The Ultimate Guide to Migrate WordPress to Storyblok Efficiently
As more organizations look to modernize their digital presence, many are opting to migrate WordPress to Storyblok, a headless CMS that provides flexibility, performance, and a user-friendly interface. Unlike traditional monolithic CMS platforms, Storyblok’s headless architecture separates content management from presentation, allowing developers to build blazing-fast front ends with frameworks like Astro, Vue, and Next.js.
This step-by-step guide outlines the migration process from a WordPress site to Storyblok’s headless CMS. Whether you're a marketer, content editor, or developer, this article will walk you through how to migrate all the content—from blog posts and media files to pages and SEO data—into a future-proof CMS setup.
Why Migrate from WordPress to Storyblok?
1. Modern Content Management
Storyblok offers a flexible content management system with a visual editor, allowing content creators to manage dynamic content through reusable components, multi-option fields, and nested blocks. Compared to the rigid template structure of a typical WordPress admin, Storyblok’s visual editor makes content editing easier and more intuitive.
2. Headless Setup for Faster Websites
By adopting a headless approach, you decouple content from your front-end project. This allows your development team to build faster, scalable experiences using modern frameworks. No more relying on slow plugins or bloated themes.
3. Seamless Multi-Language Support
With Storyblok folders, content types, and localization tools, global businesses can easily manage translations across multiple platforms. This is significantly easier to maintain than plugin-dependent translation tools in WordPress.
4. Performance and Security
By eliminating server-side rendering from WordPress and removing reliance on plugins, a headless setup dramatically improves your site's performance and security. All content delivery is served from a read-only API, making your site less vulnerable.
Pre-Migration Planning
Before beginning the content migration, you need a solid migration plan. Here’s what to include:
Audit Your Existing WordPress Content
Start by analyzing:
- Existing content and custom post types
- SEO metadata, slugs, and permalinks
- All relevant media files in the /wp-content/uploads directory
- Plugins that handle dynamic functionality
- Any content structure established through ACF or Gutenberg blocks
Define the Destination Structure in Storyblok
Plan out your new content types in Storyblok:
- Page, Article, Blog Post, etc.
- Modular components like Hero, RichText, Gallery, SEO, etc.
- Multi-option fields for categories, tags, or topics
Each of these will live inside a Storyblok space, organized with a Storyblok folder structure that mirrors the layout of your site.
Choose the Right Tools
For this migration, you'll likely need:
- WordPress REST API to extract content
- A migration script using Node.js, Python, or PHP
- The Storyblok Management API to push content into your new space
- Tools for redirect mapping and SEO preservation
Choose a Frontend Framework
Popular options:
- Astro for speed and performance
- Next.js for hybrid rendering
- Vue.js for dynamic, reactive frontends
Step-by-Step Migration Process
Step 1: Export Content from WordPress
Option A: Use WordPress REST API
Access content via:
https://yourdomain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts
Paginate using ?page=2, etc. Include ACF, tags, categories, and featured media using _embed.
Option B: Use WP All Export Plugin
Export custom fields, taxonomies, and structured data as CSV or JSON.
Step 2: Model Content in Storyblok
Create Storyblok components:
- Page
- Article
- Hero, TextImage, Testimonial, Gallery
- Services, SEO, Navigation, CTA blocks
Use nestable blocks to give marketers layout control and flexibility.
Step 3: Migrate Content to Storyblok
Manual Entry (for small sites)
Copy/paste text, upload media, and rebuild layouts using the visual editor.
Automated Migration (for larger sites)
Use the Storyblok Management API:
const axios = require("axios");
const postData = {
name: "Sample Post",
slug: "sample-post",
content: {
component: "article",
title: "Sample Post",
body: "<p>This is the migrated content</p>",
},
};
axios.post("https://mapi.storyblok.com/v1/spaces/{SPACE_ID}/stories", { story: postData }, {
headers: { Authorization: "YOUR_MANAGEMENT_TOKEN" }
});
Loop through posts, map fields, and push to Storyblok.
Step 4: Build the Frontend
Use your chosen framework and the Content Delivery API:
const storyblokApi = useStoryblokApi();
const { data } = await storyblokApi.get('cdn/stories/home', { version: 'draft' });
Use data to populate Astro, Vue, or React components.
Step 5: Handle SEO and Redirects
- Maintain existing slugs
- Use 301 redirects to prevent broken links
- Build a reusable SEO component
- Regenerate sitemap.xml dynamically
Step 6: Rebuild Forms and Integrations
- Use Formspree, Netlify Forms, or custom APIs
- Integrate Google Analytics or CRMs via frontend or serverless functions
Step 7: Optimize Media
Upload used images to Storyblok's asset manager. Leverage their CDN:
https://img.storyblok.com/1000x800/f/123456/myimage.jpg
Enable image resizing, format switching, and lazy loading.
Step 8: Set Up Localization (Optional)
- Use folders for locales (/en/, /de/)
- Localize fields in blocks
- Implement fallback strategies
Insights from Storyblok’s Official Guide
Use the Storyblok CLI
Quickly scaffold and connect your local project:
npx storyblok init
Map WordPress Fields Thoughtfully
WordPress: For those looking to improve SEO on their WordPress site, consider SEO services specifically tailored for WordPress sites.
- post_title → title
- content → richtext
- excerpt → short_description
- featured_media → image
Use the Management API for Bulk Import
Leverage axios or another HTTP client to send batch content into Storyblok, automatically creating structured stories.
Rebuild with Editors in Mind
Use bloks fields for layout. Avoid over-engineering with rigid templates. Let editors build pages from flexible building blocks.
Recreate Tags and Categories
Use multi-option fields to tag articles. Rebuild filters in your frontend. Use these fields to enhance UX and SEO.
Build an SEO Component
Include:
- Title
- Description
- OG image
- Canonical URL
Make this a reusable block in every content type.
Bonus: Sample Node Script
Loop through your posts, map data, and push to Storyblok. Add pagination and error handling for production use.
Post-Migration Checklist
After migrating content to your new CMS, run these quality checks:
Performance Testing
Ensure all assets and scripts are optimized. Use Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights.
SEO Validation
Check meta tags, canonical URLs, schema markup, and slug consistency.
Content Verification
Confirm that all the content—including rich text, images, and links—migrated accurately into your Storyblok space.
Functionality Testing
Rebuild or replace plugins with modern APIs or serverless functions. Re-test form submissions and integrations.
Editorial Workflow Setup
Train your team to use the visual editor, create content, and collaborate inside the Storyblok dashboard.
Final Steps Post-Migration
Test Everything
After migration, it's critical to validate that your new Storyblok-powered site performs well and functions exactly as expected. We recommend running a comprehensive post-launch checklist that includes:
- Performance testing: Use tools like Google Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, or WebPageTest to analyze load times, Core Web Vitals, and frontend performance.
- SEO validation: Check for missing meta tags, broken internal links, or canonical issues using tools like Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, or Sitebulb.
- Content verification: Make sure all key content—especially blog posts, pages, and structured data—has been properly migrated and renders correctly on the frontend.
- Forms and integrations: Submit test entries in any contact forms or third-party embeds to verify data is flowing correctly to CRMs or email platforms.
- Cross-browser and mobile testing: Use tools like BrowserStack or real devices to ensure your site looks and behaves correctly across common screen sizes and browsers.
Train Your Team
Provide training for editors. Storyblok has a learning curve, but it’s loved for its visual editing power.
Set Up Workflows
Assign roles and permissions. Use staging workflows. Leverage versioning and content scheduling.
When Not to Migrate (Yet)
- If your team lacks frontend developers
- If your stack relies heavily on WordPress plugins like WooCommerce
- If your content model is not well-defined
Wait until you're ready to rebuild with a component-first mindset.
Ready to Migrate from WordPress to Storyblok?
Our agency helps teams re-platform with minimal disruption and maximum results. Contact us today to start your migration journey.
How We Make Storyblok Migrations Painless
We specialize in making migrations from WordPress to Storyblok as seamless as possible. Here’s how we help:
- Custom Migration Plan: We tailor every migration to your site's size, structure, and content types.
- Automated Scripts: Our dev team writes custom migration scripts to handle everything from data transformation to uploading media files.
- Structured Content Modeling: We build reusable components and define a clean content structure in your new headless CMS.
- SEO and Redirects: We map every slug and set up 301 redirects to preserve rankings.
- Training and Support: We don’t just hand off the site—we help your editors feel confident in the new system.
- Post-Migration Optimization: We tune performance, integrate analytics, and monitor everything for stability.
Whether you're migrating a blog, a marketing site, or a complex monolithic project, our goal is to make the transition from WordPress to Storyblok smooth, strategic, and future-ready.
Conclusion: A Strategic Upgrade
If you’re looking to migrate from WordPress to a modern headless CMS, Storyblok is an ideal destination. With its user-friendly interface, flexible content management model, and robust developer tools, it’s built to scale your content across multiple platforms and teams.
A well-planned content migration ensures a future-proof foundation for your site—one that’s easier to maintain, more secure, and built for speed.