How do you migrate from Wix to WordPress?
A Wix to WordPress migration is really three jobs: rebuild the site on WordPress, redirect every old Wix URL to its new address with a 301, and then verify everything in Google Search Console. Done in that order, most sites keep their search visibility through the move.
There is no shortcut, because you cannot export a Wix site and import it into WordPress. Wix states that sites run only on its own servers, and its blog posts cannot be exported to other platforms. Done carelessly, the old URLs return errors and months of rankings go with them.
This guide assumes you have already decided to leave. If you are still weighing WordPress or Wix, read that comparison first. If you are new to WordPress itself, a step-by-step build guide covers planning a site from zero. Here we focus on what is specific to leaving Wix: what you can take with you, how Wix structures its URLs, and how to move the domain without breaking your email.
Should you move at all?
Move if WordPress solves a specific problem you have: a proper bilingual structure, control over speed and code, Thai payment and shipping options, or owning the site files. Stay if the site is small, already brings the enquiries you need and you are happy editing it in Wix. WordPress gives more control but needs updates, backups and security care.
Good reasons to move
- You need a proper bilingual Thai and English structure with separate, matching URLs for each language.
- You want full control over page speed, code and structured data.
- Your store needs Thai payment and shipping options, such as PromptPay or Thai couriers, that are easier to set up in WooCommerce.
- You want to own the site files and be able to change host or developer without starting again.
Good reasons to stay
- The site is small, rarely changes and already brings the enquiries you need.
- You edit it yourself and are comfortable in the Wix editor, with no one to maintain WordPress updates.
- The main complaint is design, which a Wix redesign could fix at lower cost.
WordPress is not maintenance-free: plugins and core need updates, backups and security care, and our guide to WordPress pricing shows what that costs over a year. If you are also looking at other hosted builders, the three-way comparison of Squarespace vs WordPress vs Wix sets out where each fits. Move because WordPress solves a specific problem you have, not because a forum told you Wix is bad.
What can you take out of Wix?
Wix's help centre is clear that the site itself cannot be moved to another host, because it depends on Wix's own technology. Some of the data inside it can be exported, which saves real time. At the time of writing, this is what Wix documents:
| Content | Export from Wix? | How it moves to WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Pages and design | No | Rebuilt as a new WordPress theme |
| Blog posts | No official export | Copied across, by hand or with a scripted import, then checked |
| Physical products | Yes, as CSV from the Stores dashboard | Mapped and imported into WooCommerce |
| Digital products | No | Recreated manually |
| Contacts | Yes, as CSV | Imported only where your consent records allow |
| CMS collections | Yes, as CSV | Imported into custom post types or fields |
| Images | Downloaded from the Media Manager | Compressed, renamed and uploaded again |
Two cautions. Exported contacts are personal data under the PDPA: moving them to a new system is fine, but using them for marketing still depends on the consent people originally gave. And check the current Wix help pages before you start, because export options change.
The migration, step by step
The order matters more than the tools. Each step below depends on the one before it, and skipping the inventory is the most common reason migrations lose traffic. Keep the Wix site live and untouched until the new one is ready to switch.
- Step 1
Inventory every URL
Crawl the Wix site and export its sitemap. From Search Console, note the pages with the most clicks and any pages with backlinks.
- Step 2
Export what Wix allows
Products, contacts and CMS collections as CSV; copy blog posts and download images.
- Step 3
Rebuild on WordPress
A custom theme on a staging address, with content, forms and PDPA consent in place.
- Step 4
Map and redirect
Every old URL gets a 301 to the closest new page, tested before launch.
- Step 5
Switch the domain
Point DNS to the new host while keeping email records intact.
- Step 6
Verify and watch
Submit the new sitemap, check coverage and fix errors over the following weeks.
The rebuild step is where you gain most. Rather than copying the Wix template pixel for pixel, rebuild the design as a lean custom theme, fix the page structure you have been working around, and set up the bilingual layout properly if you need one. Our guide on how to build a WordPress website explains what that build involves.
URL mapping and 301 redirects
Wix uses its own URL patterns, and WordPress will not reproduce them by default. On many Wix sites you will see blog posts under /post/, store products under /product-page/, and pages with auto-generated names such as /blank-1 or /copy-of-services that nobody ever renamed. Wix also often omits trailing slashes, while a typical WordPress setup adds them.
Build a simple spreadsheet with one row per old URL: the old address, the new address, and whether the page is kept, merged or dropped. Then add a permanent 301 redirect for every row, including images and PDFs that people link to. A few example mappings:
| Old Wix URL | New WordPress URL |
|---|---|
| /post/songkran-opening-hours | /blog/songkran-opening-hours/ |
| /product-page/silk-scarf-blue | /shop/silk-scarf-blue/ |
| /blank-1 | /about/ |
| /th/services | /th/services/ |
These are illustrations; your own list comes from the crawl. Redirect to the most relevant page, not everything to the home page, which Google says may be treated as a soft 404. Google's guidance on site moves with URL changes recommends keeping redirects in place for a long time, at least a year, so do not remove them after a few weeks. Test the whole list on staging before launch.
Domain, email and Search Console
Connect or transfer the domain
If your domain is registered with a separate registrar and only pointed at Wix, you simply change its DNS records to the new host. If you bought it through Wix, you can transfer it out to another registrar or keep it where it is and edit the DNS. Either way the domain name stays yours, and a transfer usually takes several days, so start early. Our overview of WordPress in Thailand covers hosting choices for sites whose visitors are mostly local.
Protect your email
This is where Bangkok businesses most often get caught. If your email runs on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, it depends on MX records and verification records in the same DNS zone. Before changing anything, copy every existing DNS record. When you move the site, change only the records for the website and leave MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC exactly as they were. A missed MX record means lost customer emails with no warning.
Search Console
Verify the domain property in Search Console before the switch so you keep its history. After launch, submit the new WordPress sitemap and watch the page indexing report. If you are keeping the same domain, you do not need the Change of Address tool. Groups moving several Wix sites at once, such as one per brand or language, may also want to read about WordPress Multisite before deciding on structure.
After launch: the first 30 days
A small, temporary dip in traffic after a platform change is common while Google recrawls the new pages. A steady decline is not, and usually points to missing redirects or blocked pages. Once the move is stable, our WordPress SEO guide covers the settings worth getting right next. Work through these checks in the first month, and keep the Wix plan active until you are confident nothing was left behind.
- Redirects return 301Run the old URL list through a checker; every row should land on its new page.
- No stray noindexStaging sites are often hidden from search; make sure the live site is not.
- Sitemap submittedNew sitemap accepted in Search Console, old Wix sitemap gone.
- Indexing report reviewedLook for not found, redirect errors and pages excluded unexpectedly.
- Forms and buttons testedEvery form reaches email, with PDPA consent recorded.
- Email flowingSend and receive from outside addresses to confirm MX is intact.
- Speed checked on mobileCompare the main pages against the old Wix versions.
Also test the things visitors do, not just what search engines see. Send a test message through every form, tap the WhatsApp and LINE buttons on a phone, and confirm the cookie banner blocks analytics until someone accepts. Wix forms stop working the moment you switch, so the new forms must be live and routed to the right inbox on day one.
Time and cost
What drives time and cost is the size of the site, not the fact that it came from Wix. The main factors are the number of pages to rebuild, how many blog posts need copying and checking, whether there is a store and how many products and variants it holds, whether you need both Thai and English, and how messy the old URL structure is.
As a guide, a typical project with us takes about 15 days. A small brochure site fits our Starter package, from THB 10,000 as an indicative one-time price for up to five pages on WordPress. A larger bilingual business site with a blog and enquiry forms fits the Business package, from THB 30,000. A store with a big catalogue can take longer than 15 days, and we will tell you that up front. See the breakdown of WordPress website cost for what changes the price, or read how we handle custom WordPress development, including redirect mapping on redesigns. The final price and payment terms are set out in your written quote.
More on WordPress and site moves
Sources
- Wix Help Center: exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere
- Wix Help Center: exporting blog posts to other platforms
- Wix Help Center: exporting your product list (Wix Stores)
- Wix Help Center: importing or exporting digital products
- Wix Help Center: exporting your contacts
- Wix Help Center: exporting content from a CMS collection
- Google Search Central: site moves with URL changes
Builds and ranks the websites: the systems behind the 17 client sites whose Search Console numbers we publish. This guide was written by the Website Development Bangkok team. More about us