How to Convert an HTML Site to WordPress in 2025: A Step-by-Step Guide

WordPress has made website management easier than ever, allowing users to build and maintain websites without coding skills. If you have an existing HTML site and want to convert it to WordPress, you have three main methods to choose from. Let’s go through each method step by step!

📌 Before You Start: Optimize Your Site

Before diving into the conversion process, it’s essential to optimize your site for better performance. You can use Airlift, a free optimization plugin that automatically applies over 50 performance tweaks to ensure your site is lightweight and fast. Installing it before conversion will save you time and effort later.

✅ Method 1: Manually Convert Your HTML Site into a WordPress Theme

This method requires some coding knowledge but gives you full control over your site’s design and functionality.

Step 1: Install a WordPress Theme

  1. Go to WordPress Dashboard → Appearance → Themes.
  2. Click Add New, search for the “Twenty Twenty” theme.
  3. Click Install and Activate.

Step 2: Install Essential Plugins

To make the process easier, install these two plugins:

  1. Classic Editor (restores the traditional WordPress editor)
    • Go to Plugins → Add New → Search for “Classic Editor”.
    • Click Install and Activate.
  2. Advanced File Manager (allows direct file access in WordPress)
    • Go to Plugins → Add New → Search for “Advanced File Manager”.
    • Click Install and Activate.

Step 3: Set Up Clean URLs

  1. Go to Settings → Permalinks.
  2. Select Post Name and click Save Changes.

Step 4: Create Custom Page Templates

  1. Open Advanced File Manager and navigate to the theme folder.
  2. Find the template file you need to modify.
  3. Copy and paste it outside the folder as a backup.
  4. Rename the copied file (e.g., homepage.php).
  5. Open it in a code editor and update the template name inside the file.

Step 5: Assign the New Template to a WordPress Page

  1. Go to Dashboard → Pages → Add New.
  2. Name your page and in Page Attributes, select your new template.
  3. Click Publish.

Step 6: Set Up a Static Homepage

  1. Go to Settings → Reading.
  2. Choose Static Page and select the page you created.
  3. Click Save Changes.

Step 7: Replace Default Header and Footer

  1. Open Advanced File Manager and go to header.php.
  2. Copy the header code from your HTML site and paste it in.
  3. Repeat the process for footer.php.
  4. Save the changes.

Step 8: Add Your HTML Content to the Homepage

  1. Open homepage.php.
  2. Keep get_header(); and get_footer(); functions.
  3. Paste the HTML body content from your original homepage between them.
  4. Save the file.

Step 9: Upload Assets (CSS, JS, Images)

  1. Upload CSS, JavaScript, and image files to the theme folder using Advanced File Manager.
  2. Update all asset links to match WordPress’s structure.

Step 10: Create More Pages

  1. Duplicate homepage.php, rename it (about.php, contact.php, etc.).
  2. Replace the content with the respective HTML content.
  3. Create new WordPress pages and assign them to these templates.

Step 11: Update Navigation Menu

  1. Instead of hardcoded links, use PHP functions to generate correct WordPress links dynamically.

🎉 Congratulations! Your HTML site is now fully converted into a custom WordPress theme!

✅ Method 2: Install a WordPress Theme & Migrate Content

If keeping your current design isn’t important and you want a faster way to migrate, this method is for you!

Step 1: Install WordPress & Choose a Theme

  1. Install WordPress on your hosting provider.
  2. In Dashboard → Appearance → Themes, browse free and premium themes.
  3. Choose one that suits your style and install it.

Step 2: Move Your Content

  • For small sites: Manually copy and paste text from HTML into WordPress pages.
  • For large sites: Use the HTML Import 2 Plugin to automate content migration.
    • This plugin scans your HTML site, extracts content, and imports it into WordPress.

Step 3: Adjust Menus & Widgets

  1. Go to Appearance → Menus to configure navigation.
  2. Adjust Widgets and page settings to match your old site.

🎉 Done! Your HTML content is now inside WordPress with a fresh new theme!

✅ Method 3: Use Elementor to Import Your Site

If you want to keep your HTML site intact without dealing with WordPress themes or PHP, Elementor provides the easiest solution.

Step 1: Install Elementor

  1. In Dashboard → Plugins → Add New, search for Elementor.
  2. Click Install and Activate.

Step 2: Create a New Page in Elementor

  1. Go to Pages → Add New.
  2. Click Edit with Elementor.

Step 3: Use the HTML Widget

  1. Inside Elementor, find the HTML Widget and drag it onto the page.
  2. Open your HTML files, copy the full code, and paste it into the widget.

Step 4: Upload Styles & Scripts

  1. If your site has CSS or JavaScript files, upload them to WordPress.
  2. Link them correctly so everything loads as expected.

Step 5: Publish Your Page

  • Click Publish to save changes.

🎉 That’s it! Your HTML site is now running inside WordPress through Elementor while keeping the original design!

🎯 Which Method Should You Choose?

MethodBest ForDifficultyCustomization
Manual ConversionKeeping your exact design🔥🔥🔥 (Hard)🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨 (Full Control)
Theme + Content MigrationSimple, faster conversion🔥 (Easy)🎨🎨 (Limited)
Elementor ImportKeeping design without coding🔥 (Easy)🎨🎨🎨 (Moderate)

🎬 Final Thoughts

Now you know three different ways to convert an HTML site into WordPress! Whether you prefer full customization, a quick content migration, or using Elementor for an easy transition, there’s a method that suits your needs.

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