Website migration to WordPress
Most of what goes wrong in a move is invisible on the day. We ran a small test on 10 October 2026. A setting held a web address, and a plain find and replace swapped in a new domain. PHP 8.4.13 then returned false when it tried to read the setting back. The site would have loaded. The theme would have lost an option, quietly.
Planning a move? Tell us about the site
We are DistroCode, a US company that builds WordPress sites and writes its own plugins under the name PluginSprout. We have been building websites since 2017, and DistroCode LLC was registered in 2023. Moves are one part of that work. We copy WordPress sites to a new host, and we rebuild Wix, Joomla and Squarespace sites in WordPress.
What does a migration include?
The same list for every move, large or small.
Your old site stays as it is until you have seen the new one and said yes. Nothing is switched off or deleted on our side before then.
- a full backup of the old site before we touch anything
- a list of every page address on the old site, made before the move
- the move itself, onto the new site while the old one keeps running
- checks on the new site before your domain points at it
- a written note on what moved, what changed and what you need to do
Which moves do we handle?
Each kind of move carries over a different share of the old site, so each one gets its own plan. Joomla sites are rebuilt the same way as Wix sites, and the quote says what carries across.
WordPress to a new host
This is the closest to a straight copy. The files and the database move across, and WordPress itself stays the same.
The risk is in the details. WordPress stores its own address in two settings named siteurl and home, and many themes and plugins store full web addresses inside their settings too. If the domain changes, every one of those has to change with it.
A plain find and replace on the database can break them. We tried it before writing this page. A setting saved by PHP read s:22:"https://old-host.test/", where 22 is the length of the address. After a plain replace with a 29-character address, the 22 stayed. PHP’s unserialize returned false, and that is what WordPress 7.1.2 hands back to the theme in place of the setting (PHP 8.4.13 on our own machine, October 10, 2026; maybe_unserialize, wp-includes/functions.php, lines 653 to 659).
The WordPress handbook gives the same warning: “If you do a search and replace on your entire database to change the URLs, you can cause issues with data serialization” (Moving WordPress, checked October 10, 2026). So we use a replace that rewrites those lengths, and we check the settings pages afterwards.
Wix to WordPress
A Wix site cannot be moved as files. Wix says a site “needs to be hosted and operated on Wix’s servers” (Wix Help Center, checked October 10, 2026).
So a Wix move is a rebuild. We copy the text and images across, build the pages again in WordPress, and set the layout to match as closely as WordPress allows. Your domain name can come with you, and we check where it is registered before planning the switch.
Squarespace to WordPress
Squarespace exports a file in WordPress format, but only part of the site goes into it. Its help page lists what stays behind: store pages, product blocks, drafts, custom CSS, and “More than one blog page” (Squarespace Help Center, Exporting your site, checked October 10, 2026).
A one-blog site with simple pages comes across fairly whole. A Squarespace store does not: the products have to be moved another way, and the quote says how.
If you want to stay on Squarespace and change the design instead, that is our Squarespace website design service.
Your host offers a free migration. When is that enough?
Often, for a plain WordPress site moving from one host to another. Some hosts move a site in for free when you sign up, and if the domain stays the same, that may be all you need.
It is not enough when the site is moving off Wix, Joomla or Squarespace, because that is a rebuild and not a copy. It is also thin when the site takes orders or bookings, or when nobody will check the forms and the checkout once the copy lands.
If the host’s free move suits your site, take it. We would rather tell you that than quote for it.
Will I lose my rankings or links?
We cannot promise rankings. What we can do is keep the addresses search engines already know working.
That is what the address list is for. Before the move, we list every page address on the old site. After it, each old address either works as it did or redirects to the page that replaced it.
Moves off Wix or Squarespace usually change addresses, because WordPress builds its addresses its own way. A host-to-host move with the same domain usually changes none.
How does a move run, step by step?
In six steps.
- Backup first. A full backup of the old site, files and database, kept outside the old host. On Wix or Squarespace, where there is no full backup to take, we save the content and the export instead.
- The address list. Every page address on the old site, written down before anything moves.
- The move. We build or copy the new site on the new host. The old site keeps running, and your visitors still see it.
- The checks. We go through the new site page by page before anyone else sees it. The next section lists what we check.
- The switch. When you have seen the new site and said yes, the domain is pointed at it. For a store, we agree a quiet hour with you and pause new orders for the final copy, so no order is left behind on the old site.
- A written note. What moved, what was rebuilt, which addresses now redirect, and anything you still need to do, such as cancelling the old hosting plan once you are happy.
What do we check after the move?
Before the domain switches, we check:
- that every page on the address list opens, or redirects to its new page
- that each contact form sends, with a test message to you
- for a store, the cart and the checkout, with a test order
- that images load from the new site and not from the old one
- that logins work for you and anyone else who edits the site
After the switch, we check the same list again on the live domain.
What will we not promise?
Moves have limits, and these are ours. Read them before you ask for a quote.
- Zero downtime. We keep it short and plan it with you, but we do not promise none.
- Search rankings. We keep old addresses working. Rankings depend on more than the move.
- A pixel-perfect copy of a Wix or Squarespace design. Those designs are rebuilt in WordPress, as close as WordPress allows.
- Hosting. We move the site to the host you choose. We do not host it.
- Moves to Shopify. We only move sites into WordPress or between WordPress hosts, so for this one you need another provider.
- Malware cleanup in the move price. If the old site is hacked, we clean it first as a separate job, quoted after we see the site, and then move it.
Questions owners ask
How much does a website migration cost?
Every move is quoted per site, after we have seen it. The quote names the price and lists what moves and what is rebuilt.
Can you move WooCommerce orders and customers?
On a WordPress to WordPress move, yes. Orders, customers and products live in the database, and the database moves with the site.
The risk is the gap. An order placed on the old site after the final copy is taken is not on the new one. That is why we pause new orders for the final copy.
A Squarespace store is different, because its export leaves products and store pages behind. The quote says how the products will move.
How long will the site be down?
We will not give a number before we have seen the site. The new site is built and checked while the old one keeps running, so most of the work happens with no downtime at all.
Do you need my logins?
Yes: admin access to the old site, and access to the new hosting account. For a domain switch, we also need access where the domain is registered, or someone who can make the change with us.
A separate admin user for us is better than sharing your own password, and you can delete it when the move is done.
What happens after the move?
You can take it from there yourself. If you would rather have someone keep it updated, our WordPress maintenance plan is $99 a month, or $229 a month for a WooCommerce store.
How do I reach you?
By email at sales@distrocode.com or through the contact form. We reply in writing within one working day, Monday to Friday, so you keep a record of what was said.
Is a move coming up?
Tell us where the site is now, where it is going, and whether it takes orders or bookings. Contact us or email sales@distrocode.com, and we will reply with the questions we need answered before we can quote the move.