Import HTML into WordPress

To import HTML into WordPress, add the page URL as a provider in Ingestics, let the plugin parse the HTML response, map the extracted content to post fields, and review in Draft mode before anything publishes. HTML import is the fallback for sources that offer no API, no RSS feed, and no export file — it works, but it is the most fragile source type, so this guide is as much about doing it carefully as doing it at all.

When does HTML import make sense?

Use HTML import only when nothing better exists. Check in this order:

1. API available? Use the REST API workflow — structured, documented, stable.
2. RSS/Atom feed? Use the RSS workflow — purpose-built for syndication.
3. CSV/XML export? Use the CSV or XML workflow.
4. Only a web page? HTML import is the remaining option.

Legitimate cases are common enough: an organization’s announcements page with no feed, a partner’s listings page you have permission to republish, internal or legacy systems that render HTML but expose no data layer.

What does HTML import really mean?

Unlike JSON or XML, HTML is presentation markup, not a data format. There is no <title-of-item> element — there is a <div> with a class name the site’s designer chose. Importing HTML means parsing the page and pulling content out of that structure, which is why it is inherently more fragile than the structured formats: the data contract is whatever the page’s markup happens to be today.

Ingestics parses HTML responses on all tiers, same as JSON, XML, CSV, and text. The pipeline after parsing is identical to every other source: map to fields, check duplicates, apply publish mode, attribute the source, publish.

How do you import HTML into WordPress with Ingestics?

Step 1: Add the page as a provider

Open Ingestics → Providers and add an API provider pointing at the page URL (GET, with any headers the site requires). Authentication options — none, API key, Bearer, Basic — cover pages behind simple auth.

Step 2: Preview the parsed response

Run the call preview and inspect what came back. This step matters more for HTML than for any other format: you are confirming both that the fetch works and that the content you want is actually present in the served HTML (content injected by JavaScript after page load will not be there).

Step 3: Map the content to WordPress fields

HTML sources use selector fields rather than JSON paths. You give Ingestics a selector for the repeating item, then one selector per field inside it:

Selectors resolve against the parsed document, so an invalid selector fails loudly at preview time rather than silently importing nothing.

Prefer stable, semantic anchors (a main region, an article element, an ID that names the content) over deeply nested presentational wrappers like div > div > div:nth-child(3). The more semantic the anchor, the longer your mapping survives the source site’s next redesign.

Step 4: Draft first, always

Set the publish mode to Draft and keep it there longer than you would for an API or RSS source. HTML extraction quality varies page by page: stray navigation text, truncated paragraphs, or a wrong image are all possible, and the editor is where you catch them. Move to Publish (or Pending, for a moderation step) only after several consecutive clean batches.

Step 5: Schedule cautiously (Lite and above)

Scheduled fetching works for HTML providers exactly as for any other source, and duplicate detection prevents re-imports of unchanged items. Schedule conservatively — daily rather than hourly — both to be polite to the source site and because HTML sources fail differently than APIs: the fetch “succeeds” but the mapping silently returns less. Watch the Activity Log for item-count drops; that is the signature of a page structure change.

Why do HTML imports break, and how do you keep them healthy?

The source site redesigns, and your mapping points at markup that no longer exists. You cannot prevent it; you can only detect it fast and repair it cheaply:

• Re-preview after any suspicious run. The call preview shows you today’s page against your mapping.
• Monitor counts. A provider that fetched 12 items daily and suddenly fetches 0 is telling you something.
• Keep HTML providers separate. One page per provider isolates breakage and keeps repairs small.
• Prefer the smallest stable page. A dedicated announcements page breaks less often than a busy homepage.

How does HTML compare with the other source types?

The practical rule: HTML import is a bridge, not a foundation. If a source later ships a feed or API, migrate the provider. Everything downstream — mapping, categories, duplicate history, display — stays in the same Ingestics pipeline.

Which plan you need follows the same pattern as other sources: Free parses HTML with manual fetch and 3 API providers; Lite adds scheduling and frontend display; Pro adds content filters and the moderation queue, which are genuinely useful for lower-trust HTML sources. Details on the pricing page.