Hi everyone,
My partner currently has a single-page website hosted on Wix. She uses it for her local professional service, where search engine visibility and local discovery are crucial.
The site has been live for about a year and is ranking decently on Google. However, Wix's hosting prices have recently jumped significantly, and paying their updated rates for a basic single-page site no longer makes sense. She just uses the contact form basically.
We are planning to build a replacement site on WordPress and host it elsewhere (and transfer the domain out of Wix). Since Wix is a closed ecosystem, we know we need to rebuild the layout and content manually from scratch on the new platform, which is totally fine by us.
My primary concern is SEO preservation and search rankings:
- Domain Name: We plan to keep the exact same domain name and simply point the registrar away from Wix. Does maintaining the exact same domain eliminate most of the ranking loss risk?
- On-Page Changes: Since the platform is changing, there will be minor layout and structural differences. If we copy over the exact copy, headings, page metadata (title tags, meta descriptions), and image alt text, will Google treat this smoothly?
- Redirection / Technical Setup: Is there anything specific we need to watch out for regarding 301 redirects, Google Search Console re-indexing, or caching during the DNS switch for a single-page setup?
- Platform Switch Risks: Are there any known pitfalls when moving off Wix to WordPress that could temporarily or permanently drop local search ranking?
I would really appreciate any advice, checklists, or best practices from anyone who has done a similar migration for a small professional site!
Thanks in advance for your help!
Source: r/webhosting · by /u/TheBuzzer4625kHz