When migrating from WordPress to a modern headless CMS like Storyblok, one of the biggest challenges is dealing with the sheer volume and variety of content. Pages, posts, custom post types, images, SEO data, taxonomies—there’s a lot to keep track of. While tools like the official Storyblok WordPress Importer can pull data directly from the WordPress REST API, there are situations where exporting your content to a CSV file first can make the entire process easier and more efficient.

Here’s why a CSV-based workflow can be a valuable part of your migration strategy.

1. Total Visibility Over Your Data

A CSV export (via tools like WordPress All Export Pro) allows you to see all your content laid out in a simple spreadsheet. This is especially helpful if you have:

Multiple custom fields, taxonomies, or complex data structures
Content created by different authors with inconsistent formatting
SEO metadata (like title tags and descriptions) that you want to validate before importing

With a CSV, you can quickly review and clean your data before it ever reaches Storyblok. It’s far easier to spot issues—like missing images, duplicate slugs, or misaligned categories—when everything is in a table format.

2. Flexible Field Mapping

Storyblok requires you to map incoming content into its predefined content types and components. While API-based importers can automate this, a CSV file gives you full control:

Rename columns so they match Storyblok’s field names
Merge data from multiple WordPress fields into one Storyblok field
Split combined fields into separate components
Standardize taxonomy names (e.g., converting “News” and “news” into a single “News” category)

This flexibility is especially helpful when your WordPress setup has years of inconsistent content modeling.

3. Opportunity to Clean and Improve Your Content

A migration is often the perfect time to clean house. By working with a CSV export, you can:

Bulk edit titles, descriptions, and URLs
Remove outdated or unnecessary content before it clutters your new CMS
Rewrite or update text content directly in the spreadsheet
Normalize formatting, capitalization, and punctuation across hundreds (or thousands) of entries

Trying to make these adjustments after importing into Storyblok can be much more time-consuming.

4. Safer, Easier Testing

When you import directly from the WordPress API, errors can propagate quickly. A CSV-based workflow gives you a “buffer step”:

You can test a subset of rows first to ensure your mapping works as expected
Rollback is simple—just re-import the corrected CSV
You can create multiple variations of your CSV (for different environments or content types) without touching your live WordPress site

This step-by-step approach helps avoid the “all or nothing” risk of direct imports.

5. Better for Complex or Legacy WordPress Sites

Not all WordPress sites are cleanly structured. If your site has:

Years of plugins that added custom fields in inconsistent ways
Data spread across multiple tables or APIs
Old content you don’t want to bring over

…then working from a CSV makes the mapping process far less painful. You can consolidate data from different sources into a single, normalized file before it ever touches Storyblok.

6. Compatible with Any Workflow

Once you have a CSV, you can choose how to import it into Storyblok:

Use Storyblok’s Management API and a custom Node.js script to read each row and create new stories
Leverage the Storyblok CSV import example to save time
Split the CSV into multiple files if you want to migrate in stages

This flexibility makes CSV-based workflows ideal for agencies or teams that need to customize how and when content moves into the new CMS.

Final Thoughts

While direct API importers are fast and effective for many migrations, a CSV-based workflow adds a level of control and transparency that can be invaluable—especially for large or messy WordPress sites.

By exporting your content into a CSV first, you can review, clean, and map everything with confidence before importing it into Storyblok. This extra step often leads to a smoother migration, cleaner data, and fewer headaches for your team down the road.

Tip: Tools like WP All Export Pro make it simple to export a CSV of your WordPress data. Combine that with Storyblok’s Management API, and you’ll have a rock-solid migration plan that you can trust.

WordPress to Storyblok Migration FAQs

Why would I use a CSV export instead of migrating directly from the WordPress API?

While direct API-based migrations are fast, they often lack transparency and flexibility. Using a CSV export allows you to see and audit all your content in a spreadsheet before importing it into Storyblok. This makes it easier to spot issues, clean your data, merge or split fields, and control exactly what content gets imported—without needing to modify your live WordPress environment. It's especially valuable when dealing with legacy content, inconsistent formatting, or custom fields.

What tool should I use to export a CSV from WordPress?

The most popular and flexible tool for exporting CSVs from WordPress is WP All Export Pro. It allows you to export any post type—including custom post types—and select exactly which fields to include, such as post titles, dates, images, taxonomies, ACF fields, SEO metadata, and more. It also supports filtering and scheduling exports, making it ideal for complex migrations.

Can I import a CSV directly into Storyblok?

Storyblok does not offer native CSV import functionality through its UI, but you can easily import CSV data by using the Storyblok Management API. Developers often write a simple Node.js script to loop through each row of the CSV and create stories in Storyblok, mapping each CSV column to a specific field in the content schema. Storyblok also provides a CSV import example script as a starting point.

What types of WordPress content can I export and migrate using CSV?

You can export nearly any type of WordPress content via CSV: blog posts, pages, custom post types, WooCommerce products, authors, SEO metadata, taxonomies, and even Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). This makes CSV an ideal format for migrating structured content where precise field mapping and data cleanup are required before import into Storyblok's more modern and flexible content structure.

Is it possible to map WordPress fields to Storyblok components using a CSV?

Yes. In your CSV import script, you can define how each column maps to Storyblok fields or nested components. For example, a “Body” column can be mapped to a rich_text field in Storyblok, or an “Image URL” column can populate an asset field. If your content structure includes components or blocks (e.g., hero sections, callouts, or FAQs), you can structure your CSV to reflect this and map accordingly in the import logic.

How can using a CSV improve the quality of my migrated content?

A CSV gives you the opportunity to clean and normalize content before it enters your new CMS. You can correct typos, remove deprecated content, unify inconsistent taxonomies (e.g., “News” vs. “news”), and update metadata for SEO. You can also consolidate fields, reformat URLs, or tag content differently depending on your Storyblok architecture. This pre-import review step helps you start fresh with high-quality, structured content.

Can I use a CSV to migrate only selected content from WordPress?

Absolutely. One of the biggest advantages of using a CSV export tool like WP All Export Pro is the ability to apply filters. You can export only posts from a certain category, within a specific date range, or assigned to a particular author. This makes it easy to phase your migration, run test imports with sample data, or skip outdated or irrelevant content entirely.

Who should consider using a CSV-based migration instead of a plugin or automated service?

CSV-based migration is ideal for teams that need full control over the content structure, especially when working with headless CMS platforms like Storyblok. It's a great option for web developers, agencies, and content strategists handling large or messy WordPress databases, or for enterprise teams with strict content governance needs. It’s also perfect for those who want to review, clean, or restructure their content before bringing it into a new system.