[ad_1] It gets said about many aspects of running a website, but your choice of platform is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. However, mistakes happen and needs change. If you’re currently looking to switch from Wix to WordPress, you’ll want to make the process as smooth as possible. While there’s nothing wrong with Wix in some aspects, it’s a closed-source problem to WordPress’ open-source solution. If you want to make the switch, there’s a lot of ‘donkey work’ in getting posts, pages, and media from one platform to another. As such, this post will show you how to switch from Wix to WordPress step-by-step. We’ll cover all of the aspects you need, and mention some future considerations too. Comparing Wix to WordPress On the surface, there’s a lot to like about both Wix and WordPress. For example: They both offer a full-featured solution for creating a website. Building a layout using both platforms is a breeze. The extendable nature of both solutions means you’ll be able to create a site to your exact requirements. Overall – and it might be polarizing to say – Wix does represent a good platform in some use cases and for some site owners. However, there are some drawbacks that warrant attention. Why You’d Want to Switch From Wix to WordPress In a bubble, Wix represents a dependable solution for creating and managing your website. However, you may have come up against some of the following issues: You’d like to run more than one site, without increasing your current budget. The storage for your Wix account has run out. You want to scale your site for more traffic and growth. The requirements you have for an eCommerce site can’t be met with Wix. In all of these cases, a switch from Wix to WordPress makes sense. Note that we’re talking about self-hosted WordPress here, rather than the .com version. Self-hosted WordPress is a full-fledged Content Management System (CMS) that can be tailored to your exact requirements. What’s more, the core software is free, as are thousands of themes and add-ons called ‘plugins’. Of course, you’ll need to pay for some aspects of hosting your WordPress website, but on the whole, you stand to save money by switching. Also (and it’s something we consider the most important aspect), you have total control over how to run and present your website. How to Switch from Wix to WordPress (In 6 Steps) As we noted, making the switch from Wix to WordPress is tougher than other platforms. This is because Wix doesn’t let you export your content with the same flexibility as its competitors. As such, there are a few steps you’ll need to take to get everything ported over: Purchase suitable hosting. Pick a theme for your site. Import your Wix content into WordPress. Design your new layout. Add functionality to help your new site meet your needs. Redirect your old site to the new one. We’ll dedicate more time to some of these steps than others, so let’s get to it! 1. Choose a Suitable Hosting Provider Before you think about making the switch from Wix to WordPress, you’ll need somewhere to host your new site. Wix includes hosting in its monthly price, while self-hosted WordPress doesn’t. Even so, you’ll usually pay around the same price for your own host, and get more control over your performance to boot. If you’re wondering which host to choose, we’ve looked at a number of options previously. However, the field is more packed for WordPress, given how popular the CMS is. As such, you might want to consider managed hosting. This keeps the control and flexibility with you, while letting your host handle under-the-hood tweaks. If you’re still unsure which host to choose, we’d recommend A2 Hosting: They have good support, a wide selection of plans, and suitable options for a range of budgets. We’ve covered them before (+ 52% off coupon) at WPKube, and had a lot of good things to say about the entire service. Installing WordPress You’ll also need to install WordPress in some cases. However, a lot of hosts include a one-click installer such as Softaculous, or pre-install WordPress for you. If you’re fortunate to have WordPress pre-installed, a chunk of the work is already done for you. However, if not, WordPress is a snap to set up. In fact, we’ve covered this in a previous article, so check that out if you need the guidance. 2. Choose the Right Theme For Your New WordPress Site Once WordPress is up and running on your host, there are a few tasks you’ll want to check off. We’ll talk about some of these later, but for now, getting your site looking right is our focus. WordPress uses ‘themes’. Think of them as ‘skins’ for your site, that can also implement additional functionality in some cases. While there are hundreds of themes available for free, they’re not usually the best fit for a business site, for a few reasons: You’ll get better support under normal circumstances with a premium theme. The functionality will be more robust. Free themes often have a reduced set of features in order to convince you to upgrade. Updates will be more frequent, as developers can devote their whole time to fixing bugs and enhancing the theme. You should look to pay around $50–100 for a decent premium theme, although you can find options at all price points. What’s more, there is lots of choice for your industry or niche. When it comes to narrowing down your options, consider how established the developer is, how often a theme has been updated, and other user’s reviews before stumping up the cash. Once you’ve chosen a theme, you’ll need to install it on your site. WPKube has put together the ultimate guide to getting themes up and running on your site, so check that piece out if you need the assistance. 3. Import Your Wix Content Into WordPress Here is where making
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How to Create Funnels with WordPress (Step by Step Guide)
[ad_1] One of the hardest aspects of running an online business is turning your visitors into paying customers. There are so many factors involved that you’d be forgiven for missing a step or two. Yet, if you were to create funnels with WordPress, there’s a greater chance of winning customers. When it comes to creating sales funnels, for us, WordPress beats the competition. It’s scalable, flexible, and fits your budget regardless of whether you’re a startup or an enterprise. In this post, we’ll show you how to create funnels with WordPress. We’ll outline all of the tools you need, and walk you through the entire process. A Quick Primer on ClickFunnels Before we get into the article proper, it’s worth talking about ClickFunnels for a few minutes. This is a leading solution for creating repeatable and effective sales funnels. Thousands of users generate traffic, customers, and income using the tool. On paper, it has a lot of exciting and innovative features and functionality. For example: There’s much more in the “Heck Yes!” column for choosing ClickFunnels. Even so, it doesn’t capture 100 percent of the user base. Why You’d Want to Find a ClickFunnels Alternative Given the great things ClickFunnels offers, it’s not the only solution on the market. In fact, whenever we’ve mentioned ClickFunnels at WPKube, it’s always alongside the competition. Here are a few reasons why: Pricing. There’s no getting around that ClickFunnels is expensive. The lowest tier is $97 per month, and this isn’t as full-featured as the $297 per month plan. ClickFunnels’ ecosystem. While a closed-source all-in-one hosted platform is great to get started with, you’re locked into ClickFunnels forever. In other words, there’s no way to take your business away from ClickFunnels’ system. The functionality. ClickFunnels is a ‘jack-of-all-trades’. As such, while some functionality is best-in-class, others need some work. Its look and design. Much like WordPress sites used to have certain ‘tell-tale’ elements, so a ClickFunnels site screams its name too. To touch on this last point a little more, if you take a look at any of the templates or default setups for ClickFunnels sites, they all have a dated look that has become associated with sales funnels as a whole: So, ClickFunnels has a ‘spammy’ default design, although we admit it’s a successful one. Regardless, there will be a unique combination of reason why you’d want to create funnels with WordPress – so let’s chat about this next. Why You Should Create Funnels With WordPress It shouldn’t come as a shock that we think WordPress is number one when it comes to building any type of website. We’ve covered our reasons in detail across the blog in the past, although let’s summarize the key aspects for you: The WordPress core software is free. Not only does it cost zero dollars to download and use, it’s also open-source. This means you control almost every aspect of your site, without lock in. It can stick with you for your business’ entire journey. WordPress works great as a blogging platform. It’s also a full-featured Content Management System (CMS) that works for enterprise-level sites with millions of hits per month. WordPress is extendable through thousands of themes and plugins. In fact, many are free. There’s also a rich premium market for both themes and plugins that we’ll touch on throughout the article. The WordPress community is strong, diverse, and knowledgeable. There are support channels with easy access, and a rich developer network to ensure WordPress is always evolving and improving. The above is just the tip of the iceberg. Even so, not everyone will jump to create funnels with WordPress, without surveying the competition. We’ll focus on this next. 2 Alternative Solutions to Create Funnels With WordPress Competition is a healthy thing among any products or services. Sales funnels are no exception. We’ve covered landing page plugins in the past, and in many cases they could compete with more ‘traditional’ funnel builders. Despite this, there are two tools we’d suggest are closer competitors to WordPress, and the first is one we’ve already mentioned. 1. ClickFunnels We won’t go over the same details again, as we’ve already talked about ClickFunnels both in this article and others. In any case, it’s worth summing up the appeal of ClickFunnels in general: It’s an all-in-one funnel builder platform. The community is geared towards helping you succeed. You’re given a proven system to create, utilize, and prosper from sales funnels. What’s more, it’s a breeze to get up and running with. Once the sign-up process is out of the way, you’ll carry out the following steps: Navigate to your dashboard and click the Build a Funnel button. From the dialog screen that pops up, choose a funnel type to work with. Use the Launch Checklist in the Funnel Builder to create your sales funnel. The final step here involves designing squeeze and sales pages, order forms, confirmations, and Thank You pages. It’s all laid out well, and you’ll have your funnels ready and waiting for visitors within no time. 2. Systeme Another solution we’ve featured on the blog in the past is Systeme. This positions itself as a direct ClickFunnels competitor, and has much of the same functionality: A drag-and-drop funnel builder, that also doubles as a site-building tool. Email and content marketing functionality. Built-in tools for selling subscriptions and courses. Robust contact management. In our review, we argued that Systeme reaches a different user than ClickFunnels. The latter is focused on the core concept, while Systeme wants to be the center of your entire business. As such, the getting started steps are more diverse than ClickFunnels: Click the Create button to build a new funnel. Choose an end goal for your funnel, such as capturing emails, or running a webinar. Build an order form and Thank You page using templates. Customize each page to your requirements. Use the built-in page builder to design your funnel further. We think that both solutions have a good approach to creating funnels. Our
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