Content management systems (CMS) benefit all business organizations, whether startups, brick-and-mortar stores, or established corporations. With these applications, businesses can either increase brand awareness or establish brand authority, leading to revenue growth.
WordPress (WP) has the most users of all the CMS platforms, with more than 455 million websites relying on it to upload text and other media content. Additionally, industry estimates reveal that about 409 million people view around 15.5 billion WordPress pages monthly. Companies will be hard-pressed not to upload content regularly with such impressive figures.
In some cases, uploading regular content may not be enough for your business requirements. Website upgrades require transferring data from one site to another, including exporting data from WordPress to BigQuery for performance analysis.
Here’s what you need to know about WordPress and how to export data from this popular CMS platform.
WordPress and Google
Before proceeding with the main discussion, it’s worth mentioning that Google applications are highly linkable with WordPress. You may upload text and photos from Google to WordPress without using special third-party programs, making it easier to work on your content offline, edit, or upload it on WP later.
For instance, you can send content from Google Docs and edit or share it as a blog post on WordPress. Through Google Photos, it’s easier to upload, manage and store your media directly to WP. Data from WordPress can be downloaded as comma-separated values (CSV) and extensible markup language (XML) files and then exported to Google Sheets. Thanks to this integration, businesses often access their site’s key performance indicators to analyze and improve content marketing strategies and other engagements.
Exporting WordPress data
Despite the seamless link between the two abovementioned platforms, other types of applications and instances require WordPress data exportation and importation.
The points below discuss the several ways of extracting WP data depending on where you’re uploading it and the kind of data you need to export and import.
How to export WordPress to readable formats
Converting WP data to multiple formats, including CSV and XML files, makes it downloadable and readable to several applications. Both forms enable data integration across several platforms. CSV is a text file that works when exporting sitemap contents or a uniform resource locator (URL) list from the site into a spreadsheet application. XML works the same way, except that it can update multiple objects from a single file. Here’s how to do it:
- Click the All Export button then the New Export button
- Choose the type of data you want to export
- Drag, and drop the individual data fields you want to be exported. These could include images, categories, tags, and many others
- Select Continue to confirm your selection
- Click the Confirm and Run Export button to run your selection to download
After downloading your exported WordPress data file, you may either choose to install this to another WordPress site or open and review it in Excel. You can also keep the file to use as a backup by storing it on your chosen file-sharing platforms.
How to export the entire site using the WP tool
If you’re updating to a new site, the first method could eat up a lot of your time. There’s an easier way to do it, though. Convert all of your site content by performing the following steps:
- Click the Export All icon
- You can perform other tasks while waiting for the Download button to appear. You may also check your email for the clickable download link.
- After clicking the button, you’ll receive a file with a .zip format extension containing files in .xml format. Sites with more content typically need more than one .xml file because these include all pages, comments, posts, and other data from the site. Please save it to your computer.
- Import to your new site by unzipping the file and individually importing .xml files.
Note that exporting from WP to a Non-WP site works similarly, as most site builders recognize and use .xml platforms.
How to export posts/pages between two WordPress sites
If you only need to duplicate particular posts and pages, you can use the WP Export tool and choose the fields or categories. You can selectively export by choosing the date range of the posts and pages you want to be transferred to another site. You can make the necessary changes later by removing the posts or pages that shouldn’t be included in the migration.
How to export the Media Library
Before exporting WP content, remove all drafts to reduce the file’s total size. Make sure that the comments have been either approved or deleted. Lastly, ensure that your site is set to ‘public’ mode to transfer all media types to your new website.
Perform the following steps if you wish to download your photos and other media files from WordPress to your computer:
- Click Tools, then select Export
- Choose Export Media Library
- Wait for the download to start
The file will carry a .tar archive format. Windows users may need to download a program to enable the extraction of this compressed file. On the other hand, Mac OS users will only need to double-click the icon to unzip the file. Unfortunately, media files downloaded this way can’t be immediately used on another site. Follow the steps in number 2 to export your media files to another website to avoid extra work and delay.
How to export using plugins
Plugins are applications made by third-party developers who aim to increase the features of WP sites. There are so many apps available on the market, so it’s best to check the plugin’s popularity and unbiased reviews. Also, check the online sources for the recommendations on the best WordPress tools and plugins you may want to try and use. Read the app information to know its main functions and how it can help improve your content management activities.
Some plugins make WordPress data migration easier by offering an all-in-one option to users. The website concerned should ideally have a higher-tiered WP subscription plan.
Exporting Your Existing WordPress.com Site
- Install a WP-compatible plugin on your existing site.
- Proceed to All-in-One WP Migration, then click Export
- If you’re switching to a new domain name, key in your old domain name in the Field tab and enter your new domain name on the Replace with box
- Choose Export to, then select File
- Click Download to save a copy to your device.
The file will have a .wpress extension and can easily be imported to the new site as long as it’s also installed with the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.
Exporting Your WP Media Library
Plugins can also make exporting media from your site easier. For this, you need to log in to your WP dashboard and do this:
- Choose Plugins
- Click Add New and wait for the Export Media URLs to appear
- Choose Install Now and then Activate.
- Another page will appear where you can manipulate the Export Media URL settings
- When asked, choose CSV file as Export type
- Click Export Now
Your file will be available in your downloads folder once done. Before deleting the contents of your old site, ensure that all files have been imported to the new website.
Conclusion
There are several ways to export WordPress, the most apparent option being the platform’s native export tool. In some cases, though, you’ll still have to unzip the compressed files and convert the downloaded files into other formats. You can also install and use plugins to make WP data migration a breeze. The mentioned how-tos above can make the export process easier as long as you follow the steps accurately and ensure that you’re selecting the correct buttons.
Leave a Reply