How to Import WordPress Content - Import Another Blogs Content Into Yours

There may be times youll want to import WordPress content from one website to another, either to  improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  or to simply make running both sites  easier. That means youll need to transfer some or all of one sites content, which can be a challenge if youve never done it before.Fortunately, WordPress includes a default feature that enables you to tackle this task manually. The process isnt difficult, and will both remove  content from the old site and add  it to the new one.In this article, were going to discuss why you might want to import WordPress content. Then well tell you how to do it using the platforms import and export features. Lets get started! penalties for duplicate content.If you have two perfectly functional websites, why would you want to move content from one to the other? Lets go over a few of the typical reasons:Youve changed focus on one site. If some of your websites content no longer fits with a new direction or niche youve decided to pursue, it might find a more natural home on a different site.You get a larger library of content on one blog. The more content your blog includes, the greater the chances are of people finding it, spending a lot of time there, and returning in the future.One site isnt performing as well as it could. If you have a website that is under-performing even after youve poured a lot of work into it, you might want to cut your losses at some point. At the same time, you dont want to simply lose all the content youve created for it.Lets say, for example, that you began a health blog by focusing on recipes, but the focus has shifted over time to fitness. Your new audience isnt very interested in your old content, but you dont want to waste the effort that went into creating it. Instead of letting those posts languish in your archives, you can import them to a more relevant home. You could add them to an existing site that fits the bill, create a new targeted site for them, o r sell the content to someone who can make better use of it.Now youre aware of some of the reasons you might want to import WordPress content, lets discuss how to do so.How to import another blogs content into WordPress  (in two easy steps)Before you start moving content from one site to another, youll want to first  back up both sites. That way, if anything goes wrong after you import everything, youll have a recent snapshot that you can  restore if necessary. Remember that once you export content from one site, it will be removed completely.Once your backups are in place, you can move on to the first step.Step #1: Export your first WordPress blogs contentTo get started, visit the back end  of the blog with content you want to export. Then proceed to the Tools → Export tab. Inside, youll find a list of all the elements of your WordPress website. Simply choose what type of content you want to export:For this example, were going to stick to posts only, so well click on   Posts and pick All for every option underneath except Start date. For those fields, youll want to choose a range manually to make sure you wont miss any posts:Alternately, you could choose to export only a specific authors posts, or a specific  category of content.Now, click on the Download Export File button at the bottom of the page. This will instruct WordPress to  download  an  .xml file to your computer that contains all of the data for your WordPress posts.Step #2: Import your content into the receiving  siteNext, youll need to  log in to the back end of your new  site – i.e. the site where you want to import all of your downloaded content. Navigate to the Tools → Import tab, look for the WordPress option, then click  Install Now:This will set up the WordPress importer plugin. When complete, youll see a new button under the same  WordPress option called  Run Importer:Click this, and the next screen will prompt you  to upload an  .xml f ile from your computer. Select  Choose File, find the file you downloaded during the first step, then click on the Upload file and import button:Before WordPress imports your posts, it  will ask you whether you want to bring them in under the name of their original author or assign them to another writer. This choice is completely up to you.Theres also an  option that reads Download and import file attachments, which will enable you to import your posts images:Youll probably want to enable this option, unless you dont want to carry over your images or you want to add them manually  later  (which can be a chore). When  youve made your selections, click  Submit.Depending on how much content youre importing, this can take a while. However, WordPress will let you know when the process is done, at which point youll have successfully imported your first blogs content to your second!Optional: Manually import your images into  the second siteIn some cases, WordPress may not be able to import your posts images automatically. If that happens, youll have to roll up your sleeves and take matters into your own hands.The easiest way to import your images from your old blog is to use the Auto Upload Images  plugin: Auto Upload Images Author(s): Ali IraniCurrent Version: 3.2.2Last Updated: May 16, 2019auto-upload-images.3.2.2.zip 84%Ratings 99,122Downloads WP 2.7+Requires Of course, the content you just imported will still contain URLs that point towards images on their original home. Simply  install and activate  the plugin on your second  site, and once its  running, it will automatically look for URLs to any external images.Once it finds them, the plugin  upload the files to your server, and replaces the old URLs with new ones. Its easy as pie, and you dont have to do a thing!ConclusionFor a variety of reasons, you may find yourself needing to import content from one website to another. Fortunately, WordPress makes  this an easy task. With its built-in import and export features, you can easily import WordPress content  and ensure all your hard work finds its best possible homeAll it  takes to import WordPress content  are two easy steps (and one optional phase):Export your first blogs content as an  .xml file.Import your content into the receiving WordPress site.Optionally, import your images into the second site  if necessary.