Wix to Next.js Migration: A Complete Walkthrough

Moving off Wix is the right call for most growing businesses. But it scares people. Years of content, rankings you've worked hard for, customers who know your URLs — all of it feels at risk the moment you consider switching platforms.

It doesn't have to be. A properly executed Wix to Next.js migration preserves every page you've built, every ranking you've earned, and every link that points to your site from around the web. We've done this migration enough times to have a system that works. Here's what it looks like.

---

Why Businesses Leave Wix

Wix is a competent website builder. For a brand-new business with no SEO history and a tight budget, it's a reasonable starting point. But it has real ceilings:

PageSpeed. Wix generates heavy HTML with inline styles, unnecessary JavaScript, and limited control over rendering behavior. Most Wix sites score 40–65 on Google PageSpeed. That's below the threshold where Core Web Vitals become a ranking drag.

SEO control. Wix has added SEO features over the years, but it still abstracts away things that matter — canonical URL handling, schema markup customization, server-side rendering behavior. You're working within their constraints, not your own.

Development flexibility. Adding custom functionality to Wix means Velo (their JavaScript framework), which is powerful but creates lock-in. As your business needs grow, you keep bumping into the walls of what Wix allows.

Ownership. You don't own your Wix site. You own the content, but the infrastructure, the platform, and the export process are controlled by Wix. If their pricing changes or their service degrades, your options are limited.

Next.js on Vercel solves all of these. You own the code, control the rendering, and have no platform ceiling.

---

The SEO Risk Everyone Worries About

The number one concern with any platform migration is losing search rankings. This concern is valid — bad migrations have killed years of SEO work overnight. If you're building a proper SEO strategy for your Kent or Seattle business, a migration is also the natural moment to set the architecture up correctly from scratch.

The risk comes from one thing: broken URLs.

Google has indexed your Wix pages at specific URLs. Your backlinks point to those URLs. If your Next.js site launches with different URLs and no redirects, Google treats those as new pages. Your old pages 404. Rankings evaporate.

The fix is simple: 301 redirects. Every Wix URL needs a permanent redirect pointing to its equivalent Next.js URL. Set these up before or on the day of launch, and Google treats the new URL as the canonical destination of all the ranking signals the old one accumulated.

We handle this as a required step in every migration — not an optional add-on.

---

Our Wix to Next.js Migration Process

Step 1: Audit and Inventory

Before touching a line of code, we document everything:

• Full URL inventory of every indexed Wix page (pulled from Google Search Console)
• Current rankings for each page worth preserving
• Backlink profile — which pages have external links pointing to them
• Content inventory — blog posts, service pages, landing pages, images

This audit drives the redirect map. Every URL in the old site gets a destination in the new one.

Step 2: Content Export and Conversion

Wix doesn't provide a clean content export. We pull content from Wix (via export or scraping), convert it to clean MDX format, and preserve all metadata — titles, descriptions, dates, slugs.

Images get downloaded, properly named, compressed, and pushed to the Next.js /public directory. All image references are updated. Alt text is added or preserved.

Step 3: Next.js Site Build

With content in hand, we build the Next.js site from scratch. Not a Wix clone — a better version of it. Faster, cleaner, with proper heading structure and SEO architecture built in.

Every page gets:

• Meta title and description matching or improving the Wix original
• Canonical URL set correctly
• Structured data (LocalBusiness, Article, FAQ schema as relevant)
• Open Graph tags for social sharing

We build on the same Next.js infrastructure we use for all our client sites — 95+ PageSpeed scores are the baseline expectation.

Step 4: Redirect Map Implementation

With the URL inventory from Step 1, we implement 301 redirects in next.config.js:

// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  async redirects() {
    return [
      { source: '/old-wix-slug', destination: '/new-nextjs-slug', permanent: true },
      // ...one entry per migrated URL
    ]
  }
}

Every redirect is tested before launch. We verify HTTP status codes, destination accuracy, and that no redirect chains exist (A → B → C should be collapsed to A → C).

Step 5: Launch and GSC Handoff

Launch day is controlled. We:

1. Deploy the Next.js site to Vercel
2. Verify all redirects return 301 status
3. Submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console
4. Request indexing for high-priority pages via GSC's URL Inspection tool
5. Monitor coverage reports for the first 2 weeks

Google typically processes the migration within 30–60 days. Rankings may dip slightly during that window as Google recrawls — this is normal and temporary if redirects are set correctly.

---

What You Get After Migration

After a proper Wix to Next.js migration, here's what changes:

| | Wix | Next.js on Vercel | |---|---|---| | PageSpeed score | 40–65 | 95–100 | | Build time | N/A (hosted) | ~30 seconds | | Monthly cost | $25–50/mo (Wix plan) | ~$0–20/mo (Vercel free tier) | | SEO control | Limited | Full | | Developer flexibility | Velo only | Full JavaScript ecosystem | | Content updates | Wix editor | Code + MDX or headless CMS |

---

Wix to Next.js Migration: Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my Google rankings when I migrate from Wix to Next.js?

If 301 redirects are implemented correctly for every URL, your rankings are preserved. Google transfers SEO equity from the old URL to the new one via permanent redirects. The risk comes from missed redirects — URLs that return 404 instead of redirecting. Our process inventories every indexed URL before migration to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

How long does a Wix to Next.js migration take?

Most migrations take three to six weeks depending on site size. A simple business site with five to fifteen pages takes three weeks. A site with a large blog archive or complex custom pages may take five to eight weeks. The redirect mapping phase is the most time-intensive — every URL needs to be accounted for.

Do I need to rewrite all my content for the Next.js site?

No. We convert your existing Wix content to MDX format and preserve it. If your content was performing well in Wix, we keep it intact. We'll flag pages that have thin or duplicate content as candidates for improvement, but the migration itself is content-preserving by default.

What happens to my Wix domain when I migrate?

Your domain (e.g., yourbusiness.com) points to Vercel instead of Wix after migration. We handle the DNS change. Your domain registrar stays the same — only the DNS records change. Downtime during the switch is under a minute for most registrars with standard TTL settings.

Can you migrate a Wix site with a large blog?

Yes. We've migrated Wix blogs with 50+ posts. Each post is exported, converted to MDX, and gets its own redirect from the old Wix URL. Blog migrations take longer because of the volume of content and URL pairs, but the process is the same. Posts with existing rankings are treated as high priority in the redirect map.

---

Ready to Leave Wix Behind?

If your business has outgrown Wix — or if you're watching your competitors pull ahead in search because their sites are faster — let's talk. A Wix to Next.js migration is a one-time investment that pays off every month in better rankings and faster load times.

We serve businesses throughout the South King County area, including Kent and Federal Way, as well as Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region.

Free 30-minute consultation. We'll review your current Wix site and give you a clear picture of what the migration involves.

Book your free migration consultation →

Looking for more? Read our guide on How to Choose a Web Developer in Kent WA: A No-BS Guide.

---

If you want a visual refresh alongside the platform move, our website redesign service for Kent, Washington handles the design, development, and migration as a single project.

Digital Project LLC handles Wix to Next.js migrations for businesses in Seattle, Kent, Federal Way, and across the Pacific Northwest.