Figma to WordPress Conversion Tutorial

Last Update: 6th Oct, 2022

How to Convert Figma to WordPress?

Figma is a web-based vector graphics editor. It’s a pretty straightforward prototyping tool with features, shortcuts and UX that can be compared with Sketch. But what set Figma apart from other design tools is its collaborative nature. According to a review, “It’s like a combination of Sketch and InVision or your preferred design collaboration tool.”

Figma design can be converted into WordPress in a number of ways which we will discuss in this comprehensive tutorial. Don’t worry, these are methods that will cater to your skill, with and without background knowledge with coding. You can also choose each method according to your project time constraints.

Don't have time or resources to do-it-yourself? Let a professional team help you convert your designs to WordPress. Click here to find the list of top Figma to WordPress conversion service providers.

Before we proceed to the tutorial listed below, let's have a brief introduction to WordPress first and how it works to help you better understand the whole process.

What is WordPress?

Content Management Systems are software designed to allow the management of websites without requiring coding skills. It enables users to access the backend of their site and create new content without coding.

WordPress is among the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) at present and is used by more than 38% of the world's top websites. To start,  download it from WordPress.org and then set it up on your server. It works with existing development tools including HTML, PHP, CSS, JavaScript that function as a website after being set up on a server. Users may customize the corresponding website based on specific designs or features.

What is a WordPress Theme?

"A WordPress Theme is a collection of files that work together to produce a graphical interface with an underlying unifying design for a website. These files are called template files. A Theme modifies the way the site is displayed, without modifying the underlying software." - WordPress.org.

Users get to explore WordPress Themes after WordPress has been installed on their server.  You may go through some of the pre-installed themes to try and get a feel of their features. In a nutshell, WordPress is like an Android Phone operating system that you can configure using different themes to suit your requirements. 

That means converting your Figma designs to WordPress literally means you're converting your designs to WordPress themes.

Now let's proceed to the five methods you may use in converting your Figma designs to WordPress themes. To give you some idea which method fits for your skills and time requirements, we also provided some pros and cons of every method.

5 Different Methods of Figma to WordPress Conversion

Here is a summary of the following methods that are included in this tutorial: Method 1 and 2 require you to have prior skills and experience with HTML, CSS, and PHP; Method 3 has no coding prerequisite required just that you have a general idea of WordPress; Method 4 may need more than standard WordPress expertise, so you will also have to cover WordPress loop and template structures;  lastly, Method 5 is open to anyone at any time.

1. Figma to HTML, and then HTML to WordPress theme Conversion

This is a two-step conversion process consisting of one, to convert the Figma design to HTML, and two, convert the ensuing HTML to a WordPress theme. 

Let's start by exploring the first step below.

1.1 Figma to HTML Conversion

You have two choices when converting your Figma designs to HTML, be it manually or by using automated software. 

Even though it is quicker, the use of automated tools is generally not recommended by many experts. That's because the subsequent codes may be of poor quality, non-responsive, and ultimately useless as a WordPress theme. 

Which is why we highly suggest conversion by hand-coding instead. It is a conversion method that ensures top quality and responsive code because you have complete control over it. 

Also, when choosing a hand-coding approach, keep in mind to utilize libraries like Bootstrap or perhaps Foundation. Using them will guarantee that you have a responsive site that functions on all sorts of devices by the completion of the conversion process. 

Check out the basic steps which you can follow when converting Figma to HTML:

1. Open the Figma files. 
2. Visit getbootstrap.com and download the HTML starter template. 
3. Start creating the page layout of your design, beginning with the header, followed by the footer and the remaining sections of the page. Make sure to add global.css and style.css to your typography, colors, CSS for buttons, forms, etc.
4. WordPress themes are made up of several files, so you can semantically separate your header, content, footer, and other design parts into different HTML or div sections. This task enables you to easily transfer the files into WordPress templates separately. 
5. Refer back to the design and continue coding the remaining pages. As mentioned above, it is recommended that media queries are being used to guarantee the responsiveness of the website.

After you have finished hand-coding the HTML pages, you are now ready to move to the Second Phase of Method 1, the conversion of HTML to WordPress theme. 

1.2 HTML to WordPress Theme Conversion

To continue with this stage, we suggest that you explore the following WordPress and HTMLtoWP.co tutorials. These are WordPress theme development tutorials that will help you be more knowledgeable about this task.

1. WordPress Theme Development by WordPress.org
2. WordPress Theme Handbook at WordPress.org
3. HTML to WordPress conversion tutorial by HTMLtoWP.co

After analyzing the tutorials, you can now continue to the steps listed below to start converting your Figma designs to a WordPress Theme.

Steps for HTML to WordPress Conversion

1. Create a new theme from scratch and create the following files:
   functions.php
   style.css
   header.php
   footer.php
   index.php
   single.php
   page.php
2. Copy your style.css to the style.css of the theme. Keep the commented region at the top as it determines the stylesheet header. 
3. Copy the code for your header from your HTML to header.php. To convert your standard header code to a WordPress header code, add the native WordPress functions like wp_head() and wp_wp_menu().
4. Copy the footer code from your HTML file to footer.php of the theme and add the wp_footer() function. Also, if you plan to manage the footer using widgets, remember to include the get_sidebar() function.
5. Put the rest of the code to home.php for static homepages. You can, however, use index.php if it displays a list of lists. 
6. After the homepage has been completed, proceed to the creation of the remaining pages by creating individual page template files for each page.

PROS:

1. Responsive and functional codes because you have complete control over their quality. 
2. The codes are well-commented, tidy, and bloat-free. 
3. Since you are hand-coding, you have the choice to follow your own set of coding standards. 
4. You can use any CSS framework you want to use.

CONS:

1. It's very slow. 
2. It's time-consuming. 
3. It needs your watchful attention. Otherwise, you could bypass essential files or pieces of code. 
4. It's vulnerable to bugs like any other codes made from scratch. 
5. It requires the development of PHP or WordPress themes. 

Building a WordPress theme from scratch can seem like a tiring process, but with the next step, you can simply start with a pre-made theme and fill it in with your HTML code afterwards.

2. Figma to WordPress conversion using a starter theme

Method 2 provides a much simpler conversion method than the one presented earlier. It won't take too much time and effort because of the pre-made themes you're going to use and the next step is simply to fill in your HTML code. 

These starter/boiler themes have style.css, functions.php, header.php, and basically, all the bare minimum code required to run a theme. Using these starter themes, you can instantly start converting your designs to WordPress themes.

Here are our suggested starter themes that you should check out:

1. Underscores - starter theme built by WordPress
2. Understrap - this is a combination of Underscores and Bootstrap
3. WP Bootstrap Starter - Another starter theme based on Bootstrap.

In order to use this method, the user only has to go through a quick course in WordPress theme structures. Rather than having an in-depth knowledge of all its features, this approach just allows you to learn the basics. 

To start with, open your HTML files that have been converted from a Figma design. Choose a starter theme and start filling your HTML codes around the current code structure of the theme.

Also, there are themes like Understrap, which has a Customizer feature that gives you the ability to customize global headers, footers, colors, typography, and layout. 

Using the starter themes for Figma to WordPress conversion is actually a great way to learn WordPress themes from experience. So, if you're just new on the scene and would like to learn more about WordPress themes, this method is a great and advised way to get started till you can gradually create themes from scratch.

PROS:

1. It's a faster method than the previous one. 
2. The pre-made code structure ensures that you immediately have high-quality, lightweight and well-commented code. 
3. SEO codes are helpful and semantic. 
4. It's less vulnerable to bugs than the first method.

CONS:

1. It may be quicker than the first method, but it's still a tiresome way of converting. 
2. It includes the creation of PHP or WordPress themes. 

This concludes the second method of Figma to WordPress conversion. Let's move on to the next one.

3. Figma to WordPress conversion using a page builder

Page Builders are drag-and-drop software that developers use to quickly convert Figma designs to WordPress themes without any coding expertise and experience. 

This is a method that blends rich base themes with strong builders throughout the conversion process. It's also the ideal method for users who might not know how to code but can configure pre-built themes.

Here, base themes are used to establish the global layout elements required to prepare the site structure. These include header, footer, colors, typography, layout width, and more. Page builders are then used to create the contents of all pages on the web. 

Some of the most prevalent Page Builders are Beaver Builder and Elementor. We also have a list of the best themes and page builders that you can check out here.

PROS:

1. It's one of the simplest ways to convert Figma to WordPress. 
2. It is recommended that designers who have basic frontend knowledge of HTML/CSS use this method. 
3. This does not include background information in PHP or WordPress. 
4. It's a faster method than the previous ones on the list, particularly when you already know how to navigate around themes and page builders.

CONS:

1. It may pose a high learning curve when just getting started. 
2. Some page builders generate highly bloated code. 
3. Generally speaking, websites built using this method are a little slower than those built from scratch.

4. Automated WordPress Conversion Using Software Tools

In this method, we present an automated tool that will help you convert Figma designs directly to the WordPress theme: ExportKit. 

It's a very good method when used for simpler projects. You can check out the official export kit tutorial on converting Figma to WordPress here. 

This method can certainly be useful and efficient. However, when used for more complicated projects, the quality of the code can be poorer than when hand-coded. We've found that no matter what, 3rd party tools will never equal the quality of the code that can be created by real humans.

We firmly believe that design and development are two different things and should always be handled separately. But if you're interested in using 3rd party software, you should definitely check out ExportKit.

PROS:

1. A high-speed method to convert Figma to WordPress. 
2. You just need to know the simple WordPress template structures. 
3. You can develop your theme while designing the website at the same time. 
4. This method is less costly than the others on the list.

CONS:

1. The more complicated the project, the more the resulting codes become bloated. 
2. It is actually not suggested for complex Figma designs.

5. Hands-free Conversion With 3rd Party Service Providers

This is by far the simplest method in this list because, unlike others, this one doesn't need you to do so much work. Most importantly, your project is usually finished at the expected time. Hiring Figma to WordPress developers is by far the perfect approach for the conversion task. And with the rapidly increasing WordPress industry, there are already plenty of WordPress service providers on the market who can give you quality codes.

But to find out the best for your project, you can check out our top picks of the best WordPress service providers here.

PROS:

1. It's a fully hands-free Figma to WordPress conversion. 
2. No coding skill is needed. 
3. You can concentrate more on growing your business instead of wasting your time coding. 
4. Hiring the best developers who can produce high-quality code to you is feasible with the right budget.

CONS:

1. It is certainly more expensive than the previous methods in the list. 
2. Finding well-trusted developers who can provide pixel-perfect conversion services can be challenging and time-consuming. 
3. Expect that you have less control over the quality of the code.  But be confident that, at the end of the development, you will receive high-quality code. Also, more often than not, service providers will constantly show you demos of their latest work at every development stage for your input and approval.

Conclusion

Converting your Figma designs to WordPress isn't as hard as it sounds, because whether or not you are a developer, there are still a lot of other methods you can explore. 

Have you found the right method that will work for your Figma to WordPress conversion efforts here? Let us know by commenting below.