Migrating Off Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress: The Playbook for a Clean Switch to a Custom Build

What actually gets migrated (and what doesn't)

The mental model most business owners have is that their website is one big thing that either moves or doesn't. In reality, a website is a stack of separate assets, each with its own migration path:

• Content (text, images, page structure): moves cleanly. Text can be exported or copy-pasted. Images download in bulk from all major platforms. Structure gets rebuilt intentionally on the new site (usually better than the original).
• Domain: doesn't 'move' - domains are portable by design. Just point DNS to the new host when ready. The domain stays yours regardless of platform.
• SEO / Google ranking: moves with a redirect plan (see next section). This is the most important and most misunderstood part of migration.
• Blog posts + articles: move via export. All major platforms have a blog export tool that generates XML or JSON of your posts. OCS re-imports them into the new site preserving publish dates + slugs.
• Contact form submissions history: usually doesn't move. Old form data stays on the old platform. Any leads currently in your Wix/Squarespace inbox should be exported to CSV before shutdown.
• Email subscribers list: exports cleanly if you used a proper email tool (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, ConvertKit). If your only 'email list' is Wix's built-in mailer, export the CSV and migrate to a real email tool.
• Custom code, embeds, integrations: get re-implemented, not migrated. Anything you built with third-party embeds (Instagram feeds, review widgets, custom scripts) needs to be re-added on the new site.

The SEO redirect plan - the most important piece

SEO doesn't 'break' when you migrate. It breaks when you migrate BADLY - specifically when old URLs suddenly 404 and Google loses track of pages it had already ranked. The fix is a redirect plan: every old URL on the old site is mapped to its new equivalent on the new site, and a 301 permanent redirect points from old to new. Google follows the redirects, learns the new URL, and transfers the SEO authority within 2-3 weeks.

The redirect plan is built BEFORE the new site launches. Every page on the current site gets audited - what's its URL, does it have organic traffic, is there a new equivalent page. Most migrations end up with a 1-to-1 redirect map. Where there's no exact match, the redirect points to the nearest logical alternative (a similar service page, a category page, the homepage as absolute fallback).

Executed properly, most migrations see a temporary 5-15% dip in organic traffic during weeks 1-2 as Google re-crawls, then a full recovery by weeks 3-6. In some cases the new site actually ranks better than the old one because a modern custom build has better page speed, better mobile UX, and better internal linking than a Wix template.

Timing the launch - how to hit zero downtime

The migration playbook that achieves zero user-facing downtime works in three phases. Phase 1: build the new site on a staging URL (like new.yoursite.com or a temporary URL). Preview, test, iterate. The old site stays live and untouched.

Phase 2: prepare the switch. Every redirect is written. DNS records are documented. New hosting is set up and warm. This phase can happen in parallel with the last few days of build.

Phase 3: cut over. During a low-traffic window (usually early morning) DNS is updated to point to the new site. Most DNS updates propagate within 15-60 minutes. During propagation, some users see the old site, some see the new - both are live and both work. Once propagation completes, the old site can be archived or shut down.

No user experiences downtime. The window where users MIGHT see slightly different sites is 15-60 minutes and both sites are functional. This is the same technique used by every serious migration in the industry.

Platform-specific migration notes

Each of the major template platforms has quirks worth knowing before starting a migration:

• Wix: content and images export via Wix's editor download. Blog exports via the blog dashboard. Domains transfer cleanly. The main migration challenge is that Wix uses non-standard URL structures for pages, so the redirect map needs care. Typical migration: 2-3 weeks.
• Squarespace: cleanest of the three to migrate off. Content exports cleanly as XML/HTML, images bulk-download, domain transfers via unlock code. URL structures are relatively clean so redirect mapping is straightforward. Typical migration: 2 weeks.
• WordPress: mixed bag depending on how it was built. If it's a clean WordPress install with standard themes, content exports cleanly via built-in WordPress export tool. If it's been heavily customized with page builders (Elementor, Divi, WPBakery), some of the visual design doesn't export - we rebuild those pages on the new site. Typical migration: 3-4 weeks.
• GoDaddy Website Builder: usually the roughest migration because GoDaddy's export tools are deliberately limited. Content often has to be manually copy-pasted page by page. Typical migration: 3-4 weeks.
• Weebly: acquired by Square, being sunset. Content export is possible but the platform is unstable. Migrations here are usually urgent (platform shutdowns are announced with limited notice). Typical migration: 2-3 weeks.
• Shopify: for product businesses. Products, customers, and orders export cleanly via Shopify's export tools. Content pages move like any other CMS. Payment processors switch to Stripe/Square directly. Typical migration: 3-4 weeks including product data cleanup.

Common failure modes and how to avoid them

Most botched migrations share one of a handful of specific failures. Each is preventable:

• No redirect plan built. The old URLs disappear, Google 404s them, ranking crashes. Fix: build the redirect map BEFORE launch.
• Site launched before content is finalized. Placeholder text ends up indexed. Fix: launch with real content or leave the old site live longer.
• Contact form doesn't work on new site. Leads silently disappear. Fix: test the form end-to-end AS the user, then check the receiving inbox, before cutting DNS.
• Old site not archived; someone deletes it too soon. Some redirects can't be verified in real time and issues surface later. Fix: keep the old site accessible for at least 60 days post-migration.
• Google Search Console not resubmitted. Google is slow to figure out the site has moved. Fix: after launch, resubmit the sitemap in GSC and use Change of Address tool if the domain changed.
• Analytics tracking not migrated. Traffic data suddenly stops. Fix: install the same GA4 property (or whatever tracking) on the new site before launch.

What to expect from an OCS migration

OCS scopes migration as part of the website build itself for clients coming off a template platform. The workflow: discovery call audits the current site (what's ranking, what's not, what pages have organic traffic worth preserving). Content audit identifies what's worth keeping and what to leave behind. The new site is designed with the redirect map already in view - so no page ends up orphaned.

The launch itself is coordinated during a low-traffic window. Old site stays live in read-only mode for 60 days post-launch as a safety net. Google Search Console is resubmitted the day of launch and monitored for 30 days for coverage warnings. Client sees zero downtime, minimal SEO disruption, and a site that legitimately outperforms the old template on speed, mobile UX, and conversion.