01 / Guides
Why businesses leave Wix
The reasons we hear most: costs grow with every extra feature, the site is slow on mobile, the design hits limits, and SEO lacks control over the details. Add to that the feeling of not really owning your own website.
Wix is not a bad tool. For a start, a builder is often the right call. When it is worth moving to a site of your own is covered in our comparison of website builders and studios.
02 / Guides
What you can take from Wix
| Content | Exportable? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Yes | Bought at Wix: unlock it and start a transfer; Wix emails the authorisation (EPP) code to the registrant. Bought elsewhere: just change the DNS records |
| Text | Yes, by hand | Copy page by page; a good moment to drop outdated content |
| Images | Yes | Download from the Media Manager in original size |
| Products (Wix Stores) | Yes | Export as CSV and import into Shopify or WooCommerce after mapping the columns |
| Contacts | Yes | Export as CSV; keep records of newsletter consent |
| Blog posts | Partly | No export other systems can import directly; usually moved via the RSS feed or by hand |
| Design and template | No | Stays with Wix; the new site is designed fresh |
| Forms, bookings, apps | No | Set up again in the new system |
03 / Guides
Migrate from Wix in eight steps
- 01
List every URL
Open yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml and save all addresses in a spreadsheet. If you use Google Search Console, also export the pages that get clicks. This list is the basis for your redirects.
- 02
Back up your content
Save text, images, products (CSV), contacts (CSV) and blog posts. Note the page titles and meta descriptions of your key pages from the SEO settings.
- 03
Choose where to go
Your own website, Shopify for a shop, or WordPress with a host. The options are below.
- 04
Build the new site completely
Build it on a staging address and test it fully before the domain moves. The old site stays online until the new one is ready.
- 05
Set up redirects
Create a 301 redirect from every old address to the matching new page, in the new system rather than in Wix. Typical Wix patterns: /post/title for blog posts and /product-page/name for products.
- 06
Move or repoint the domain
Domain bought at Wix: transfer it to your new provider. Domain bought elsewhere: point the DNS at the new hosting. Then set the email (MX) records again, or mail stops arriving.
- 07
Tell Google
Verify the domain in Search Console, submit the new sitemap and watch the page indexing and 404 reports for a week.
- 08
Only now cancel Wix
Cancel the Premium plan only once domain, email and redirects work. A domain transfer runs separately from the website plan.
04 / Guides
Keeping your domain: what to watch in the transfer
Your domain is yours, even if you bought it through Wix. To move it, unlock it in your Wix account under Domains and choose to transfer it away from Wix. Wix then emails an authorisation (EPP) code to the domain's registrant contact, so check beforehand that this address is current and that you can access it.
Under ICANN rules, domains such as .com cannot be transferred for 60 days after registration, a previous transfer or a change of registrant details. Country domains such as .co.uk follow their own process; for .uk, Wix uses a change of IPS tag instead of an EPP code. If you use business email on the domain, plan the MX records into the move. Wix itself notes that they must be set again after the transfer.
05 / Guides
Where to go after Wix
A custom website from a studio
Your own design, hand-written code without plugins, full control over SEO, and a site you own. Worth it when the website has to bring in enquiries. This is the route we offer.
Shopify for online shops
If you mainly sell on Wix, Shopify usually serves you better: stronger commerce features and products via CSV import.
WordPress with a host
For people who want to run the site themselves. Hosts such as Hostinger offer one-click WordPress; maintenance and updates are on you. We do not support this route, as we do not build WordPress sites.
Another website builder
Cheaper perhaps, but the same lock-in. Only makes sense if price is the only reason for leaving.
06 / Guides
Disclosure about Hostinger
Tanomedia is a verified Hostinger partner, and tanomedia.com itself runs on Hostinger. That is a business relationship you should know about when reading this recommendation. The steps in this guide work the same with any other host.
07 / Guides
Keeping your rankings: redirects decide
The most common mistake when leaving Wix: the new site goes live, the old addresses return 404 errors, and rankings built up over years disappear within weeks. A complete redirect list matters more than any design detail.
Expect a few weeks of movement while Google processes the new addresses. If the new site does not show up at all, our guide on why a website is not showing on Google helps. For everything else around a relaunch, see signs you need a website redesign.
08 / Guides
Checklist for moving day
- New site fully tested on staging: forms send, legal pages are correct, cookie consent works.
- Redirect list imported and tested with ten old Wix addresses.
- DNS change or domain transfer started, email (MX) records noted and ready.
- Search Console verified and the new sitemap submitted.
- Google Business Profile and social profiles linked to the new pages.
- Wix plan stays active until everything has run for a week without errors.
09 / Guides
What the move costs
A paid Wix plan runs until the end of its term, so plan the move well before renewal. On the other side are the new website, hosting (typical market range: €5 to €30 a month for a business site) and your time for content.
Moving it yourself saves money but often takes several weekends. What a professional website costs and what drives the price is covered in how much a website costs.
FAQ
Common questions
01Can I export my Wix website?
Not as a whole. Design and layout cannot be moved to another host. You can export products and contacts as CSV files; text and images are moved by hand.
02Can I keep my domain if I leave Wix?
Yes. A domain bought at Wix can be transferred to a new provider using the authorisation code Wix emails to the registrant. A domain bought elsewhere only needs its DNS pointed at the new hosting.
03Will I lose my Google rankings?
Not if every old address is redirected with a 301 to the matching new page. Without redirects, rankings are lost. A few weeks of movement are normal.
04When should I cancel my Wix plan?
Only once the new site is live and domain, email and redirects all work. Cancelling earlier risks downtime.
05How do I migrate from Wix to Hostinger?
Build the new site on Hostinger (for example with WordPress), set up 301 redirects for all old Wix URLs, then transfer the domain or point its DNS to Hostinger and reset the email records. We are a Hostinger partner; the same steps work with other hosts.
06Can I move from Wix to WordPress myself?
Yes, if you have the time. The hard parts are rebuilding the design, moving blog posts cleanly and setting up every redirect. Many people do the content themselves and get help from a WordPress agency with the design and redirects. We do not build with WordPress ourselves; we hand-code websites.