About the project
We were tasked with redesigning a client’s non-profit website, including migrating existing files and content from the Wix platform to the WordPress CMS.
What is Wix?
In case you don’t know, Wix is a drag-and-drop HTML website builder. It is a great tool to get a website up in a couple of hours or less in some cases, but rarely do sites built on Wix look professional. What is not commonly known is that there is no simple migration from Wix to WordPress at the time of writing this case study.
Reasons to Move From Wix to WordPress
Don’t get me wrong, Wix is great when you are starting out, but as you grow, you will require a self-hosted solution like WordPress. The main reason for this transition is due to the design freedom WordPress allows the user to implement certain features. Another Key issue is responsiveness. We’ve migrated quite a few websites from Wix to WordPress, and most clients cited a lack of mobile responsiveness as the number one reason to switch platforms.
Problems With the Old Wix Website
The client’s old website design was dated and clunky. The website was not responsive. Elements didn’t respond well to various screen sizes, and images weren’t correctly sized. In addition to broken functionality, the website was confusing to navigate, with duplicate content on numerous pages. What’s more, the mobile version didn’t have a menu icon and no menu to display navigation.
Moving Website to WordPress
Step 1 – New Website Brand Book
Our team decided to start out with a complete branding overhaul before moving forward with wireframing and development. The process included refining the existing logo and creating a brand book with a new color palette, fonts, and other design elements.
Step 2 – Website Wireframing
We are huge fans of user experience and design all our websites with the user in mind. This project was no different. Our primary goal in this step was to structure the website content in easy-to-navigate layouts with smaller digestible content blocks. In doing so, we reduced the overall scroll time for desktop and mobile by almost 25% and retained all of the important content.
Step 3 – Building Website on WordPress
Our primary objective when developing this website was to keep all file sizes to a minimum to lower website load times without compromising site functionality. We successfully decreased unnecessary code, thus reducing the overall website bloat. Since there is no direct migration option from Wix to WordPress, we had to manually transfer all data, including text, images, and all other content, to the new website. The newly redesigned site is perfectly responsive and displays beautifully across all devices.
Step 4 – Website SEO & Structure
Moving the website to WordPress required setting up an SEO plugin and configuring it in order to automatically submit the sitemap to Google and other search engines. We optimized the website with the necessary tags, titles, and descriptions to make pages more search-engine friendly.
Wix to WordPress Frequently Asked Questions
How do I move my website from Wix to WordPress?
It’s not as straight forward as it sounds. You will need to manually move all content including all website files over manually.
How much does it cost to move my website from Wix to WordPress?
The short answer: It depends. Get in touch with us to get an accurate cost of migrating your Wix website to WordPress.
How long does it take to move my website from Wix to WordPress?
On average, it can take 4-6 weeks from start to finish. Migrating a website from one platform to another is very similar to building a new website. In many cases it requires similar steps as designing and developing a website from scratch.