Switching from Wix to WordPress is a decision many website owners make when they outgrow Wix’s limitations. While Wix is a beginner-friendly platform, WordPress offers more flexibility, better SEO capabilities, and greater control over your site. However, migrating isn’t always smooth, and mistakes can lead to lost rankings, broken pages, and unnecessary frustration.
Through analyzing over 100 successful and unsuccessful Wix to WordPress migration projects, we’ve identified what works well and what often goes wrong. Whether you’re planning a migration yourself or considering hiring a professional, these lessons will help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure a seamless transition.
What Works: The Best Strategies for a Smooth Wix to WordPress Migration
Not all migrations are equal. Some businesses transition seamlessly, while others experience downtime, ranking drops, or missing content. Here’s what works best when moving from Wix to WordPress.
1. Planning Your Migration Before Taking Action
One of the biggest factors in a successful migration is thorough planning. Instead of jumping straight into the move, it’s important to outline every step. This includes selecting the right WordPress hosting, choosing a theme that matches your brand, and listing all pages and content that need to be transferred.
Successful migrations also involve a detailed SEO audit before the move. By analyzing your current rankings, backlinks, and page performance, you can ensure that nothing valuable is lost during the switch.
2. Using 301 Redirects to Preserve SEO
A common issue with migrations is losing search engine rankings because of URL changes. Wix and WordPress handle URLs differently, so some of your old links may no longer work once you migrate. Setting up 301 redirects from old Wix URLs to their new WordPress versions is essential for maintaining SEO.
When done correctly, 301 redirects ensure visitors and search engines find the right pages, preventing broken links and ranking drops.
3. Manually Transferring Content for Maximum Accuracy
While automated migration tools exist, they don’t always work perfectly. Many website owners who rely solely on automation end up with missing images, broken formatting, or incomplete metadata.
Manually transferring content—especially blog posts, page layouts, and media—ensures that everything moves over correctly. This approach is more time-consuming but results in a better-looking and more functional website.
4. Optimizing for Speed and Mobile Performance
One of the biggest advantages of moving to WordPress is improved site speed, but only if you optimize correctly. Wix sites often have slower load times due to built-in limitations. With WordPress, you can use caching plugins, lightweight themes, and optimized images to make your site load faster.
Additionally, choosing a mobile-responsive theme is crucial. Since Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites, a well-optimized design can boost your rankings after the migration.
5. Submitting a New Sitemap to Google
After migrating, it’s important to submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console. This step tells search engines to re-crawl your site, helping your new WordPress pages get indexed faster.
Many failed migrations happen because this step is overlooked, causing delays in search engines recognizing the new site.
What Fails: Common Wix to WordPress Migration Mistakes
Despite the benefits of WordPress, not every migration goes as planned. Here are some of the most common mistakes that lead to frustration, traffic loss, and poor user experience.
1. Ignoring SEO Considerations
One of the biggest migration failures comes from neglecting SEO. If you don’t properly transfer metadata (titles, descriptions, alt text), set up redirects, or maintain URL structures, you could lose years of SEO progress.
Additionally, forgetting to update internal links after the migration can create broken pathways, confusing both users and search engines.
2. Choosing the Wrong WordPress Theme
Many site owners rush into picking a WordPress theme without considering performance, responsiveness, or customization options. While some themes look great, they might be bloated with unnecessary features that slow down your site.
Choosing a lightweight, SEO-friendly theme is key to ensuring a successful transition. It’s also a good idea to test your site on different devices to ensure it looks good everywhere.
3. Overloading the Site with Plugins
WordPress offers thousands of plugins to enhance functionality, but installing too many can cause problems. Some users add unnecessary plugins for every feature, slowing down their site and creating conflicts between different tools.
Successful migrations focus on essential plugins—SEO tools, caching plugins, and security measures—while keeping the site lightweight and efficient.
4. Not Testing the Site Before Going Live
One of the biggest mistakes is launching a new site without thoroughly testing it. Checking every page, link, and form ensures that everything functions correctly before making the switch.
Testing should include:
- Checking for broken links
- Ensuring forms and contact pages work
- Testing site speed and responsiveness
- Verifying all images and media files are correctly displayed
A simple test run before launching can save hours of troubleshooting later.
5. Forgetting to Back Up the Wix Site Before Migration
In some cases, website owners make changes or delete content from their Wix site before ensuring the migration is successful. If anything goes wrong during the transfer, they have no way to recover the lost data.
Backing up the Wix site before starting ensures that you can restore important content if needed.
Wix to WordPress Migration Service
For many business owners, handling a migration alone can be overwhelming. A Wix to WordPress migration service helps ensure a smooth transfer by handling all the technical aspects.
What a Professional Migration Service Includes
- Full content transfer, including pages, blog posts, and images
- Proper 301 redirects to preserve SEO rankings
- Theme setup and customization to match your brand
- Performance optimization for faster load times
- Post-migration support to fix any issues
Why Choose a Professional Service?
If you’re unfamiliar with WordPress or worried about losing data, a professional migration service can save time and prevent costly mistakes. Experts ensure that your SEO rankings remain intact, your site runs smoothly, and everything is set up for long-term success.
Final Thoughts: Is Migrating from Wix to WordPress Worth It?
Based on over 100 migrations, the answer is clear—moving to WordPress offers long-term benefits, but only when done correctly. Wix is great for beginners, but WordPress provides greater flexibility, better SEO tools, and more control over your site’s performance.
However, failing to plan properly, ignoring SEO considerations, or choosing the wrong WordPress setup can lead to major setbacks. Whether you handle the migration yourself or work with professionals, taking the right approach ensures a seamless transition with minimal disruptions.
A well-executed Wix to WordPress migration can help your website grow, attract more visitors, and provide a better user experience—making the switch well worth the effort.
