Moving off Wix, Squarespace or Weebly: what actually changes

Website builders such as Wix, Squarespace and Weebly are a quick way to get online. Moving off one is less about the new design than about four things: who owns the site, what happens to your Google rankings, whether your email keeps working, and what you tell Google. Here is what actually changes, and the order we would do it in.

What you own, before and after

On a builder, your site runs on the builder. Wix says it plainly: a Wix site must run on Wix's servers, and it cannot be moved to another host. Squarespace can export some content as a WordPress-compatible file, but many page types, store pages and all style settings stay behind. In practice, moving off a builder means rebuilding the design and carrying the content across.

After the move, the site, the domain and the Google accounts should all sit in your name. If you change who looks after the site later, you take it with you rather than starting again.

Keeping your Google rankings with redirects

Google ranks pages by their address. When you change platform, page addresses often change too, and an old address that leads nowhere loses the visitors and links it had built up. The fix is a permanent redirect, also called a 301, from every old address to its new one. Google recommends a permanent server-side redirect whenever a page's address changes, and says it is the best way to make sure both Google and people reach the right page.

• List every old address before you switch, not just the ones in the menu. Old blog posts and product pages often bring in the most search visitors.
• Point each one to its closest match on the new site.
• Keep the redirects in place. Google says as long as possible, generally at least a year.
• Avoid chains, where one redirect leads to another and then another.
• Expect some movement. Google says to expect temporary fluctuation in rankings during a move.

If every address stays exactly the same, the move is simpler: it is a change of hosting, and Google's guide for that suggests lowering your DNS TTL, the time other networks cache your records, to a few hours at least a week before you switch.

Keeping your email working

Your website and your email are separate services that share a domain name. Email is routed by MX records in your domain's DNS settings. If your builder manages your DNS, which Wix calls connecting by name servers, those records live in your builder account. When the domain or its DNS moves elsewhere, the records have to be set up again at the new provider. Wix's own help says business email will not work after a domain is transferred away until the MX records are added again, and Google Workspace warns that email might not work correctly if old or incorrect MX records are left in place.

• Before changing anything, write down every DNS record: MX records, and any TXT or CNAME records your email provider asked you to add.
• Recreate them exactly at the new DNS provider before switching over.
• Change only the records that point at the website. Leave the email records alone.
• Afterwards, send test emails in both directions.

Telling Google about the move

• Verify your site in Google Search Console with a DNS record. A Domain property needs this method. Leave the record in place: removing it loses the verification.
• Submit your new sitemap in the Sitemaps report, which also shows any errors Google finds reading it.
• Only use the Change of Address tool if you are moving to a different domain. Keeping the same domain needs redirects and an updated sitemap, not the tool.
• Watch Search Console for errors over the following weeks. Google says a small to medium site can take a few weeks for most pages to move.

The move, step by step

1. 01List every page address on the current site and note which pages bring in the most visitors and enquiries.
2. 02If your domain was bought through the builder, move it to an account in your own name.
3. 03Write down every DNS record, especially those for email.
4. 04Build the new site and check every page before it goes live.
5. 05Set up a permanent redirect from each old address to its new one.
6. 06Lower the DNS TTL a week ahead, then switch only the website records.
7. 07Test: old addresses redirect, contact forms arrive, email sends and receives.
8. 08Verify Search Console, submit the sitemap and watch for errors.
9. 09Cancel the builder plan only once traffic to the old site has stopped and everything has carried across.

How we handle a move

Our websites start from $1,500, with the first 12 months of hosting, SSL and domain connection included. No GST is added: Blank Software Limited is not registered for GST. Our technical SEO foundation, $450, covers the parts of a move that protect your rankings: every old page address forwarded, titles and meta descriptions written by hand, structured data, and Search Console and Analytics set up in your own account. Your existing email is left untouched. You own the site and the accounts, with no lock-in. We are based in Christchurch and work with businesses across New Zealand.