Migrating from WordPress to Ghost CMS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

If you’ve been using WordPress for blogging or publishing, but feel bogged down by plugins, maintenance, or security updates — you’re not alone. Thousands of professionals, publishers, and creators are now switching to Ghost CMS for its speed, simplicity, and built-in email membership tools.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to migrate your WordPress site to Ghost CMS step by step — with minimal downtime and maximum SEO preservation.

Whether you’re running a personal blog or a company publication, this guide will help you make a smooth, professional transition.

Why Migrate from WordPress to Ghost?

Before jumping into the process, here’s why so many creators and organisations are making the switch to Ghost CMS:

Step 1: Export Your WordPress Content

To start, you’ll need to export your posts, pages, tags, and authors from WordPress.

Option 1: Use Ghost’s Official WordPress Plugin (Recommended)

Ghost offers a free plugin that handles content export cleanly.

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to
   Plugins → Add New → Search “Ghost” → Install “Ghost Export”.
2. Once installed, use the Export option from Plugins dashboard, or go to Tools → Export to Ghost.
3. Click “Export” — it will generate a .zip or a .json file, whatever you like, containing all your content.
4. For the JSON option, you will have to download images separately. You may follow these instructions to proceed with it.
5. Save that file to your computer.

Option 2: Manual WordPress Export

If you prefer, you can use the default WordPress exporter:

1. Go to Tools → Export.
2. Choose All Content and click Download Export File.
3. Convert it later using Ghost’s import tools (explained in Step 3).

Step 2: Set Up Your New Ghost Site

Next, you need a place to import your content.

If you’re using Ghost(Pro) (recommended for professionals):

1. Sign in at ghost.org.
2. Create a new site (you’ll get a .ghost.io subdomain temporarily).
3. Go to Settings → General and configure your publication details:
   • Title and description
   • Logo and favicon
   • Accent colour
   • Timezone

If you’re self-hosting Ghost, make sure your installation is up-to-date (v5 or newer).

Step 3: Import Your WordPress Data into Ghost

Ghost supports JSON import natively — perfect for the file you exported earlier.

1. In your Ghost admin panel, go to
   Settings → Labs → Import Content.
2. Upload your .json file.
3. Wait for the import to complete — Ghost will automatically create:
   • Posts
   • Pages
   • Tags
   • Authors

Step 4: Move Your Images and Media Files

Your WordPress export doesn’t include uploaded images by default — they live in your /wp-content/uploads/ directory.
To migrate them:

Option A: Manual Upload (for small sites)

• Download your /uploads/ folder via cPanel or FTP.
• In Ghost, upload images manually into each post as needed.

Option B: Automated Transfer (for larger sites)

Use the free migrator tool which require some technical expertise. More details are available at: https://github.com/TryGhost/migrate?tab=readme-ov-file

This method helps you to automatically:

• Crawls your live site
• Downloads all images

Then you can import that file into Ghost via Settings → Labs → Import.

Step 5: Set Up Redirects (Preserve Your SEO)

You’ve likely spent time building SEO value in your WordPress URLs — and you don’t want to lose that.

Ghost makes 301 redirects easy with a redirects.json file.

1. Create a new file named redirects.json with this structure:

[
  {
    "from": "/old-post-slug/",
    "to": "/new-post-slug/",
    "permanent": true
  }
]

1. Upload it via Settings → Labs → Upload redirects file.

If your WordPress URLs used a different structure (e.g., /year/month/post-name), you can create pattern-based redirects too:

[
  {
    "from": "/:year/:month/:slug/",
    "to": "/:slug/",
    "permanent": true
  }
]

Step 6: Connect Your Domain

Once your content is migrated, connect your root domain or subdomain to Ghost:

1. Go to Settings → Domain in Ghost(Pro).
2. Enter your domain (e.g. yourdomain.com).
3. Follow the DNS instructions for your Cloudflare-managed domain.
4. Wait for propagation — your site should now load under your custom URL with SSL active.

Step 7: Recreate Menus, Navigation, and Design

Ghost doesn’t import WordPress menus or widgets.
Instead, you can rebuild navigation easily under Settings → Navigation.

• Primary navigation: Top menu (Home, About, Blog, Contact)
• Secondary navigation: Footer links (Privacy, Terms, Social)

If you used custom widgets or shortcodes, recreate those manually using Ghost’s editor or embed blocks.

Step 8: Rebuild Your Email List and Memberships

If you had subscribers or an email list in WordPress (via Mailchimp, Jetpack, or Newsletter plugin), you can import them into Ghost.

1. Export subscribers as .csv.
2. In Ghost admin, go to Members → Import Members.
3. Upload the CSV — ensure it includes at least email and name columns.
4. Send a welcome email introducing your new platform.

Ghost’s native email system supports both free and paid memberships via Stripe.

Step 9: Optimise Your New Ghost Site

To ensure your new Ghost-powered site is fully optimised:

• Update your meta descriptions and OG images.
• Add your site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• Enable canonical URLs in Ghost → Settings → SEO.
• Use Cloudflare caching and minification for faster loading.

Step 10: Announce the Migration

Once everything looks good, it’s time to relaunch your publication.

1. Write a short “We’ve Moved!” post announcing the change.
2. Share it on your social channels and email list.
3. Explain why you switched — simplicity, performance, and focus.
4. Encourage readers to subscribe via Ghost’s built-in form.

Bonus: Optional Enhancements

• Integrate Google Analytics 4 or Plausible Analytics.
• Add social sharing buttons under each post.
• Use Cloudflare Web Analytics for privacy-friendly tracking.
• Add a custom 404 page if you like.

Common Migration Pitfalls (and Fixes)

Conclusion

Migrating from WordPress to Ghost CMS in 2025 is easier than ever. With the official Ghost tools, Cloudflare integration, and built-in newsletter features, you can have a faster, leaner, and more professional site — without worrying about plugins or updates.

If you’d like help migrating your site professionally, More X Tech offers expert setup and migration support for Ghost CMS users:

• Migration Audit – Review and export your WordPress data correctly
• Full Migration Service – End-to-end setup with redirects and SEO retention
• Custom Design Integration – Match your existing brand in Ghost

Contact More X Tech to make your migration effortless and future-proof. Once migrated, you can enjoy our services by subscribing to one of our membership plans for maintaining your website.