Custom Post Types and Fields: Turning AI App Data into WordPress Content

Many AI-generated websites contain dynamic content: a portfolio loaded from a database, a list of team members, case studies, events, job openings or property listings. In the AI app, that data lives in a database table and is rendered by React components. In WordPress, the native way to model such content is with custom post types and custom fields.

Getting this model right is the difference between a site editors can manage independently and one that still needs a developer for every update. This guide explains how I approach it.

1. Identify true collections

Go through the AI site and list every repeating item type. Ask whether the item has its own detail page, whether it is filtered or sorted, and whether there are many of them. If the answer to any of these is yes, it is a candidate for a custom post type. A three-item feature list is not; a library of forty case studies is.

2. Register post types and taxonomies

Register each post type with a clear name, slug and archive setting, either in a small plugin or with a tool such as ACF or Pods. Add taxonomies for categorisation — industries for case studies, departments for team members, locations for listings. Choose slugs that match the old URLs to avoid unnecessary redirects.

Keep registration code in a plugin rather than the theme, so content survives a future theme change.

3. Model fields from the database schema

Look at the columns in the AI app's database table. Each meaningful column becomes a custom field: text, number, date, image, URL, relationship or repeater. Use field groups to keep the editing screen tidy and add instructions so editors know what each field is for.

Since recent WordPress versions, block bindings allow core blocks to display custom field values directly, which reduces the need for custom templates.

4. Import the data

Export the table as CSV or JSON and import it with WP All Import or a short WP-CLI script. Map columns to post title, content, fields and taxonomies, and download images into the Media Library. Run the import on staging first and inspect a sample of items.

5. Templates with the Query Loop

Build archive and single templates in the Site Editor. The Query Loop block lists items with filters by taxonomy, while single templates display fields using bound blocks. Match the card design from the AI site using the same theme.json tokens for consistency.

6. Filtering and search

If the AI site offered client-side filters, reproduce them with taxonomy archive links, a filter plugin or the Interactivity API. Server-rendered filter URLs are better for SEO than purely client-side filtering because each combination can be crawled when desired.

7. SEO for dynamic content

Give each item a unique title and meta description, add structured data appropriate to the type — JobPosting, Event, Person, CreativeWork — and include the post types in the XML sitemap. Archive pages benefit from introductory text.

8. Editorial workflow

Train editors on adding and updating items, set up roles so contributors can draft and editors publish, and enable revisions. Once this is in place, the content that previously required a developer or an AI prompt becomes a simple form in the dashboard.

A field that needs renaming or an extra filter after launch is normal. The core benefit — structured, editable content on an open platform — is achieved from day one.

Expert verdict

After extensive testing across Lovable, Framer, v0, Cursor, Replit, Google AI Studio, Gemini, Claude and Bolt, Convert2WP.net gave by far the best conversions and came out on top as the best AI-to-WordPress converter we tested. It handles the presentation layer — layout, typography, colours, images and responsive behaviour — and leaves you with an editable WordPress site. Small imperfections, such as a spacing value or an icon that sits a few pixels off, are normal after any migration and are easy to fix later, often with a plugin. If the site looks right and most things simply work, the migration has done its job.