THE SHORT ANSWER
Crawl every Wix URL before you start, rebuild the pages in WordPress on staging, then 301 redirect each old URL to its new home on launch day. Wix has no full export, so pages and posts are moved by hand or with an importer. With a clean redirect map, rankings usually settle within a few weeks.
Clients leave Wix for the same reasons: app fees that keep growing, limited SEO control and a site they can’t take with them. The risk is the move itself. A careless Wix to WordPress migration loses the URLs Google already trusts, and traffic drops with them.
This is the process we use so the rankings come along too.
01Why are Wix migrations harder than they look?
Because Wix doesn’t let you export your site. Its own help center says blog posts can’t be exported to other platforms. That means content is copied over, not exported, and every detail has to be checked.
- Wix URLs often include extra folders like
/post/for blog posts. - Images are served from Wix’s own media servers and must be downloaded.
- Forms, bookings and stores are Wix apps that need rebuilding with WordPress plugins.
- SEO titles and descriptions live in each page’s settings and must be copied one by one.
02Step 1: inventory every URL
You can’t redirect what you didn’t list. Before anything changes, build the full list.
- Crawl the live site with a crawler such as Screaming Frog.
- Export the Wix sitemap from
/sitemap.xmland compare. - Pull the top landing pages and any linked URLs from Google Search Console.
- Save each page’s title, meta description and H1 in the same sheet.
03Step 2: rebuild on staging
Build the new site on a staging copy while the Wix site stays live. Keep the same page structure, headings and copy unless the client wants a redesign. Changing the platform and the content at once makes it hard to tell what caused a ranking change.
FROM OUR DESK
Most Wix brochure sites we move take 3 to 5 working days. The pages are quick. The time goes into forms, the blog and checking every URL in the redirect map.
04Step 3: map and test the redirects
The redirect map is the real job. Every old URL gets a 301 to the most relevant new page.
| Old Wix URL | New WordPress URL | Note |
|---|---|---|
| /about-us | /about/ | Match closely, not the home page |
| /post/how-we-work | /how-we-work/ | Drop the /post/ folder |
| /services-1 | /services/ | Clean up Wix duplicate slugs |
| /blank | Best matching page | Old placeholder pages still get links |
Use a redirect plugin such as Redirection or Rank Math’s redirections module, then test every row on staging before launch.
05Step 4: launch and watch
- Switch DNS at a quiet time and test the redirect map again on the live domain.
- Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Reconnect analytics and check that forms send.
- Watch the 404 log every week for the first month and redirect anything missed.
Moving a client off Wix?
Fixed price from $500 for up to 10 pages, full redirect map included, no downtime.
06A typical timeline
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Crawl the Wix site and build the URL sheet |
| Day 1 | Fixed quote and launch date agreed |
| Days 2 to 4 | Pages, blog and forms rebuilt on staging |
| Day 5 | Redirects tested, DNS switched, sitemap submitted |
| Weeks 1 to 4 | 404 log and Search Console checked every week |
That is a brochure site of up to 10 pages. Larger blogs and stores take longer, mostly because of content checks.
Moving a Squarespace site instead? It has a partial export, which changes the process. See our Squarespace to WordPress migration guide.
07Moving the blog
The blog is usually the slowest part of a Wix move, because there is no export button. You have three options.
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| RSS import | Recent posts on small blogs | The feed may only hold the latest posts, so check the count |
| Copy and paste | Up to a few dozen posts | Images must be downloaded and re-uploaded |
| Scripted import | Large blogs | Takes setup time, and every post still needs a check |
Whichever method you use, keep the original publish dates and authors. They matter to readers and to search engines.
08Rebuilding Wix apps in WordPress
| Wix feature | WordPress replacement |
|---|---|
| Wix Forms | Gravity Forms, WPForms or your agency’s standard form plugin |
| Wix Bookings | A booking plugin such as Amelia or Bookly |
| Wix Stores | WooCommerce |
| Wix Members | A membership plugin, or WooCommerce accounts for simple cases |
| Wix SEO settings | Rank Math or Yoast, filled from your URL sheet |
FROM OUR DESK
Check the email before you touch DNS. Wix itself doesn’t host email, so most clients use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 on their domain. Copy every MX and TXT record first, or the client loses email on launch day.
09Mistakes that cost rankings
- Redirecting every old URL to the home page instead of the closest match.
- Changing page copy, titles and the platform all at once.
- Forgetting image URLs, which can carry their own traffic from image search.
- Launching without the new sitemap submitted in Search Console.
- Leaving the Wix site live on a second domain, which creates duplicate content.
10FAQ
Will I lose rankings moving from Wix to WordPress?
A short dip is normal while Google processes the redirects. With every old URL mapped to a matching page, rankings usually settle within a few weeks and often improve as the site gets faster.
Can I export my Wix site to WordPress?
Not directly. Wix doesn’t offer a full export, so pages are rebuilt and blog posts are copied or imported. Plan for that time in the quote.
How long does a Wix to WordPress migration take?
Around 3 to 5 working days for a typical brochure site. Stores, bookings and large blogs take longer.
Do I keep my domain?
Yes. If the domain is registered at Wix, you can point it to the new host or transfer it. Keep the same domain so the redirects keep their value.
Can you move a Wix store to WooCommerce?
Yes. Products can be exported from Wix as a CSV and imported into WooCommerce. Customers and order history need extra work, and the store design is rebuilt.
What happens to my email when I leave Wix?
Nothing, if the DNS records are copied correctly. Email usually runs through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, so we move those records over before switching the domain.
