Making the Switch from WordPress to a Wix Website in 2022
Many individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses stumble upon #Wix while working on their WordPress website. However, they feel intimidated in making the switch, and we can't blame them. It's a new challenge, a new platform, and requires a new commitment. If you believe #Wix is still the DIY rookie platform, you definitely need to check out all of Wix's new features and capabilities. Wix has turned into such a website platform giant that even schools around the country are starting to teach it.
As an agency we often get the question, why should we switch? Here is our typical answer:
You're probably paying someone quite a bit to maintain your WordPress website.
Someone is having to look out for:
Updates
Plugins
Security Issues
Firewalls & SSL certificates,
SEO and many other features that come with a website.
Doing it yourself is time-consuming and challenging.
So once you are caught up in the middle of these challenges, naturally you think of a new solution or you're ready to make a switch. Don't misinterpret this to where you will need zero support, however, you have a bigger team with Wix support behind you 24/7.
So why go with a "DIY" platform?
When Wix first launched to the public it was very basic and geared towards DIY individuals. That was back in 2007-2010. Wix has since then changed the website building game, accommodating the DIY crowd, along with the Agencies and advanced users.
Why do we recommend Wix as an Agency?
Easy, #Wix has a global reach of staff, devs, and engineers that help integrate most of these website features for you. Users have flexible plan options and can start websites for free along with an easier process to manage projects. Wix has partnered with agencies like CIS Agency, to build an all-in-one platform to manage hundreds of accounts and unlock advanced features! Don't forget to check out Wix's Editor X
A few things to think about before making the switch:
WordPress like many other website platforms does not have an easy switch button, so a lot of the switching will require manual work. However, Wix makes it easy to set up your new website. In the long run, you could be saving a lot of time and money.
Relearning the platforms is not always easy. The platforms are different and even though Wix is friendlier, sometimes it can have certain limitations, which can benefit you from not "breaking" the website.
Importing hundreds of blogs is not easy. Although Wix does have a great new feature of importing blogs from WordPress to Wix.
Users must learn about the variations of settings, plugins, and coding (not including all the frequent updates).
Have an agency like CIS Agency ready to help in areas that you might struggle with so you can focus more on growing your business, not troubleshooting your website.
What do most users do?
As stated before, many WordPress users learn that they don't have the capability to manage their websites or simply don't want to take the extra time to invest in all the updates and upkeep. They may have trouble when encountering new tasks, which in turn creates new issues. They may not want to take the time and effort to learn plugins, security, and coding. This learning can take hours of watching video tutorials, reading many manuals, and researching specific solutions. To learn 6 months later that most things have already been updated, leaving you frustrated and having to re-learn a lot of things. In many cases, some users won't be able to fix these issues on their own and don't want to pay developers costly amounts for individual fixes. This is where Wix shines as a solution for these users.
When do we hire someone like CIS Agency?
Some users have no trouble making the switch from WordPress to Wix on their own, but that's not always the case. Many users don't have the knowledge of the complexity of the process, set it up without the backend configured correctly, or don't want to take the time to re-build a whole new website.
Some users may find the following issues or challenges:
Plugins or 3rd Part Apps and Devs may not be compatible
Website transfers are unsuccessful or incomplete
WordPress and Wix templates are not compatible
Wix has a more controlled environment, which causes more limitations when importing
Working with new graphics and layouts.
The unknown world of #SEO
Users may ask themselves if specialized migration services are the answer.
We recommend ordering the website transfer process from CIS Agency which follows a 125 point checklist and all-in-one service from designers to developers. We offer website transfers quickly and easily. It takes the stress out of switching from WordPress to Wix for customers.
How to switch from WordPress to Wix
The most important part of making the switch is correctly connecting an old website domain to the new platform. All website characteristics and features are assigned to a domain name, which is found with search engines.
When making the switch from WordPress to Wix, a new website is created on the old domain with the preservation of content and structure. The new website will not be an exact replica of the old website, but a new website that resembles the old one and features similar content. The duration of a website switch depends upon the volume of the original website.
Here's what to do:
Back-Up your WP site.
Map Out your new website (You can use Mind Mup for this part).
Choose a team or Agency for support (content writing, graphic designer, marketing, SEO expert, software dev, etc)
Choose a good email and create an account with Wix.
Choose a template and a plan. (Note: most templates only have the initial design and can be customized)
Begin editing your website and transferring everything over.
Verify and proofread your new website (use an online website checklist or Wix experts)
Check out more Wix App Integrations for your new website.
Ready to connect the domain? Follow these steps or Wix will walk you through it from your dashboard.
Access the Wix dashboard and choose the "Connect Domain". Follow the instructions given.
Check the email to confirm the action of connecting the domain.
In the register, change the DNS settings of the domain. You can also choose "by pointing" please consider email disruptions via MX records or other domain DNS configurations (Txt Records, A-records, etc)
Connect your site and finish following Wix's recommendations for marketing integrations and other features.
This is a very summarized list, but it will give you the main idea of the structure you need to follow.
Need an advanced website setup? (Ex. e-commerce, bookings, or restaurant website)
WordPress has many plugins for these types of services. Maintaining and updating these plugins can become problematic for users, along with costly fees from developers.
Before attempting to transfer your e-commerce store, bookings, or restaurants WordPress site to Wix Stores, Wix Bookings, or other types of services, users should consider what the transfer entails. Note: .csv files will always be your main source of database importing/exporting.
Do you need to import your products to Wix Stores? Learn more here.
Conclusion:
Even though WP has led the website industry, Wix has blown away our expectations as they continue to improve and present revolutionary products like Editor X.
We believe that they are becoming a leader in the industry and can soon go head to head with platforms like WordPress. They introduce new features every week and their dev team seems to double every year. Having daily professional coders behind your website at a low cost is hard to beat.
Wix is a great solution if you're looking to:
Have a DIY Website approach
Transfer from WordPress to an easy-to-use platform
Want to manage the website and allow other agencies to collaborate
Hands-off technical approach, but highly involved with your website through the Wix Mobile App
In search for Wix Premium templates? View hundreds of custom templates built by CIS Agency. Do you need help switching from Wordpress to Wix? Our team specializes in making the switch and we're happy to assess your current situation.