Moving a news site between CMSs is mostly a URL and content-mapping job. List every old URL, decide its new address, serve permanent server-side redirects, submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console. Google says to keep redirects as long as possible, generally at least a year. Import tools move posts, not themes or plugins.
Moving a news site is a content job and a URL job. Articles, authors, categories, images and comments have to land in the new system. Every address that readers, other sites and search engines already know has to keep working. The second job is the one that costs you traffic when it goes wrong.
This guide sets out the order of work. The Google steps come from Google Search Central, and the tool notes from the vendors’ own documentation. We have not run these migrations ourselves.
What should you do before you touch the new CMS?
Build the URL list first. Google advises collecting old URLs from your sitemaps, server logs and analytics, then deciding where each should redirect. Keep that mapping in a database or in URL rewriting rules. Your analytics will show which old articles still draw readers, so check those by hand.
Also decide whether addresses will change at all. If the new CMS can reproduce your old URL pattern, most redirect work disappears. If it cannot, the mapping becomes the largest single task.
How do you move the content?
Check what the destination’s import tools actually cover. Ghost’s WordPress migrator, for example, takes an XML export through Settings, Advanced, Import/Export, and supports XML files up to 100mb and up to 2,500 posts. Its documentation says custom post types, most uncommon shortcodes and plugins that alter access to content are not supported. Categories become tags.
Drupal approaches it differently. Its Migrate API provides services for moving data into Drupal 9 or later from sources including CSV files, SQL databases and XML, JSON or SOAP. That gives developers a way to script a custom import, at the cost of building it.
| Question | Ghost WordPress migrator | Drupal Migrate API |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Built-in tool in Ghost Admin | Developer services and modules |
| Input | WordPress XML export | CSV, SQL, JCR, XML, JSON or SOAP |
| Documented limits | 100mb file, 2,500 posts | Not stated on the page we read |
| Themes and plugins | Do not transfer | Not covered |
If your archive passes a tool’s limits, or uses custom fields the tool ignores, plan a scripted import. See Ghost and Drupal for the platforms themselves.
Which redirects should you use?
Use permanent, server-side redirects. Google’s site-move documentation recommends HTTP permanent redirects where possible, such as 301 and 308. Its redirect documentation explains why: permanent redirects show the new target in search results, and temporary redirects show the source page.
Apply them at the web server, CDN or framework, not with client-side scripts. Ghost’s migration guide notes that content URLs typically change, so redirects may be needed, and it links to common redirection rules for WordPress migrations.
How do you launch and check it?
Test the redirect map on a staging copy before launch. Request a sample of old URLs, including older articles, tag and category pages, author pages, image paths and feeds, and confirm each lands on the right page in one hop.
After launch, submit the new sitemap in Search Console. Google says to watch the Sitemaps and Index Coverage reports and your search queries, looking for old URLs falling and new URLs gaining impressions and clicks. Expect a wait: for a medium-sized site, Google says it can take a few weeks or more for new URLs to replace the old ones in results, and longer for larger sites.
How long should the redirects stay?
Keep them for as long as possible. Google says generally at least one year. A news archive collects inbound links for years, so dropping redirects after twelve months saves little and risks a lot. Store the map in version control and carry it forward to the next system.
What does a migration cost?
Mapping, scripting, testing and rebuilding the design are the main costs, and they grow with archive size. The licence is usually the smaller line. Our cost guide lists the categories, and how to trial a CMS explains why to run a sample import before you sign a quote.
What should you check before choosing the destination?
Run through the features checklist first, then test a sample import of your messiest articles. Compare candidates on the comparison hub, for example WordPress vs Ghost or WordPress vs Drupal. A platform that imports cleanly but cannot reproduce your URLs may cost more than one with a rougher importer and flexible addresses.
Questions people ask
How long does it take for search traffic to recover after a CMS migration?
Google says that for medium-sized sites it can take a few weeks or more for the new URLs to replace the old ones in results, and longer for large sites. Traffic can dip in that window. Redirects and a submitted sitemap are what keep the dip short.
Should I use 301 or 302 redirects when changing CMS?
Use permanent redirects, such as 301 or 308. Google says permanent redirects show the new target in search results, while temporary ones keep showing the source page. A temporary redirect is the wrong signal for a move you do not plan to reverse.
How long should I keep the old redirects?
Google says to keep them as long as possible, generally at least one year. For a news archive with years of inbound links, treat them as permanent infrastructure and carry them into every later migration.
Can I keep my URLs the same when I switch CMS?
Often, yes, if the new system lets you set URL patterns. That removes most of the redirect work. Check the pattern on a sample of old articles first, because tags, categories, dates and trailing slashes are common sources of mismatch.
Will an import tool move my theme and plugins?
No. Ghost's migrator documentation says themes and plugins do not transfer. Expect to rebuild the design, and to replace plugin features with the new system's own tools or extensions.
Sources
- Google's site-move documentation recommends HTTP permanent redirects where possible, such as 301 and 308. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google advises mapping old URLs to new ones by identifying old URLs from sitemaps, server logs and analytics, deciding where each should redirect, and storing the mapping in a database or URL rewriting rules. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- After redirects are in place Google says to submit the new sitemap in Search Console, and to monitor the Sitemaps and Index Coverage reports and search queries to see new URLs gaining impressions and clicks. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google says to keep redirects for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google says that for medium-sized sites it can take a few weeks or more for new URLs to gradually replace the old ones in results, and longer for larger sites. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google's redirect documentation says permanent redirects show the new target in search results while temporary redirects show the source page, and recommends a permanent server-side redirect when you need to change a page's URL in results. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Ghost's built-in WordPress migrator is under Settings, Advanced, Import/Export in Ghost Admin; it takes an XML export and supports XML files up to 100mb and up to 2,500 posts. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Ghost's WordPress migration does not support custom post types, most uncommon shortcodes or plugins that alter access to content; themes and plugins do not transfer, and WordPress categories are converted to tags. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Ghost's migration guide says content URLs typically change, so redirects may be needed, and it links to common redirection rules for WordPress migrations. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Drupal's Migrate API provides services for migrating data from different sources to Drupal 9 or later, with documented sources including CSV files, SQL databases, JCR sources, and XML, JSON or SOAP. — source, checked 10 October 2026.