Convert Webflow Website into WordPress — Step-by-Step Guide

1. Why migrate from Webflow to WordPress

• Plugin ecosystem: SEO, caching, ecommerce, membership and more.

• Cost control: More hosting choices and cheaper scaling.

• Developer flexibility: PHP, custom themes, more integrations.

• Community & support: Large ecosystem and developers.

2. Pre-migration checklist

• Gather Webflow credentials and owner access.

• Inventory of all pages (CSV or spreadsheet).

• Inventory of assets (images, videos, downloads).

• List custom code snippets, JS/CSS, fonts, and libraries.

• Note third-party services: forms, payments, analytics, Zapier.

• Back up current Webflow site (export if possible) and take screenshots.

• Decide migration method (manual rebuild vs automated).

• Choose WordPress hosting and provisioning.

3. Full audit of your Webflow site

Create a full site audit covering:

• URLs and page hierarchy

• Internal links and navigation

• Content (text length, headings, H1/H2 usage)

• Images size, formats and alt text

• Webflow CMS items (and whether they can be exported)

• Forms and their recipients

• Custom JS or third-party embeds

• SEO titles, meta descriptions, structured data

• Analytics and tracking codes

Tip: Export a CSV list of pages or build one manually — you’ll need this for redirects.

4. Exporting content & assets from Webflow

For static sites:

1. In Webflow Designer > Project Settings > Code > Export (Download ZIP).

2. Inside the ZIP, copy the images/ folder and HTML files.

3. Keep a spreadsheet mapping URLs to HTML filenames.

For Webflow CMS-powered sites:

• Webflow CMS content may not fully export. Use the Webflow Editor to export CMS as CSV (if available) or copy content manually. For large CMS collections, consider using the Webflow API to programmatically extract content.

Important: Forms in Webflow usually send data to Webflow. You will need to recreate form logic in WordPress and reconfigure endpoints.

5. Choose hosting and set up WordPress

Hosting options (pick based on traffic & budget):

• Managed: WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel

• Shared/Cloud: SiteGround, Bluehost, DigitalOcean, Cloudways

Initial WP setup:

• Create a new DB + user (or use host’s one-click install)

• Install WordPress (latest stable release)

• Enable HTTPS (install SSL)

• Set Permalinks → Post name

• Install clean theme (e.g., Astra, Hello Elementor)

• Create admin user and enable 2FA if desired

6. Decide: Theme vs Page Builder vs Custom Theme

Options:

• Elementor Pro (recommended for designers migrating from Webflow)

• Gutenberg with block themes (lightweight)

• Custom theme if you need pixel-perfect reproduction and performance

Why Elementor?

• Visual drag-and-drop similar to Webflow

• Templates and global styles

• Wide 3rd-party widgets and plugin compatibility

7. Rebuild design and layout (Elementor recommended)

Steps:

1. Install Elementor + Elementor Pro.

2. Create Theme Builder templates for Header, Footer, Single Page, and Archive.

3. Recreate global colors, fonts, and spacing to match Webflow.

4. Use Elementor sections for hero, features, testimonials, CTAs.

5. Add responsive adjustments for tablet & mobile.

6. Recreate interactions/animations using Elementor motion effects (or minimal JS where necessary).

Tip: Keep the layout mobile-first and test at multiple breakpoints.

8. Import content and media

Pages & Posts:

• For a small site, copy-paste content into WP Editor / Elementor.

• For many pages, use CSV import tools like WP All Import or the native WordPress Importer for XML.

Media:

• Upload images/ folder into Media Library. If you have dozens/hundreds of files, use an FTP client to upload to wp-content/uploads/YYYY/MM/ then run a plugin like Media from FTP to register files in the library.

• Optimize images with ShortPixel or Smush and convert to WebP.

Replace URLs:

• After import, run a search-and-replace (WP CLI or plugin) to update old Webflow absolute URLs to new domain or media paths.

9. Recreate forms, scripts & integrations

• Recreate forms with WPForms, Formidable, or Gravity Forms.

• Connect to email services (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign) or Zapier.

• Re-embed third-party JS (e.g., chat widgets, analytics) via wp_head/wp_footer or via dedicated plugin.

• Reconfigure any ecommerce (Webflow Ecommerce needs migration to WooCommerce).

10. SEO migration (titles, meta, schema, sitemaps)

Install SEO plugin: Rank Math or Yoast.

Copy meta data:

• Transfer page titles & meta descriptions exactly (or optimize while migrating).

• Recreate breadcrumbs and structured data (schema). Plugins like Rank Math can add schema automatically.

• Generate sitemap.xml and submit to Google Search Console.

• Keep canonical URLs consistent.

Preserve URL structure when possible to avoid losing rankings.

11. URL mapping & 301 redirects

1. Build a CSV or spreadsheet with two columns: Old URL and New URL.

2. Use Redirection plugin or server-level redirects.

Example Apache .htaccess 301:

Large site best practice: Import redirects via the Redirection plugin CSV import or handle at server/CDN level for speed.

12. Performance & security setup

Performance:

• Install caching (WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache)

• Use a CDN (Cloudflare, BunnyCDN)

• Minify CSS/JS and combine critical CSS

• Use lazy-loading for below-the-fold images

Security:

• Install a security plugin (Wordfence, Sucuri)

• Disable file editing in wp-config.php

• Configure backups (UpdraftPlus, Jetpack Backup)

13. Testing & QA

Checklist:

• Check all internal links and 404s

• Test forms and lead flows

• Mobile usability and responsive checks

• Speed tests (GTmetrix, PageSpeed Insights)

• Accessibility checks (contrast, alt texts)

• Cross-browser testing (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

• Check structured data using Rich Results Test

14. Go-live checklist

1. Put WordPress site into maintenance mode while finalizing.

2. Replace DNS or update A record to new host (or swap hosts if using same domain).

3. Re-test SSL and secure cookies.

4. Re-check indexing settings (Settings → Reading → discourage search engines should be OFF).

5. Remove staging-specific scripts and credentials.

6. Double-check redirects and canonical tags.

15. Post-launch checklist & monitoring

• Submit sitemap to Google Search Console & Bing Webmaster Tools.

• Monitor crawl errors and fix 404s.

• Monitor traffic & rankings for a few weeks.

• Keep backups and run security scans.

• Schedule a site speed audit after 1–2 weeks to fine tune.

16. Troubleshooting common issues

Lost images/404s: Ensure media paths were updated and run search-replace for old domain URLs.

Broken forms: Check endpoint URLs, double opt-in settings, and test transaction emails.

Performance drop: Check plugin conflicts, heavy scripts, or missing caching/CDN.

SEO drops: Verify redirects, metadata, and that pages are indexable.

17. Final CTA

Need help migrating? SRGIT offers end-to-end Webflow → WordPress migration services, including SEO preservation, custom theme development, and post-launch monitoring.

Contact: contact@srgit.com