Website builders are a fine place to start. Many businesses eventually outgrow them and want to own their site, connect it to a CRM, run a proper store or control their SEO. A Wix to WordPress migration, or a move from Squarespace or GoDaddy’s website builder, is very doable. The catch is that these platforms don’t hand you a neat copy of your site. I’ll explain when moving makes sense, what can be carried over and what has to be rebuilt, how to keep your Google rankings, and the step-by-step plan I use.
Why businesses move to WordPress, and when not to
The reasons I hear most from owners planning a move:
- Ownership. A WordPress site can live on any host, and you can take it with you.
- Integrations. CRMs, booking systems, email tools and automation connect more freely.
- A real store. WooCommerce handles complex products, shipping rules and custom checkout steps.
- SEO control. Full control of URLs, redirects, structured data and page speed.
- Custom features that a builder’s app market doesn’t offer.
To be fair, there are good reasons to stay. If your site is simple, does what you need, and you have no plans to grow it, a builder is easier to live with. WordPress needs updates, backups and occasional care. That’s the trade for flexibility.
Running costs change shape rather than disappear. Instead of one builder subscription, you pay for hosting, perhaps a few premium plugins, and someone to look after the site. Weigh that against what the extra flexibility earns you.
What a Wix to WordPress migration can and cannot carry over
Wix
Wix has no full-site export. Blog posts can usually be pulled in through the blog’s RSS feed and the WordPress RSS importer, though images and formatting need checking afterward. Store products and contacts can usually be exported as CSV files. Pages, layouts and forms are rebuilt in WordPress.
Squarespace
Squarespace has a built-in export that produces a WordPress-compatible file. It brings across blog posts and basic page content, but not your design, and it has limits on what it includes. Commerce products are exported separately. Expect to rebuild the layouts and check every imported page.
GoDaddy Website Builder
GoDaddy’s drag-and-drop builder has no export at all. The content is copied across and the pages rebuilt. Note that if you are on GoDaddy’s WordPress hosting, you already have WordPress, and moving away is a normal host migration.
What never transfers
On every platform, the design itself stays behind. So do forms, booking tools, member areas and third-party apps. They’re rebuilt with WordPress equivalents. That sounds like bad news, but it’s also the moment to fix what never worked: slow pages, confusing navigation and forms that don’t reach your CRM.
Protect your Google rankings during the move
Most of your rankings are tied to your URLs and your content. Keep both under control and the move is safe.
- Map every URL. Builders use their own patterns. Wix blog posts often live under
/post/, and Squarespace blog posts under the blog page’s own path. Either recreate the same paths in WordPress or set a 301 redirect from each old URL to its new one. - Copy titles and meta descriptions for every important page. Do not let them reset to defaults.
- Keep image alt text and the main headings.
- Bring your existing redirects. If you set up redirects inside the builder over the years, copy them into your map. They stop working the moment you leave.
- Keep the domain. If it’s registered through the builder, you can transfer it out or simply point its DNS at your new host.
- Protect email. If your email runs through records set up in the builder’s DNS, copy every record exactly before changing anything. Losing MX records means losing email.
- Submit a new sitemap in Google Search Console after launch, then watch for 404 errors.
Since the domain stays the same, you don’t need Google’s Change of Address tool. You only need complete redirects for any paths that changed.
A step-by-step migration plan
- Inventory. List every page, post, product, form, integration and URL. Pull your top pages from Search Console and analytics so nothing that brings traffic gets missed.
- Set up hosting and WordPress on a private staging site.
- Import what can be imported: blog posts, products and contacts. Clean up formatting and images.
- Rebuild the pages with a consistent design system of colors, fonts and spacing, so the site is easy to edit later.
- Rebuild forms, booking and the store, and connect them to your CRM and email tools.
- Set up tracking: GA4, Tag Manager and conversion events, tested end to end.
- Recreate SEO details: titles, descriptions, headings and the redirect map.
- Test on staging: every form, checkout path and page on mobile.
- Launch: copy all existing DNS records, point the domain at the new host, add redirects and issue SSL.
- After launch: submit the sitemap, monitor 404s, and keep the old builder subscription active for a few weeks in case you need to copy anything else.
This is the plan I follow for every Wix or Squarespace move, and it’s very close to how I approach any website redesign. If you sell online, my WooCommerce development service covers moving products and rebuilding checkout. You can see finished builds on my work page.
Quick checklist
- Decide whether you truly need to move.
- Export what the platform allows: posts, products, contacts.
- List every URL and map it to its new address.
- Rebuild pages, forms and integrations on staging.
- Copy titles, descriptions and alt text.
- Copy all DNS records before switching, especially email.
- Add 301 redirects for every changed URL.
- Keep the old subscription for a few weeks after launch.
Related reading: Elementor vs Divi vs Bricks vs Gutenberg and how to fix Cumulative Layout Shift on a WordPress website.
FAQ: moving to WordPress
Will I lose my Google rankings?
Not if you keep the domain, carry over your content and redirect every changed URL. Some short-term movement is normal while Google recrawls.
Can I keep my domain name?
Yes. You can transfer it to a registrar of your choice or keep it where it is and point it at your new host.
Can I move my Wix or Squarespace store to WooCommerce?
Yes. Products usually come across through CSV exports. Orders and customer accounts need more care and are worth discussing before you start.
How long does a migration take?
It depends on the number of pages, products and integrations. A small brochure site moves much faster than a store with hundreds of products. The inventory in step one gives you a realistic timeline.
Will WordPress be harder for my team to edit?
Not if it’s built well. I build sites so owners can edit text, images and pages themselves without breaking the layout.
Thinking about leaving your website builder? I can review your current site and outline what a move would involve. Get a free website review to start.
