If your website was built by Learning Forte / Common Vision and you still have access to your WordPress dashboard, we recommend exporting your content as soon as possible.
We know this has been an unexpected and stressful situation for many churches. While every website’s circumstances are different, some Common Vision sites have already been compromised, and others may become unavailable if their hosting provider detects malware or security issues. Having a backup of your text content now can make the recovery process easier should your website become inaccessible.
This export won’t replace your entire website, but it can preserve text content from your pages, posts, and other post types — potentially saving you from having to recreate everything from scratch. We also have another solution for getting snapshots of your most important pages or sections below.
How to Export Your Content
If you can still log in to your WordPress dashboard, the process only takes a few minutes. (Be sure to replace yourdomain.org with your own website’s domain.)
Step 1: Log In to Your Website
- Go to: https://yourdomain.org/wp-admin
- Sign in using your administrator credentials.
Step 2: Open the Export Tool
- In your browser, visit: https://yourdomain.org/wp-admin/export.php
- You’ll see the WordPress Export screen.
Step 3: Choose What to Export
- We recommend selecting All Content, which will export your pages, posts, and other WordPress content.
- If you only need certain types of content, you can export those individually instead.
Step 4: Download the Export File
- Click Download Export File.
- WordPress will generate an XML file containing your website’s written content. Save this file somewhere safe so you’ll have access to it if your website becomes unavailable.
What Does the Export Include?
A WordPress export typically includes:
- Pages
- Blog posts
- Custom post types
- Categories and tags
- Menus and other WordPress content, depending on your site’s configuration
Important Limitations to Note
Before using this export, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Because the WordPress installation may have been compromised, there is no guarantee the exported content has not also been affected. Before you import this file into another website, review the content carefully.
- Images, PDFs, and other uploaded files are not included. The export contains references to these files, but it does not download them.
- The XML file is not intended to be read like a normal document. It is designed for importing into WordPress. However, if needed, AI tools could help extract the written content into a more readable format.
Why Export Now?
Hopefully, you’ll never need this backup. However, if your website becomes inaccessible or your hosting provider suspends the site due to security concerns, having a copy of your text content can save hours — or even days — of rebuilding your website from memory or screenshots. Think of this as an extra layer of protection while you determine the best path forward.
Another Option for Saving Your Content
For more important pages or sections that you want to preserve, another option is to take full-page screenshots. We use a Chrome extension called Go Full Page to take screenshots of the page, and then export that image as a PDF. That allows you to then have text you can copy/paste elsewhere. It can be a tedious process to go page-by-page, but will allow you have a snapshot of your most important content in a way that you can potentially repurpose it later.
Need Help With a New Website Solution?
We created a streamlined website package called Episcopal Essentials to help churches affected by this issue get a new site up quickly and economically. It provides the core features most churches need, including sermon archives, an event calendar, staff directory, announcements, giving links, and an easy-to-use content management system. We build on WordPress, and your church owns the site and maintains full access to the content and hosting accounts. You can take a look at some of our work with churches, dioceses and nonprofits. Please reach out if we can help!
