Migration guide
WordPress to Adobe Experience Manager
Consolidate distributed WordPress sites into AEM with a governed component library and shared asset repository.
Overview
What this migration really involves
A WordPress to AEM migration is two projects wearing one name: standing up AEM correctly, and winding down WordPress without losing the history, integrations and team confidence built on it. Projects that treat it as a single lift-and-shift discover the second project mid-flight — usually at cutover, which is the most expensive possible moment.
Consolidate distributed WordPress sites into AEM with a governed component library and shared asset repository. The phased approach below keeps both platforms running in parallel while numbers are reconciled, so cutover is a decision you take on evidence rather than a deadline you brace for. Every phase has an explicit rollback path until decommissioning is signed off.
Just as important is what should not migrate. Legacy platforms accumulate years of unused reports, stale segments and integrations nobody can explain. The assessment phase separates what earns its place in AEM from what should be archived — routinely shrinking the migration by a third before it starts.
Process
The migration, phase by phase
- 1
Inventory all sites, plugins and custom templates
- 2
Rationalise content and identify what should not migrate
- 3
Design a shared component library across brands
- 4
Migrate content and assets with metadata enrichment
- 5
Implement redirects and preserve URL structure where valuable
- 6
Roll out site by site with author enablement
Risks
What actually goes wrong
Every migration guide that omits these is selling, not advising.
- Plugin functionality needs explicit replacement decisions
- Media libraries usually need significant metadata cleanup
- Editorial workflows change materially — plan change management
WordPress to AEM — frequently asked questions
How long does a WordPress to AEM migration take?
Most land in three to six months including the parallel-run window. The drivers are data volume, customization depth on the legacy side and how much historical continuity you need — the assessment phase gives you a committed timeline within two weeks.
Will we lose historical data?
Media libraries usually need significant metadata cleanup We plan this explicitly: what migrates, what gets archived in an accessible form, and what the reporting continuity strategy is during the transition — agreed before cutover, not discovered after.
Can we run both platforms in parallel during the migration?
Yes — a parallel-run window is a standard phase, not an option. Both platforms operate simultaneously while numbers are reconciled and variance is understood, and cutover only happens once you've accepted the comparison. A rollback plan exists until decommissioning.
What does the migration cost?
Scope depends on data volume, integration count and customization depth, so we don't publish a number that would be wrong for most readers. The assessment produces a fixed-price proposal — and often finds scope that shouldn't migrate at all, which is the cheapest work there is.
What goes wrong most often in this migration?
Plugin functionality needs explicit replacement decisions It's the first thing our assessment checks, and the phased approach on this page exists specifically to surface it while it's still cheap to fix.
Scope your WordPress migration
A short assessment gives you the real timeline, cost range and risk register for your specific setup — before you commit to anything.
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