AI Website to WordPress: What Converts

What an AI builder actually hands you

Most AI site builders generate a real front-end codebase, not a proprietary page format. Lovable, for example, builds React and TypeScript apps styled with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui. That matters: the output is readable code you own, so a conversion is a translation job rather than a rescue mission.

Two generations exist in Lovable. Apps created from 13 May 2026 use TanStack Start and are server-rendered, with file-based routes in src/routes and a head() per route holding the title, description and JSON-LD. Older apps are React + Vite, rendered in the browser, with pages in src/pages and routes in src/App.tsx.

The practical difference is metadata. Newer apps carry per-page titles and descriptions in the code, so they can be carried over into an SEO plugin. Older apps usually do not, and you rewrite that metadata in WordPress. For other builders, check what the export contains before you plan the move.

Get the code out first

You cannot convert what you cannot read. With Lovable, GitHub sync works on every plan, and "Download codebase" as a ZIP needs a paid plan. Either gives you a normal project you can build locally.

A quick local build is the fastest sanity check that the export is complete. Use Node 22.

1. Sync to GitHub or download the ZIP. Both produce the same project tree.
2. Run npm install, then npm run build. The output lands in dist/.
3. Open the build and confirm every page renders. Note that environment variables prefixed VITE_ are baked in at build time, so check nothing secret is in there.
4. List your pages and routes. This becomes the checklist for the WordPress side.
5. Note every dynamic feature — logins, dashboards, API calls — on a second list. That list is the developer work.

What converts cleanly into WordPress blocks

The static layer of an AI-built site maps onto Gutenberg surprisingly well. Sections become group blocks, grids and flex rows become columns, cards become groups with headings and paragraphs, and the Tailwind type scale and palette become design tokens in theme.json.

Our converter at iqdesk.com/app does this pass automatically. It reads a Lovable ZIP or GitHub repository in the browser and outputs a WordPress block theme: templates, header and footer template parts, one pattern per page, theme.json, and images copied into the theme. Conversion, review and the theme download are free, and every account includes two free AI-fix attempts.

These parts come across reliably, whether you convert them by hand or with a tool:

• Structure and text — sections, grids, flex rows, cards, headings, paragraphs, lists, quotes.
• Design tokens — Tailwind colors and type scale plus Google Fonts, written into theme.json.
• Media — images, aspect ratios and the site logo, copied into the theme.
• Navigation and buttons — header navigation, buttons and hover colors.
• Accordions — these become the native details block behaviour rather than custom JavaScript.
• Forms and commerce — contact forms map to Contact Form 7, product listings and pages to WooCommerce, including the cart link.
• Routing and SEO data — page routes and titles, redirects from public/_redirects, page language and hreflang, JSON-LD, and per-page title and description from TanStack Start heads, written to Yoast, Rank Math or SEOPress.
• Blog content — data arrays that look like posts become real WordPress posts and categories with a query loop.

What gets approximated

Some things arrive, but not pixel for pixel. WordPress has no equivalent for certain React patterns, so the conversion picks the closest static result and you adjust it in the Site Editor.

Expect to touch these by hand after install:

• Fixed-height cropped boxes — the crop may differ from the original.
• Carousels — rendered as a static set of items, not a slider.
• Tabs, modals and dropdowns — the default state only; the other states are not reachable.
• Animations — the final state is kept, the motion is not.
• Decorative div mockups and definition lists — approximated with the nearest block markup.
• Responsive layout — desktop values are used; WordPress stacks columns on mobile, which usually looks right but is not identical.

What needs a developer or a plugin

This is the honest part of the scope. An AI builder can produce a full application; WordPress block themes produce pages. Anything that depends on running JavaScript logic or a backend does not survive the translation.

None of the following convert: absolutely positioned decorations, video or audio without a static src, iframes, canvas, Lottie, custom React state and event handlers, Supabase, authentication, dashboards, API calls, and third-party widgets. Open Graph tags and per-page meta of older React + Vite apps are also not carried over.

For each item you have three choices. Rebuild it with a WordPress plugin, which is the usual answer for forms, memberships, bookings and shops. Have a developer write a block or a small plugin, which is the answer for a custom calculator or a data view. Or keep that feature on the original app and link to it from the WordPress site, which is often the cheapest answer for a logged-in dashboard.

Application screens behind a login are reported by our converter rather than converted. That report is useful on its own: it tells you exactly what the developer backlog looks like before anyone writes code.

Review, install and launch

Do not judge a conversion from a screenshot. Our review screen shows the converted site next to the original inside WordPress Playground, in the browser, so you compare pages directly. An AI fix agent can read the source project, measure both pages and edit the theme. AI instructions are limited to 2,000 characters and each fix runs up to 20 tool steps, so ask for one concrete change at a time.

Installing a block theme is the same whether you built it by hand or converted it:

1. Upload the theme in Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme, then Activate. Pages are created on activation and the front page is set.
2. Check Settings → Reading and confirm "Your homepage displays" points at the right page.
3. Install the plugins you need — Contact Form 7 for forms, WooCommerce for products, and Yoast, Rank Math or SEOPress for metadata.
4. Edit anything approximated in Appearance → Editor. Templates and template parts are HTML files with block markup; patterns live in /patterns.
5. Review slugs and permalinks under Settings → Permalinks, and keep old URLs working with redirects.
6. Uncheck "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" in Settings → Reading before launch. Leave it checked while the site is staging.

Deciding whether to move at all

Moving is not automatic value. If your site is mostly marketing pages that non-technical people need to edit, WordPress pays off: the Site Editor, an SEO plugin and a plugin ecosystem replace code changes. If your site is an application with logins and live data, keeping it where it is usually wins.

A common middle path is to split them. Marketing pages move to WordPress, the app stays on its original host, and a link connects the two. That keeps the conversion scope small and skips the work that does not convert.

If you are weighing the approaches, converter vs manual rebuild vs headless covers the trade-offs, and Lovable vs WordPress compares the platforms themselves. For anything about the AI builder's own behaviour that is not covered here, check Lovable's documentation.

FAQ

Can any AI-built website be converted to WordPress?

Only the static layer converts predictably. Sections, grids, cards, type, colors, images, navigation, forms and product pages can be turned into WordPress blocks and a block theme. Logins, dashboards, database calls and custom JavaScript behaviour do not convert and have to be rebuilt with plugins or custom code.

Do I need the source code to move an AI website to WordPress?

Yes. A conversion reads the project files, not the published page. With Lovable you can sync the project to GitHub on any plan, or download the codebase as a ZIP on a paid plan. Both give you a normal project you can build with npm install and npm run build.

Will my page titles and descriptions come across?

It depends on the app generation. Newer Lovable apps built on TanStack Start store a title, description and JSON-LD per route, and those can be written into Yoast, Rank Math or SEOPress. Older React and Vite apps usually have no per-page meta, so you write it again in WordPress. Open Graph tags from older apps are not carried over.

How much does the IQDesk converter cost?

Conversion, review and the theme download are free, and every account includes two free AI-fix attempts. Starter is 20 dollars for 666 AI credits and one saved project. Studio is 60 dollars for 2000 credits and five saved projects.

What should I do about features that do not convert?

List them before you start, then pick one of three options for each. Replace the feature with a WordPress plugin, have a developer build a block or small plugin, or leave the feature on the original app and link to it. Logged-in application screens are usually the cheapest to leave where they are.

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