How to Transfer a Duda Website to WordPress

To transfer a Duda website to WordPress, obtain authorized access to the site’s content and assets, use Duda’s export where available, and rebuild editable WordPress pages and templates. Recover blog or store data separately and replace functions that depended on Duda. Test the destination before changing the domain. A Duda static-site ZIP does not become a WordPress theme or move the site’s dynamic services.

Niwa Business includes a custom WordPress site or migration, hosting, maintenance and business-specific AI tools for USD 150. Send Niwa the Duda site with the client’s editing needs and its dynamic features. Agree the migration scope, asset access and billing terms before implementation.

The handoff can also include Niwa’s customer assistance tools, configured around approved business information. That gives the site an operational role after launch. An agency-generated or AI-generated design alone does not configure those ongoing workflows.

Arrange the agency and client handoff first

Confirm who controls the Duda account, domain, content and media. If an agency built the site, request the required access and source material through that relationship. Client permission to edit pages may not provide permission to export the website.

Duda’s site export documentation specifies an Agency plan or higher and account-owner or staff access. If export is unavailable, obtain authorized copies of the content and assets or agree another recovery process. Do not assume that paying for a client site unlocks every account-level tool.

Check asset and template rights before reusing them. Collect reusable image originals, logos and any custom code the client is entitled to receive. The ability to download a file does not settle its license.

Agree who signs off on the new site and who will maintain it. A clear handoff should include owner access, an editing workflow and the functions to test, rather than just a folder of files.

Export the published version and compare it with the editor

The documented route is More → Settings → Site Export → Export Site. It produces HTML, CSS, JavaScript and supported assets from the live published version. Unpublished editor changes need separate review before relying on that export.

Save an untouched ZIP. Compare its pages with both the live site and any approved changes still in the editor. Inspect desktop and mobile layouts as references for the rebuild.

Duda documents substantial exclusions: dynamic pages, store and membership or app data do not transfer as a complete operating site. Blog RSS and product CSV are separate routes. Personalization and contact-form behavior can stop working, and exported password-protected pages do not retain that protection.

Keep exported material private during inspection when it includes restricted pages. Do not publish a static archive and assume its old access rules still exist.

Build an inventory beyond the static pages

List every relevant URL and classify its content and function. Include pages generated from collections, articles, products, restricted areas and the site’s error page. A navigation list may omit important destinations reached through search or old links.

Record the expected outcome of each function. A form should produce a message or stored inquiry. A scheduling widget should lead to a valid reservation. A restricted page should deny access to an unauthorized visitor.

For example, an agency site listing dozens of locations may have only one visible page template. The location records and their URLs still need a complete migration plan. Counting templates alone understates the work.

Rebuild WordPress for the people who will edit it

Prepare a staging destination and choose an editing approach the client can maintain. Recreate shared navigation, header and footer before building individual layouts.

For repeated content such as locations or services, create a suitable content model and template. Keep names, addresses, descriptions and images in editable fields. Verify how the client adds the next record without copying implementation code.

Use the Duda design as a reference, but rebuild the parts needed for WordPress editing and behavior. Renaming exported HTML to a PHP filename does not create that integration. Static files can help recover content and styles; they do not replace a functioning WordPress template structure.

Upload approved media to the destination and update references. Check different image sizes, backgrounds, downloads and alt text. Do not assume every optimized image variant is present simply because the desktop asset appears in the ZIP.

Recover the blog and other data separately

Inspect the available blog feed or other authorized recovery output. Count posts and check publication dates, categories, comments and images against the source. A feed used by an importer may contain only part of an archive; establish completeness from the records you actually receive.

WordPress’s importing-content guide describes format-specific routes. Choose a compatible importer for the output, test it on staging and inspect the result before importing the rest. Keep the original data so mapping changes remain reversible.

For store or membership data, agree the exact records and destination system separately. Product content, orders, customer access and payments are distinct concerns. Do not claim a CSV or static ZIP has moved all of them.

Avoid blind retries. If an import misses records, identify the missing IDs or pages first, then resolve those gaps without duplicating the content that succeeded.

Test functions and access from the visitor’s side

Submit controlled inquiries and inspect delivery or saved records. Test the destination’s validation and confirmation states. Open maps, downloads, embeds and buttons on desktop and phone.

If you replace appointment functionality, include existing reservations and notifications in the plan. With Niwa’s booking tools, the agent uses your service information and connected schedule to answer questions and save appointments directly through WhatsApp. Test the recorded service, time and customer details, along with the confirmation.

Test restricted pages both with authorized access and while logged out. Review the underlying downloads as well as the page. Recreating a password field visually is not evidence that access is protected.

Record a short client acceptance checklist with actual expected outcomes. The person signing off should be able to distinguish a finished function from a button that merely looks familiar.

Switch the domain and complete the client handoff

Map old URLs to the WordPress destinations. Preserve suitable paths, configure permanent redirects for changes, and update internal links and canonical URLs. Google’s site-move guidance explains the mapping and monitoring work; it does not promise stable rankings.

Carry over relevant SEO titles and descriptions, inspect the sitemap and check production indexing settings. After review, back up the destination and change website DNS according to the new host’s instructions. Keep email records intact unless email is being migrated too.

Verify HTTPS and representative pages on the live domain. Confirm that the client can edit a page, add the expected content type and find the submitted inquiries. Retain the source access until missing-content and functional checks are resolved.

An existing WordPress client can install the standalone Niwa plugin without another rebuild. For a Duda migration, request a scope review with the access details, inventory and editing requirements. Those materials turn an agency handoff into a defined migration project.