Migration guide · Updated July 2026

Move from WordPress.com without losing the parts that make your site work.

WordPress.com provides a standard XML content export. On some plans a migration plugin or downloadable backup can make the move more direct.

Migration method
Direct migration
Planning level
Straightforward
Old site stays live
Until final checks pass

What the export really gives us

A website export is rarely the whole website.

The standard XML contains posts, pages, comments, categories, tags, and links to media. It does not contain the theme design, customizations, plugins, or the actual media files.

What we can carry over

  • Posts, pages, comments, categories, tags, and menus
  • Media references and separately downloaded media
  • Users and plugin data when a full migration method is available
  • Domain, subscribers, and email through separate procedures

What we recreate or reconnect

  • Theme styling when only XML is available
  • WordPress.com-specific blocks and paid services
  • Forms, subscriptions, stats, and automations that depend on the old plan
  • Any missing media links or plugin features

The replacement does not have to be WordPress

A WordPress.com site whose job is explaining services can be rebuilt as a custom static site instead.

How we choose between WordPress and static

Prepare the handoff

Gather this before we start.

You do not need to understand all of it. Tell us what you can access and where you get stuck.

  • WordPress.com administrator access
  • The XML export or a full backup when the plan provides one
  • A separate media-library export
  • Theme name, plugin list, custom CSS, redirects, subscribers, and forms
  • Domain, DNS, email, and paid subscription details

Instructions for WordPress.com

What to do in your current account.

  1. Keep the site public so the new WordPress installation can fetch media files during import.

  2. In the dashboard, go to Tools, Export, choose All content, and click Download Export File.

  3. Go to Tools, Export Media Files and download the media archive as a separate safety copy.

  4. If the site is on a plugin-enabled plan, check whether a migration plugin or full backup is available. We will choose the cleaner method after reviewing access.

  5. Record the active theme, plugins, widgets, menus, custom CSS, forms, subscribers, stats, and any paid WordPress.com features.

  6. Do not make the old site private or cancel the plan until every imported image and file has been verified.

Platform instructions: We checked this guide against WordPress.com: Export your website content (opens in a new tab) on July 21, 2026. Builder menus and plan rules can change, so use the linked provider article if a label in your account looks different.

How 330 Hosting handles the move

We rebuild first. We point the domain last.

  1. 01

    Inventory first

    We crawl the public site, list its URLs, record forms and integrations, and separate the domain, DNS, website, and email services.

  2. 02

    Build away from the live domain

    We create the replacement without changing the website visitors currently see. Your old site stays available during the work.

  3. 03

    Review the jobs that matter

    You check the words, photos, navigation, forms, calls, bookings, store behavior, and mobile layout. We correct issues before launch.

  4. 04

    Copy DNS and launch

    We preserve mail and verification records, point only the needed website records, enable SSL, and test both the old and new paths.

  5. 05

    Watch and verify

    We check forms, analytics, redirects, indexing controls, error pages, and email delivery after the change. Only then should the old website plan be canceled.

Three things to check twice.

  • The XML points to images on the old site; it does not contain those files.
  • Large sites may receive a ZIP containing several XML files.
  • WordPress.com subscriptions, subscribers, and domain registration each have their own handoff steps.

Migration help

Tell us what the site needs to do for your business.

The live pages are only part of the job. We need to know where leads go, what customers can do, what advertising depends on the site, and what cannot break.

Hosting is $15 per month.

There is no migration fee.

Do not send passwords. We’ll arrange secure access after we review the request. Fields marked required are required.
Website migration request details
Does the current website produce leads or sales?

This tells us which forms, phone numbers, tracking, and high-traffic pages must be protected.

For example: contact form to two email addresses, phone calls tracked by Google Ads, Calendly bookings, or Shopify orders.

What must the new site do?

Select everything you currently use or want to add.

Include important page names, current problems, advertising, deadlines, and what you want the rebuilt site to do better.

By sending this form, you agree that 330 Hosting may contact you about this request. See our privacy policy.

Questions that are the same for every builder

Whether the site goes offline, what happens to email and the domain, and how the $0 migration fee works are answered once, on the migration overview.

Read the migration questions