A professional Concrete5 to WordPress migration can completely transform how you manage, scale, and grow your website. While Concrete5 (Concrete CMS) offers a clean editing experience, many businesses eventually need the flexibility, SEO power, and ecosystem that WordPress provides. WordPress gives you access to thousands of plugins, modern themes, and robust marketing tools—making it the preferred platform for serious digital growth.
This guide explains, in simple and technical terms, how to migrate Concrete5 to WordPress professionally—covering methods, benefits, SEO protection, challenges, and when to hire expert WordPress migration services.
Why Choose Professional Concrete5 to WordPress Migration?
Migrating is not just “moving files”; it’s a strategic upgrade of CMS, architecture, and SEO.
Key reasons businesses move from Concrete5 to WordPress
- Greater flexibility & customization
- WordPress has a much larger ecosystem of themes and plugins for SEO, eCommerce, LMS, membership, and marketing automation.
- SEO and content marketing advantages
- With plugins like Yoast or Rank Math, you can implement advanced SEO, schema, redirects, and content optimization far more easily than in Concrete5.
- Better support & long‑term sustainability
- WordPress is supported by a massive global community, agencies, and hosting providers. This makes long‑term maintenance cheaper and more reliable.
- Lower development and maintenance costs
- Ready‑made plugins replace many custom features that would otherwise require bespoke Concrete5 development work.
For growing brands, these factors make switching from Concrete5 to WordPress a business decision, not just a technical one.
Overview: How Professional Concrete5 to WordPress Migration Works
A well‑executed Concrete5 to WordPress migration typically follows four core phases:
- Discovery & planning – Content audit, URL inventory, risk analysis, migration roadmap.
- Staging setup & data mapping – New WordPress environment, theme selection, data structures.
- Concrete5 content transfer & database mapping – Pages, posts, media, users, and custom elements.
- SEO, QA & launch – Redirects, testing, performance checks, and post‑launch monitoring.
The exact implementation depends on site size, custom code, and business goals.
Step‑by‑Step: Professional Migration Process
1. Pre‑Migration Audit & Strategy
A professional migration project always starts with discovery:
- Content inventory – List pages, blog posts, landing pages, forms, downloads, and media.
- Technical audit – Check Concrete5 version, add‑ons, custom blocks, database structure, and hosting.
- SEO audit – Export all URLs, analyze top‑traffic pages, backlinks, and key ranking keywords.
- Goals & scope – Decide whether this is a “lift & shift” or a redesign + structural improvement.
This phase helps define the right combination of manual vs automated migration and how much custom scripting is needed.
2. Set Up a Secure WordPress Staging Environment
Before touching the live domain:
- Create a staging subdomain or subfolder.
- Install the latest WordPress version on reliable, performance‑oriented hosting.
- Choose or develop a mobile‑friendly, SEO‑ready theme that can mirror or improve the Concrete5 design.
- Install core plugins:
- SEO plugin
- Redirect manager
- Security & firewall
- Caching/performance plugin
Professionals never migrate directly to production; staging isolates risk and avoids downtime.
3. Exporting Data from Concrete5
Depending on the Concrete5 version and complexity, professionals typically use a mix of tools and controlled exports:
- Concrete CMS Migration Tool addon
- Exports pages, content, users, and file references in XML/ZIP form.
- Database exports (SQL)
- For complex or custom structures that need direct mapping.
- File system copy
- All uploads, images, PDFs, and static assets are copied from files/upload folders.
The goal is to get structured content ready for Concrete5 content transfer into WordPress without breaking relationships or hierarchy.
4. Data Mapping: Concrete5 to WordPress
Concrete5 and WordPress store and structure content differently, so migration requires careful mapping:
- Concrete5 pages → WordPress Pages (and sometimes Posts)
- Concrete5 blog posts/add‑ons → WordPress Posts or custom post types
- Concrete5 attributes → WordPress custom fields or taxonomies
- User roles/permissions → WordPress roles & capabilities
Professional teams build a mapping document so nothing goes missing in translation.
5. Importing into WordPress (Manual + Tool‑Based)
There is no native “import Concrete5 backup” button in WordPress. Instead, pros use:
- Transformed XML → WordPress WXR (for WordPress Importer).
- General CMS migration services/plugins like CMS2CMS (Concrete5 to WP plugin).
- Custom scripts to process SQL/XML and insert content via WordPress APIs.
For smaller or heavily customized sites, content may be rebuilt manually using Gutenberg or a page builder for clean, modern layouts, while larger sites often mix automated and manual steps.
6. Theme, Design & Functionality Recreation
Concrete5 themes and add‑ons do not run on WordPress directly, so migration is more about re‑implementing design and features:
- Recreate or redesign templates using the chosen WordPress theme or custom theme.
- Replace Concrete5 blocks with WordPress blocks or equivalent plugins (sliders, galleries, forms, FAQ blocks, etc.).
- Implement required integrations (CRM, email marketing tools, analytics, chat, eCommerce, LMS, etc.) via plugins or custom code.
This is where professional WordPress migration services can turn an old Concrete5 site into a modern, high‑converting experience.
7. SEO Preservation & 301 Redirect Strategy
This step protects your organic traffic and rankings:
- URL mapping – Match every old Concrete5 URL to its nearest WordPress equivalent.
- 301 redirects – Implement redirects via plugin, server config, or CDN to send both users and bots from old URLs to new ones while preserving link equity.
- Metadata migration – Recreate titles, meta descriptions, and critical on‑page elements on the new site.
- New XML sitemap – Generate and submit to Google Search Console.
A professional migration project treats SEO as a core task, not an afterthought.
8. QA, Security Checks & Go‑Live
Before launch:
- Test forms, search, navigation, filters, login, and any interactive features.
- Validate responsive design across key devices and browsers.
- Run performance checks and fix bottlenecks (large images, unused scripts).
- Configure security hardening, backups, and access control.
Once verified, DNS is switched, or the WordPress installation is moved to the primary domain with minimal downtime.
Benefits of Professional Concrete5 to WordPress Migration
- Reduced risk of data loss – Clear process, backups, and rollback plans minimize risk.
- SEO‑safe migration – Proper redirects, mapping, and audits avoid traffic crashes.
- Higher quality output – Clean, maintainable code and a structure designed for future changes.
- Faster time‑to‑launch – Experienced teams avoid trial‑and‑error and know common pitfalls.
- Strategic improvements – Opportunity to improve UX, site speed, conversion paths, and analytics tracking.
Challenges & Common Pitfalls (And How Pros Handle Them)
- No direct one‑click converter
- There’s no official universal tool to just “import Concrete5 into WordPress” because each site is structured differently.
- → Solution: Use a planned combination of export tools, custom mapping, and targeted automation.
- Complex custom blocks and add‑ons
- Custom page types, forms, and blocks don’t migrate automatically.
- → Solution: Rebuild critical features using WordPress custom post types, ACF, or tailored plugins.
- Broken links and 404 errors
- Poor redirect mapping can destroy user experience and SEO.
- → Solution: Full URL inventory, redirect testing, and continuous Search Console monitoring.
- Unclean content and legacy clutter
- Old drafts, outdated pages, and inconsistent layouts may pollute the new site.
- → Solution: Content audit and cleanup during migration to improve quality, not just copy the mess.
Professionals anticipate these issues and design the migration roadmap to handle them safely.
Post‑Migration SEO & Optimization Checklist
Once your new WordPress site is live:
- Run a full crawl (e.g., Screaming Frog or similar) to spot 404s and redirect loops.
- Check core web vitals and speed metrics; enable caching and image compression.
- Verify robots.txt, canonical tags, and indexing of key pages.
- Review analytics and GSC for changes in traffic, impressions, and rankings.
- Optimize content further now that you have superior WordPress SEO tools.
This is the phase where a professional Concrete5 to WordPress migration starts paying ongoing dividends in traffic and conversions.
FAQ: Professional Concrete5 to WordPress Migration
1. How long does a professional migration take?
- Small brochure sites: often 1–2 weeks, including QA.
- Larger or custom sites: 3–6 weeks, depending on integrations, redesign, and approval cycles.
2. Will my SEO rankings drop after migration?
If done correctly—with full URL mapping, 301 redirects, and content parity—most sites experience minimal short‑term fluctuation and then stabilize or improve over time. Big drops usually happen when redirects or key content are skipped.
3. Can I keep my existing design?
Yes, but migration is also a great chance to modernize the design. Professionals can closely replicate your Concrete5 layout in WordPress or create a fresh, conversion‑focused design.
4. Is a DIY migration safe?
For small, low‑stakes sites with very basic functionality, a do‑it‑yourself approach may work if you’re comfortable with both CMSs. For business‑critical, lead‑driven, or e-commerce sites, professional services are strongly recommended to avoid downtime or SEO damage.
5. What parts of my Concrete5 site can be migrated?
- Pages, posts, and page hierarchy
- Media files (images, documents, videos)
- Some structured content and user accounts
- Design and functionality are recreated, not copied as‑is, using WordPress themes, plugins, and custom code.
Ready for a Professional Concrete5 to WordPress Migration?
Moving from Concrete5 to WordPress is more than a technical switch—it’s a strategic upgrade of your digital foundation. With the right process, you can migrate Concrete5 to WordPress securely, preserve SEO, and end up with a faster, more flexible site that is easier to manage and grow.
If your website generates leads, sales, or serves as a core business asset, you should not leave migration to chance.
Looking for reliable, expert Concrete5 to WordPress migration services?
Partner with a professional team that can audit your existing site, build a safe migration roadmap, move your data accurately, protect your SEO, and launch a WordPress site ready for your next stage of growth.
Get in touch today to discuss your project and receive a tailored migration plan.