WordPress to Webflow:
step-by-step guide

What this WordPress to Webflow migration guide covers

Before we dive into the migration process itself, let's first take a look at the basics.

Who this guide is for

Our comprehensive WordPress-to-Webflow migration handbook is for anyone who wants a custom website design without the limitations of WordPress themes. It's also intended for site owners and businesses that want to reduce plugin dependency and improve website performance, and teams looking to streamline content management and WebOps workflows.

When migrating from WordPress to Webflow makes sense

WordPress has been the go-to CMS for a long time. That's not changing anytime soon — but it's also no longer the only option. Many website owners are now turning to Webflow when they want to:

• Break free from theme limitations and design anything visually
• Reduce plugin bloat and the security risks that come with it
• Improve performance without relying on third-party optimization tools
• Simplify publishing workflows for non-technical teams
• Move to a platform built for modern WebOps and faster iteration

What's included in this guide

Besides migration steps, our detailed guide also covers the top reasons for making the switch, pre-migration steps, common pain points, and timeline estimates.

Step-by-step: How to migrate from WordPress to Webflow

If you're ready to move your site, our 8-step, battle-tested process can help preserve SEO and keep your content intact during the migration. So, let's get right into it.

Step 1 – Audit your existing WordPress website

Before starting the actual migration, run a thorough audit of your WordPress site. The goal here is to get a complete picture of what you're working with. To do this properly, you should:

• List all pages and content types: Create a spreadsheet with all static pages, blog posts, custom post types, and taxonomies. Add URLs, titles, and meta descriptions next to each entry.
• Identify high-value content: Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to flag high-traffic URLs and pages with strong backlink profiles. These are the ones you can't afford to lose during migration.
• Audit your plugins: Go through every active plugin and note what it does. Some will have Webflow equivalents, others will need to be replaced, and some you might be able to drop entirely.
• Review URL structures: Export a full URL list and look at the slug patterns. Flag anything inconsistent or overly complex that you'd want to clean up in the new setup.
• Document technical debt: Note outdated templates, unused custom fields, or legacy shortcodes that shouldn't carry over.

Step 2 – Define your Webflow site architecture

With a clear picture of your existing WordPress site, it's time to map out how things will translate into Webflow. Here's what that typically involves:

• Map content types to Webflow structures: Static pages stay as static pages. WordPress custom post types — like blog posts, case studies, or team members — should become Webflow CMS Collections.
• Define CMS Collection fields: For each Collection, plan out the fields you'll need, such as title, body, author, date, category, featured image, and any custom fields specific to that content type.
• Plan Collection relationships: Think through how Collections relate to each other, for example, posts linked to authors or categories. Webflow supports Reference and Multi-Reference fields for this.
• Clean up URL structures: This is a good opportunity to simplify slugs, remove unnecessary nesting, and standardize URL patterns across the site.
• Decide what not to migrate: Based on your audit, retire low-value pages, outdated posts, and unused content types rather than carrying them over by default.

Step 3 – Map SEO, URLs, and redirects

Preserving search visibility during a migration requires careful planning before you touch anything in production. Here's what needs to happen:

• Export all WordPress URLs: Use a plugin like Yoast or a crawler like Screaming Frog to export a complete URL list. This becomes the foundation of your redirect map.
• Map old URLs to new Webflow slugs: For every URL that's changing, note the old path and the new destination. Pay close attention to blog post slugs, category pages, and any paginated URLs.
• Transfer SEO metadata: Export page titles, meta descriptions, canonical tags, and image alt texts from WordPress and prepare them for import into Webflow's SEO fields or CMS Collection fields.
• Set up 301 redirects: Use your URL mapping document to configure 301 redirects in Webflow. The platform supports bulk redirect imports from a CSV, which saves a significant amount of time.

Step 4 – Rebuild design and layout in Webflow

This is where the visual work happens. Whether you're recreating your existing WordPress design or using the migration as an opportunity to refresh it, Webflow's Designer gives you full control over every detail.

Start by setting up a design system before building any pages. Define color variables, typography styles, and spacing values globally. Create reusable components for things like buttons, cards, navigation, and footers. This upfront investment keeps everything consistent and speeds up the build.

As you build out pages, work responsively from the start. Webflow's breakpoint system is powerful, but it requires deliberate attention, especially if you're coming from a theme-based system where mobile responsiveness was mostly handled for you.

Resist the urge to over-engineer interactions early on. Get the core layouts stable first, then layer in animations and custom interactions once the structure is solid.

Step 5 – Migrate content and CMS data

Moving WordPress content into Webflow involves a combination of CSV imports and manual work. There's no fully automated path here, but with the right preparation, it's manageable.

• Export from WordPress: Use the built-in WordPress exporter or a plugin like WP All Export to generate CSV files for each content type. You'll likely need separate exports for posts, pages, and any custom post types.
• Clean and format the CSVs: Webflow has specific requirements for CSV imports, including how rich text, images, and reference fields are formatted. Plan on spending time cleaning and reformatting the exported files before import.
• Handle images and media: Hosted images can be referenced by URL in the CSV. Images that only exist locally will need to be downloaded from WordPress and re-uploaded to Webflow's Asset Manager.
• Import and validate: Import CSVs into the corresponding Webflow CMS Collections and spot-check the results. For large content libraries, work in batches so issues are easier to isolate and fix.

Step 6 – Reconnect integrations and scripts

WordPress sites often rely on a mix of plugins, third-party tools, and custom code. None of that carries over automatically, so this step is about systematically restoring what needs to work on the new Webflow site.

Start with forms. Webflow has a built-in Form Builder that handles basic submission capture. If you need form submissions to flow into a CRM, marketing tool, or custom backend, rebuild the forms in Webflow and reconnect the integrations manually.

For analytics and tracking, re-add tools like Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, and any other tracking scripts through Webflow's Project Settings. Page-specific scripts can go into individual Page Settings.

Review your WordPress plugin list and find Webflow-compatible equivalents or third-party replacements for anything still needed. Tools like Zapier and Make can bridge gaps between Webflow and external services that don't have native integrations.

Step 7 – QA, performance, and SEO validation

Before going live, run a thorough QA pass across the entire site. This is not optional — catching issues now is far less costly than fixing them post-launch.

• Visual review: Compare every page against its WordPress counterpart. Check layouts, typography, spacing, and images across desktop, tablet, and mobile breakpoints.
• CMS validation: Spot-check CMS Collection items to confirm that fields are populated correctly, images are loading, and internal links point to the right destinations.
• Performance testing: Run the site through PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and GTmetrix. Aim to meet Core Web Vitals thresholds on both desktop and mobile.
• Redirect testing: Use Screaming Frog or a similar tool to crawl the old WordPress URLs and confirm they're all returning 301 redirects to the correct new destinations.
• SEO review: Check that all page titles, meta descriptions, heading structures, canonical URLs, and sitemap entries are in order before launch.

Step 8 – Launch and post-launch monitoring

When you're ready to go live, point your domain to Webflow, publish the site, and immediately submit the updated sitemap in Google Search Console. This tells Google about your new URL structure and speeds up re-indexing.

In the days and weeks after launch, keep a close eye on:

• Google Search Console: Watch for crawl errors, coverage issues, and any URLs returning unexpected status codes.
• Traffic and rankings: Some fluctuation is normal after a migration. Sustained drops after the first few weeks usually indicate something went wrong with redirects, indexing, or content transfer.
• Webflow Analyze: Use Webflow's built-in analytics alongside third-party tools to track performance and catch issues early.

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