Platform Migration

Migrate From Ghost

Moving off Ghost is more straightforward than most platform migrations — full content export as json available in ghost admin is the main thing to get right. We handle the migration end to end so you arrive on the new platform with your content, SEO, and data intact.

1–3 weeks

Typical migration timeline

Straightforward

Migration complexity

WordPress

Where we'll move you

Platform Overview

Understanding Ghost: Who It's Built For

Ghost is an open-source publishing platform built specifically for content creators, journalists, and media businesses. It combines a clean blogging CMS with built-in newsletter delivery and membership/subscription management. Ghost is not a general website builder — it's purpose-built for businesses where content publishing, email newsletters, and paid memberships are the core product.

Typical Ghost User

An independent creator, journalist, or content-first business operator who wants a professional publishing tool that handles email delivery and memberships natively, without duct-taping WordPress plugins together.

SEO Capability

Excellent for publishing sites — clean semantic output and strong technical foundation

Ghost is one of the strongest platforms for content-driven SEO when used for its intended purpose. The clean code, fast loading, and structured content output are natural SEO advantages. It falls short for sites needing complex page structures beyond publishing.

Platform Constraints

  • Very limited page types beyond posts and basic pages
  • No ecommerce
  • Handlebars theming is a small niche compared to WordPress ecosystem
  • Advanced membership logic requires custom development

Why Businesses Migrate Away From Ghost

Ghost works well for the right use case. These are the points where businesses outgrow it.

Not a general website builder — very limited for service businesses or ecommerce

Design customization requires Handlebars templating knowledge

Much smaller theme and plugin ecosystem than WordPress

Email deliverability on Ghost(Pro) is good but not as configurable as dedicated email platforms

What Makes Ghost Migrations Hard

Migration Challenges We Solve

Every platform migration has unique technical hurdles. Here's what makes Ghost migrations specifically difficult — and how we handle each one.

1

Full content export as JSON available in

Full content export as JSON available in Ghost admin

2

Subscriber export as CSV

Subscriber export as CSV

3

Ghost Handlebars themes are not portable

Ghost Handlebars themes are not portable to other platforms

4

Membership and payment configurations must

Membership and payment configurations must be rebuilt

Where We'll Move You

We recommend the right destination based on your business goals, not just what's easiest to build on. These are the platforms we move Ghost sites to most often — and why.

WordPress

More than a publishing platform — WordPress handles every page type, service offering, and integration your business needs beyond the blog and newsletter Ghost was built for.

Not sure which destination is right for you? Tell us about your business and we'll recommend the platform that fits your goals, budget, and technical comfort.

Our Process

What's Included in a Ghost Migration

A clean migration is more than moving files. Here's how we move your Ghost site without losing rankings, data, or your sanity.

1

Ghost Audit

We start by cataloging your entire Ghost site — every page, post, media file, form, plugin, and integration. This audit drives the migration plan and surfaces what to carry forward, what to rebuild fresh, and what the new platform handles differently from Ghost.

2

Migration Roadmap

We document the full migration sequence — content hierarchy, URL redirect mapping, plugin-to-feature parity plan, and a go-live checklist. You approve the plan before any work begins.

3

New Platform Build

We build your new WordPress site in parallel with your live Ghost site — visitors land on your existing pages the entire time. The new site is fully tested and approved by you before a single DNS record changes.

4

Content Migration

Every page, post, image, and form entry is migrated to the new platform with formatting intact. We pay particular attention to subscriber export as csv, which is where content migrations from Ghost tend to lose fidelity.

5

SEO Transition

Every URL from your Ghost site gets a 301 redirect to its new destination. We submit updated sitemaps to Google Search Console, verify crawlability, and monitor rankings through the transition window. The new platform gives you more technical SEO control than Ghost provided.

6

Launch & Handoff

DNS cutover is coordinated for minimum-traffic periods to limit exposure. We run a full post-launch QA checklist — broken links, payment flow, form submissions, mobile experience, and page speed. You get a recorded walkthrough of your new site so your team can manage it confidently from day one.

Ghost Migration at a Glance

Typical timeline
1–3 weeks
Migration complexity
Straightforward
Hosting model
hybrid
We migrate to
WordPress

Ghost Migration FAQ

Ready to Move Off Ghost?

We'll audit your current Ghost site, identify every migration risk, and give you a fixed-price quote — before you commit to anything.

Get Your Free Migration Assessment

Need a new site built from scratch instead? Browse our web design services