How to migrate your website from WordPress to Webflow without screwing it up

When website migrations fail, it's rarely because of design issues. Instead, it's the overlooked technical elements, SEO settings, redirects, internal linking structures and critical functionality that cause the real damage. One day you're publishing your beautiful new Webflow site and the next you're watching your hard-earned rankings plummet, traffic disappear and customers vanish in the confusion.

This guide ensures you don't become another migration horror story.

Is migrating to Webflow actually right for you?

Before diving into the technical details, let's address the most important question: should you even migrate at all?

Moving platforms isn't just about getting a fresh look, it's about choosing the right tool for your specific needs. Let's compare WordPress and Webflow head-to-head so you can make an informed decision.

WordPress vs. Webflow: Understanding the fundamental differences

Control and ownership: WordPress is open-source, meaning you completely own and control your website and data. You can host it anywhere and maintain full control of your backend. Webflow, on the other hand, is a hosted SaaS platform where you pay a monthly fee for Webflow to handle hosting and maintenance.

Customization capabilities: WordPress offers unlimited flexibility through custom coding and thousands of plugins for virtually any function imaginable. Webflow has fewer plugin options but provides a powerful visual builder that creates cleaner, faster websites without the bloat.

Security and maintenance requirements: WordPress demands regular attention, updating the core software, managing plugins, applying security patches and monitoring for conflicts. Webflow handles all security updates and maintenance automatically, requiring significantly less technical oversight.

SEO and performance: WordPress needs additional plugins like Yoast or Rank Math for SEO functionality, plus caching and optimization tools for performance. Webflow includes built-in SEO tools and automatically optimizes for speed without extra configurations.

When should you make the switch to Webflow?

Migrating to Webflow makes sense if:

✅ You want superior design control without relying on page builders or plugins that slow your site down

✅ You're tired of constant WordPress maintenance, security updates and troubleshooting plugin conflicts

✅ You need a faster, more mobile-friendly site without additional development work

✅ You want built-in SEO tools rather than relying on third-party plugins

✅ Your team struggles with WordPress's backend and needs a more intuitive editing experience

When WordPress remains the better choice

Stay with WordPress if:

❌ You require complete ownership of your hosting infrastructure and database

❌ Your site depends on complex plugins for membership areas, marketplaces or highly specialized functionality

❌ You need deep backend customization that Webflow's platform doesn't support

❌ Your budget can't accommodate Webflow's subscription pricing model

If after reviewing these considerations, Webflow still seems like the right fit, let's move on to executing a proper migration that preserves your SEO value and functionality.

Preparing for a smooth migration

The difference between a successful migration and a traffic disaster often comes down to preparation. Here's how to set yourself up for success.

Step 1: Create comprehensive backups

Before making any changes to your existing site, protect yourself with thorough backups:

✔ Install UpdraftPlus (or similar plugin) and run a complete backup of your database and files

✔ Download all backup files to your local computer for safekeeping

✔ Consider creating a staging version of your WordPress site for reference during migration

This precaution ensures you can restore everything if something goes wrong during the process.

Step 2: Benchmark your current SEO performance

You can't protect what you don't measure. Establish your current performance metrics to ensure you can identify and fix any post-migration issues:

✔ Google Search Console: Export your current rankings, impressions and clicks for key search terms

✔ SEO tools: Use Ahrefs, Semrush, or similar tools to capture rankings and backlink profiles

✔ Screaming Frog: Run a complete crawl to document all URLs, meta titles, descriptions and content structures

This data becomes your baseline for measuring success after migration and helps identify any traffic or ranking drops that need addressing.

Step 3: Document your site structure

Your sitemap is the blueprint for your new Webflow site. Before migrating:

✔ Generate your WordPress XML sitemap

✔ Create a spreadsheet listing all URLs (static pages, blog posts, categories, tags)

✔ Mark which content you'll keep, update, or remove during migration

✔ Note any custom post types, taxonomies, or specialized content that will need special handling

This organized approach prevents content from getting lost in the transition and helps maintain your site's information architecture.

Rebuilding your website in Webflow

With your preparation complete, it's time to start the actual rebuild process in Webflow.

Step 4: Set up your Webflow CMS collections

WordPress and Webflow handle content differently, which requires careful planning:

Static pages in WordPress (like Home, About, Contact) will be manually recreated in Webflow's visual editor.

Dynamic content (blogs, case studies, portfolio items) needs to be organized into Webflow's CMS collections, which function somewhat differently than WordPress post types.

For example:

• In WordPress, blog posts typically use URLs like yourdomain.com/blog-title
• In Webflow, this structure might become yourdomain.com/blog/blog-title

These URL structure changes must be carefully documented for proper redirect planning later.

Step 5: Export and import your content

While Webflow doesn't offer a direct WordPress importer, you can transfer content systematically:

1. Export your WordPress posts to a CSV file
2. Clean the data and format it for Webflow's CMS import
3. Upload to your Webflow collections
4. Review imported content for formatting issues

After import, you'll likely need to fix:

• Header structure and formatting
• Image references and alt text
• Internal links that now point to old URLs
• Custom elements like tables or specialized content blocks

Step 6: Manually transfer static pages

For your cornerstone content (homepage, about page, service pages), you'll need to rebuild these manually in Webflow:

✔ Copy text content from WordPress into appropriate Webflow elements

✔ Recreate the design using Webflow's visual editor

✔ Optimize images for web and rename them consistently

✔ Transfer all SEO settings (meta titles, descriptions, Open Graph data)

While time-consuming, this manual process allows you to improve and refine your most important pages during migration.

Rebuilding your website functionality

Your website isn't just content, it's also interactive elements that drive engagement and conversions.

Step 7: Recreate forms and lead capture

Forms are critical conversion points on most websites. In WordPress, you likely used form plugins like WPForms, Gravity Forms, or Contact Form 7. In Webflow, you have two main options:

1️⃣ Use Webflow's native form builder:

• Create similar forms directly in Webflow
• Configure form notifications and success messages
• Apply validation rules and required fields

2️⃣ Integrate with third-party tools:

• Connect Webflow forms to Mailchimp for email marketing
• Use Zapier to send form submissions to your CRM
• Implement custom solutions for more complex requirements

Test all forms thoroughly before launch to ensure they capture and process data correctly.

Step 8: Fix internal links and anchor navigation

Internal linking is crucial for both user experience and SEO. WordPress and Webflow handle internal links differently, so you'll need to:

✔ Update all internal links to point to new Webflow URLs

✔ Recreate anchor links for on-page navigation

✔ Rebuild elements like table of contents that rely on anchor links

✔ Check that all resource downloads still work properly

Missing this step can result in broken user journeys and lost SEO value from your internal linking structure.

Preserving SEO during your migration

SEO preservation is where most migrations fail and where preparation pays off enormously.

Step 9: Implement proper redirects

URL structures often change during migration, making redirects essential. Without them, search engines see broken links and your rankings suffer dramatically.

Follow this process to get redirects right:

1. Create a comprehensive spreadsheet mapping old WordPress URLs to new Webflow URLs
2. Set up 301 (permanent) redirects in Webflow under Site Settings → Publishing → 301 Redirects
3. Test each redirect manually to ensure it points to the correct destination
4. Pay special attention to blog posts, as these often undergo the most structural changes

Common redirect patterns include:

• /blog-post-title → /blog/blog-post-title
• /category/post-title → /blog/post-title
• /services/service-name → /services#service-name

Step 10: Connect your domain properly

Domain configuration affects both SEO and user experience:

1. Update DNS settings in your domain provider to point to Webflow
2. Choose between www or non-www as your canonical domain
3. Ensure SSL is properly configured for secure browsing
4. Set the primary domain in Webflow publishing settings

When changing domain configurations, expect some temporary fluctuations in search visibility as Google processes the changes.

Final checks before and after launch

The moment of truth is approaching but don't rush to publish without thorough testing.

Step 11: Run a complete quality assurance check

Before going live, meticulously test your new Webflow site:

✔ Check all pages: Ensure every page loads correctly with proper formatting

✔ Test responsiveness: Verify the site works on mobile, tablet and desktop

✔ Check functionality: Test all interactive elements including forms, menus and buttons

✔ Verify media: Ensure all images display correctly with proper alt text

✔ Review SEO elements: Confirm meta titles, descriptions and structured data are in place

This QA process can prevent embarrassing issues after launch and help maintain user trust during the transition.

Step 12: Submit your new site to Google

Help search engines understand your migration:

1. Submit your new Webflow sitemap in Google Search Console
2. Request indexing for important pages
3. Monitor for crawl errors and 404 pages
4. Fix any issues promptly as they appear

This proactive approach helps Google process your migration faster and minimizes ranking fluctuations.

Step 13: Monitor performance post-migration

The work isn't over when you launch. Now you need to watch for issues:

✔ Track organic search traffic for any significant drops

✔ Monitor keyword rankings for changes

✔ Check for crawl errors in Search Console

✔ Review user behavior metrics (bounce rate, time on page) for unexpected changes

Be prepared to troubleshoot and fix issues quickly to minimize any negative impact on your business.

Congratulations! Your migration is complete

If you've followed this guide step by step, your website is now live on Webflow without the SEO disasters, broken functionality, or design compromises that plague most migrations.

Your new Webflow site offers several advantages:

• Faster page load times and better performance
• Easier design updates without plugin conflicts
• Built-in SEO tools for ongoing optimization
• Less maintenance and security concerns
• A cleaner, more intuitive editing experience

Next steps for your Webflow website

Now that your migration is complete, here's what to focus on next:

1. Optimize for conversions: Use Webflow's flexibility to improve your most important pages
2. Add new features: Explore Webflow-specific capabilities like animations and interactions
3. Monitor and improve: Continue tracking performance and making data-driven improvements

Need more guidance?

👉 Check out the website optimization checklist to boost conversions after migration

👉 Learn why you should consider Webflow for your Fintech website