How to Move From Blogger to WordPress (Without Downtime)

Are you looking to migrate your blog from Blogger to WordPress?

Blogger is a good entry point for beginners to get started with blogging. Since Blogger.com is a free platform, many users choose it as their blogging platform when starting out. But it’s definitely not where you want to stay if you’re truly serious about blogging.

As your blog grows, you’d want to switch over to a reliable and the best blog platform such as self-hosted WordPress, also known as WordPress.org

Unlike Blogger, WordPress.org is a fully-featured content management system. WordPress gives you full control over your blog, lets you easily customize the look and feel of it, and add more features with plugins.

Read our detailed comparison between Blogger and WordPress for more information.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to migrate Blogger to WordPress, step by step.

Here’s a list of the steps we’ll cover through this guide:

1. Sign up for a web hosting account
2. Custom Domain in Blogger – Set Up DNS
3. Install WordPress
4. Export your Blogger blog
5. Import Blogger to WordPress
6. Upload images automatically
7. Set up permalinks on WordPress
8. Set up Blogger to WordPress redirection
9. Move other content to WordPress

Blogger to WordPress: Understand the Goals

Before we begin to migrate Blogger to WordPress, it’s worth taking a moment to examine the goals we need to accomplish for the successful completion of the process.

Preserve Search Rankings and Traffic:

Of course, nobody wants to move a blog if search rankings and traffic can’t be preserved after migration. In our tutorial, we’ll ensure that all your Blogger URLs are properly redirected to the right WordPress permalinks.

This way, you can transfer Blogger to WordPress in peace without worrying about the search rankings.

Set Up Proper Mobile Redirection:

If you browse your Blogger.com blog on mobile, then you’ll see that Blogger automatically appends ?m=1 to your blog URL.

For example, this is what your URL looks like if you access your site from a mobile device:

http://example.blogspot.com/test-article.html?m=1

You shouldn’t leave your mobile users behind, so the goal is to make sure all mobile visitors are also redirected to your WordPress site.

What to Expect From This Transfer?

It’s important to understand which data will transfer automatically while you transfer Blogger to WordPress, and what you need to set up on the new WordPress site manually.

Ideally, when you transfer content from Blogger to WordPress, you expect that your Blogger site should move completely and appear the same on WordPress. However, there are a few things that you need to fix manually after the transfer.

Here is a list of things that you can transfer with our help below:

• Pages
• Posts
• Categories and tags
• Media files
• Authors
• Comments
• And more…

Upon successful transfer, you’ll need to select a theme for your website to match it with the old Blogger site. WordPress is highly flexible, which means you can add colors, font, and background of your choice smoothly.

Note: This guide will show you how to transfer to WordPress.org, the most popular CMS platform in the world. It will give you more flexibility and control over your site. If you’re looking to switch to WordPress.com, we recommend reading this guide first: WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org – Is One Really Better Than the Other?

Let’s take a look at the steps below to properly move from Blogger to WordPress.

Step 1: Sign Up for a Web Hosting Account

To run any website on the internet, you need to have a domain name and web hosting.

A domain name is the web address of your blog, such as IsItWP.com or Google.com. And web hosting is where your site is hosted and your site files are stored.

Blogger.com is a free hosted platform, meaning your blog is hosted on Blogger’s hosting server for free. However, when you move to WordPress, you’ll have to purchase WordPress hosting space to host your blog.

Now you might be wondering, “how much does it cost to purchase a domain name and web hosting plan?”

A domain name normally costs around $14.99 per year, and web hosting costs $7.99 per month. When you’re starting with WordPress, the combined cost of domain and web hosting can seem like quite a lot.

That’s why we’ve worked out a deal with Bluehost to offer our users a free domain name, free SSL, and 65% off on WordPress hosting.

With our Bluehost deal, you can start your blog for as low as $2.75 per month. Read our guide on Bluehost payments to learn more about saving on web hosting.

Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer »

Bluehost is one of the largest hosting companies in the world. They are also an officially recommended hosting provider by WordPress.org.

For more references, check out this expert pick of the best blog hosting companies.

Step 2. Moving Custom Domain – Blogger to WordPress

If you’re using a custom domain name on your Blogger blog, like http://example.com instead of http://example.blogspot.com, you’ll want to update your domain name servers. Domain nameservers are usually a couple of URLs, like the ones below, that you’ll get from your new web host.

ns1.hostname.com

ns2.hostname.com

The steps to changing domain nameservers differ from one domain provider to another; however, the basic concept is the same. So, we’ll show you how to change DNS nameservers with Domain.com

First off, log into your Domain.com account. Find the domain that you want to update and click on the Manage button.

Next, click on DNS & Nameservers.

To change the nameservers, click Edit next to Nameservers.

Then, fill in your new nameservers provided by your new web host, and click the Save button.

Next, we’ll need to remove the custom domain set up in your Blogger.com account as well.

Log into your Blogger account and navigate to Settings » Basic. Under the Publishing section, click on the cross icon to cancel the redirect.

Note: Make sure you flush your computer’s DNS cache after this step. Otherwise, you may still find your old Blogger.com blog, when you try to access your domain name from your browser.

To clear DNS cache in Windows 10, you can search for Command Prompt in Windows, right-click it and select Run as Administrator.

Then, run the following command:

ipconfig /flushdns

In Mac, click Applications » Utilities » Terminal and then run the following command:

sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Step 3. Install WordPress

After signing up with Bluehost, you’ll get access to the Bluehost control panel where you can install WordPress.

Click on My Sites » Create Site to get started and then select a WordPress theme.

You can pick just about anything during this step because you can always change your theme later (we’ll show you how to do this in a later step of this tutorial). The most important part is to start a blog so go ahead and choose any theme for now to get you rolling.

You’ll then be asked to choose the name and tagline for your new blog.

After specifying the details, click Next. Bluehost will now automatically install WordPress for you. Once it’s done, it’ll show you a screen like this with your WordPress installation details:

You can log into your site by appending wp-admin to your URL. Here’s what your WordPress login URL should look like:

http://example.com/wp-admin

You can now log into your WordPress blog with the credentials sent to your email address.

Step 4. Export Your Blogger Blog

To export your old blog from Blogger, first, revert back to your Blogger.com profile. Then inside your Blogger dashboard, navigate to Settings » Other. In the Import & back up section, click the Back up content button.

It will trigger a modal popup in which you’ll be asked to make a backup of your blog. Click the Save to your computer button.

This will create a file with your Blogger content.

Step 5. Import Blogger to WordPress

After downloading the export file from Blogger, the next step is to import the file into your new WordPress site.

At this point, we should mention that we’ll be showing you the native import method available inside the WordPress dashboard for free. This method requires a few manual changes to make sure everything functions exactly the way it’s supposed to.

However, there are plugins like Blogger Importer Extended and Blogger To WordPress.

If you aren’t tech-savvy or would prefer a shortcut, you might find it easier to use a plugin. You simply need to use a Run Importer button and connect to your Blogger website to carry out the process.

Free versions of these Blogger importer plugins are usually limited to 20 blog posts. There are premium versions and migration services that are priced depending on what you need. They will handle everything from moving content to adding post-feed redirect URLs.

Having said that, the native import method is quite simple too. First, log into your WordPress dashboard, go to Tools » Import. Just below the Blogger option, click Install Now. Then, click Run Importer.

Next, using the Choose File button, you can select the file you’ve just downloaded from Blogger. Then import it into your WordPress site.

In case, if the file size exceeds the upload limit, then you’ll see an error. To resolve this issue, you can use 1 of the methods below:

1. You can increase the upload file size limit in WordPress. We have a complete step by step guide on how to increase maximum file upload size.
2. You can split the large XML file into multiple small files and upload them to import Blogger to WordPress.

The easy way to import large XML files is by increasing the upload file size limit in WordPress.

After importing the files, you’ll be asked whether you need to create new users on your site or assign the imported posts to your existing users.

You can assign authors one by one and click on the Submit button.

Step 6. Upload Images Automatically

WordPress importer doesn’t import your Blogger images. You can fix this by installing and activating the Auto Upload Images plugin in WordPress.

This plugin automatically finds images in your posts and pages. Then, it saves them to your media library and also updates the new image URLs.

It also lets you choose a new custom URL for images, custom image file names, max-width and height, and more.

Step 7. Set Permalinks in WordPress

A permalink, or permanent link, is the full URL to the individual pages of your WordPress blog.

When you transfer Blogger to WordPress, it’s essential to keep your permalink structure identical for proper redirection.

WordPress allows you to choose your preferred permalink structure for your blog. To choose your permalinks’ structure, go to Settings » Permalinks. In the Custom Structure field, specify your URL post structure as follows: /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%.html

The above configuration makes your permalinks look similar to that of Blogger.com. But for proper redirection, we need to make our permalinks identical.

For example, here’s what your post URL looked like on Blogger:

http://example.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-unconventional-guide-to-home-tech.html

If you don’t make the permalinks identical, here’s what the same post URL will look like after moving to WordPress.

http://example.com/2018/06/the-unconventional-guide-to-home-tech-gadgets-for-beginners.html

To make your Blogger post URL identical in WordPress, all you have to do is open a simple text editor application such as Notepad or TextEdit. Copy the below code snippet into your text editor and save it as a PHP file. Give a name to your file like fix.php. Then upload the file to your WordPress folder, which also known as the root directory.

<?php
require_once('wp-load.php');
$res = $wpdb->get_results("SELECT post_id, meta_value FROM $wpdb->postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'blogger_permalink'");
$wpdb->print_error();
foreach ($res as $row){
$slug = explode("/",$row->meta_value);
$slug = explode(".",$slug[3]);
$wpdb->query("UPDATE $wpdb->posts SET post_name ='" . $slug[0] . "' WHERE ID = $row->post_id");
$wpdb->print_error();
}
echo "DONE";
?>

You can upload the PHP file from your cPanel account.

Log into your cPanel account. In the File Manager section, you need to visit the public_html folder.

If your site is on the main domain, then this will be your root directory. Click on the Upload button from the top navigation menu and browse the fix.php file to upload it.

After uploading the file to the right directory, you can execute the script by opening its URL from the browser: http://example.com/fix.php

When executing the script, the only output you can see is Done.

Step 8. Set Up Blogger to WordPress Redirection

Now that you’ve set up permalinks for your WordPress blog let’s redirect your Blogger posts to WordPress. For redirecting your Blogger blog to WordPress, we’ll be using a free plugin, Blogger to WordPress Redirection.

Install and activate the plugin on your newly-installed WordPress site. Then go to Tools » Blogger to WordPress Redirection.

You’ll be directed to the plugin configuration page. Click the Start Configuration button to generate the code for Blogger.com.

You can now find a list of blogs from where you’ve imported content. Click Get Code next to the correct blog and copy the code.

Now go back to your Blogger.com profile and click the Edit HTML button.

Paste the copied code and click Save Theme.

By default, Blogger.com redirects your mobile visitors to the mobile-friendly version of your blog by appending ?m=1 to the URL. For proper mobile redirection, we need to disable this feature.

To disable the feature, click the Back button on your Edit HTML page. You can now find a gear button below the mobile preview of your Blogger theme.

It will show you a modal popup where you’ll be asked whether you want to show a mobile version of your theme. Select No and click Save.

The Blogger to WordPress plugin helps in traffic redirection, which means you should keep this plugin on your site for as long as your Blogger site vanishes from search engine rankings entirely.

Step 9. Move Other Content to WordPress

After moving your Blogger posts, you can go ahead and move your pages and other content to WordPress.

Pages:

Go to your WordPress dashboard and create a new page. Copy the HTML code of your Blogger page, and paste it into the newly created page on WordPress.

On Blogger, the URL of your page looked like this: example.com/p/page.html

On WordPress, here’s how the same page will look after migration: example.com/page

To redirect your pages properly, you can use the WordPress Redirection plugin.

Widgets:

If you want to retain your Blogger.com widgets in WordPress, then you’ll need to copy the HTML code and paste it into the sidebar widgets of your WordPress site by navigating to Appearance » Widgets.

Feeds:

To redirect your feeds, navigate to Settings » Other in your Blogger.com profile. Click on the Add option next to Post Feed Redirect URL. Then specify your WordPress feed as follows: http://example.com/feed

What’s Next After WordPress Migration?

Below are a few essential things you need to do immediately on your WordPress blog after migration:

• Work on your website appearance: After you migrate Blogger to WordPress, it’s time to give your website a unique look. You can easily do that by selecting a perfect WordPress theme. WordPress themes let you design your website without any coding. Most of these themes even offer pre-built templates that can be imported with a click.
• Install Google Analytics in WordPress: By installing Google Analytics on your website, you can track and analyze your website performance right from your WordPress dashboard. This helps you plan your next move so that you can get effective results and boost your conversions.
• Add a contact form to your WordPress site: By adding a contact form to your site you can offer your users an easy way to send you a message. It can also prevent spam submissions and help you keep all your messages organized in one place.
• Secure your website: The next step is to secure your website from any kind of malicious and unwanted elements. You can do that by installing some of the best WordPress security plugins
• Work on your SEO: If you want your website to appear in the top search results, you have to optimize it for SEO (search engine optimization). A good SEO plugin can help you ensure that all your posts and pages are well optimized.

Here’s a list of popular WordPress plugins that you may find useful.

That’s it!

If you ever plan to switch your domain, then check out this guide on how to properly move WordPress to a new domain name.

We hope this guide helped you move your blog from Blogger to WordPress. If you enjoyed this article, then check out our guide on How to Create a Landing Page in WordPress (2 Methods).

Blogger to WordPress – FAQs

Here are a few questions that you may have in mind while migrating your blog from Blogger to WordPress. Let’s have a look.

1. Do I get the same look for my website or blog after migrating from Blogger to WordPress?

If you want to get the exact look, then you might want to hire a professional WordPress developer to design it for you.

If you don’t want to spend some bucks on hiring a developer, you are better off choosing a WordPress theme that best suits your needs.

2. Can I use a new WordPress theme or do I need to create a custom theme to match my Blogger website?

While WordPress lets you have a theme the way you want, in our opinion, you don’t have to create a custom theme matching your old Blogger blog, especially if you haven’t designed the older one professionally.

For example, most Blogger.com bloggers pick a free Blogger template and customize it on their own, which ultimately ends up looking amateurish, especially if they’re not designers. If this sounds like you, then in our opinion, you shouldn’t bother building a custom theme matching your Blogger blog.

In fact, With WordPress, you can find thousands of free blog themes that are way better than that of Blogger.com.

For an even better professional look, you can also choose a premium WordPress theme like Divi that lets you design your site on your own with drag and drop without having to hire a developer.

3. My images aren’t migrated properly. What can I do?

If you followed our exact steps, the media files should transfer automatically from Blogger to WordPress. However, if you find some images are missing, then you can use the Media File Renamer plugin. This plugin works magically to rename all your images, so they’ll show up properly.

You can also lock the name for images so that they don’t change further, and the images continue to appear on your WordPress site.

4. Should I change the URLs in WordPress after the migration?

Unlike Blogger.com, WordPress lets you choose different types of URL structures. However, that doesn’t mean you should experiment with different structures.

If you’re starting a new WordPress blog, you can choose any structure you want. But since you’re migrating an existing blog from Blogger to WordPress, it’s in your best interest to keep the URL structure as same as what we’ve recommended in this tutorial even after migration for preserving search rankings and traffic.

5. How to move my subscribers from Blogger to WordPress?

You can add your WordPress feed to your Blogger account’s setting, which will move the feed subscribers to the new site. Follow Step 9 for more details.

6. Does the blog migration affect my Adsense account?

Nope. In fact, migrating to WordPress will help you easily manage your AdSense ads with the help of a plugin, like AdSanity. Check out our Adsanity review.

Keep in mind that you need to add the new website URL to your AdSense account if you were using the subdomain with Blogger (like example.blogspot.com).

7. How to move my site to another web host?

You can use the Duplicator plugin to do that. Follow our guide: How to Move a Site From One Web Host to Another.

So that’s all about how to migrate Blogger to WordPress successfully. We hope it helped you migrate Blogger to WordPress easily.

If you want to set up an RSS feed for your WordPress site, check out these plugins: 10 Best WordPress RSS Feed Plugins (Compared). They’ll help you set up an RSS site feed in a matter of minutes.

For your next steps, we have helpful resources that you’ll definitely want to bookmark and read:

• How to Customize a WordPress Website [Beginner’s Guide]
• 15 Best WordPress Blog Tools to Double Traffic and Growth
• The Complete WordPress Security Guide (Beginner Friendly)
• The Complete Beginner’s Guide to WordPress SEO

The first post will help you customize your WordPress blog. And since WordPress is so different from Blogger, we’ve added the best tools, along with SEO and security guides that you’ll need to secure your site and get it to rank on search engines.