Category: WordPress

The Clock Is Ticking –  migrate your Typepad to WordPress

For almost twenty years, Typepad has been the home of countless bloggers, hobbyists, and small businesses. It was one of the earliest platforms to make blogging accessible, and many creators have built a legacy there.

But time is running out. With the official shutdown scheduled for September 30, 2025, Typepad blogs will soon vanish unless action is taken. This deadline is not just about technology; it’s about protecting your voice, your content, and years of effort.

The good news? You can save everything by migrating to **WordPress**, the world’s most popular website platform. WordPress is secure, flexible, SEO-friendly, and future-proof

Why WordPress Is the Best Destination

When a platform shuts down, you’re faced with choices: Ghost, Squarespace, Wix, Substack, or even just saving everything offline. But WordPress consistently stands out here’s why:

1. Ownership – Your content is yours. No company shutdown can erase it.
2. SEO power – Google loves WordPress’s clean structure and metadata options.
3. Flexibility – Tens of thousands of themes and plugins let you build any type of site.
4. Scalability – Works for a one-person blog or a full-scale digital magazine
5. Community – Millions of users, developers, and resources at your fingertips.

If you want your blog to not only survive but grow, WordPress is the logical new home.

Step 1: Export Your Blog from Typepad

Before Typepad closes its doors, export your data.

1. Log in to your Typepad dashboard.
2. Navigate to Settings → Import/Export.
3. Click Export to download your `.txt` archive. This file contains your posts, categories, and comments.
4. Download your images and attachments. Depending on how your blog was set up, they may be bundled or require manual download.
5. Save everything in multiple places (computer, external drive, and cloud storage).

Pro Tip: Even if you’re not ready to migrate right now, export today. After September 30, 2025, you may lose access to your content forever.

 Step 2: Prepare Your New WordPress Site

With your Typepad export ready, it’s time to set up WordPress.

Choose a Hosting Provider

Good hosting ensures speed, security, and reliability. Popular options include:

• Hostinger – Affordable and beginner-friendly.
• Kinsta – Premium managed hosting for top performance, but really expensive

Install WordPress

Most hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installs. In minutes, your new site will be live.

Pick a Theme

Choose a lightweight, SEO-friendly theme:

• Astra – Fast and flexible.
• GeneratePress – Minimalist and reliable.
• Kadence – Excellent for bloggers.

Install Key Plugins

• Rank Math SEO** (or Yoast SEO) – Optimize search presence.
• Redirection – Manage 301 redirects from old URLs.
• Classic Editor – Helpful for fixing formatting.
• Auto Upload Images** – Relinks image paths automatically.

Step 3: Import Your Typepad Content

Now transfer your exported content.

1. In WordPress, go to Tools → Import.
2. Select  Movable Type and Typepad Importer.
3. Upload your `.txt` file.
4. Assign authors where needed.
5. Verify categories, tags, and comments.

This step usually works smoothly, but larger blogs may take longer.

 Step 4: Fix Images and Media

One of the most common migration issues is broken images.

How to solve broken images during Typepad migration

• Upload your images into the WordPress `/wp-content/uploads/` folder.
• Use the Auto Upload Images plugin to automatically relink them.
• Manually check featured images and older posts.

Restoring visuals is crucial because images carry both emotional, content and SEO weight.

Step 5: Preserve Your SEO

SEO preservation is non-negotiable if you want to maintain traffic.

Steps:

1. Map old URLs to new ones.

* Example:

* Old: `http://yourblog.typepad.com/2020/05/my-post.html`
* New: `https://yourblog.com/my-post/`
2. Use the **Redirection plugin** to set up permanent (301) redirects.
3. Update your sitemap and resubmit it in **Google Search Console**.
4. Monitor traffic and errors in Search Console.

Done correctly, you won’t lose rankings — you may even gain them.

—

 Step 6: Redesign & Customize

Migration is also an opportunity for a **fresh design**.

* Customize fonts, colors, and layouts through your theme.
* Add must-have pages: **About, Contact, Privacy Policy**.
* Use widgets to display **Recent Posts**, **Categories**, or an **Email Signup Form**.
* Consider tools like **Google Analytics** or **Microsoft Clarity** to track engagement.

—

Step 7: Test & Launch

Before announcing your migration, test thoroughly.

• Check your site on **desktop, tablet, and mobile**.
• Test forms, menus, and links.
• Verify redirects work.
• Optimize speed with caching (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache).

Only after testing should you publicly announce the new site.

 Common Issues and Fixes

• Formatting problems – Use the Classic Editor to tidy up.
• Missing comments – Double-check export and re-import.
• Duplicate posts – Delete extras manually.
• Slow load speed – Optimize images and use a CDN.

Future-Proofing Your WordPress Blog

Once you’ve migrated, protect your investment:

1.  Keep **WordPress, plugins, and themes updated**.
2. Set up **automatic backups** (UpdraftPlus, AllInOneMigration).
3. Continue publishing valuable content for SEO growth.
4. Engage readers with **newsletters and social sharing tools**.

Why You Should Act Now

The shutdown date may feel far away, but migration projects often take longer than expected. By acting early, you avoid:

• Last-minute panic if servers slow down near the deadline.
• SEO loss due to rushed redirects.
• Data gaps if you miss files during export.

Early movers also benefit from the chance to redesign and optimize without pressure.

—

The September 30, 2025 shutdown is a hard deadline. Waiting puts your content at risk.

Migrating to WordPress ensures your posts, images, comments, and SEO survive — and thrive in a modern, flexible platform.

Whether you do it yourself with this guide or hire an expert, the key is to act now.

—

—

Frequently Asked Questions About Migrating from Typepad to WordPress

1. When exactly is Typepad shutting down, and what happens after that date?
Typepad will officially shut down on September 30, 2025. After this date, the platform will no longer be accessible, meaning you won’t be able to log in, view, or manage your blog. If you don’t export your content before the shutdown, there’s a high chance it will be lost permanently. That’s why it’s critical to create backups and start your migration process well before the deadline. Migrating early also gives you time to test your new WordPress site without pressure.

2. Can I migrate my comments, images, and categories along with my posts?
Yes, WordPress supports importing not just blog posts but also comments, categories, and tags from your Typepad export file. Images are trickier — while many transfer automatically, some may break because of different storage paths. Fortunately, plugins like Auto Upload Images can repair those links, and manual uploads can fix any missing files. Spending time on this ensures your new site feels complete and consistent, preserving both the look and the community feel of your blog.

3. Will migrating to WordPress hurt my SEO rankings?
Not if you take the right steps. SEO is often tied to your URL structure, so the key is setting up proper 301 redirects from your old Typepad URLs to your new WordPress URLs. This tells Google and other search engines that your content has moved but still exists, protecting your authority and rankings. In some cases, a well-optimized WordPress setup can even improve your SEO performance thanks to faster load times, better mobile support, and enhanced metadata control.

4. How long does it usually take to migrate a blog from Typepad to WordPress?
The timeline depends on the size of your blog and your comfort with WordPress. A smaller blog with a few hundred posts can often be migrated in a single afternoon. Larger sites with thousands of entries, images, and comments may take a couple of days, especially if you’re fixing formatting or image issues. If you’re doing the migration yourself for the first time, give yourself extra time for testing and troubleshooting. Hiring an expert can shorten the process dramatically since they already know how to handle common pitfalls.

5. Should I consider hiring a WordPress expert, or is DIY good enough?
If you’re comfortable with technical setups, backups, and troubleshooting, you can absolutely migrate your blog on your own using this guide. However, if your blog is large, has complex formatting, or generates income, hiring a WordPress migration expert is often worth it. Experts ensure no posts or images are lost, all SEO redirects are properly configured, and your new site looks polished from day one. For many bloggers, the peace of mind and saved time outweigh the cost of professional help.

6. What if my Typepad export file is corrupted or incomplete?
Occasionally, export files may fail or skip certain content, especially if your blog is very large. The first step is to try the export process again and check if the file size changes. If problems persist, you may need to split your blog into smaller exports or use a manual copy-paste approach for certain posts. In the worst case, a migration expert can often use advanced tools to recover most of your data. That’s why it’s best to export as soon as possible, giving you time to check the files well before the shutdown.

7. Will all my old blog links shared on social media still work?
Not automatically. If someone clicks an old Typepad link after the shutdown, it will lead to an error unless you’ve set up redirects. By mapping old URLs to your new WordPress site, you ensure that readers following old links land on the correct post. This is especially important if your blog has backlinks from other websites, since losing those could harm your SEO. With proper redirects, your blog’s traffic remains intact, and your readers won’t notice a disruption.

8. Can I redesign my site during the migration process, or should I wait?
One of the best parts of moving to WordPress is the opportunity to modernize your design. You can absolutely launch with a new theme, better navigation, and an updated layout. In fact, many bloggers use migration as a chance to refresh their brand and improve user experience. That said, if you’re pressed for time, focus first on getting all your content migrated and SEO preserved — design updates can always follow later once your content is secure.

9. What if I already have a custom domain pointing to my Typepad blog?
If you’ve been using a custom domain (like yourblog.com) with Typepad, migration becomes easier. Once your WordPress site is set up, you can point that domain to your new hosting provider. This way, your readers will continue visiting the same URL, but it will now load your WordPress site instead of Typepad. If you don’t have a custom domain yet, consider registering one — it gives you independence from any blogging platform in the future.

10. Is WordPress difficult to manage after migration?
Not at all. While WordPress offers a huge amount of flexibility, the basics — writing posts, uploading images, and managing comments — are very straightforward. If you could use Typepad, you can learn WordPress quickly. There’s also a massive library of tutorials, forums, and documentation available. Plus, unlike Typepad, WordPress will continue evolving and improving, so you won’t face another sudden shutdown.

If you’re managing a WordPress membership site, especially one powered by Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro), you probably collect profile data from your members — such as their biography, credentials, or personal statement.

By default, these profile fields are just plain text boxes. This limits what your members can do. Wouldn’t it be better if they could format their bios like a blog post? Add bold text, bullet points, or even a link to their clinic website?

The good news is: you can add a WYSIWYG editor (TinyMCE — the same one WordPress uses for posts) to any member profile field. This tutorial will show you how — safely, cleanly, and with no loss of existing data.

Why Use a WYSIWYG Editor for Member Profiles in Paid Memberships Pro?

Let’s start with why this matters.

Most WordPress user profile fields are either:

• Simple input boxes (for short values like city or phone number)
• Textareas (for longer fields like a biography)

But neither of these support formatting. That means if your users want to:

• Emphasize credentials (e.g., Board-Certified Naturopathic Doctor)
• Add links to their clinic websites
• Format their bio with bullet points or lists

…they simply can’t.

By adding TinyMCE (What You See Is What You Get) support, you allow users to format their content using bold, italics, lists, links, and more. This helps users present themselves professionally and improves your site’s appearance and SEO.

Requirements

Before you begin, you should have:

• WordPress installed and working
• Paid Memberships Pro plugin installed
• A child theme (such as Memberlite Child) with access to functions.php
• Admin access to your WordPress site

No third-party WYSIWYG plugins are needed — we’ll use WordPress’s built-in TinyMCE.

Step 1: Create the Biography Field Using PMPro User Fields API

Paid Memberships Pro provides a powerful User Fields API which lets you add custom user fields to the profile or checkout forms.

Here’s how to register a custom bio field using this API:

function custom_register_pmpro_bio_field() {
	if (!function_exists('pmpro_add_user_field')) return;

	$field = new PMPro_Field(
		'bio',
		'textarea',
		array(
			'label' => 'Biography',
			'size' => 80,
			'profile' => true,
			'required' => false,
			'memberslistcsv' => true,
			'sanitize' => 'wp_kses_post', // allow safe HTML tags
			'admin' => true,
		)
	);

	pmpro_add_user_field('custom_bio_group', $field);
	pmpro_add_field_group('custom_bio_group', 'Biography Group');
}
add_action('init', 'custom_register_pmpro_bio_field');

This adds a plain textarea called “Biography” to the member profile edit screen (frontend and admin). It is saved in the usermeta table under the meta key bio.

Step 2: Enable TinyMCE on Admin Member Edit Page

Next, we replace the plain textarea with WordPress’s built-in TinyMCE editor — but only in the admin area.

add_action('admin_footer', function () {
	if (
		is_admin() &&
		isset($_GET['page'], $_GET['pmpro_member_edit_panel']) &&
		$_GET['page'] === 'pmpro-member'
	) {
		?>
		<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-wp-preserve="%3Cscript%20src%3D%22%3C%3Fphp%20echo%20includes_url('js%2Ftinymce%2Ftinymce.min.js')%3B%20%3F%3E%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E" data-mce-resize="false" data-mce-placeholder="1" class="mce-object mce-object-script" width="20" height="20" alt="&lt;script&gt;" />
		<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-wp-preserve="%3Cscript%3E%0A%09%09%09document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded'%2C%20function%20()%20%7B%0A%09%09%09%09const%20textarea%20%3D%20document.querySelector('%23bio')%3B%0A%09%09%09%09if%20(!textarea)%20return%3B%0A%09%09%09%09setTimeout(()%20%3D%3E%20%7B%0A%09%09%09%09%09if%20(typeof%20tinymce%20%3D%3D%3D%20'undefined')%20return%3B%0A%09%09%09%09%09tinymce.init(%7B%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09selector%3A%20'%23bio'%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09height%3A%20300%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09menubar%3A%20false%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09plugins%3A%20'link%20lists%20paste'%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09toolbar%3A%20'undo%20redo%20%7C%20bold%20italic%20underline%20%7C%20bullist%20numlist%20%7C%20link'%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09branding%3A%20false%0A%09%09%09%09%09%7D)%3B%0A%09%09%09%09%7D%2C%20300)%3B%0A%09%09%09%7D)%3B%0A%09%09%3C%2Fscript%3E" data-mce-resize="false" data-mce-placeholder="1" class="mce-object mce-object-script" width="20" height="20" alt="&lt;script&gt;" />
		<?php
	}
});

Now, when an admin edits a member’s profile in WP Admin (Users > Edit Member), they’ll see a rich text editor instead of a plain box.

Step 3: Display the Bio with Formatting

Now let’s display the saved bio on the frontend — fully formatted with paragraphs and links intact.

add_action('pmpro_member_profile_after', function ($user) {
	if (empty($user) || !isset($user->ID)) return;

	$bio = get_user_meta($user->ID, 'bio', true);
	if (empty($bio)) return;

	echo '<div class="pmpro_member_profile_field pmpro_member_profile_field-bio custom-bio">';
	echo '<div class="pmpro_member_profile_field_label">Biography</div>';
	echo '<div class="pmpro_member_profile_field_data">';
	echo wpautop($bio); 
	echo '</div></div>';
});

The wpautop() function automatically adds paragraph tags and line breaks, just like WordPress does in posts.

To prevent duplicate output from PMPro’s default bio logic, you can disable it:

add_action('init', function () {
	remove_action('pmpro_member_profile_after', 'pmpro_member_profile_show_bio');
});

Database Behavior: Will I Lose Existing Data?

No — this method is safe for existing data.

Here’s how it works behind the scenes:

• The field data is stored in the WordPress usermeta table under the key bio
• Switching from a plain textarea to a WYSIWYG editor doesn’t change the storage format
• Even if some users have existing plain-text bios, their content remains intact

Bonus: The sanitize parameter is set to 'wp_kses_post', which allows safe HTML (bold, italics, links). This prevents malicious code but still lets users format their content.

If you ever remove the TinyMCE editor later, the raw HTML will still remain stored — but it won’t break anything. The content just won’t render as rich text.

Final Code: Copy and Paste into functions.php

Here’s the complete working solution to register the WYSIWYG bio field, load TinyMCE in the admin, and display the content properly:

// 1. Register the 'bio' field
function custom_register_pmpro_bio_field() {
	if (!function_exists('pmpro_add_user_field')) return;

	$field = new PMPro_Field(
		'bio',
		'textarea',
		array(
			'label' => 'Biography',
			'size' => 80,
			'profile' => true,
			'required' => false,
			'memberslistcsv' => true,
			'sanitize' => 'wp_kses_post',
			'admin' => true,
		)
	);

	pmpro_add_user_field('custom_bio_group', $field);
	pmpro_add_field_group('custom_bio_group', 'Biography Group');
}
add_action('init', 'custom_register_pmpro_bio_field');

// 2. Load TinyMCE in admin
add_action('admin_footer', function () {
	if (
		is_admin() &&
		isset($_GET['page'], $_GET['pmpro_member_edit_panel']) &&
		$_GET['page'] === 'pmpro-member'
	) {
		?>
		<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-wp-preserve="%3Cscript%20src%3D%22%3C%3Fphp%20echo%20includes_url('js%2Ftinymce%2Ftinymce.min.js')%3B%20%3F%3E%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E" data-mce-resize="false" data-mce-placeholder="1" class="mce-object mce-object-script" width="20" height="20" alt="&lt;script&gt;" />
		<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" data-wp-preserve="%3Cscript%3E%0A%09%09%09document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded'%2C%20function%20()%20%7B%0A%09%09%09%09const%20textarea%20%3D%20document.querySelector('%23bio')%3B%0A%09%09%09%09if%20(!textarea)%20return%3B%0A%09%09%09%09setTimeout(()%20%3D%3E%20%7B%0A%09%09%09%09%09if%20(typeof%20tinymce%20%3D%3D%3D%20'undefined')%20return%3B%0A%09%09%09%09%09tinymce.init(%7B%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09selector%3A%20'%23bio'%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09height%3A%20300%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09menubar%3A%20false%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09plugins%3A%20'link%20lists%20paste'%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09toolbar%3A%20'undo%20redo%20%7C%20bold%20italic%20underline%20%7C%20bullist%20numlist%20%7C%20link'%2C%0A%09%09%09%09%09%09branding%3A%20false%0A%09%09%09%09%09%7D)%3B%0A%09%09%09%09%7D%2C%20300)%3B%0A%09%09%09%7D)%3B%0A%09%09%3C%2Fscript%3E" data-mce-resize="false" data-mce-placeholder="1" class="mce-object mce-object-script" width="20" height="20" alt="&lt;script&gt;" />
		<?php
	}
});

// 3. Output bio with formatting
add_action('pmpro_member_profile_after', function ($user) {
	if (empty($user) || !isset($user->ID)) return;

	$bio = get_user_meta($user->ID, 'bio', true);
	if (empty($bio)) return;

	echo '<div class="pmpro_member_profile_field pmpro_member_profile_field-bio custom-bio">';
	echo '<div class="pmpro_member_profile_field_label">Biography</div>';
	echo '<div class="pmpro_member_profile_field_data">';
	echo wpautop($bio); 
	echo '</div></div>';
});

// 4. Remove default PMPro bio
add_action('init', function () {
	remove_action('pmpro_member_profile_after', 'pmpro_member_profile_show_bio');
});

Final Thoughts

Upgrading your member profiles with WYSIWYG editing gives your users more freedom and improves the presentation of your site. Whether you’re listing naturopathic doctors, coaches, students, or professionals — rich formatting adds credibility and clarity.

It’s easy to implement, safe for your database, and leverages WordPress’s native editor without installing extra plugins.