If you’re moving your website from Kentico to WordPress, one of the biggest challenges you’ll face is adapting your existing templates to WordPress themes. Kentico and WordPress are fundamentally different platforms in how they handle templates, themes, and content presentation. While Kentico uses a more module-based, ASP.NET-driven approach, WordPress relies on PHP and a templating hierarchy. So, how do you successfully translate the look and feel of a Kentico website into a WordPress theme without losing your brand identity, layout consistency, and functionality? This blog will walk you through the best practices to do just that.

Understand the Core Differences Between Kentico and WordPress Templates

Before diving into the adaptation process, it’s important to understand that Kentico templates are built using web parts, widgets, and portal engine templates, often driven by ASP.NET technologies. On the other hand, WordPress themes use PHP files, a template hierarchy, and sometimes page builders like Elementor or Gutenberg for layout control.

A Kentico template might have zones and web parts like headers, footers, sidebars, and widgets that are configured in the CMS interface. WordPress handles similar elements through a mixture of theme files like header.php, footer.php, sidebar.php, index.php, and so on. Understanding this difference helps you better plan how to map Kentico zones and components to corresponding WordPress template parts.

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Start with a Theme Framework or a Starter Theme

If you want to save time and avoid reinventing the wheel, start with a lightweight theme framework or a starter theme. Popular options like Underscores (_s), Sage, or GeneratePress offer a clean foundation without excess bloat. These themes give you full control over structure, styling, and functionality—ideal when trying to replicate a Kentico template layout.

Using a starter theme also makes it easier to implement custom page templates, custom post types, and reusable components similar to what Kentico uses in its structured design system.

Map Kentico Layout Zones to WordPress Template Files

Kentico templates are often built with predefined zones like top bar, navigation, banner, main content, and footer. When adapting these to WordPress, you’ll need to map each zone to its corresponding WordPress file. For example:

• Kentico header zone → header.php in WordPress

• Kentico navigation zone → integrated in header.php or built using wp_nav_menu()

• Kentico footer zone → footer.php

• Kentico sidebar → sidebar.php

• Kentico main content → index.php, single.php, or page.php depending on the content type

Once the mapping is clear, you can begin building out these parts using HTML, PHP, and WordPress functions.

Use Custom Post Types and Fields to Mimic Kentico Modules

In Kentico, you may have custom modules like events, testimonials, case studies, or FAQs. In WordPress, these can be replicated using Custom Post Types (CPTs) and Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). For instance, if you had an “Events” module in Kentico, you can create a CPT called “Events” in WordPress, and then use custom fields for event date, location, and registration URL.

This approach gives you the same modular content structure as Kentico, but with the flexibility of the WordPress ecosystem. Plugins like ACF make it incredibly easy to create custom field groups and display them on your templates with simple PHP functions.

Recreate Page Layouts with Gutenberg or Page Builders

Kentico allows content editors to build pages with drag-and-drop web parts. In WordPress, you can recreate that editor experience using Gutenberg or third-party builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or WPBakery.

If you want to keep your theme lightweight, Gutenberg is a solid native option that lets you build reusable blocks and custom layouts without additional plugins. You can also create custom Gutenberg blocks to replicate unique Kentico widgets.

Alternatively, Elementor provides a visual interface that is very similar to Kentico’s page builder. You can use it to create reusable templates, headers, and footers, and assign them across your site.

Keep Design Consistent with CSS and Theme Styling

It’s essential to preserve your brand’s visual identity during the migration. Export all CSS stylesheets from your Kentico site and adapt them to WordPress. While some styles can be reused as-is, you’ll likely need to refactor parts to match WordPress’s theme structure and class naming.

If your Kentico site used Bootstrap or another framework, you can continue using the same in your WordPress theme to maintain layout grids and responsive design. Keep styling modular and well-organized to avoid conflicts with plugins or WordPress core classes.

Handle Navigation and Menus Carefully

Kentico allows for dynamic menu creation and hierarchical structure management. In WordPress, menus are managed via the Appearance > Menus section and displayed using the wp_nav_menu() function.

To replicate Kentico’s navigation experience, register your menus in functions.php, then insert them in your header.php or sidebar.php. You can use mega menu plugins if your Kentico site used complex dropdowns or nested navigation.

It’s also good practice to use WordPress’s built-in menu classes to support styling and responsiveness without needing to rewrite your entire navigation CSS.

Replicate Kentico Widgets with WordPress Widgets or Blocks

If your Kentico site used widgets like recent posts, contact forms, featured content, or social feeds, these can often be replicated with WordPress widgets or Gutenberg blocks.

Many of these functionalities are available out of the box in WordPress or can be added with lightweight plugins. For example:

• Contact Form → Use Contact Form 7 or WPForms

• Recent Posts → Native WordPress block or widget

Make a list of widgets used in Kentico and match them with equivalent WordPress features to ensure a smooth UX.

Implement Responsive Design Early

Modern websites need to be responsive by default. Kentico templates may have handled this via a responsive grid system. When adapting to WordPress, make sure your theme uses media queries, flexible grids, and mobile-friendly breakpoints.

If using a framework like Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS, make sure these are properly integrated into your theme’s style.css or enqueued via the functions.php file.

Don’t forget to test every adapted layout on various screen sizes and browsers to ensure a consistent and professional look.

Test and Optimize for Performance

After adapting your Kentico templates, it’s important to test your WordPress site for speed and performance. Use tools like:

• Google PageSpeed Insights

• GTmetrix

• Pingdom Tools

Make sure assets are minified, images are compressed, and scripts/styles are loaded efficiently. WordPress has many performance-enhancing plugins like Autoptimize, WP Rocket, and Asset CleanUp that help optimize your theme’s output.

A fast, well-optimized site contributes to both SEO and user satisfaction.

Ensure SEO Elements Are Preserved

When adapting templates, don’t forget about SEO. Your WordPress theme should support:

• Custom title tags and meta descriptions

• Schema markup for rich results

• Clean URL structures

• Mobile optimization

• Proper heading hierarchy (H1–H6)

• Alt text for images

Plugins like AIOSEO,  Yoast SEO or Rank Math help manage these SEO settings at a theme level. Make sure each adapted page template supports SEO best practices, especially if the Kentico version of the site had strong search visibility.

Use a Staging Site for Theme Development

Never build or test directly on your live site. Always create a staging or local development environment to adapt templates, test functionality, and make design changes. This minimizes downtime and allows you to work without affecting user experience.

Once your adapted theme is complete and tested, you can push it to your live WordPress site with confidence.

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Conclusion

Adapting Kentico templates to WordPress themes requires careful planning and a solid understanding of both platforms. By mapping layout zones, using custom post types and fields, leveraging Gutenberg or page builders, and preserving CSS and SEO elements, you can recreate the same polished, professional experience you had in Kentico—while taking full advantage of WordPress’s flexibility and ecosystem.

Start with a clear roadmap, test thoroughly, and don’t be afraid to use modern tools and plugins to streamline the process. The result will be a fast, responsive, and beautifully adapted WordPress site that carries your Kentico design forward into a more agile future.