Switching from WordPress to Wix: Step-by-Step Migration Guide (2026)

Updated: September 2026. Switching from WordPress to Wix is a well-trodden path in 2026, but it is still a manual migration rather than a one-click move. Blog posts can be imported automatically; pages, design, plugins and SEO settings have to be rebuilt. Done in the right order, a typical business site moves in three to ten working days without losing search rankings.

This guide is written by Davydov Consulting, a Wix Studio certified agency in London that migrates WordPress sites to Wix for clients. It covers what actually transfers, the exact migration sequence, how to keep your Google rankings, and when switching is the wrong decision.

• Blog posts import automatically with Wix's built-in WordPress importer (text, images, videos, categories, dates, alt text).

• Pages, menus, forms, plugins and design do not transfer – you rebuild them in Wix Studio or the Wix Editor.

• SEO is preserved if you replicate titles and meta descriptions, keep or redirect every URL with 301s, and resubmit your sitemap.

• Time: 1–2 days for a small brochure site, 1–2 weeks for a content-heavy site or an online store.

• Cost: a Wix Premium plan plus your own time, or an agency fee if you want it done for you.

WordPress vs Wix in 2026: should you switch?

Before moving anything, be honest about why you are leaving WordPress. Most clients come to us for one of three reasons: they are tired of plugin updates and security patches, their site keeps breaking after a theme or PHP update, or they are paying a developer for changes they could make themselves in a visual editor.

Feature	WordPress	Wix / Wix Studio
Hosting & maintenance	You manage hosting, updates, backups and security	Fully managed – hosting, SSL, CDN, backups and updates included
Ease of editing	Block editor plus theme; changes often need a developer	Visual drag-and-drop editor; Wix Studio adds responsive layouts and CSS
Plugins & functionality	60,000+ plugins, unlimited but fragile	Wix App Market plus native apps (Stores, Bookings, Forms, Blog); custom code via Velo
SEO control	Full control via plugins (Yoast, Rank Math) and server access	Per-page titles, meta, structured data, redirects, canonical URLs, sitemap – built in
Performance	Depends on hosting and theme quality	Optimised by default; images auto-converted to WebP/AVIF
Security	Your responsibility (updates, firewall, backups)	Handled by Wix; no plugin vulnerabilities
Cost	Hosting + premium theme + plugins + developer time	Fixed monthly plan
Best for	Complex custom builds, large publishers, developers	Business sites, portfolios, small to mid-size stores, teams without developers

If the priority is visual control without maintaining a WordPress plugin stack, Webflow, the agentic web marketing platform, is another option to consider. Its visual CMS lets marketing teams design and publish content without developer tickets, while built-in SEO and optimization tools support ongoing growth. It is best evaluated alongside Wix against your team's editing workflow, customization needs and migration effort.

When switching from WordPress to Wix makes sense

When you should stay on WordPress

What transfers automatically – and what doesn't

This is where most guides are vague. Here is exactly what the official Wix Blog importer moves, and what you will handle by hand.

Content	Transfers automatically?	How
Published blog posts	Yes	Wix Blog → Import posts → WordPress (up to 5,000 posts per batch)
Post images, videos, dates, categories, alt text	Yes	Included in the blog import
Post formatting	Partially	Basic headings, lists and links survive; custom HTML/CSS does not
Drafts, scheduled or password-protected posts	No	Publish or unlock them first, or copy manually
Authors, comments, tags	No	Recreate writers in Wix; comments are not migrated
Static pages (Home, About, Services)	No	Rebuild in Wix Studio or Wix Editor
Theme and design	No	Choose a Wix template or build custom
Plugins, forms, pop-ups	No	Replace with Wix apps or Velo code
WooCommerce products	Partially	CSV export → Wix Stores CSV import; rebuild variants and shipping
SEO titles and meta descriptions	No	Re-enter per page in Wix SEO settings
URLs	No	Map old to new and create 301 redirects
Domain and email	N/A	Point DNS to Wix or transfer the domain; keep mailboxes with the current provider or move to Google Workspace

Pre-migration checklist

Spend an hour here and the migration takes days off. Do all of this while your WordPress site is still live.

How to switch from WordPress to Wix: step by step

Step 1. Set up your Wix site

Create a new site in your Wix account and pick a template close to your existing structure, or start from a blank Wix Studio canvas. Set up the global styles first – fonts, colours, header and footer, navigation – so every page you rebuild inherits them. Add the Wix Blog app now; the WordPress importer will not appear until it is installed.

Step 2. Import your blog posts from WordPress

In the Wix dashboard go to Blog → More Actions → Import posts → WordPress, enter your WordPress site URL and confirm ownership. Only site owners can run the import, and only published posts are included. Wix pulls up to 5,000 posts per run and brings across text, images, videos, publish dates, categories and image alt text.

After the import, open a sample of posts and fix formatting: embedded HTML, shortcodes, tables and galleries usually need attention. Assign a writer to each post and rebuild tags if you used them.

Step 3. Rebuild your pages

Static pages must be recreated. Copy the text from WordPress, paste it into Wix and rebuild the layout with native sections. Resist the temptation to replicate the old design pixel for pixel – this is the best moment to simplify navigation, shorten pages and improve calls to action. Keep the H1 and the main headings identical to the WordPress version for pages that rank well.

Step 4. Move media and optimise it

The blog importer fetches post images, but page images and downloadable files need to be uploaded to the Wix Media Manager. Download your /wp-content/uploads folder via FTP or the Export Media Library plugin, upload it in bulk, and re-add alt text. Wix serves images as WebP or AVIF automatically, so you do not need a separate compression plugin.

Step 5. Replace WordPress plugins with Wix apps

Plugins do not migrate – functionality does. Map each plugin to its Wix equivalent:

WordPress plugin	Wix replacement
Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms	Wix Forms
Yoast SEO, Rank Math	Wix SEO settings, SEO Setup Checklist, structured data, redirects
WooCommerce	Wix Stores + Wix Payments
Amelia, Bookly, Simply Schedule	Wix Bookings
WPML, Polylang	Wix Multilingual
MemberPress, Restrict Content Pro	Wix Members Area + Pricing Plans
OptinMonster, pop-up plugins	Wix lightboxes and automations
Mailchimp for WP, Newsletter	Wix Email Marketing or a Mailchimp integration
Custom PHP / shortcodes	Velo by Wix (JavaScript) or Wix Headless

Step 6. Re-enter SEO settings for every page

Open each page's SEO panel and paste the title tag and meta description you recorded earlier. Check the H1, add alt text, and set canonical URLs where you consolidated pages. For blog posts, review the SEO title and slug generated by the importer. Wix supports FAQ, Article, Breadcrumb and other structured data per page – add it now rather than after launch.

Step 7. Map URLs and set up 301 redirects

This single step decides whether you keep your rankings. WordPress slugs often look like /2023/05/post-name/ or /category/post-name/, while Wix blog posts always live at /post/post-name. Go to SEO → SEO Tools → URL Redirect Manager, and:

Step 8. Connect your domain

You have two options. Connect via nameservers or DNS records keeps the domain at your current registrar and simply points it at Wix – fastest and reversible. Transferring the domain to Wix takes a few days and requires unlocking it and obtaining the EPP/authorisation code from the registrar. Either way, check your email first: if your mailboxes are hosted with your WordPress host, moving DNS without recreating MX records will break email. Wix issues SSL automatically once the domain resolves.

Step 9. Test before you publish

Step 10. Launch and monitor

Publish, connect the domain, then immediately submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools and request indexing for your top pages. For the next four weeks watch Search Console's Pages and Not found (404) reports and fix any missed redirects. Keep your WordPress hosting for at least a month as a fallback and to catch URLs you missed.

How to keep your SEO rankings when switching from WordPress to Wix

Rankings are lost during migrations for four reasons – and none of them are because of Wix itself: broken URLs without redirects, missing title tags and meta descriptions, thinner content on rebuilt pages, and slower crawling because nobody told Google the site changed. Protect against each one:

If your site has a long history, significant backlinks and revenue tied to organic search, this is the part worth paying a specialist for. See our Wix SEO services for how we handle migrations.

Common problems and how to fix them

How long does it take?

Site type	Typical timeline	Effort
Brochure site, 5–15 pages, small blog	1–3 days	DIY-friendly
Business site, 15–50 pages, 100+ posts, forms and bookings	1–2 weeks	DIY possible; agency recommended for SEO
Online store or content site with 500+ posts and strong organic traffic	2–6 weeks	Agency recommended

What's new for WordPress to Wix migrations in 2026

Three things have changed the calculation compared with a few years ago. Wix Studio gives agencies and designers responsive layouts, custom CSS, reusable components and a proper design system, closing most of the design gap with WordPress themes. Built-in AI tools generate page layouts, alt text and SEO suggestions, which cuts rebuild time noticeably. And Wix Headless lets developers keep Wix's managed business apps – Stores, Bookings, Blog, CRM – while building the front end in any framework, which removes the last argument for staying on WordPress for many technical teams.

Conclusion

Switching from WordPress to Wix is straightforward when you treat it as a rebuild with a strict SEO protocol rather than a copy-and-paste job. Import the blog, rebuild the pages properly, replace plugins with native apps, re-enter your metadata, redirect every URL, and give Google a clean sitemap on launch day.

If your site is large, has years of backlinks, or generates leads and sales from search, do not risk it. In our portfolio you will find sites we have moved to Wix from WordPress and other platforms without losing traffic. Book a free consultation or contact us and we will scope your migration.

FAQ: switching from WordPress to Wix

Can I switch from WordPress to Wix without losing SEO?

Yes. Rankings are preserved when you replicate every page's title tag, meta description and headings, set up a 301 redirect for every old URL, keep your internal links, and submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console on launch day. Expect a short dip of two to six weeks while Google recrawls the site.

Does Wix have a WordPress import tool?

Yes, for blog posts. The Wix Blog app includes a WordPress importer that moves published posts with text, images, videos, dates, categories and alt text – up to 5,000 posts per batch. Static pages, plugins and design are not imported and must be rebuilt.

Can I transfer my WordPress pages to Wix automatically?

No. Pages, menus, forms and layouts are rebuilt manually in Wix Studio or the Wix Editor. Copy the text over, then recreate the layout with native Wix sections.

How long does it take to switch from WordPress to Wix?

A small brochure site takes one to three days. A business site with 15–50 pages and an active blog takes one to two weeks. Large stores or content sites with strong organic traffic take two to six weeks when SEO is handled properly.

Will my URLs stay the same on Wix?

Page URLs can usually be kept identical. Blog posts on Wix always live under /post/, so WordPress posts with date-based or category-based URLs need 301 redirects, which you set in Wix's URL Redirect Manager.

Can I move a WooCommerce store to Wix?

Yes. Export products from WooCommerce as CSV, import them into Wix Stores using the CSV template, then rebuild product variants, shipping rules, tax and payment settings. Order history does not transfer.

Should I transfer my domain to Wix or just connect it?

Connecting via nameservers or DNS records is faster and keeps the domain with your current registrar. Transfer the domain only if you want billing and renewals in one place. In both cases, make sure your email MX records are recreated before changing DNS.

How much does it cost to switch from WordPress to Wix?

The platform cost is a Wix Premium plan, needed to connect a custom domain. Beyond that it is either your time or an agency fee, which depends on the number of pages, posts, integrations and the level of SEO work required.