Do you want to switch your site from LiveJournal to WordPress? While LiveJournal is a good place to post your journal entries, it's extremely limited, which is why many users make the move to WordPress. Recently, one of our readers asked if we can create a step-by-step guide on migrating from LiveJournal to WordPress. In this article, we will show you how to move your blog from LiveJorunal to WordPress.
Unlike other platforms, LiveJournal does not allow you to set up redirects. This means that users who visit your old LiveJournal site will not be automatically redirected to your self-hosted WordPress.org site.
Your only hope is to delete your LiveJournal account and wait for search engines to crawl and rank your new site. Even if you delete your old LiveJournal account, search engines will still show it in results for some time.
Another problem is that the WordPress importer will not import your images. You can download your LiveJournal images and upload them manually, or you can follow the instructions in our tutorial on how to import external images into WordPress.
First, let's make it clear that when we say WordPress, we mean the self-powered WordPress.org site and not the free WordPress.com blog. Check out our guide on the difference between the WordPress.com site and the WordPress.org site.
LiveJournal includes features like protected posts, friends, communities, etc. However, it is very limited in terms of how to display or control your diary. The basic free plan is even more limited than the paid plans.
On the other hand, WordPress allows you to create password protected posts (journal entries are called posts in WordPress). It has nested comments just like LiveJournal. It does not have the communities feature, but you can connect your WordPress site to other online communities and even run your own using a WordPress forum plugin.
WordPress is open source and free (as in freedom). You own your content and can do whatever you want with it. You are free to extend your diary in any way you want. You can even make money from your WordPress site.
Still not convinced? Check out our guide on why you should use WordPress for more reasons to switch.
To get started with WordPress, the first thing you would need is a good WordPress hosting company and your own domain name. We highly recommend Bluehost because they will give you a free domain and 50% discount on their hosting plan (special for WPBeginner users). Bluehost is also an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
If you want a Bluehost alternative, check out Siteground, which also offers the same special offer to WPBeginner users.
Once you have signed up for WordPress and set up your domain name, the next step is to install WordPress in your hosting account. We have a step by step tutorial on how to install WordPress. Once you've got WordPress installed, it's time to move your LiveJournal content to WordPress.
WordPress comes with a nifty import tool that automatically imports your LiveJournal posts, comments, and tags into WordPress. Simply visit Tools »Import Page and click on LiveJournal.
WordPress will now show you a popup to install the LiveJournal import plugin. You may see a warning about the plugin not being tested with your version of WordPress. You can safely ignore this and click the Install Now button.
The LiveJournal Importer plugin will now be installed on your WordPress site. You will need to click activate the plugin and run the importer link.
You will now see the LiveJournal Importer page, where you need to enter your LiveJournal username and password. This allows your WordPress site to access your content on LiveJournal.
If you have password-protected publications on your LiveJournal site, you will need to enter a password that will be used on all protected publications.
Once you're done, click the 'Connect to LiveJournal and Import' button. WordPress will now start importing your content. The process is divided into different steps and can take a long time if you have many entries and comments. If it fails abruptly during import, you can safely try again. The importer is smart enough to avoid duplicate entries.
You will see a success message when the importer has finished its job.
You can now visit the Posts section to see all your posts.
The first customization most beginners want to try is WordPress Themes. There are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes that you can install on your website. See our guide on how to select the perfect WordPress theme.
The true power of WordPress lies in plugins. There are thousands of free WordPress plugins that you can install on your WordPress site right away. See our expert pick of 20 must have WordPress plugins for 2015 or take a look at the plugins we're using in the WPBeginner Plan.
We understand that most beginners will need help with the new platform. WPBeginner is the largest unofficial WordPress resource site on the planet. We have free tutorials, guides, and videos to help you learn WordPress quickly. See how to make the most of WPBeginner's free resources.
We hope this article has helped you move from LiveJournal to WordPress. You can also see our list of 40 useful tools to manage and grow your WordPress blog.
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