual migration and testing making up the rest.

3. Will my WordPress plugins work in SharePoint?

No, WordPress plugins won't work directly in SharePoint. You'll need to find SharePoint alternatives for the functionality your plugins provide. Many common WordPress plugin functions can be replicated using SharePoint web parts, Microsoft Forms, Power Automate, or Power Apps. In some cases, you might need to simplify or modify certain features during migration.

4. Can I keep my WordPress site's exact appearance in SharePoint?

It's unlikely you'll achieve an exact match of your WordPress site's appearance in SharePoint. SharePoint has its own design system and limitations. However, you can customize SharePoint's colors, fonts, and layouts to create a similar look and feel. Modern SharePoint pages offer more design flexibility than classic SharePoint, making it easier to create visually interesting sites.

5. What should I do about SEO during the migration?

To maintain SEO during migration, focus on preserving your URL structure where possible, setting up proper redirects from old WordPress URLs to new SharePoint pages, updating your sitemap, and ensuring metadata (page titles, descriptions) is carried over. After migration, submit your new SharePoint sitemap to search engines and monitor search performance closely for a few months to address any issues quickly.