Merge/Replace Wordpress site in same location as existing site?

Merge/Replace Wordpress site in same location as existing site?

My current website is an html site that I wrote myself. The path looks like this (name made-up for example purposes)...

\webname.com

I have a Wordpress blog linked to it in the same place on the server, that path looks like this...

\webname.com\blog

Both are on the same server in the same location.

I have reached a point where I want to abandon the html site and have everything in Wordpress, seamless, so to speak. At the same time I will be using a new theme for my new site.

I'm not sure of the logistics for this. I do not want to upset everything and screw it all up and have nothing workable, or have to restore everything from my back-up.

Ideally, I'd like to build a wholly new Wordpress site with my "webname.com" path, them migrate my blog into that, which I know can be done in simpler situations, but I'm not sure that's technically doable here, given the URL is already in use.

Any thoughts or direction would be most appreciated.

I also could be overthinking this, and it's actually super easy, that's always possible.

The default is for a server to load a page called index.html ... this is pretty darn universal, but as with anything, it can be changed. So right now webpage.com is actually loading webpage.com/index.html

You will need to create a page with WordPress that has the name index.html ... you can rename the old one anything you want and it will be ignored.

It is also possible that WP is stored in another directory ... webpage.com/wordpress ... as an example. You tell the server that you want to use that directory as the main directory and put the index file in there.

But yeah, it is not that complicated, just need to know how your server is set up and get the right files in the right places.

So, basically, except for taking my existing website offline while I create the new one, it's not that big of a deal. And I will take the old one offline and archive it because I want the new Wordpress site in the same place.

I'm thinking I should have no real issues migrating the current blog as it is in a \blog directory and is essentially stand-alone.

Thanks.

You shouldn't need to even "migrate" the blog. Wordpress allows you to use the blog as the main page or have a dedicated front page + blog.

From a technical pov you are doing the former. WP thinks that the blog is your front page but you actually use a non-wp html front page which links to your blog. You should just be able to go into the settings and change this.

First of all log ftp to your host or log into control panel and change your front page from [name].html to [name].html.bak (just in case something isn't right and you need to restore it.

Then log into WP
Setting > General - edit the site address url. to be yourdomain.com instead of yourdomain.com\blog
Settings > Writing - change the first option "Your homepage displays.." from posts to static page. Note, you may need to create a page to use as your front page first.

You are probably correct, but I got it done. I'm sure I ended up doing it the long way.

Thank you both for your help.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18630551
The default is for a server to load a page called index.html ... this is pretty darn universal, but as with anything, it can be changed. So right now webpage.com is actually loading webpage.com/index.html

You will need to create a page with WordPress that has the name index.html ... you can rename the old one anything you want and it will be ignored.

It is also possible that WP is stored in another directory ... webpage.com/wordpress ... as an example. You tell the server that you want to use that directory as the main directory and put the index file in there.

In order to keep his current site online, couldn't he start building the new site as an unpublished page to the current sight, then do the renaming when he's ready to publish the new site?