How to migrate from Sitecore to WordPress : A Step-by-Step Guide
Is Sitecore slowing down your business with high costs and complexity? This guide explains why enterprises are moving to WordPress, with a detailed migration checklist, step-by-step process, and FAQs to ensure a smooth transition.
Updated: Aug 26, 2025
Getting started
Introdution
Sitecore has long been considered one of the most powerful enterprise CMS platforms. Built on Microsoft’s .NET framework, it offers advanced personalization, marketing automation, and content management features. For global enterprises with large budgets and dedicated IT teams, Sitecore once represented the gold standard.
But over time, many businesses have realized that the power of Sitecore comes with significant trade-offs:
High licensing fees and hosting costs that can run into six figures annually.
Complex implementations requiring specialized developers and long project timelines.
Over-engineering for many organizations, where most Sitecore features go unused.
Slower marketing agility, as even routine updates depend on IT or external agencies.
For companies that don’t need the full enterprise marketing suite — or that are tired of the cost and complexity — Sitecore quickly becomes a burden. This has led to a growing trend of enterprises moving away from Sitecore toward more agile, cost-effective solutions.
Enter WordPress. Once known primarily as a blogging platform, WordPress has matured into the world’s most popular CMS, powering 43% of all websites — including major enterprises, governments, and universities. With its flexibility, massive plugin ecosystem, and significantly lower total cost of ownership, WordPress gives organizations the functionality they need without the overhead of an enterprise license.
Migrating from Sitecore to WordPress isn’t just a platform change — it’s a strategic decision to reduce costs, simplify workflows, and give marketing teams more control. WordPress puts content management back in the hands of business users while still offering the scalability and integrations required for enterprise operations.
In this guide, we’ll explore:
A detailed comparison of Sitecore vs WordPress
Why organizations are choosing WordPress over legacy enterprise platforms
A practical migration checklist to prepare your Sitecore site
The migration process, step by step
Post-migration checks to ensure a smooth transition
FAQs that address the most common concerns of Sitecore users
If you’re currently running Sitecore but feel weighed down by its cost and complexity, this guide will show you why WordPress is the smarter alternative — and how to make the move without disrupting your business.
Sitecore vs WordPress: Which CMS Fits Your Business?
1. Cost of Ownership
Sitecore: Licensing fees alone can cost six figures annually. Add to that the expense of .NET hosting, implementation partners, and specialized developers, and the total cost of ownership is substantial.
WordPress: Open-source and free at its core. Costs are limited to hosting, premium plugins, and design/development. The global pool of WordPress talent also drives down developer rates.
💡 Verdict: WordPress reduces annual CMS spend dramatically.
2. Ease of Use
Sitecore: Designed for enterprise IT teams, not business users. Its content editor is complex, and publishing workflows often frustrate non-technical marketers.
WordPress: Built with usability in mind. The Gutenberg block editor and page builders like Elementor give content and marketing teams the ability to create and publish quickly.
💡 Verdict: WordPress empowers marketing teams, while Sitecore often slows them down.
3. Flexibility & Features
Sitecore: Offers advanced features like personalization, analytics, and marketing automation — but most organizations never use them to their full potential.
WordPress: Provides a modular approach. Need e-commerce? Add WooCommerce. Want personalization? Use plugins or integrate with third-party tools. WordPress gives you just the features you need, without the overhead of unused extras.
💡 Verdict: Sitecore is powerful but bloated; WordPress is flexible and right-sized.
4. Time to Market
Sitecore: Implementations and updates can take months due to developer bottlenecks and complex workflows.
WordPress: Launches are significantly faster. New landing pages or microsites can be deployed in hours or days, not weeks.
💡 Verdict: WordPress accelerates campaigns and business agility.
5. Community & Ecosystem
Sitecore: Smaller ecosystem, dependent on certified implementation partners. Fewer learning resources for internal teams.
WordPress: The largest CMS ecosystem in the world, with 60,000+ plugins, thousands of themes, and a vast global community.
💡 Verdict: WordPress has unmatched long-term sustainability.
6. SEO & Digital Marketing
Sitecore: Advanced SEO is possible but requires custom configurations and developer support. Marketing integrations are often costly add-ons.
WordPress: Out-of-the-box SEO friendliness with plugins like Yoast or RankMath. Integrates natively with HubSpot, Salesforce, GA4, and every major marketing platform.
💡 Verdict: WordPress is built for digital marketers.
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Feature
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Sitecore
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WordPress
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|---|---|---|
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Cost
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Six-figure licensing + dev costs
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Free core, affordable hosting & plugins
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Ease of Use
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Complex, IT-driven
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Intuitive, business-user friendly
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Features
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Personalization, automation, analytics
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Modular plugins for just what you need
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Time to Market
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Slow, dev-heavy implementations
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Fast, agile publishing
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Community
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Small, partner-driven
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Largest CMS community worldwide
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SEO & Marketing
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Requires dev customization
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Plug-and-play with marketing tools
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The Bottom Line
Sitecore is a powerful platform — but for most organizations, it’s too much platform. The licensing fees, developer dependency, and complexity often outweigh the benefits. WordPress offers the same publishing power, scalability, and integrations with far lower costs and greater agility.
For enterprises tired of paying for features they don’t use, migrating from Sitecore to WordPress is the smarter long-term choice.
Why WordPress for Your Business
If you’re considering moving from Sitecore to WordPress, chances are your current platform feels too complex and too expensive for what you actually need. Sitecore is powerful, but many organizations find themselves paying enterprise-level costs for features they rarely (if ever) use. WordPress offers a smarter alternative — delivering the functionality you need, with the agility your teams have been asking for.
1. Drastically Lower Costs
Sitecore’s licensing alone can run into six figures annually. Add hosting and specialized .NET development, and the costs quickly spiral. WordPress eliminates licensing fees entirely. With affordable hosting and plugins, plus a massive pool of global developers, most organizations cut their CMS costs by 50–80% after migration.
2. Faster Marketing Agility
On Sitecore, publishing new pages, campaigns, or microsites often requires IT involvement, slowing down marketing teams. WordPress empowers non-technical staff to make changes on their own. Content editors can launch a new landing page or campaign in minutes instead of waiting weeks.
3. Flexibility Without Overhead
Sitecore provides advanced features like personalization, but many organizations never implement them fully. With WordPress, you get exactly what you need through plugins and integrations. If you need e-commerce, add WooCommerce. If you want marketing automation, integrate HubSpot or ActiveCampaign. There’s no bloat — just the tools that fit your strategy.
4. A Stronger Marketing Stack
Modern marketing relies on seamless integration. WordPress connects natively with GA4, Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Marketo, and thousands of other tools. Sitecore’s integrations are often costly add-ons that require custom development. WordPress makes it easy to unify your digital ecosystem.
5. SEO Made Simple
Sitecore can support SEO, but it requires custom work to set up metadata, redirects, and schema. WordPress simplifies this with plugins like Yoast SEO and RankMath, which put SEO control directly in the hands of marketers. Combined with faster page speeds and mobile-friendly design, most businesses see SEO improvements after migrating.
6. A Future-Proof Platform
WordPress powers over 43% of the internet, including enterprise-level brands like Microsoft News, Sony Music, and The Walt Disney Company. Its massive community ensures constant innovation, updates, and support. Unlike Sitecore’s smaller partner-driven ecosystem, WordPress guarantees long-term sustainability.
Migrating from Sitecore to WordPress isn’t just a technology decision — it’s a business strategy. It lowers costs, accelerates your marketing, and frees your teams from IT bottlenecks, all while giving you access to the world’s largest and most innovative CMS ecosystem.
Migration Checklist: Preparing to Move from Sitecore to WordPress
Migrating from Sitecore to WordPress isn’t a plug-and-play process. Sitecore sites often include complex templates, personalization rules, and enterprise integrations that need careful planning. Before you begin, make sure you’ve covered these essentials:
1. Audit Your Current Sitecore Setup
Content inventory: Catalog all pages, blogs, media assets, and landing pages.
Templates & layouts: Document existing Sitecore templates and components that will need to be recreated in WordPress.
Personalization rules: Identify any conditional content or user segmentation rules that may require equivalent functionality in WordPress (via plugins or third-party tools).
Integrations: List all third-party connections (CRMs, analytics, marketing automation, DAM systems).
💡 Why this matters: Sitecore implementations often include features your business may not even use anymore. Auditing helps you decide what’s worth migrating and what can be retired.
2. Define Your Migration Goals
Do you want a like-for-like migration that mirrors your current Sitecore setup?
Or is this the opportunity to simplify, redesign, and improve your site’s navigation and UX?
Setting clear goals will prevent over-complication and ensure the migration aligns with business objectives.
3. Map Your SEO Data
Export all URLs, meta titles, descriptions, and schema from Sitecore.
Note current redirects, canonical tags, and sitemaps.
Benchmark current rankings and traffic for high-value pages.
💡 Why this matters: SEO continuity is critical when migrating from Sitecore — which often uses complex URL structures.
4. Choose WordPress Infrastructure
Hosting: Select enterprise-grade managed WordPress hosting (Kinsta, WP Engine, or Cloudways).
Theme/framework: Decide on a modern theme or page builder that will replicate or improve Sitecore’s designs.
Plugins: Plan which WordPress plugins will replace Sitecore’s features (SEO, personalization, marketing, e-commerce).
5. Plan Content Mapping & Redirects
Match Sitecore templates to WordPress post types (e.g., news → posts, product pages → custom post types).
Prepare a 301 redirect map to handle Sitecore’s URL structure.
Review navigation and menus to simplify where possible.
6. Back Up Everything
Ensure you have full backups of your Sitecore content database, media library, and templates.
Store backups securely in case any data needs to be recovered during migration.
7. Prepare Stakeholders
Involve marketing, IT, and content teams early.
Assign reviewers for migrated content, design, and functionality.
Define who will handle post-launch training and adoption.
By completing this checklist, you’ll have a clear understanding of your Sitecore environment, your migration goals, and the technical details that must be addressed to ensure a seamless transition to WordPress.
Migration Process: How to Move from Sitecore to WordPress
Migrating from Sitecore to WordPress is about more than just moving content — it’s about simplifying a complex enterprise system into a flexible, cost-effective platform your team can actually manage. Here’s how the process works in practice:
1. Exporting Content from Sitecore
Content tree: Export all pages, articles, and landing pages from Sitecore’s repository.
Media library: Download images, documents, and other assets.
Metadata: Capture SEO data such as titles, descriptions, and tags.
WordPress solution: Content maps neatly into WordPress pages, posts, and custom post types, while metadata is imported into SEO plugins like Yoast or RankMath.
2. Setting Up the WordPress Environment
Hosting: Move from Windows/.NET servers to modern managed WordPress hosting.
Installation: Create a staging environment to test everything before launch.
Core setup: Install a theme framework and essential plugins (SEO, security, backups, caching).
WordPress solution: The migration happens on staging, so your Sitecore site stays live until you’re ready to launch.
3. Rebuilding Templates & Layouts
Templates → Themes: Sitecore templates and renderings are recreated with WordPress themes or page builders.
Components: Sitecore’s reusable components are rebuilt as WordPress widgets, shortcodes, or custom blocks.
Responsive design: Modernize layouts for mobile-first performance.
WordPress solution: You can replicate your existing Sitecore look — or take the opportunity to redesign for a modern experience.
4. Migrating Content & Users
Pages & posts: Sitecore pages migrate into WordPress equivalents.
Custom data models: Sitecore’s structured data can be recreated using Custom Post Types in WordPress.
User roles: Map Sitecore permissions (Author, Editor, Admin) to WordPress’ role system.
WordPress solution: Your team and workflows remain intact, just easier to manage.
5. Replacing Sitecore Features with Plugins
Forms: Replace Sitecore forms with Gravity Forms or WPForms.
Personalization: Use dynamic content plugins or integrate HubSpot/ActiveCampaign.
E-commerce: Transition from Sitecore Commerce to WooCommerce.
Automation: Connect directly with Salesforce, HubSpot, or Marketo.
WordPress solution: Advanced functionality is rebuilt using mature plugins that are easier and cheaper to maintain.
6. Preserving SEO & Redirects
URL mapping: Match Sitecore’s URL structure to WordPress.
301 redirects: Configure redirects to avoid broken links.
Metadata: Import SEO data into WordPress.
Sitemaps: Generate a new sitemap and submit to Google Search Console.
WordPress solution: SEO rankings are preserved and often improve thanks to faster, mobile-ready pages.
7. Testing & QA
Content checks: Validate migrated pages and assets.
Functional tests: Check forms, search, and integrations.
Performance tests: Benchmark site speed with PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix.
Browser/device checks: Confirm compatibility across platforms.
WordPress solution: All testing is done in staging so issues are resolved before launch.
8. Launching the WordPress Site
Switch your domain from Sitecore to WordPress hosting.
Monitor analytics and SEO closely in the first few weeks.
Provide staff training on WordPress content management.
WordPress solution: Launch with minimal downtime, and give your team the independence to manage content themselves.
Post-Migration Checklist: What to Do After Moving from Sitecore to WordPress
Your new WordPress site may be live, but the migration isn’t finished until you confirm everything is working as expected. A proper post-migration review ensures your SEO, analytics, and functionality remain intact — and that your team is confident using the new platform.
1. Verify Redirects & URLs
Test critical pages (home, services, landing pages) to confirm they resolve correctly.
Crawl the site with a tool like Screaming Frog to catch broken links or missing redirects.
Fix any 404 errors immediately.
WordPress solution: 301 redirects keep your old Sitecore URLs working and protect SEO rankings.
2. Recheck SEO Data
Confirm meta titles, descriptions, and schema are in place.
Submit your new XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
Monitor indexation and ranking changes for your most valuable pages.
WordPress solution: SEO plugins make it easy to control metadata and schema without developer input.
3. Validate Analytics & Tracking
Ensure GA4, Google Tag Manager, and any marketing pixels are firing.
Test conversion goals and event tracking.
Reconnect CRMs and marketing automation platforms if needed.
WordPress solution: Integrations are faster and easier to set up, so your data flow continues seamlessly.
4. Review Performance
Test site speed with PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.
Optimize migrated media (large Sitecore images often slow down WordPress sites).
Confirm caching and CDN settings are active.
WordPress solution: With managed hosting and optimization plugins, WordPress typically outperforms legacy Sitecore setups.
5. Harden Security
Configure a security plugin (Wordfence, iThemes Security).
Set up automated backups.
Limit admin access and enable two-factor authentication.
WordPress solution: Security is proactive, with plugins and managed hosts providing enterprise-grade protection.
6. Test All Functionality
Check contact forms and lead generation workflows.
Test search, navigation, and any personalized content.
Validate e-commerce (if migrated from Sitecore Commerce).
WordPress solution: Plugins replace Sitecore’s modules, but testing ensures nothing was overlooked.
7. Train Your Team
Walk editors through creating and publishing content in WordPress.
Show admins how to update plugins and manage users.
Provide a simple maintenance guide for ongoing tasks.
WordPress solution: Training is minimal — most teams learn in a single session.
8. Monitor SEO & Traffic Trends
Track organic traffic weekly for the first three months.
Watch keyword rankings for core pages.
Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors or warnings.
WordPress solution: With redirects and proper SEO setup, rankings are preserved and often improve post-migration.
Completing this checklist ensures your Sitecore to WordPress migration doesn’t just launch smoothly — it delivers long-term stability, faster performance, and a more empowered team.
Frequently asked questions
Costs vary depending on the size and complexity of your Sitecore site:
Small to medium sites: $3,000–$7,500
Enterprise portals with hundreds of pages, multiple templates, and integrations: $10,000+
💡 At Dellos, we also provide a CMS Migration Calculator so you can get a tailored estimate instantly.
Typical projects: 4–6 weeks
Large/enterprise migrations: 8–12 weeks, depending on content volume and integrations
Sitecore’s personalization is robust, but many organizations underutilize it. In WordPress, personalization can be recreated using plugins like If-So Dynamic Content or by integrating with marketing automation tools such as HubSpot, Marketo, or ActiveCampaign.
No. The migration is built in a staging environment. Your Sitecore site stays live until the WordPress version is fully tested and ready. At launch, downtime is usually less than an hour.
Templates and renderings don’t migrate directly, but they can be rebuilt in WordPress using themes, Gutenberg blocks, or page builders like Elementor. This allows you to either replicate your current look or take the opportunity to redesign.
Not if done properly. We migrate metadata, set up 301 redirects, and resubmit sitemaps to Google Search Console. Many businesses actually see improved rankings because WordPress sites are typically faster and more mobile-friendly.
Sitecore’s granular permissions can be mapped to WordPress’ user roles (Administrator, Editor, Author, Subscriber). If needed, plugins like User Role Editor provide advanced permission controls.
Yes. WordPress powers government sites, Fortune 500 companies, and universities worldwide. With regular updates, managed hosting, and enterprise-grade security plugins, it is more than capable of meeting enterprise security requirements.
Yes. WordPress powers 43% of the web, including enterprise and government sites. With security plugins, regular updates, and managed hosting, WordPress can be even more secure than an under-maintained MODX site.
No. WordPress runs best on modern Linux or managed WordPress hosting. This switch typically reduces hosting costs significantly compared to Sitecore’s infrastructure requirements.
Minimal. WordPress is intuitive, and most marketing teams adapt after a short training session. Unlike Sitecore, content creators and marketers won’t need to rely on IT to make routine changes.
Yes. Some enterprises prefer to move their blog, marketing pages, or microsites first, then transition the entire portal later. A phased approach can minimize risk and spread out workload.
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