How to Migrate from WordPress to Webflow: Complete Guide

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that allows users to easily create and manage websites. But more and more users are looking for a more modern and flexible alternative to WordPress. That's where Webflow comes in. Webflow is a Nocode website building platform, which means it allows users to create professional websites without the need for coding skills. In this guide, we will show you how to migrate from WordPress to Webflow.

Why migrate from WordPress to Webflow

Although WordPress has revolutionized the website creation market, the tool has many drawbacks and struggles to keep up with new players like Webflow. Here are the main limitations you encounter with WordPress.

Maintenance to manage on the WordPress side

Updates are frequent and can cause compatibility issues with themes, programs and plugins. The process can be even more complicated if you use many plugins. Webflow, on the other hand, offers intuitive and automatic updates that require less manual work.

Dependence on third-party hosting providers.

Hosting directly from the WordPress site can limit website owners and designers in what they can do with their site. In addition, the annual costs of WordPress hosting are generally higher than those of third-party hosting services.

Webflow is a CMS, a website builder and a hosting platform all in one. This allows users to manage everything from one place.

Limitation of design freedom

Although WordPress offers a large number of themes and plugins to customize the look of your website, you are very quickly limited in terms of design and freedom.

For example, WordPress themes often have a predefined layout, which can make it difficult to add new elements or change the page structure. You then have to rely on developers to make changes via code.

A shaky security

Since WordPress users are very dependent on third-party plug-ins, these are the main source of security holes. Another important point: you have to update yourself. Some old versions are then much more exposed to risk. Webflow keeps control of all its features and updates.

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If you want to go further, you can consult this comparison.

Steps to migrate from WordPress to Webflow

Steps to follow on the WordPress side

Backup your WordPress website

Before you begin the migration, it is important to back up your WordPress website. This will allow you to go back if any problems occur during the migration process.

Export your WordPress site content

To migrate your content from WordPress to Webflow, you must first export your content. Note that WordPress will render your data in XML format by default. So you will have to convert it to CSV format before importing it into Webflow.

But don't panic. There are many extensions for this. Here are some examples:

• wp-csv
• wp-all-export
• WP Import Export Lite

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After downloading the extension, you will need to activate the extension in WordPress.

Steps to follow on the Webflow side

Create a new Webflow project

Once you have saved your WordPress website and exported your content, you can create a new Webflow project. If you are new to Webflow, you can create a free account and start exploring the platform.

Import the content of your WordPress site into Webflow

Now that you have created a new Webflow project, you can import the content from your WordPress site. To do this, you can use the Webflow import tool and upload the XML file you exported from WordPress.

You will have to create and configure your collection beforehand.

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Map your fields

Last step of this migration, you will have to "map" - that is to say, match - the fields of your old collection (the fields of your .csv file) to your new collection in Webflow.

Create the pages of your Webflow site

Once you have imported your WordPress site content into Webflow, you can start creating new pages for your new Webflow site. You can use Webflow's design features to create professional and custom pages.

It should be noted that designing dynamic pages can be quite technical for the uninitiated.

It can then be judicious to be accompanied by experts because you will be able to capitalize on their work on the long term and thus gain much time and quality.

Alegria.solutions can help you with your projects.

Set up your domain name and publish your Webflow site

Once you have created all the pages of your Webflow website, you can set up your domain name and publish your website. You can use the Webflow hosting service to host your website.

Focus on images

When importing images, it is important to ensure that the images are correctly migrated. We have two cases here.

Images associated with "image" fields in the CMS

If the images are linked to the image field of the Webflow CMS, they will be uploaded automatically and you will not have any problems.

Images associated with the "rich text" field in the CMS

If the import is linked to a CMS rich text field, such as a blog post, the images will be imported from their original URLs. This means that if the original site is deleted, the images will stop appearing. To avoid this, it is recommended to download each image from the rich text field and upload them manually to the CMS.

Our tips for preserving your SEO

This is the subject that comes up most often with our clients: how to perform a migration or a redesign while preserving the SEO. Here are the points on which you must be vigilant.

Set up 301 redirects

When migrating your WordPress site to Webflow, it is essential to set up 301 redirects to prevent visitors arriving at your site via search links or bookmarks from being redirected to 404 error pages.

301 redirects are permanent redirects that tell search engines that the location of pages has changed. They are therefore essential to maintain your site's ranking in search results and avoid broken links.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Go to the project settings
2. Go to the "Publishing" section
3. Fill in the fields "Old Path" and "Redirect to path:"

If you have to manage a lot of redirects, Finsweet has developed a wonderful extension that allows us to save a lot of time thanks to a "bulk upload" system.

Meta titles and descriptions

During this migration, it is important to check that the meta titles and descriptions of all your pages are correctly set up and optimized for the relevant keywords.

Alt Text

Remember to check that all your alt text is correctly filled in for each image on your site. This can help improve your site's visibility in image search results and provide an improved user experience for people with visual difficulties.

DNS settings

Also remember to do your redirects from your DNS (Domain Name System) so that visitors arrive on the right version of your site.

Open Graph

See if your Open Graph images are properly set up to provide an optimized user experience on social networks. This can help drive traffic to your site by encouraging users to click on your links.

Sitemap

The sitemap is essential to allow Google to better navigate between your pages. Remember to activate the functionality offered by Webflow to auto-generate it.

Go to :

1. Project parameters
2. SEO" tab
3. Sitemap" section

Summary

Migrating from WordPress to Webflow may seem daunting at first, but with our comprehensive guide, you can migrate your WordPress website to Webflow. By following the steps we've outlined, you can ensure a successful migration without losing your SEO and enjoy the benefits of the Webflow platform.

That said, a migration is a crucial issue and it is not always easy to think of everything and put in place the right monitoring systems to check that everything is going according to plan.

If you have any doubts, it's really advisable to be accompanied by Webflow experts to preserve your pages and your SEO.

We have completed over 50 Webflow projects in less than two years at Alegria. Feel free to contact us if you want to talk about your project.