I’m Kayla. I build stuff on the web. And I actually did the thing people talk about—I moved three live sites from WordPress to Webflow. I thought it would be easy. It wasn’t. But it also wasn’t a disaster. Funny how both can be true.
Let me explain.
Pro tip: For a tactical walkthrough of migrating a WordPress site (plus an SEO checklist), check out this detailed case study.
Why I Even Switched
I was tired. Plugins kept breaking. Updates made me sweat. A simple design tweak felt like pulling teeth.
I wanted:
- Faster load times without chasing cache plugins
- A clean editor my clients could use without fear
- Fewer moving parts (and fewer “white screen of doom” mornings)
Still weighing whether WordPress or Webflow fits your stack? CXL’s extensive comparison of WordPress vs Webflow breaks down speed, flexibility, and total cost of ownership.
By the way, if you're wondering how Webflow stacks up against other no-code builders, I put it head-to-head with Tilda and documented the real sites I built with both—dig into that deep-dive for the full story.
But I also love WordPress. It’s a beast in a good way. So I didn’t leave it fully. I just moved the right sites.
Example 1: My Food Blog (480 Posts) — The Big One
This was my baby. WordPress + Elementor + ACF + Yoast. Lots of custom fields. Recipes. Notes. Mess.
What I did:
- I used WP All Export to pull posts and fields to CSV
- I built a Webflow CMS with fields for ingredients, steps, cook time, and rating
- I mapped the data in Webflow’s import tool
- I set 301 redirects with Webflow’s redirect panel (more on that pain later)
Real hiccups:
- Slugs: WordPress used “/recipes/” and I had “/recipe/” in Webflow. That broke links. I fixed it with a big Google Sheet, then pasted rules into Webflow. Boring, but it worked.
- Images: The CSV didn’t carry images cleanly. I had to bulk upload and match file names. It took me a whole rainy Sunday. Two coffees. Mild rage.
- Recipe schema: I used to have a schema plugin. In Webflow, I added a JSON-LD embed and pulled CMS fields into it. Sounds fancy. It’s just copy-paste with some smart brackets.
Results:
- Speed went from about 4.2s to 1.3s on my test pages
- CLS dropped a lot once I set image sizes
- Organic traffic stayed flat for two weeks, then started to climb (small, but nice)
- Ad scripts still slowed things a bit—no magic bullet there
If you're curious how a media-heavy site can still feel lightning-fast after a migration, take a peek at Kinox and run it through your favorite speed test—you'll see what's possible.
Time: two weekends and a few nights. Worth it? For this site, yes. Editing is a breeze now.
Example 2: A Local Gym Site — Bookings, But Keep It Simple
This gym had WordPress + Elementor + The Events Calendar. Staff kept breaking layouts. Not their fault. Too many buttons.
What I did:
- Rebuilt the site in Webflow with the Client-First naming system (from Finsweet). Clean classes. Easy.
- Used Calendly embeds for bookings. No heavy plugin mess.
- Set up a small Memberstack gate for “members only” workout plans
Good things:
- The coach edits text now without calling me. Bless.
- Pages load fast even with videos
- I added JetBoost for filters on workouts (simple tags, nice UX)
Hard truth:
- Recurring events were clunky. Webflow CMS doesn’t do that out of the box. I used Make (it’s like Zapier) to copy events each month. It works, but it’s not hands-off.
Cost change:
- WordPress hosting: about $35/month (Kinsta)
- Webflow CMS + Memberstack + JetBoost: about $45–55/month
- I pay a bit more, but I sleep better
Example 3: A Nonprofit Events Site — The One That Almost Broke Me
They had 1,200 past events in WordPress using The Events Calendar. They wanted search, tags, maps, the works.
What I did:
- Exported all events with WP All Export
- Built Webflow CMS collections for events, locations, and speakers
- Used Finsweet Attributes for search and filters
Big wall:
- Webflow has an item cap. We hit it fast. I had to archive old events and keep only the last 18 months live.
- Recurring events again. I set a Make automation that reads an Airtable and pushes new events to Webflow. It’s neat. It also breaks when someone renames a column. Ask me how I know.
Result:
- Their team loves the Editor
- Guests find events faster
- I do a little monthly check to keep the sync healthy
Would I do this one again? Maybe. But I’d cut the event history sooner.
The Shop I Didn’t Move (Mostly)
There was a WooCommerce store I planned to move. After a test build, I backed off. Webflow ecom is fine for simple stuff. This store had bundles, discounts, tax rules, shipping zones, and gift cards.
My fix:
- I kept checkout on Shopify with Buy Buttons
- Webflow runs the catalog and content
It looks great. It feels quick. It’s a little odd behind the scenes, but it’s stable.
What Went Smooth
- Design control: I got the layout I wanted without wrestling. Interactions felt… fun.
- Content editing: The Editor is safe. Clients don’t nuke the page.
- Speed: No cache rabbit hole. Global CDN did its thing.
- Class naming: Client-First made the CSS clean. My future self says thanks.
What Was Rough
- 301 redirects: If your slugs change, plan a map. I used Screaming Frog and a spreadsheet. It took hours, but saved rankings.
- CSV imports: Images and rich text need care. Do a small test first.
- Multi-language: WordPress with WPML was strong. In Webflow, I used Weglot. It’s good, but it adds cost.
- Forms: I missed Gravity Forms. Webflow forms are simple. I used Make to send leads to Slack and my CRM.
- CMS limits: Big sites can hit caps. Archive old stuff or split across sites.
- No PHP: If you rely on custom PHP, you’ll need a headless setup or external tools.
Tools I Actually Used
- WP All Export and WP All Import for moving data
- Screaming Frog for URL maps
- Yoast for grabbing titles and meta (then set them in Webflow)
- Google Sheets for slug mapping
- Finsweet Client-First and Attributes for classes and filters
- Relume Library for quick layout parts
- Make and Zapier for automations
- Google Tag Manager for tracking
- Cloudflare for DNS and a smooth cutover
- Search Console to re-submit sitemaps
- And if you ever think of outsourcing the hand-off, here's what actually happened when I hired two different Figma-to-Webflow agencies.
Costs, Real Talk
- WordPress (for me): $20–40/month for hosting + $10–30/month in random plugins
- Webflow CMS site: $23–29/month
- Add-ons: Memberstack ($9–39), Weglot (varies), JetBoost ($9–19)
- Time is money. I spent more time on the first migration than I guessed. The next two went faster.
My Checklist for a Safe Move
- Audit content first. What stays? What goes?
- Keep URLs the same if you can. If not, make a redirect sheet
- Start with a small import test (10 items). Check images and fields
- Compress images and set widths and heights
- Re-add meta titles, descriptions, and OG images
- Test on staging. Click every button like you’re bored
- Flip DNS during a quiet window. Watch logs. Drink water
- Push a fresh sitemap. Watch Search Console for 2–3 weeks
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