WebzstoreWordPress.com to Self-Hosted WordPress Migration
WordPress.com to Self-Hosted WordPress Migration
We move sites from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress, the version of WordPress that runs on hosting you choose. Webzstore checks what your current plan lets you export, arranges the hosting, moves the content and media, and replaces the features your hosted plan supplied.
01Choose
Choose what you want to change
Tick the parts of the move you need, or plan all of it. What appears is a discussion outline rather than a quote.
Where this startsMy site is on WordPress.com and I want my own hosting, but I do not know what the export will actually bring with it.
In plain terms
- Self-hosted
- WordPress running on hosting you choose, rather than on WordPress.com.
- Export file
- A file holding your posts, pages and other content, without your design or plugins.
- Redirect map
- A list that sends visitors from each old address to its new one.
02Decide
Content export or full-site copy?
WordPress.com offers more than one way out, and each carries different things. Which one applies depends on your plan, so we check it first.
Content export (Tools > Export)
What it carries
Posts, pages, comments, categories, tags and links to media
What it needs
Nothing special
Media library download
What it carries
The actual image and file downloads
What it needs
A separate step
Migration plugin
What it carries
Content, plugins, themes and users in one file
What it needs
A plugin-enabled plan; the free plugin version covers sites under 2 GB
Full backup
What it carries
A download of the whole site
What it needs
A Business or Commerce plan
03Transfer
Keep the old site public until the images arrive
The content export holds links to your images, not the images themselves.
- During import, the new site copies them from the original, so the original must stay public and reachable until the import finishes.
- If we close or hide it early, posts can arrive with missing pictures.
- The separate media download is our fallback for anything that does not copy.
04Rebuild
Replace what the hosted plan supplied
The export file carries no theme design, customisations or plugins. Whether menus, widgets and settings carry over in a content-only export is not confirmed, so we compare them against your live site and rebuild the gaps. We then list the features your current plan provides, and choose hosting, a theme and plugins that cover them. Our WordPress Website Design service handles the new theme, and WordPress Migration Services covers the other same-platform moves.
- A theme to match or improve your current layout
- Menus, widgets and site settings recreated where needed
- Contact forms and any sign-up forms reinstalled and tested
- User accounts created for the people who need to log in
- Plugins chosen for each feature you were using
05Test
Compare every kind of page against the old site
We open the old and new sites in two windows and work through one post, one page, one category page and one tagged page.
- We check that images load from the new site, that comments arrived, that the menu leads to the right pages and that a form sends its message to the right person.
- Your team approves the result before the address changes.
06Launch
Change the address last
The old site stays online until you approve the new one.
- If your site uses your own domain, the domain settings are switched to the new host at launch.
- If it uses a wordpress.com address, those addresses will change, so we plan a redirect map (a list pairing each old address with its new one) and confirm what your plan allows.
- We monitor search performance after launch.
- We cannot promise it will stay the same.
Questions about leaving WordPress.com
Does the export include my theme and design?
No. The export file holds content, not theme design, customisations or plugins. The design is rebuilt on the new site, or a migration plugin route is used where your plan supports it.
Will my images move with the posts?
Yes, if the original site stays public during the import, because the new site copies images from it. We also use the media download as a back-up.
Do I need a paid plan to export?
Not for the basic content export, which WordPress.com describes without a plan restriction. A full backup or plugin-based copy needs a Business or plugin-enabled plan.
Will my comments come across?
Yes. Comments are part of the content export, along with categories and tags. We check a sample after the import.
Make the move for a clear reason
Tell us your WordPress.com address, your plan and what the hosted version no longer does for you. We will plan the export, the hosting and the features that need replacing.
Explore the next step
- WordPress Migration ServicesExplore wordpress migration services with Webzstore. Plan your content, features and launch, then discuss the project on a free 30-minute call.
- WordPress Website DesignBuild or improve a WordPress website with useful page layouts, an agreed editing setup and clear ongoing care responsibilities. Book a free 30-minute call.
- Website Migration ServicesExplore website migration services with Webzstore. Plan your content, features and launch, then discuss the project on a free 30-minute call.