How AI is Reshaping SEO: 30+ Trends to Watch in 2025

Is your organic traffic steadily declining?

There’s a clear reason why. AI tools like ChatGPT have transformed the way people search for information.

Instead of clicking through different sites, users are used to concisely getting answers from their favorite AI tools.

Google followed suit with AI Overviews to protect its search dominance.

The result? Zero-search clicks are rising. Like most websites, you’re probably seeing high organic impressions but steadily declining click-through rates.

This isn’t just a temporary dip… it’s a fundamental shift in how search works.

SEO experts forecast that this trend is here to stay and will only get worse. The only question is: how quickly will you adapt to the new search reality?

In this article, I’m going to share 30+ AI trends and predictions in SEO to watch to help you prepare your WordPress site for what’s coming. You’ll discover which changes to expect, which ones to prioritize, and how to adapt your SEO strategy so you’re not left behind.

Here is a quick overview of the topics I’ll cover in this guide:

• How Is AI Reshaping SEO?
• How Often Do AI Overviews Appear in Search?
• What Triggers a Google AI Overview?
• How Are People Using AI Tools for Search?
• How Does AI Search Affect Organic Traffic & Referral Traffic?
• How Does Google’s AI Mode Affect Traffic?
• How Does AI Search Affect Clicks?
• What Are the Top Ranking Factors for AI Search?
• How Should You Structure Your Content for AI Search?
• Key Takeaways: How Can Businesses Optimize for AI Search?
• More Statistics, Trends, and Research Articles

How Is AI Reshaping SEO?

In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, which has significantly altered how people search online and consume content. Unlike traditional Google Search, AI tools gave users instant answers to their questions without needing to visit multiple websites.

Recognizing this shift in user behavior, Google quickly adapted by introducing Google AI Overviews in search results. Here’s an example of how itlooks:

These AI-generated summaries typically appear at the top of search pages.

In fact, Google considers AI Overviews as a success, as it has actually encouraged users to search more often:

“Instead of searching less, people who use AI Overviews are actually showing an increase in their total number of searches.”

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google

However, this has a big impact on websites. When people get the answer directly on Google, they have less reason to click on search results, which is causing a significant drop in organic traffic for many sites.

Preparing your WordPress website for this new reality is essential, so let’s dive into these AI search predictions and statistics so you know what to expect.

How Often Do AI Overviews Appear in Search?

AI Overviews (AIOs) are becoming a dominant feature, appearing in up to 47% of Google searches, according to a Botify study.

To put that in perspective, nearly half of all Google searches now show an AI-generated answer at the top. 

This is a sharp rise considering the fact that it was first introduced on May 14, 2024, in the United States, and was only expanded to other countries in October 2024.

How Fast Are AI Overviews Dominating?

Since the Google March Core Update in 2025, the appearance of AI Overviews in search results has grown by a staggering 115%, according to a study by Ahrefs.

This shows how serious Google is about this feature. A 115% jump in just a few months means they are quickly changing the search experience for everyone.

To see where this change is hitting hardest, here are the industries that have spiked the most in AI Overviews since the recent rollout:

Growth Spike	Affected Industry & Sample Queries
528%⬆️	Entertainment queries (e.g., [Julia Roberts movies], [Movies filmed in Chicago]).
387%⬆️	Restaurant queries (e.g., [date night restaurants], [Thai restaurant near me], [downtown restaurants])
381%⬆️	Travel queries (e.g., [things to do in Santa Fe], [things to do in Hawaii], [things to do in Las Vegas]).

To be clear, one reason for these huge spikes is that these industries had a lower baseline to begin with. They historically triggered AI Overviews far less than topics like healthcare and education.

🔮 Prediction: What these numbers show is simple: AI Overviews are not a small test. They are quickly becoming a normal part of Google and are growing very fast.

AI Overviews are expected to show up more often from now on. For anyone with a website, this is a clear sign that you need to get ready for this new reality.

What Triggers a Google AI Overview?

AIOs are triggered by informational intent. Nearly all (99.2%) keywords that generate an AI Overview are informational in nature, rather than commercial or transactional.

This is the most important trigger to understand. It means AIOs are designed to appear when people are looking for answers and explanations, like asking ‘how to start a blog‘ or ‘what are the symptoms of the flu’.

To increase your chances of being featured in Google’s AI Overviews, you should focus on creating high-quality, authoritative content that directly answers user queries concisely and comprehensively

You can find relevant questions for your core niche by using a tool like the Free WPBeginner Keyword Generator. Its “Questions” tab shows you what people are really searching for, so you can create content that perfectly matches their needs.

Does the Length of a Query Matter to AI?

The longer and more complex a question is, the more likely it is to receive an AI Overview. A query with eight or more words is 7 times more likely to get an AI-generated answer.

This isn’t a coincidence. It aligns perfectly with Google’s stated purpose for the feature.

In a May 2024 tweet, Google said the goal of AI Overviews is to “answer your most complex problems and help you get things done.”

Here’s a great example. Imagine you search for “3 day easy meal plan for a group”. You’ll see an AI Overview in the search results, like the one in the image below:

To create such a helpful and specific answer, the AI analyzes several key parts of your query at once:

• Duration: 3 days
• Complexity: Easy (e.g., simple recipes, minimal prep time)
• Audience: A group (e.g., recipes that are scalable or serve multiple people
• Outcome: A structured meal plan for the entire duration

The AI Overview then generates a complete, structured meal plan. It will often lay out suggestions for each day and meal, complete with images and links to the full recipes.

What makes this feature particularly powerful is its interactivity. If you don’t like a particular suggestion, then you can simply click the ‘Replace’ button underneath it.

This action pulls up a variety of alternative dishes that still match your original request, allowing you to tailor the plan perfectly to your group’s tastes.

By understanding and combining all these elements, the AI provides a comprehensive answer that would have previously required multiple searches.

This is also a huge time-saver because, as a user, you can find everything you need in one place, FAST.

💡While Google introduced AI Overviews in many countries, some of these advanced layouts for AI results are currently only available in the U.S for English searches.

Where Do Most AI Overviews Appear?

They are primarily a mobile feature. A massive 81% of queries that trigger an AI Overview are performed on mobile devices.

This means that if your website isn’t optimized for mobile users, you’re missing out on the biggest opportunity to appear in AI search.

🎁 Bonus Tip: To get your website ready, see our article on how to create a mobile-friendly WordPress website.

How Does Keyword Competition and Monetization Affect AI Overviews?

AI Overviews show more for search keywords that have low or medium competition (80% and 60%), and they are far less common for the most highly competitive terms (10%).

But this isn’t a simple opportunity to get featured. It’s a strategic decision tied directly to Google’s revenue.

The reality is that AI Overviews are most common for searches that don’t make Google money. Over 71% of queries that get an AI answer have no advertising cost associated with them.

This is because high-competition keywords are often highly commercial and packed with valuable ads. It seems that Google is protecting its primary revenue stream by testing AI Overviews in lower-risk, informational areas first.

How Are AI Overviews Affecting Local Queries?

Local search is less affected for now. AIOs appear less frequently for local search queries compared to general informational searches.

Query Type	Share of Standard Search	Share of AI Overviews
Local Queries	19.09%	6.85% ⬇️
Non-Local Queries	80.91%	93.15%

For local businesses, this means traditional SEO is still your best friend.

Your main goal should be to rank high in the standard search results and in the Google Maps results. Our ultimate WordPress local SEO guide has all the steps you need to get there.

How Are Branded Queries Affected by AI Search?

Branded searches are far less likely to trigger an AI Overview, showing up in only 4.79% of cases.

More importantly, when an AI summary does appear for your brand, it comes with a surprising advantage.

Research from Amsive shows these queries receive an 18.68% boost in click-through rate (CTR). This is likely because the user’s existing trust and familiarity with your brand make them more eager to click.

How Are People Using AI Tools for Search?

More than 15 million adults in the U.S. now use generative AI as their main tool for searching online. That number is expected to jump to over 36 million in the next four years.

This shows that a new user habit is forming quickly.

Millions of people already prefer getting direct answers from an AI tool like ChatGPT instead of clicking through a list of websites, and that number is growing fast.

What Platforms Are People Actually Using to Search?

Despite the rise of AI, people are still overwhelmingly turning to Google for search. Google manages about 14 billion searches daily, capturing over 93% of the market.

On the other hand, ChatGPT sees an estimated 37.5 million search-like prompts per day, equaling just 0.25% of the market share.

That’s less than Microsoft Bing (4.10%), Yahoo (1.35%), and DuckDuckGo (0.73%).

Do Users Actually Read AI Overviews?

The majority of users (86%) “skim quickly” through AI Overviews, looking for key points rather than reading every word.

This behavior is nothing new. It’s exactly how people scan blog posts, hunting for specific answers.

This leads to a surprising advantage. While you might get fewer clicks overall, the ones you do receive from AI Overviews can be incredibly valuable.

Because these users are skimming for specific information, a click signals that they believe your site has the exact answer they need. This results in high-intent visitors who are more likely to convert compared to an average user from traditional search results.

If you want to get recommendations on how to improve the on-page SEO of your content, you can use TruSEO inside the All in One SEO plugin.

Its built-in TruSEO analysis checks your writing for things like sentence length and clarity, giving you real-time suggestions to make your content easier to understand.

There’s even a free version of All in One SEO that you can get started with.

🎁 Bonus Tip: If you’re looking for more tips on structuring your content, check out our guide on how to write a great blog post.

Does Your Position Within the AI Overview Matter?

The top of the AI Overview is now the most valuable real estate in search. Not only does the feature itself take up nearly half the screen space on both desktop and mobile devices, but data also shows most users don’t look past the first third of the result.

In other words, they’re only reading about 30% of the information.

This means getting mentioned by the AI isn’t enough. Your brand must also be featured in the very first few sentences to have any real impact.

You can see a perfect example of this below, where WPForms is featured right at the top of the answer for “best contact form for wordpress.”

Do Users Trust Generative AI Results?

The relationship users have with generative AI is complicated. On one hand, adoption is happening fast, with 70% of consumers having at least some trust in generative AI results.

This shows that a majority of people already see it as a credible source for information.

However, a Growth Memo study found that for 38% of searches, users still felt the need to double-check the AI’s answer by opening an organic link “just to be sure,” especially for important topics like health or money.

This creates a clear split in user behavior. For simple questions, the AI answer is enough.

But for important topics, the habit of seeking a “second opinion” means that a click to your website is incredibly valuable. It signals that the user is actively looking for an authority to verify the facts.

Where are Users Clicking After an AI Overview?

When users want to verify an AI answer, they don’t just look for another article; they look for community proof.

Data from post-AI clicks shows that users are turning to platforms like Reddit (18% of clicks) and YouTube (10%) to see what real people are saying.

This behavior signals a significant shift. To succeed, you need to meet your audience where they are to build trust. Instead of just writing about your expertise, you need to prove it in public forums.

Here are some effective strategies that we’ve been using at WPBeginner and our sister sites:

• Become a Resource: Actively participate in relevant Reddit threads or Facebook groups. Answer user questions thoroughly to build a reputation as a trusted authority.
• Use Video: Create video content for YouTube that addresses common user problems or provides tutorials. Embedding these videos in your blog posts also adds a powerful layer of trust. To learn how, see our guide on how to easily embed videos in WordPress blog posts.
• Showcase Reviews on Your Site: Bring community proof onto your own turf. Prominently feature customer testimonials, user reviews, and case studies on your product and landing pages. See our tutorial on how to add a customer reviews page to your WordPress site.

By being active in these channels, you not only build brand trust but also create pathways to capture those valuable clicks from users seeking to verify AI-generated information.

How Does AI Search Affect Organic Traffic & Referral Traffic?

A powerful new traffic source is emerging for website owners. While traditional search traffic has dipped by 21%, AI referral traffic, which is clicks from chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, has skyrocketed by 10x over the last year.

The key to capturing this growing stream of visitors is to think beyond traditional rankings and focus on becoming a trusted source for AI.

To do this, you must clearly signal your credibility through E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). AI models are programmed to look for these signals to ensure the information they provide is reliable.

An effective way to build these signals on your site is with All in One SEO. Its Author SEO features are designed to showcase expertise, allowing you to easily add author bio boxes with credentials.

Here’s an example of how it looks:

This sends clear proof to both users and AI models that a real expert is behind your content.

🔮 Prediction: This shift is only getting bigger. In fact, Semrush predicts that by 2028, AI search visitors will outnumber those from traditional search. 

This is a clear signal that focusing on your E-E-A-T today is the best way to prepare for what’s coming.

How Does Google’s AI Mode Affect Traffic?

Beyond the automatic AI Overviews, Google’s experimental AI Mode shows an even more dramatic impact on website traffic.

A recent iPullRank study found that while 24% of traditional Google Search sessions result in a click, that number drops to just 4.5% in AI Mode.

So, what is AI Mode? Unlike the automatic Overviews, it’s a separate, opt-in search experience that users must actively select. It functions more like a chatbot, providing comprehensive answers that reduce the need to visit external websites.

However, there’s a silver lining. When users in AI Mode click a website link, their engagement is nearly identical to traditional searchers, averaging 5.9 pageviews per session.

🔮 Prediction: AI Mode gives us a glimpse into a future where clicks are rare but incredibly valuable. If this feature becomes more widespread, being the trusted source the AI cites will be critical for capturing any high-intent traffic at all.

How Does AI Search Affect Clicks?

A recent study by Ahrefs analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that when Google showed an AI Overview, the top-ranking page saw a 34.5% drop in average click-through rate compared to similar results without AI.

This statistic highlights a major shift: the value of ranking #1 is changing.

Because the AI Overview often gives a direct answer, fewer people need to click on a link. This means the top spot is now less about getting the most traffic directly and more about being chosen as a trusted source for the AI’s answer itself.

Earning a mention inside the AI Overview has become the new prize, turning your top ranking into a signal of authority for Google’s AI.

Is AI Creating More Zero-Click Searches?

It’s undeniable: clicks are steadily declining from Google Search. In the last year alone, zero-click searches have risen from 24.4% to 27.2%.

A major reason for this is Google’s strategy with AI Overviews. Nearly 44% of all AI answers source Google’s own properties, creating a powerful loop that directs users back to its own services.

This is further proven by the fact that clicks to other Google sites like Maps and YouTube have also increased to 14.3%, compared to 12.1% a year ago.

🔮 This trend is changing the value of a click for good. As more searches are resolved without leaving Google, the users who do click through to your site are signaling much stronger interest.

This is where your conversion strategy becomes super important. Tools like OptinMonster are designed for this exact moment, allowing you to present targeted offers that convert these highly interested visitors into long-term subscribers and customers.

If you want more ideas, see our guide on advanced landing page tips to skyrocket WordPress conversions.

What Are the Top Ranking Factors for AI Search?

The three factors with the highest correlation to getting mentioned in an AI Overview are: Branded web mentions, branded anchor text, and branded search volume.

This is a huge change. Now, your brand’s reputation matters more than almost anything else to Google’s AI.

Think of it like this: research from Ahrefs shows that if your brand isn’t being talked about online, you’re basically invisible to AI.

New and small sites in their study averaged between zero and three mentions. At the same time, the most popular brands got a huge boost, receiving 10 times more features in AI Overviews than the next group down.

🔮 Prediction: These statistics show that SEO in the future will look more like brand marketing and public relations.

Instead of just focusing on technical SEO, the winning strategy will be to get your brand name mentioned on podcasts, in news articles, and in industry reports. Building this kind of authority across the web is what Google’s AI values most.

How Should You Structure Your Content for AI Search?

The “People Also Ask” feature appeared in 80.92% of all AI Overview query search results. Featured snippets, thumbnails, video previews, and discussions were also prominent in AIO search results.

This shows that future content will need to be structured as a series of “answer blocks.” Successful websites will break down their articles into clear, concise sections designed to answer one specific question at a time.

This makes it easy for Google to grab the text for a featured snippet, which in turn makes it a perfect source for an AI Overview.

You can make this strategy even more effective by adding schema markup, like FAQ schema for Q&As or How-to schema for tutorials.

We use the All in One SEO plugin on our own sites because it makes it easy to add different types of schema markup, without needing to touch any code.

This directly signals to Google what your content is about, increasing your chances of being featured.

On WPBeginner and our partner sites, using schema consistently has really helped us show up more in AI answers.

Do Organic Rankings Still Matter for AI Search?

Yes, they absolutely do. 75% of the websites cited in AI Overviews are also found ranking in the top 12, showing that the AI trusts and uses high-ranking pages for its information.

The data tells us that a high organic ranking is the first step. Without it, your chances of being featured by the AI are extremely low.

Key Takeaways: How Can Businesses Optimize for AI Search?

I’ve covered a lot of data, but it all comes down to a few key actions.

If you’re looking for a quick checklist on what to do next, here are the most important takeaways from these AI search predictions and statistics:

• ✅ Focus on Brand Mentions, Not Just Backlinks: Your brand’s presence and discussion across the web are now more influential than traditional link-building metrics.
• ✅ Create Content that Answers Informational Questions: Shift your content strategy to focus on answering specific, long-tail questions that users are asking.
• ✅ Structure Your Content as “Answer Blocks”: To get noticed, structure your articles with clear headings and concise answer blocks that can be easily pulled for both featured snippets and AI Overviews. Using FAQ or How-to schema makes this even more effective.
• ✅ Build Your Presence on Community and Video Platforms: Being active on these platforms provides the “community proof” that both users and AI systems are looking for.
• ✅ Don’t Abandon Traditional SEO, It’s Your Foundation: Ranking still matters. You need a strong organic ranking to even be considered by the AI, so don’t skip out on traditional WordPress SEO.
• ✅ Build a Brand People Search For Directly: Building a brand that users trust and search for by name is one of the most effective strategies for the future.

🎁 Bonus Tip: Ready to put these predictions into practice? Our beginner’s guide on generative engine optimization for WordPress provides the actionable, step-by-step strategies you need to adapt your site.

Sources: Ahrefs, Search Engine Land, Gartner, Growth Memo, Statista, SparkToro, Botify, DemandSphere, Semrush, SE Ranking, iPullRank

We hope this list of AI search statistics and predictions helps you adapt your website’s SEO strategy for the changes ahead.

Looking for more interesting statistics? Check out our other research articles below:

More Statistics, Trends, and Research Articles

• 60+ Surprising AI Statistics – Everything You Need to Know
• 120+ Mindblowing SEO Statistics and Trends (Ultimate List)
• 90+ Exciting Google Search Statistics and Data
• Blogging Statistics, Trends & Data – Ultimate List (UPDATED)
• Creator Economy Statistics That Will Blow You Away
• 80+ Social Media Statistics (Ultimate List for Bloggers)
• 60+ Internet Usage Statistics and Latest Trends

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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How to Migrate From Substack to WordPress in 10 Easy Steps

I can’t tell you how many creators I’ve spoken with who feel trapped on Substack. It’s incredibly easy to get started, but that simplicity comes at a cost. As soon as you want to change a font, create a custom landing page, or add more advanced features, the platform’s limitations become frustrating fast.

And those limitations go beyond design. The deeper issue is control. On Substack, you don’t own your content, can’t control how you earn, and have limited access to your own subscribers.

That’s why so many creators are making the switch to WordPress. It gives you a lot more control over your design, monetization, and subscriber list.

After helping dozens of writers migrate from Substack to WordPress, I’ve developed a straightforward process that makes it manageable. The freedom and flexibility you’ll gain are well worth the effort.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the entire process: moving your posts, importing your email list, setting up a powerful email system, and launching your new newsletter without losing momentum.

Why Should You Switch From Substack to WordPress?

Many creators switch from Substack to WordPress because it offers more control, flexibility, and monetization options. With WordPress, you can fully customize your site, own your email list, and add features like paid memberships, online courses, and digital product sales—all without platform fees.

Substack does a great job of marketing itself as the simple, all-in-one solution for newsletter creators. It lets you start publishing in minutes and handles the technical details for you.

But that initial convenience eventually becomes a major restriction. As your newsletter grows, you’ll reach the limits of what Substack can do.

The biggest issue is the lack of control, which means your newsletter ends up looking like everyone else’s. You can’t customize signup forms, build unique landing pages, or adjust the layout to match your brand.

Plus, there’s the challenge of monetization. Substack takes a 10% cut of every paid subscription, which adds up quickly.

You’re also locked into their subscription model, which means you can’t sell courses, digital products, or add other revenue streams directly to your site.

And ultimately, Substack controls your relationship with your audience. You can export your list, but the platform dictates how your content is delivered and what analytics you can access. With WordPress, you’re in the driver’s seat.

For full details, see our comparison of Substack vs. WordPress.

What to Expect When Migrating From Substack to WordPress

Migrating your newsletter might sound intimidating, but it’s easier than you think. I’ll break it down into clear, manageable steps.

Here’s a quick overview of what we’ll do together:

• Set Up Your WordPress Foundation: We’ll choose a reliable host, install WordPress, and create the new home for your newsletter.
• Export and Import Your Content: I’ll show you how to download your posts and subscriber data from Substack and move it safely into WordPress.
• Build Your New Email System: We’ll connect your site to a professional email marketing service, giving you full control over your campaigns and automations.
• Finalize the Migration: We’ll import your subscriber list, add redirects so you don’t lose traffic, and customize your site to match your brand.

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a professional newsletter platform that you fully own and control.

Step 1: Set Up Your WordPress Website

The first step is to set up the WordPress website that will serve as the new destination for your content.

To do this, you’ll need two things: a domain name and WordPress hosting. While the WordPress software is free, hosting is where your website’s files are stored online.

I always recommend Bluehost to new users. They are an officially recommended WordPress host, their support is excellent, and they make setup incredibly simple. Plus, they offer WPBeginner readers a special deal that includes a free domain name for the first year.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Alternatives: If you’d rather explore other options, Hostinger and SiteGround are also great choices. I’ve used both on other projects and had good experiences.

To get started, head over to the Bluehost website and click the ‘Get Started Now’ button.

On the next screen, you’ll choose a hosting plan.

For most newsletter sites, the Basic plan has everything you need. You can always upgrade later if your needs grow.

After that, you’ll set up your domain name, and this part is important.

If you’re starting with a brand new domain, you can claim your free domain now by typing it into the ‘Create a new domain’ box.

But if you already have a custom domain connected to your Substack site (like mynewsletter.com), choose ‘I’ll create my domain later.’ This avoids any downtime while you complete the migration.

Why set up your domain later? 🤔 If you point your custom domain to WordPress too early, your Substack site will go offline before everything is moved over. I’ll show you exactly when and how to update it later in this guide.

After you finish signing up, Bluehost will automatically install WordPress for you.

Just log in to your Bluehost account, find your new site, and click the ‘Edit Site’ button. That will take you straight to your WordPress dashboard.

If you’re using a different host or want more guidance on this part, check out our full guide on how to install WordPress.

Step 2: Install the Necessary Importer Plugins

To import your posts from Substack, you’ll need to install two free plugins. The main one is the Substack Importer, but it relies on a core tool called the WordPress Importer to work correctly.

It might sound a little technical, but I’ll walk you through the fastest way to get it set up.

Prepare the WordPress Importer

Prepare the WordPress Importer

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Tools » Import. At the bottom of the list, you’ll see ‘WordPress.’ Just click the ‘Install Now’ link.

Once it finishes installing, the link will change to ‘Run Importer.’

Here’s an important step: click ‘Run Importer’ now, even though you’re not uploading anything yet. This activates the tool so the Substack Importer works later. If you skip it, you’ll get an error.

After that, you’ll land on the importer’s upload screen—but you can ignore that for now. We’re ready to install the next plugin.

Install the Substack Importer

Next, you need to install the Substack Importer plugin, which will handle the specific format of your Substack export. For detailed instructions, you can see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Because you have already activated the main WordPress Importer tool, this plugin will install correctly without any issues. Your site is now fully prepared to import your Substack content, which I’ll show you how to do in Step 4.

Step 3: Export Your Content From Substack

Now, we need to go back to Substack one last time to download all of your content. This includes your posts, drafts, and your subscriber list.

You need to log in to your Substack account and go to your publication’s dashboard. Once there, you should click on ‘Settings’ in the top menu and scroll down until you find the ‘Export’ section.

You will see an option to ‘Export your data’. Go ahead and click the ‘New export’ button.

Substack will create a .zip file for you to download that contains all of your posts and images. This zip file will also contain a CSV file with your subscribers’ email addresses and other information. It may take a few minutes if you have a lot of content.

When the export file is ready, you will be notified by email, and you can click the ‘Download’ button to save it to your computer. This file is one of your most valuable assets, so save it somewhere safe.

Step 4: Import Your Posts into WordPress

Now for the exciting part! Let’s move your content onto your new WordPress website. Thanks to the plugin you installed, this process is mostly automated.

Go back to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Tools » Import. You should now see ‘Substack’ in the list of available importers.

Click the ‘Run Importer’ link below it.

The plugin will ask you to upload the file you got from Substack. Click ‘Choose File’ and select the .zip file containing your post export.

The plugin also provides an optional field to enter your Substack URL. This can help with importing comments and author details, but you can leave it blank if you want.

Then, click ‘Upload file and import’.

On the next screen, you’ll be asked to assign an author for the imported posts. You can create a new author or assign them to your existing WordPress user account.

Before you continue, make sure to check the box next to ‘Download and import file attachments.’

This is an important step that tells WordPress to save all the images from your Substack posts to your new website, so nothing gets left behind.

Click ‘Submit’ to begin. The importer will now work its magic, creating new WordPress posts for each article from your Substack file. This might take a few minutes.

Once it’s finished, go to Posts » All Posts. You should see all of your Substack articles right there in WordPress! Take a moment to click on a few and make sure the content and formatting look correct.

Step 5: Set Up Your Email Newsletter System

WordPress doesn’t send email newsletters by default, which is a major difference from Substack.

Instead, you need a dedicated email marketing service to manage your subscribers and send your newsletters. This gives you far more power and flexibility.

I recommend using Constant Contact. It’s incredibly beginner-friendly, integrates perfectly with WordPress, and offers powerful features like automation and analytics that go way beyond Substack.

With Constant Contact, you can segment your audience, A/B test your subject lines, create beautiful landing pages, and see detailed reports on who opens and clicks your emails.

First, you’ll need to sign up for a Constant Contact account. Once you’re in, you need to create a new email list for your subscribers.

Then, you can easily connect your WordPress website to Constant Contact using the WPForms plugin. It’s the best form builder for WordPress and lets you create beautiful newsletter signup forms that automatically add new subscribers to your Constant Contact list.

We have a complete, step-by-step guide on how to add email subscriptions to your WordPress blog. This tutorial will walk you through setting up Constant Contact, creating a signup form with WPForms, and placing it on your new website.

Step 6: Migrate Your Subscriber List

It’s time to move your most important asset: your subscribers. This step requires care to ensure a smooth transition for your readers.

Important: Before you import any contacts, I strongly recommend sending one final email from your Substack account. You should let your audience know about the move, explain the benefits, and tell them to look out for emails from your new system. This is a key step for maintaining trust and ensuring your new emails don’t get marked as spam.

You need to log in to your Constant Contact account. Then, go to the ‘Contacts’ section and look for the ‘Add Contacts’ button.

You’ll see an option to upload from a file, as you see in the screenshot below.

First, you’ll need to unzip the export file you downloaded from Substack. Inside, look for the CSV file containing your subscribers. The filename will usually be something like email_list.your-publication-name.csv.

Constant Contact will guide you through mapping the columns (like matching the ’email’ column to the email field). Add these subscribers to the new list you created.

Remember, you should only email people who have given you permission. That final email you sent from Substack is a great way to respect your audience and remind them they signed up.

Once they’re imported, I recommend creating a simple welcome email sequence in Constant Contact to re-engage them on the new platform.

Step 7: Point Your Domain to WordPress

With your content and subscribers moved, you’re ready to make your new WordPress site live on your official domain. The steps depend on how you set up your domain in Step 1.

If You Registered a New Domain With Bluehost

You’re all set!

Bluehost automatically pointed the domain to your WordPress site, so you don’t need to do anything else.

If You Have a Custom Domain From Substack

Now is the time to point it to your new host. You’ll do this by changing the domain’s nameservers.

You need to find the nameservers for your new host (for example, for Bluehost, they look like ns1.bluehost.com and ns2.bluehost.com).

Log in to your domain registrar (the company where you bought the domain, like Namecheap or GoDaddy) and find the DNS or nameserver settings. Now, you need to replace the old nameservers with the new ones from your web host.

Our guide on how to change domain nameservers shows you exactly how to do this with screenshots.

After you save your new nameservers, it can take a few hours for the change to update across the internet. This waiting period is called DNS propagation, and it’s perfectly normal.

Step 8: Set Up Permalinks and Redirects

This final technical step is crucial for preserving your SEO and preventing visitors from hitting ‘404 Not Found‘ errors.

Setting Up SEO-Friendly Permalinks

First, we want to make sure your new WordPress URLs are clean and SEO-friendly.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings » Permalinks. Select the ‘Post name’ option and click ‘Save Changes’.

This creates simple URLs like yoursite.com/post-title, which are good for WordPress SEO.

Now, WordPress ‘Post name’ permalinks are very similar to the URLs that Substack creates for your posts. That will make it much easier to redirect the old post URLs to the new ones.

Setting Up Redirects for Your Old Substack Posts

Next, you need to make sure that anyone visiting your old Substack post links will be sent to the right page on your new WordPress site. This is called a redirect, and it’s very important for SEO and user experience.

The good news is that Substack uses a consistent URL structure for posts, like yourdomain.com/p/post-name. Because your new WordPress posts will have a similar URL (yourdomain.com/post-name), you can set up a single rule to redirect all of your old posts at once.

The easiest way to do this is with the free Redirection plugin. First, install and activate the plugin. Then, go to Tools » Redirection in your WordPress dashboard.

Now, you just need to add one new redirect rule.

In the ‘Add new redirection’ section, you need to fill out the fields like this:

• Source URL: ^/p/(.*)$
• Target URL: /$1

After you enter the URLs, check the ‘Regex’ box. This is a very important step that tells the plugin to use the special rule.

Then, just click the ‘Add Redirect’ button.

This single rule automatically finds any link that starts with /p/ and redirects it to the same URL without the /p/.

For example, a link to yourdomain.com/p/my-first-post will now automatically go to yourdomain.com/my-first-post. This saves you from having to create redirects for every single post by hand.

Pro Tip: If you’re using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin to boost your rankings, it has a powerful Redirection Manager built right in. It makes this process even easier and is a must-have tool for any serious website owner.

Finding and Fixing Any Missed Redirects

While this regex rule will redirect most of your posts, it’s a good idea to double-check for any that might have been missed. Sometimes, WordPress will change a post’s URL slug during the import process to avoid duplicates.

For example, if you had two Substack posts with similar titles, then WordPress might change one of the new URLs to something like /my-post-title-2. The regex rule wouldn’t catch this specific case.

Luckily, the Redirection plugin makes it easy to find these broken links.

From your WordPress dashboard, go to Tools » Redirection and then click on the ‘404s’ tab. This page will log any time a visitor tries to go to a page on your site that doesn’t exist.

If you see an old Substack URL in this log, it means the redirect for that specific post didn’t work. You can simply hover over the 404 error in the list and click ‘Add redirect’ to create a manual redirect for it.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to easily track 404 pages and redirect them in WordPress.

Step 9: Customize Your Site and Go Live

All the technical work is done. Now for the fun part: choosing a professional theme to give your new site its look and feel.

Choosing and Customizing Your Theme

Your WordPress theme controls the entire look and feel of your site. I recommend choosing a theme that is clean, readable, and fast so that it provides a great user experience for your readers.

For newsletter creators, themes like Sydney or GeneratePress are excellent choices because they are lightweight and highly customizable.

Then, just follow our guide on how to customize your WordPress theme to get the exact design you want.

You can also create a custom homepage to welcome new visitors and prominently feature your newsletter signup form.

To build trust with your readers, it’s also a good idea to add a few essential pages to your site. This makes your newsletter feel more professional and established.

I recommend creating:

• An About Page: This is where you can share your story and explain what your newsletter is about.
• A Contact Page: This gives your audience an easy way to get in touch with you, and you should include a contact form.
• A Privacy Policy: This page is legally required in many places and shows readers you respect their data. We have a full guide on how to create a privacy policy in WordPress.

Once these pages are in place and you’ve tested that your site is working correctly, it’s time for the final step: setting up your newsletter and announcing your move.

Step 10: Set Up Your Paid Newsletter in WordPress

One of the best things about moving to WordPress is that you have full control over your income. Instead of paying Substack’s 10% fee, you only pay standard payment processor fees, which means you keep more of your money.

To monetize your WordPress content, you’ll need a membership plugin. I recommend MemberPress because it’s the most powerful and easy-to-use option on the market. It lets you restrict access to your content so that only paying subscribers can view your premium newsletter posts.

Once you install MemberPress, you can create different subscription levels, just like on Substack. For instance, you could offer a monthly plan and a discounted yearly plan.

To get started, you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to create a paid newsletter in WordPress. It will walk you through everything from setting up MemberPress to creating your subscription plans.

But with WordPress and MemberPress, you can go far beyond a simple paid newsletter. You can also:

• Bundle your newsletter with other premium content like online courses, eBooks, or private community access.
• Sell digital downloads like guides or templates directly from your site.
• Create different membership tiers with unique perks for each level.
• Offer premium services like one-on-one coaching or consulting.

This flexibility allows you to build a true membership business around your content, not just a newsletter.

For more options, you can see our guide on how to make money in WordPress.

Once you are all set up, you can send an email to your subscribers welcoming them to the new website.

Be sure to highlight the benefits of the move, like a better reading experience or new features you’ve added. This is a great way to celebrate the transition and get your readers excited about the future of your newsletter.

Learning WordPress

Congratulations on moving your newsletter to WordPress! You now have a powerful platform that can grow right along with your business.

While WordPress is powerful, you don’t need to learn everything at once. We have plenty of free resources to help you master the basics and get comfortable.

Here are the best free resources our team has created for beginners:

• WPBeginner Blog: Our complete library of WordPress tutorials and how-to articles.
• WPBeginner Videos: Free WordPress video training courses that cover all the basics.
• WPBeginner YouTube Channel: Videos with practical tips for growing your website.
• WPBeginner Solution Center: Our expert recommendations for the best WordPress plugins and tools.

The more you use WordPress, the more comfortable you’ll become. Before you know it, you’ll be wondering how you ever managed with Substack’s limitations.

Alternative: Let an Expert Migrate Your Newsletter

I’ve walked you through all the steps to move from Substack to WordPress. But I know this process can feel like a lot, especially when you’d rather focus on creating content.

If you want to save time and avoid the technical details, then letting an expert handle the migration is a great option.

Our team at WPBeginner can do all the heavy lifting for you. Our Professional Services team will handle the entire migration, from transferring your content and subscribers to setting up your new design. This way, you can focus on writing while we take care of the rest.

Another excellent and reliable service for website migrations is Seahawk Media Services. Their team of WordPress experts can also help you make a smooth transition from Substack.

Using a professional service ensures everything is moved over correctly, giving you peace of mind and a new WordPress site that’s ready to go.

Frequently Asked Questions About Migrating From Substack to WordPress (FAQs)

I know that making a move like this can bring up a lot of questions. To help you out, I’ve compiled answers to some of the most common questions I hear from creators who are making the switch from Substack to WordPress.

Will I lose my subscribers when I migrate from Substack?

No, you will not lose your subscribers. Substack allows you to export your entire subscriber list as a CSV file, which you can then import into an email marketing service like Constant Contact. It’s important to email your list before you move to let them know about the change.

Can I keep my custom domain name when moving to WordPress?

Yes, absolutely. If you have a custom domain connected to Substack, you can point it to your new WordPress hosting provider. Step 7 in this guide shows you exactly how to do that without any downtime.

Is migrating to WordPress expensive?

The initial cost involves web hosting, which can start at just a few dollars per month.

While Substack is free to start, its 10% cut of your revenue becomes far more expensive than WordPress hosting as soon as you start making money. With WordPress, you control your costs and keep 100% of your revenue.

Do I need to be a technical expert to use WordPress?

Not at all. While WordPress is more powerful than Substack, it’s designed to be user-friendly. If you can write a post in Substack, you can write a post in WordPress.

For everything else, there are tons of free resources, including our free WPBeginner videos and our blog tutorials, to guide you.

I hope this tutorial helped you successfully migrate from Substack to WordPress. You now have complete control over your newsletter, from design and functionality to subscriber relationships and monetization options.

We also have an ultimate WordPress migration guide, and you can get inspired by browsing our expert list of popular sites using WordPress as a CMS.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Migrate From Substack to WordPress in 10 Easy Steps first appeared on WPBeginner.

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