How do I convert an HTML website to WordPress?

There are three ways. Developers can turn the HTML into a custom WordPress theme by splitting it into template files (header.php, footer.php, index.php) and loading the CSS through functions.php. Anyone can install WordPress and paste each page's content into the editor, then style it with a theme. Or you can rebuild the design in a page builder: with MiroMiro you open the live HTML site, export each page or section as an Elementor template, and import it into WordPress so it looks like the original. Most small sites are fastest with the third route.

Can I convert HTML to WordPress without coding?

Yes. Install WordPress and the free Elementor plugin, then bring the design in as Elementor templates instead of writing a theme. MiroMiro exports any page or section of a live site as an Elementor .json template that you import under Templates, Saved Templates. You only touch code if you want to.

Can I copy an existing website into WordPress?

You can copy its design: layout, fonts, colors and responsive behavior, by exporting the live pages as Elementor templates. Copy your own content, or content you have permission to use. If the site is already WordPress, use a migration plugin such as Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration instead; that moves the whole install, database included.

Do I need Elementor Pro?

No. Importing templates and inserting them on a page work with the free Elementor plugin.

How to Convert HTML to WordPress: 3 Ways That Work (2026)

Converting HTML to WordPress means one of two things: you have HTML files (a static site, an exported template, a page a developer built) or you have a live site on another platform whose design you want in WordPress. The methods overlap, and the right one depends on how much code you want to touch.

Here are the three ways that actually work, what each keeps, and which to pick.

Which method should you use?

Method	Best for	Keeps the design?	Code needed
1. Build a custom theme	Developers, sites that need a unique theme	Yes, exactly	Yes (PHP, HTML, CSS)
2. Paste content into WordPress	Content-heavy sites where the design can change	No, the theme sets the look	No
3. Rebuild in Elementor from the live site	Small business sites, landing pages, client work	Yes	No

Method 1: Turn the HTML into a WordPress theme (developers)

This is the classic route and gives you full control. A WordPress theme is your HTML split into template files:

Create a theme folder in wp-content/themes/ with a style.css whose header comment names the theme.
Split the HTML: everything above the main content goes into header.php, everything below into footer.php, and the middle into index.php (plus page.php or single.php as needed). Replace static parts with template tags such as wp_head(), wp_footer() and the loop.
Load your CSS and JS with wp_enqueue_style() and wp_enqueue_script() in functions.php instead of hard-coded links.
Turn menus and widget areas into WordPress features (register_nav_menus(), register_sidebar()) so the content can be edited from the dashboard.
Activate the theme and move each page's content into WordPress pages.

It's the cleanest result, but it takes a developer anywhere from hours to days depending on the site.

Method 2: Paste the content into WordPress (no design)

If the design doesn't matter, install WordPress, pick a theme, and recreate each page by pasting its text and uploading its images. Static-HTML import plugins can speed up moving many pages, but the page's look comes from your new theme, not the original HTML.

Good for blogs and documentation. Wrong choice if the client expects the site to look the same.

Method 3: Rebuild the design in Elementor from the live site (no code)

If the HTML site is online (or you can open it in a browser locally), you can bring its design into WordPress without writing a theme. This is the route most freelancers and agencies take for brochure sites and landing pages.

With MiroMiro:

Install WordPress and the free Elementor plugin, with a minimal theme such as Hello Elementor.
Open the HTML site in Chrome, open MiroMiro and click Export. Pick a section (hero, pricing, footer) or the whole page.
Choose Download, then Elementor template. You get a .json file with the section's real layout, fonts, colors, images and responsive rules, read from the page as the browser renders it.
In WordPress, go to Templates, Saved Templates, Import Templates and choose the file.
Open a page in Elementor, click the folder icon, go to My Templates and click Insert. Repeat per page.

Each section arrives as native Elementor widgets: headings, text, buttons and images inside containers, with their own tablet and mobile values. Click any of them and edit it in the panel. If a section has to match the source to the pixel, switch to Exact copy and it comes in as one HTML block instead; this guide compares the ways to get a site into Elementor in more detail.

The same works for a site on Webflow, Framer, Wix or Squarespace: open the live page and export it. The Webflow and Framer to WordPress guide covers what transfers and what doesn't when you move platforms.

What doesn't transfer in any method

Forms and server logic. Contact forms, logins and checkouts need WordPress equivalents (a form plugin, WooCommerce).
JavaScript widgets such as sliders or custom animations may need a plugin or Elementor's own widgets.
SEO settings. Copy titles and meta descriptions page by page (an SEO plugin helps), and keep the same URLs or add 301 redirects so you don't lose rankings.

Converting someone else's site?

Copying a site's layout and structure to start your own design is normal; copying its text, images and brand is not. If you're rebuilding a client's site, you have their permission and can move everything. Is it legal to clone a website? covers the line in more detail.

The short version

Developer with time: build a theme (method 1). Only the words matter: paste the content (method 2). Need it to look the same, fast, without code: export the live pages as Elementor templates and import them (method 3).