Migrate a WordPress site to Drupal: SEO preservation, content and media migration, editorial model redesign, multi-author publishing workflows, advanced multilingual support.
WordPress dominates the web (40%+ of global sites) thanks to its simplicity and plugin ecosystem. But on certain usage profiles, it reaches structural limits. Multi-actor editorial workflow: author > reviewer > publication, with validations and granular rights, is poorly suited natively (fragile third-party extensions). Advanced multilingual: WPML is powerful but complex to maintain, especially in RTL. Structured content modeling: complex content types with relationships, nested taxonomies, content shared between sections. Large-scale performance: institutional and media sites with 10,000+ pages.
Drupal 10/11 is designed for complex editorial sites. Native workflow: Drupal Workflows + Content Moderation for multi-level validation chains. Native multilingual (since Drupal 8): no extension needed, consistent translated entity management, solid RTL support. Strongly typed content model: Entity API, Field API, Paragraphs for structured content. Proven security: OWASP audit, dedicated security team. Native multi-site for organizations managing multiple brands or countries. See our Drupal experience on Ministry of Culture KSA and multi-site platforms.
Three common pitfalls. SEO preservation: URL change, loss of Yoast data (meta-descriptions, OG images), missing 301 redirects. Critical plugins: ACF, Gravity Forms, Elementor have no direct equivalents in Drupal — rework needed. Editor change management: editors used to WordPress Gutenberg must learn Drupal Layout Builder or Paragraphs. Projects that neglect these three points typically derail by 30-50% on schedule.
Structured editorial sites, multi-actor workflows, advanced multilingual. Default choice for editorial WP migration.
Site seeking maximum Core Web Vitals performance and front-end flexibility. See CMS to headless migration.
If the need is only performance or security, without editorial complexity, optimizing WordPress (update, plugin audit, performant hosting) costs less than a migration.
More radical migration to modern JavaScript stack. Greater effort but performant result.
A WordPress to Drupal migration is typically structured over 4 to 9 months depending on content volume and editorial complexity. For an institutional or media site with 500 to 2000 articles, plan 4 to 6 months with a 4-5 person cell: Drupal architect, two Drupal developers (custom modules, theme), an integrator, an editorial referent. For larger programs (multi-site, multilingual 5+ languages, 5000+ articles), plan 6 to 9 months and 6-8 people.
SEO preservation poorly framed. URL structure change breaks Google rankings if 301 redirects are not exhaustive. Yoast metadata (meta-description, OG image) does not migrate automatically.
Complete URL mapping before any dev, exhaustive 301 redirect table validated by SEO referent. Metadata migration via custom scripts (Yoast → Drupal Metatag). Search Console audit post-migration over 90 days. See also the CMS to headless migration path for SEO preservation patterns.
Underestimating critical plugins. ACF (Advanced Custom Fields), Gravity Forms, Yoast, Elementor are at the heart of WordPress sites but have no 1-for-1 equivalents in Drupal.
Exhaustive plugin inventory from Intake: qualification of each plugin (native Drupal equivalent, contrib module, to rewrite). ACF → Field API + Paragraphs, Gravity Forms → Webform module, Elementor → Layout Builder, Yoast → Metatag + Pathauto + Schema.org. Functional tests per use case.
Fragile content migration. WordPress sites have content with shortcodes, complex Gutenberg blocks, scattered media (multi-year uploads). A naive migration breaks hundreds of pages.
Drupal Migrate API with custom scripts per content type, shortcode conversion to Paragraphs or equivalent blocks, media re-import with path preservation. Sample tests before mass migration. Dual-run phase where WP remains accessible during validation.
Editor change management neglected. WP editors used to Gutenberg find Drupal less intuitive at startup.
Hands-on editor training over 2-3 short sessions before and after go-live. Visual documentation of new flows. Drupal Layout Builder or Paragraphs customization to stay close to the Gutenberg experience. 4-6 weeks of hyper-care post-cutover with reinforced presence.
Complete digital redesign of a Middle Eastern public university on Drupal CMS, with native Arabic/English bilingual handling, native RTL, RESTful API integration with academic services. Proven Drupal target capability on delivered project.
XR platform on 14 heritage sites for a ministry of culture (Vision 2030), Drupal heritage management CMS bilingual Arabic/English. Drupal target capability on multi-year strategic project.
WordPress source CMS mastery via delivered projects: Azur City (3 shopping malls, WordPress multi-site platform) and Gnet News (WordPress news portal). This WordPress backend expertise allows understanding the source heritage to migrate (plugins, custom fields, taxonomies, media) before translation to Drupal.
Three legitimate reasons. Multi-actor editorial workflow complex (author, reviewer, validation, publication) that WP handles poorly natively. Advanced multilingual (5+ languages, RTL): native Drupal multilingual is more robust than WPML. Structured content modeling with complex relationships. If the need is just performance or security, optimizing WP costs less.
Three levers. Exhaustive URL mapping before any dev with 301 redirect table. Yoast metadata migration to Drupal Metatag via scripts. Search Console monitoring over 90 days post-migration with alert on position drops. On well-framed projects, transient SEO traffic loss below 5%, return to normal in 6-8 weeks.
For an editorial site of 500-2000 articles, plan 4-6 months with a 4-5 person cell in nearshore co-delivery. For larger programs (multi-site, multilingual 5+ languages, 5000+ articles), 6-9 months and 6-8 people.
The cost of a WordPress to Drupal migration depends on the number of articles and content types, but above all on the number of critical plugins with no Drupal equivalent (custom fields, multilingual, SEO), which must be rebuilt rather than migrated. The third variable is editorial scope: single-site or multi-site, and the number of languages. Free initial scoping call, 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Depends on your current state. If you're on Drupal 7 or 8 end-of-life, a Drupal upgrade to a supported version (D10/D11) is generally faster and lower-risk than a complete redesign. If you want to exit the monolith and open the application to modern channels (mobile, API), look instead at headless CMS migration (Strapi, headless Drupal via JSON:API, headless WordPress via WPGraphQL).
We frame the trajectory, the budget, and the deliverables in a first thirty-minute conversation. A short POC can be proposed before committing to the full program.
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