WordPress to Astro migration
Moving WordPress to Astro replaces themes and plugins with a fast static front end, while posts, pages, categories and media come across from the built-in export. We map every field, export SEO plugin data, keep or redirect each permalink pattern, and you choose whether WordPress stays as the editor or retires.
- Inventory every URL
- Export and map content
- Rebuild templates in Astro
- Redirect, compare, launch
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Why teams move
Why teams move from WordPress to Astro
Less to patch and update
A WordPress site runs core, a theme and plugins that each need updates.A static Astro build has no plugin layer on the server, so the maintenance moves from patching software to editing content.
Reading pages that stay light
Astro renders pages to HTML at build time and sends JavaScript only for components marked interactive, which suits blogs, guides and documentation that people mostly read.Keep the editor or replace it
Astro can read WordPress through its REST API with a custom content loader, so some teams keep WordPress as the editing backend.Others move content into a headless CMS and retire WordPress completely.
What moves
What carries over, and what needs work
Carries over
- Posts, pages, categories, tags and authors from the built-in WXR export
- Featured images and media files, downloaded from the uploads folder
- Excerpts and publish dates, which keep your archive order intact
- Custom fields, once each one is mapped or exposed through the REST API
- Navigation menus, which the "All content" export includes
Needs work in Astro
Themes and page buildersTheme templates and page builder layouts are PHP and shortcodes that only run inside WordPress.
Every template is rebuilt as an Astro component, and builder layouts are rebuilt as proper sections.
Block markupThe block editor saves HTML with block comments and attributes.
We convert it to Portable Text or clean HTML, and build an equivalent component for each custom block your posts rely on.
Plugins with front-end featuresForms, related posts, sliders, search and SEO plugins all render through WordPress.
Each feature is listed, then replaced, rebuilt or dropped on purpose, never lost by accident.
CommentsComments are in the export, but a static site has no comment system of its own.
We agree whether to archive them as static text, move them to a hosted service, or retire them.
Content model
How WordPress content maps to Astro
We map every field before anything moves, so content is not retyped by hand and nothing is dropped without a decision.
| In WordPress | In Astro | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| post_title | title | Kept as written, also the meta title fallback |
| post_name | slug | Copied exactly so URLs can stay identical |
| post_content (blocks) | Portable Text | Block comments stripped, custom blocks mapped to components |
| post_excerpt | excerpt | Used for cards and as the description fallback |
| featured_media | image with alt text | File downloaded, alt text taken from the media library |
| categories, tags | references to category documents | Archive pages rebuilt from the same terms |
| author | reference to an author document | Author pages kept only where they carry traffic |
| custom fields (meta) | typed schema fields | Each field typed deliberately; SEO plugin values exported separately |
Redirects and SEO
Protecting rankings during the move
The redirect plan
Match the permalink structure
WordPress offers date-based permalinks such as /2026/03/sample-post/ or plain post names such as /sample-post/.We either reproduce the structure in Astro routes or map every old pattern to the new one.
Archives, pagination and feeds
Category, tag, author and paged archive URLs, plus /feed/, are inventoried from the crawl.Each one is kept, redirected to its closest page, or allowed to return a deliberate 410 or 404.
Trailing slashes and plain links
WordPress permalinks usually end in a slash, and old links may use ?p=123 addresses.The redirect file covers both, so links shared years ago still land on the right post.
Risks we watch for
SEO plugin data stays behind
Titles, descriptions and canonical overrides from SEO plugins live in post meta, which the REST API does not expose by default.We export those values explicitly so no page loses its tuned metadata.
Slug history disappears
WordPress core quietly redirects posts whose slug changed. Once WordPress is gone, those old slugs must be in the redirect file or they start returning 404s.Media URLs with backlinks
PDFs and images under /wp-content/uploads/ often have links from other sites.The ones that earn traffic are rehosted and redirected so the links keep working.
Timeline and fit
How long it takes, and whether it suits you
It fits when
- The site is content-led: articles, guides, documentation or a large blog
- Plugin updates and security patches take more time than writing
- You want version control and code review for the front end
- You are open to a headless CMS, or to keeping WordPress only as the editor
We would advise against it when
- The business runs on WooCommerce, memberships or other plugin-driven features
- Editors rely on page builders to create new layouts themselves
- There is nobody to own a codebase after launch
- The real problem is design or content, which a redesign would solve
How we run it
How we run a WordPress to Astro move
Step 01
Inventory every URL
We crawl the WordPress site, list posts, pages, archives, media and feeds with their traffic and rankings, and decide what stays, moves or retires.
Step 02
Export and map content
We run the WXR export, pull media from the uploads folder, export SEO plugin fields, and map every field to the new schema before importing.
Step 03
Rebuild templates in Astro
We rebuild the theme as Astro layouts and components, convert block content, and replace each plugin feature with a deliberate equivalent.
Step 04
Redirect, compare, launch
We write redirects for every changed pattern, compare old and new pages, switch the domain, and monitor crawl errors and rankings after launch.
Common questions
WordPress to Astro: questions we get asked
Can Astro use our existing WordPress as a CMS?
Yes. Astro can read WordPress through its REST API with a custom content loader, so editors keep the WordPress admin while visitors get static pages. Custom post types and fields need to be exposed to the API first.
What does the WordPress export include?
The built-in export creates a WXR file with posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, tags and menus. Media files are referenced rather than packed in, so we download them separately.
Will our old URLs keep working?
Yes, if they are mapped before launch. We keep the permalink structure where we can and write permanent redirects for the rest, including archives, feeds and old slugs WordPress used to redirect for you.
Next step
Want it moved for you? We plan the move around what already ranks.
We inventory every WordPress URL, map each one to its new address in Astro, move the content with its metadata, then switch over and watch indexing.
- Every URL inventoriedA full URL list with a ranking and traffic baseline.
- Every old URL mappedA 301 redirect map so link equity carries over.
- Watched after launchSitemap submitted, then indexing and rankings monitored.
Planning a move from WordPress?
Tell us about your current site and what needs to move, and we will come back to you with the next steps.