Complete Guide: Migrating from Keap to ActiveCampaign (Same AccessAlly Site)

Complete Guide: Migrating from Keap to ActiveCampaign (Same AccessAlly Site)

Why This Migration Is High-Risk

The Keap → ActiveCampaign migration has a MAJOR technical blocker that you must understand before proceeding:

Support ticket evidence: Multiple customers reported this as a “major blocker” requiring extensive manual work. Migration tool may also stall mid-process.

Recommendation: Consider professional migration help for Keap → ActiveCampaign switches. If proceeding DIY, budget 8-12 hours for tag remapping alone.

Why Migrate from Keap to ActiveCampaign?

Despite the complexity, common reasons for migrating:

• Cost Savings: ActiveCampaign typically 30-50% less expensive than Keap
• Simpler Interface: ActiveCampaign has lower learning curve
• Better Email Deliverability: ActiveCampaign known for strong deliverability
• Modern Automation Builder: More intuitive than Keap’s Campaign Builder
• Not Using Keap’s Advanced Features: If you’re not using Keap’s CRM, sales pipeline, or appointment scheduling, you’re overpaying

What You’ll Need Before Starting

✅ Required Access & Accounts

• WordPress admin access to your AccessAlly site
• Keap admin access (for data export)
• ActiveCampaign account (must be set up first)
• AccessAlly license that supports CRM switching
• Access to your payment gateway (Stripe or PayPal)
• LOTS of time – This is not a quick migration

📋 Complete the Pre-Migration Checklist

Before proceeding, work through the complete Pre-Migration Checklist. Key items include:

• Full backup of WordPress site and database
• Export of all Keap contact data
• CRITICAL: Complete audit of ALL tags with their categories
• Map every Keap category+tag to new ActiveCampaign tag name
• Document every location where tags are referenced in AccessAlly
• Staging site setup (MANDATORY for this migration)
• Request 2-site exception from AccessAlly support
• Downtime plan (expect 4-6 hour window)

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Setup (4-6 hours)

Step 1: Set Up Your ActiveCampaign Account

1. Sign up for ActiveCampaign (appropriate tier for your contact count)
2. Complete basic account setup
3. Configure email deliverability (SPF, DKIM)
4. Test email sending
5. Create a test automation and form

Step 2: Export Your Data from Keap

1. Log into your Keap account
2. Go to Contacts → Export Contacts
3. Select “All Contacts”
4. Include all fields and tags
5. Download CSV export
6. ALSO export tag list separately to see category structure

To see tag categories in Keap:

1. Go to CRM → Tags
2. Note the category name for EVERY tag you use
3. Document this in your tag mapping spreadsheet

Step 3: Create Your Tag Mapping Document (CRITICAL STEP)

This is the most important step of the entire migration. Create a spreadsheet with these columns:

Column explanations:

• Keap Category: The category folder in Keap
• Keap Tag: The tag name as it appears in Keap
• AC Tag (Auto-Generated): What the tag will become after migration (Category: Tag)
• AC Tag (Your Choice): What you WANT the tag to be called in ActiveCampaign
• Used In AccessAlly?: Is this tag referenced in any AccessAlly access rules, modules, or automations?

Step 4: Audit ALL AccessAlly Tag References

Before migrating, document everywhere tags are used in AccessAlly:

1. Go through every AccessAlly module and note which tags control access
2. Check every protected page for tag-based access rules
3. Review all order forms for tag assignments
4. Check email wizards for tag triggers
5. Review automation triggers for tag-based rules
6. Document membership level tag associations

Add this information to your tag mapping spreadsheet so you know which tag changes will break access.

Step 5: Recreate Tags in ActiveCampaign

You have two options:

Option A: Let Migration Keep Prepended Names (Easier)

1. Let the migration import tags as “Category: Tag Name”
2. After import, update ALL AccessAlly references to use new tag names
3. This is tedious but straightforward

Option B: Clean Up Tag Names (More Work, Cleaner Result)

1. Create tags in ActiveCampaign with desired names (no category prefix)
2. After migration, bulk-rename tags in ActiveCampaign to remove prefixes
3. Update contact tags to match new names
4. Update AccessAlly to use new names
5. More work but cleaner long-term

Step 6: Map Other Keap Data to ActiveCampaign

Use the Data Mapping Reference Guide for complete field mappings.

Step 7: Connect ActiveCampaign to AccessAlly (Staging First)

1. On your STAGING site, go to AccessAlly → Settings → General
2. Change CRM from Keap to ActiveCampaign
3. Enter ActiveCampaign API credentials
4. Click Save and Test Connection
5. Verify connection successful

Phase 2: Migration Execution (3-4 hours)

Step 8: Import Contacts via Migration Wizard

1. On staging site, go to AccessAlly → Migration Wizard
2. Upload your Keap export CSV
3. Map fields to ActiveCampaign
4. Enable “Create contacts in CRM”
5. Enable “Apply tags”
6. Start import

What happens:

• Contacts created in ActiveCampaign
• Tags applied with category prefixes (e.g., “Membership: Gold Member”)
• Contact IDs linked in WordPress

Step 9: Fix Tag Names in ActiveCampaign (Option B Only)

If you chose Option B (clean tag names), now bulk-rename tags:

1. Go to ActiveCampaign → Lists → Tags
2. For each tag, remove the category prefix
3. Update contacts to have new tag names
4. Use ActiveCampaign’s bulk tag replacement feature

This is tedious and high-risk. Test thoroughly on a small batch first.

Step 10: Update ALL AccessAlly Tag References

This is the most time-consuming step. Using your tag mapping document:

1. Go to each AccessAlly module with tag-based access
2. Update tag names to match new ActiveCampaign tags (with or without prefixes)
3. Update protected page access rules
4. Update order form tag assignments
5. Update email wizard tag triggers
6. Update automation trigger rules
7. Update membership level tag associations

Step 11: Link Payment Gateway Subscriptions

Follow the same process as other CRM migrations:

1. Export active subscriptions from Stripe/PayPal
2. Match to member emails
3. Verify subscription IDs stored correctly in AccessAlly
4. Test failed payment handling

Detailed subscription migration guide

Step 12: Rebuild Automations in ActiveCampaign

Keap campaigns must be rebuilt as ActiveCampaign automations:

Step 13: Update Forms

Replace Keap forms with ActiveCampaign or AccessAlly forms:

• Use ActiveCampaign native forms, OR
• Use AccessAlly forms that submit to ActiveCampaign (recommended)
• Update all form tag assignments to use new tag names

Phase 3: Testing and Go-Live (4-6 hours)

Step 14: Extensive Staging Testing

Because of the tag prepending issue, testing is CRITICAL:

• ✅ Test login for members with different membership levels
• ✅ Verify EACH membership level can access correct content
• ✅ Check EVERY module access rule works
• ✅ Test EVERY protected page
• ✅ Verify forms submit and apply correct tags
• ✅ Test purchase flow end-to-end
• ✅ Verify automation triggers fire correctly
• ✅ Test subscription linking and failed payment handling

Step 15: Switch Live Site to ActiveCampaign

Only after staging tests pass completely:

1. Schedule 4-6 hour downtime window
2. Put site in maintenance mode
3. Create fresh backup
4. Export final Keap data (catch any new contacts since staging)
5. Switch AccessAlly to ActiveCampaign (same steps as staging)
6. Import any new contacts
7. Update ALL tag references (again, on live site)
8. Test access for multiple membership levels
9. Take site out of maintenance mode
10. Monitor intensely for first 2-4 hours

Step 16: Complete Post-Migration Verification

Work through the Post-Migration Verification Checklist.

Pay special attention to:

• Contact ID linking verification
• Tag-based access rules (every single one)
• Member support tickets (watch for access complaints)
• Subscription continuity

Step 17: Monitor for 14 Days (Not 7)

Due to the complexity and risk of this migration, monitor for TWO weeks instead of one:

• Days 1-3: Immediate access issues and login problems
• Days 4-7: Tag-related access issues as members try to access content
• Days 8-14: Subscription/payment issues, automation issues

Keep Keap active for 30 days as a safety net.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: Members Have Tags But Can’t Access Content (MOST COMMON)

Symptoms: Members have correct tags in ActiveCampaign but getting “insufficient permissions” errors

Causes:

• AccessAlly access rules reference old Keap tag names
• Tag names in ActiveCampaign have category prefixes, but AccessAlly rules don’t
• Case sensitivity mismatch
• Contact ID linking issue

Solution:

1. Check the member’s tags in ActiveCampaign (note exact spelling with prefixes)
2. Go to the module or page they can’t access
3. Check “Who Can Access” settings
4. Update tag name to EXACTLY match ActiveCampaign (including category prefix)
5. Test access again

Issue 2: Migration Tool Stalled Mid-Import

Symptoms: Import progress stuck at X% for 30+ minutes

Causes:

• Known issue with Keap → ActiveCampaign migrations
• Large contact lists overwhelm the system
• API rate limits reached

Solution:

1. Cancel the import
2. Export a list of contacts that were already imported
3. Remove imported contacts from your CSV
4. Import remaining contacts in smaller batches (500-1000 at a time)

Issue 3: Can’t Find the Right Tag Name in AccessAlly

Symptoms: You updated a tag name in AccessAlly but it still doesn’t work

Causes:

• Typo in tag name
• Extra spaces or special characters
• Wrong category prefix

Solution:

1. In ActiveCampaign, find the member and copy the EXACT tag name
2. Paste it into AccessAlly (don’t type it)
3. Check for hidden spaces or characters
4. Test access

Issue 4: Hundreds of Tags Need Renaming

Symptoms: You have 100+ tags and manually updating AccessAlly references will take days

Solutions:

Option 1: Accept the category prefixes and update AccessAlly systematically

Option 2: Use database search/replace (DANGEROUS – backup first):

1. Create SQL query to find/replace tag names in AccessAlly settings
2. Test on staging first
3. Work with a developer if not comfortable with database

Option 3: Contact AccessAlly support for migration assistance

Issue 5: Need to Rollback to Keap

If critical issues occur:

1. Change AccessAlly CRM connection back to Keap
2. Re-enter Keap API credentials
3. Verify connection
4. Test member access (should restore immediately with original tag names)
5. Contact AccessAlly support for migration help

Migration Timeline

Total Time Estimate: 8-12 hours (due to tag remapping complexity)

Should You Hire Professional Help?

Consider professional migration assistance if:

• You have 50+ tags in Keap
• You have complex tag-based access rules across many modules
• You have 1,000+ active members
• You can’t afford 4-6 hours of downtime
• You’re not comfortable with extensive manual remapping
• Your business can’t tolerate access issues

Professional help can:

• Automate tag remapping via scripts
• Reduce downtime to 1-2 hours
• Minimize member-facing issues
• Provide rollback plan
• Handle troubleshooting in real-time

Contact AccessAlly support to discuss migration assistance.

Need Help?

Related Guides:

• Pre-Migration Checklist
• Post-Migration Verification
• Data Mapping Reference (includes Keap tag prepending details)
• How to Migrate CRMs
• Keap to ActiveCampaign (Legacy Guide)