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Moving From Blogger to WordPress.com or Self Hosted WordPress.org

3 min


151
2 comments, 151 points

Moving your blog from Blogger to WordPress.com or Self Hosted WordPress.org platform?

There’s loads of content out there when you search for information on it, but none that explains it to you in a step-by-step newbie friendly format with screenshots and instructions in simple english.

I’m going to make an attempt to explain you how to move your blogger blog to WordPress.com or to your own hosting where you have the WordPress software installed.

WordPress.com has its own set of instructions that you can read here if you are migrating from Blogger to WordPress.com

Moving your Blogger Blog to a WordPress.com Hosted Blog Platform

As detailed on the official site, the first thing you need to do is:

EXPORT YOUR CONTENT:

When you’re logged in to Blogger, go to Settings → Other and click “export blog.” This generates an .xml file with all your blog’s content. Save it wherever you like to save stuff.

Export your content from Blogger into an .xml file, then import the file to WordPress.com.

To find the importer, log in to WordPress.com and then add /wp-admin to the end of your home page URL.

You’ll see admin options down the left sidebar. Second from the bottom is “Tools” — hover over that one, select “Import” from the menu that appears, and pick Blogger.

havebloggerexportfile

Click Choose File find the .xml file you just saved, and select it. Then, click Upload the file and import.

The import transfers your posts and comments — including text, photos, videos, and other embedded files.

Your theme, custom domain, or personal settings WILL NOT BE IMPORTED. You’ll set those up on WordPress.com yourself and that’s something you can figure out on your own! If you can’t ask in comments and we’ll revert at the speed of light.

Moving Your Blogger Blog to a Self Hosted WordPress Platform:

Now this is what most serious bloggers really want to do. Most of the bloggers who are looking to move have already figured out where they want to host their blog. If you haven’t we recommend:

  1. HostGator
  2. Arvixe
  3. BlueHost
  4. DreamHost
  5. Inmotion
  6. Interserver

Purchase a web hosting from any of the above recommendations and proceed further.

While purchasing the hosting, they will ask you if you already have a domain name. Do you? If you don’t, check for availability and register one (generally they give domain for free with hosting). If you do but you are using it on blogger, tell them you have a domain but will set it up later.

That allows you to install WordPress on a temporary url, many a times an ip address similar to 197.33.44.22/~blogger/

Install your WordPress Software on that temporary url. Don’t worry, its not technical.

Login to your Cpanel and navigate to softaculous or fantastico or “install popular software” or WordPress.

Click Install WordPress

Now just follow the instructions and fill up some general details.

Note: If you already own a domain name, use a temporary url. If you purchased a domain with the hosting, you can select the domain name you just registered.

Once installed you should have login URL, your username, and password.

With that you’ve successfully installed the WordPress software on your hosting.

Sometimes bloggers face this issue.

The domain is purchased with another company and the hosting is with another. In that case, follow these steps:

  1. Log into the company account from where your purchased the domain.
  2. Find the place from where you can manage your domain.
  3. Find – NAMESERVERS.
  4. You’re going to change the nameservers to the one’s provided by your new web hosting company. Suppose you purchased hosting from bluehost, your new name servers will be:

NS1.BLUEHOST.COM
NS2.BLUEHOST.COM

Put BOTH nameservers that correspond to your host. Then you’ll have to wait between 4-48 hours for the DNS to propagate. Think of it as your nosy relatives spreading a rumour about you. It’d take 4 to 48 hours for the whole world to know eh? Similarly, internet takes about 4 to 48 hours to tell the whole world you changed your blog from blogger to WordPress 😉

Many people will tell you that you have to change your permalinks to how they were in blogger. That you’ll lose a lot of traffic because your url’s have changed. I’d recommend you let that be and simply choose the one’s most suited to you with WordPress. Here’s an interesting article to read about setting up SEO Friendly URLs

Setup Pretty Urls? Now let’s move your content.

Export your blogposts from Blogger. Go to Settings → Other and click “export blog.” This generates an .xml file with all your blog’s content. Save it wherever you like to save stuff.

Import your blogposts to WordPress. Go to Plugins > Add New on your WordPress dashboard. Next you type  “Blogger Importer Extended” in the search field and install the plugin. Once it’s installed and activated, hit start. Check off “Keep Slugs” and if you want the plugin to preserve your blogger formatting, uncheck “Convert Formatting”.

Voila, you’ve imported all your blogposts from Blogger to WordPress.

Now you have to use a few plugins:

  1. Install Velvet Blues Update URLs  to Update your old URLs to the NEW URLs. Example: your temporary install from 197.33.44.22/~blogger/ to YourDomainName.com
  2. Install & activate Smart 404 plugin .
  3. Use a plugin called Import External Images to import all your external images to WordPress.

If you used feedburner, intense debate comment system, custom google email apps, you may also want to configure them.

Have Questions? We have the answers. Fire away in comments section.


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151
2 comments, 151 points
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