How to Move Your Blog from Medium to WordPress: 2019 Guide

Medium was, at some point, a popular platform for blogging. When it was launched, it was praised because of its numerous advantages, such as a built-in distribution channel, domain authority, competitive keywords, engagement-based algorithm, and post notifications.

However, it is no match for the flexibility and the popularity of WordPress. It is no wonder that many businesses are deciding to make the transition from Medium to WordPress. Many high-profile companies have made the same decision over the past year, including ThinkProgress, The Awl, Slack, and Film School Rejects.

Making that move is not much different than moving from one house to another. There are some things you need to carry with you. There is a procedure you need to follow. But don’t worry, we’re here to help you with that.

Preparing for the migration

To migrate from Medium to self-hosted WordPress, you will need to do a couple of things.

First, if you do not have a custom domain name on Medium, you will need to register a domain name. If you are not sure where to do that, GoDaddy and NameCheap are among the most popular options, and they work quite fine. If you are already using a custom domain, all you need to do is to update your DNS to point to your WP site.

Second, you will need to purchase web hosting. You can decide for shared hosting, at first, and upgrade later to more dedicated hosting if your site traffic grows.

Get yourself a house

Now, you need to install WordPress. Most hosts offer a one-click installation in c-Panel. After the very installation, you need to secure your home by selecting the protocol (http://; http://www; https://; https://www).

Go through the site settings and fill out the required fields. When you filled everything, including the name, the description, email address, and language, click install, and build that house on firm grounds.

Export the content you have on Medium

This is far easier than it sounds with the assistance of a tool called Medium to WordPress Importer – it takes all your Medium content and exports it in a state that is compatible with WP.

The tool is pretty simple to use. All you need to do is follow some basic instructions after you log in. When you download your content in a zip file, click the export button and it will be sent to you via email.

Import the content to WP

Log in to your WordPress account and go to Tools – Import – WordPress – Install Now. When the plugin is installed, click the Run Importer option to go to the WordPress importer page. Now choose the files you need and import them.

Set up the redirects

If you were using a custom domain on your Medium blog you can set up redirects to your new website. This ensures that people who click on links leading to your old Medium posts will land on the same content on your new WordPress site. If you were using a medium.com domain, this will not be an option for you.

Here is a step by step guide for setting up the redirects:

• Copy the URLs for all the old Medium posts and save them in a document.
• Install the Redirection plugin the WP site.
• Go to “Tools”, select the option “Redirection” and click “Add New”.
• In “Source URL”, add the old URL.
• In “Target URL”, type your new WP URL.
• Select “Redirections” in the “Group” menu.
• Choose the “Add Redirect” option.

You will have to repeat these steps for each old Medium post.

Install the plugins

WordPress allows you to install a lot of useful plugins. Some of the must-haves are Wordfence security, Yoast SEO, and W3 Total Cache.

Besides them, you should go through the plugins, see their functions, and choose those that seem convenient to you.

Optimize the permalinks

The URL structure is a crucial factor in SEO strategy for blogs because it improves usability, accessibility, and visibility. Using the post name structure is usually the best practice, but if you publish the content often, you can also add the date to the URL. All of this can be set in the Permalink Settings tab.

Check all the internal links

Since you are using a changed permalink structure and the location of your images is different on your new site, you will probably have broken links within your content. If you are a busy bee, you can go through all of the links and find the damage yourself, but you can take the shortcut and use the Broken Link Checker plugin.

You’ve got the brains, now go get the look

WordPress has an abundance of various themes to choose from (more than 6.500). Select the one that matches your personal preferences, but also depicts the character of the blog and your brand. The navigation menu is also important from both the aesthetic and functional side.

Make it streamlined and easily understandable. Both of these features can be found in the appearance option of the WordPress site.

Widgets are the third essential part of the website design. They are blocks of content that can be included in different locations (e.g., archives, comments, content, recent posts, contact details, etc.).

After the migration

Before you open that champagne bottle, make sure everything on your new website works properly, ranging from the navigation menu to links to media items. If you are satisfied you can begin exploring the possibilities of the WordPress platform which are becoming more diverse and user-friendly by the day.