Leaving a website builder: taking your content, domain and Google rankings with you

Why switching means rebuilding

Website builders such as Wix, Jimdo or Squarespace are closed systems. Design, page structure and features depend on the provider's technology. Wix explicitly states in its help centre that a Wix website must be hosted and run on Wix's servers and that external hosting is not supported.

For you, this means you don't move a finished website, you rebuild it with the new provider. What you take with you is your content, your domain and your visibility on Google. Switching is all about these three things.

What you can export and what you can't

The options differ from provider to provider. Before cancelling, check your website builder's help pages to see what can be exported. Anything that can't be exported, you have to save by hand: copy texts, download images, document forms and page structure.

According to the Wix help centre, neither an external backup of the website nor exporting blog posts to other platforms is currently possible. For shops, Wix offers its own exports depending on the feature, for example for products. Squarespace creates an XML file that can be imported into WordPress. According to the Squarespace help centre, it contains layout pages, one blog with its posts, and text and image blocks. Not included are, among other things, shop, portfolio, album and calendar pages, product, audio and video blocks, drafts, and style settings and custom CSS.

• List all page URLs, ideally from the sitemap (usually at /sitemap.xml).
• Copy the texts of every page, including page title and meta description.
• Download images in their original size.
• Export contact details from forms, newsletter lists and bookings, as far as the provider allows.
• Take screenshots of every page so you can later see what was where.

The domain: where is it registered?

What matters is whether you bought the domain from the website builder or elsewhere. If you registered it elsewhere and only connected it, you just change the DNS records when switching so that the domain points to the new website.

If you bought the domain from the website builder, you move it to a new provider. According to the Wix help centre, you start this in the domain settings via “Transfer away from Wix”. Wix then sends an authorisation code to the domain owner's email address. The domain must be unlocked. According to Wix, a transfer is not possible within 60 days of purchase or of a change to the owner details. For .at domains the code is called Authinfo, and nic.at describes the process.

Keeping your Google rankings: 301 redirects

The new website almost always has different URLs from the old one. /about might become /about-us. Without a redirect, visitors from Google and from old links end up on an error page, and the old page loses its rankings.

For moves with changed URLs, Google recommends server-side permanent redirects, i.e. 301 or 308, from every old URL to the matching new one. According to Google, you should keep these redirects for as long as possible, generally at least one year. Then submit a new sitemap in Google Search Console. According to Google, it takes a few weeks or longer for medium-sized websites until the new URLs replace the old ones in search. Fluctuations during this time are normal.

If the domain stays the same, you don't need the Change of Address tool in Search Console. According to Google, that is only needed when you change domain.

Getting the timing right

Only cancel the website builder once the new website is ready, all content is saved and the domain has been moved or switched over. Otherwise your website will be offline for a while. According to its pricing page, Squarespace keeps the service running after cancellation until the end of the period already paid for. Check when your billing period ends with your provider and plan the switch before then.

Step by step

1. Take stock

   List all pages with their URLs, most easily via the sitemap. Note which pages are found well on Google and which features you use, such as a form, booking or shop.

2. Save your content

   Use your provider's export function if there is one. Copy all remaining texts and download images in their original size. Export contacts and booking data where possible.

3. Sort out the domain

   Find out where the domain is registered and to whom. If it sits with the website builder, request the transfer code. For .at domains it is called Authinfo.

4. Build the new website

   Build the new website on a test address. Carry over content, page titles and meta descriptions, and update the Impressum (legal notice) and privacy policy.

5. Create a URL list for redirects

   Match every old URL to the right new one. Set up server-side 301 redirects and keep them for at least one year.

6. Switch over

   Change the DNS records or complete the domain transfer. Then test all pages, forms and redirects.

7. Tell Google

   Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and update the website link in your Google Business Profile if it changes.

8. Only then cancel

   Only cancel the website builder once everything works. Keep access until then in case you need to look up content.

Common mistakes

• Cancelling the website builder before all content is saved. Texts, images and blog posts are often gone afterwards.
• Not setting up redirects. Old Google results then lead to error pages and the rankings are lost.
• Not checking whether the domain was bought from the website builder and who it is registered to.
• Starting the transfer shortly after changing the owner details: at Wix, a transfer is not possible for 60 days after purchase or after changed owner details, and other providers have their own rules.
• Forgetting email mailboxes that run through the website builder or its partners.

Frequently asked questions