You can usually keep a domain you control and reuse content you have the right to use. The website editor, apps and business records need a separate migration plan. Do not cancel the old website just because the new homepage looks ready.
If your current site brings enquiries, bookings or orders, those working routes are part of what you are moving. A replacement that looks similar can still lose a customer at the contact form or an old product link.
This guide is for business owners leaving Wix or a GoDaddy website product. It explains what to check before approving the move, rather than promising a one-click export or unchanged Google rankings. Platform documentation was checked on 21 October 2026.
First, identify what you actually have
Write down the provider and account owner for four things: your domain registration, website, DNS settings and business email. DNS is the set of records that directs your domain to services. One provider may supply all four, but they are separate responsibilities.
“My site is on GoDaddy” does not identify the website system. A WordPress installation hosted there has a different migration route from Websites + Marketing. GoDaddy's WordPress migration instructions cover site files and a database; do not apply that route to a builder site merely because the supplier name matches.
Wix explains that its website system runs on Wix infrastructure. Keeping your content does not give you a portable copy of the Wix editor. Expect a rebuild of the presentation and replacement of the functions you still need.
For a GoDaddy builder site, ask the supplier to demonstrate what your exact product can export and what the destination can import. A product spreadsheet is not evidence that the whole website can run elsewhere.
Define “a site I control” in the new agreement: domain access in your business's account, a named hosting account, an editable source or documented export, the necessary usage rights and a tested backup. A custom website can still depend on a developer's private account unless the handover says otherwise.
What you can keep, rebuild or need to verify
Use this as an inventory, then replace the general guidance with evidence from your accounts.
| Asset | Likely route | Proof to request before switching |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domain | Keep the registration active and connect it to the new site; a registrar transfer is a separate decision | Business access, renewal date and a saved record of current settings |
| Text, original images and downloads | Copy or export material you can lawfully reuse | An accessible local copy, image rights and a page-by-page inventory |
| Layout and editor | Recreate the necessary design and editing workflow | A working preview, including mobile pages and a real editing task |
| Products | Export supported data and map it to the destination's fields | A trial import checked for variants, SKUs, images and categories |
| Orders, members, subscriptions and bookings | Confirm each data type and operational dependency separately | A written migration or archive plan, including active commitments |
| Forms, email alerts and app connections | Reconfigure or replace each connection | A controlled test that reaches the right inbox or system |
| Old URLs and search setup | Keep useful addresses or map changed ones to the right destination | An old-to-new URL list and test results |
Both Wix Stores and GoDaddy Websites + Marketing document product CSV exports. Wix's cited export covers physical products and excludes digital products. Check the actual export before budgeting for the move.
For example, an exported product record may provide an image address rather than an independent image backup. Download the media you can reuse and verify it loads without the old account. This is a check to perform, not a claim that every export behaves the same way.
Protect the routes that already bring you business
Old page addresses. Imagine a customer opening a saved link to /services/pump-repair. If the new page is /pump-repairs/, the old address needs a suitable destination. That example is hypothetical; the same check applies to links in quotations, adverts and QR codes.
Google's site-move guidance recommends relevant permanent redirects when URLs change and keeping them generally for at least a year. Rankings can fluctuate. Preserve useful addresses where possible, map changed pages individually and test the actual old links. A promise to “keep all SEO” is not an acceptance test.
Email and enquiry delivery. GoDaddy's DNS guide distinguishes website and email records. Before changing nameservers or records, save the full current configuration and identify what email needs. Test sending and receiving email separately from submitting the website form. A form's success message alone does not prove the enquiry arrived.
Business state. A paid booking, unfulfilled order or recurring subscription is more than text on a page. Name the system that will handle the next appointment, payment or refund. Confirm whether passwords, saved payment methods and history can move with the destination providers; do not assume a contact CSV includes them. Keep sensitive exports in restricted storage, outside the public website files.
Use a staged switch with a clear stop point
Before the switch
- Save the page and URL inventory, permitted media, relevant exports and current account settings. Open the saved files to confirm they are usable.
- Build a private or search-blocked preview. Compare all agreed pages and functions with the inventory, including translated pages and downloads.
- Try a small representative data import before the full move. Check an item with variants or unusual characters, not just the simplest product.
- Agree who can change DNS, who approves the preview and who handles a failure. Record the old settings and what would trigger a rollback.
During the switch
- Set a final data cutoff. If orders or bookings continue during the move, reconcile the changes since the first export. Agree a short pause if the systems cannot safely accept updates together.
- Change only the settings required for the agreed move. Check the main domain and
www, secure connections, forms, email and important old links. - Remove the launch site's search block when it is ready. Keep the preview protected so it does not become a competing public copy.
After the switch
- Check enquiries in the receiving system and inspect failed URLs, search visibility and actual sales or booking activity separately. A successful launch does not prove commercial improvement.
- Give the business the agreed access, backups, exports and renewal list. Record which old subscriptions can end and which still serve email, records or another function.
- Cancel the old website service only after the required checks and data reconciliation. If the same domain stays in use, redirects can run on the new host; keeping redirects does not automatically require keeping the old builder plan.
Rollback also has a limit. Restoring old DNS settings may restore the old site, but it does not merge orders received by the new system. Include transaction reconciliation in the recovery plan.
When staying put is the better decision
Staying can be sensible if the current site does the job and your main problem is a few missing pages or an unreliable contact route. Start with the website self-audit checklist before paying for a rebuild.
A move is easier to justify when a specific limitation blocks the business: an integration you need, an editing process your team cannot use or an exit arrangement you cannot accept. Ask the proposed replacement to demonstrate that requirement. “More ownership” is useful only when access, exports and responsibilities are written down.
Include the replacement services and ongoing work in your annual website budget. Leaving a builder subscription does not remove the work of running a website.
What to ask for in the handover
Ask for a short acceptance sheet with each important asset, its destination, its test and the person responsible. For a lead-generation site, that includes old service links and enquiry delivery. For a trading site, add product details, active orders and the next payment or booking event.
Keep any exclusions explicit: an archive instead of imported order history, password resets instead of transferred passwords, or a replacement booking tool instead of the old app. Agree those outcomes before the switch.
Approve the migration when the agreed assets and customer routes work in the new setup, and your business can access and maintain them. A matching homepage is only one item on that list.
