Wix to Astro migration: an SEO checklist to keep rankings

The usual failure isn’t in the code. The new site looks great, the old URLs return 404, and nobody notices until Search Console shows impressions dropping three weeks later. The fix was a spreadsheet and an afternoon.

One note on names. Searching “Wix Astro” also surfaces Astro, the AI assistant Wix announced on 9 April 2025.

This post is about Astro, the web framework, and about moving a site off Wix onto a custom build. It’s written for owners and marketing leads.

What follows is our order of work. Where a rule of thumb is ours and not Google’s, we say so.

Can you move from Wix to Astro without losing rankings?

You can move without lasting damage, but you can’t promise zero movement. Google’s site move documentation says to “expect temporary fluctuation in site ranking during the move,” and gives a time frame.

Most pages on a small to medium site can take a few weeks to move, and the same page says permanent redirects don’t reduce PageRank.

So the goal is narrower than “no loss.” The dip should be short, shallow and explained by something visible in Search Console. In our view, lasting loss comes from three things:

1. Old URLs that return 404 after launch.
2. Redirects that land on the wrong page, or on the homepage.
3. Content that changed so much the page no longer answers the query it ranked for.

A redesign can trigger the third without anyone noticing. The new copy reads better to a human and matches the old query worse.

Google’s guidance is to change one thing at a time. We migrate first and redesign second, even when the client wants both on the same weekend.

Google also suggests timing the move for a low-traffic period. For a service business that means dodging your own busy season, which is not the same as picking a quiet weekend.

What changes when you leave Wix?

You take over hosting, redirects, the sitemap and robots.txt. Redirects are the job most likely to be missed, and Wix’s own help pages show why.

What do Wix’s help pages say about redirects?

Wix’s redirect help article says 301 redirects only work with custom domains. Its domain forwarding article describes the old domain as connected to the Wix account. In plain terms, the Wix redirect tool answers requests that reach Wix.

Once DNS points at your new host, requests go there instead.

What does the eSEOspace guide add?

The eSEOspace Wix redirect guide, dated 5 October 2026, adds two points. Wix makes automatic 301s when most page slugs change, but not for Wix Blog pages. Blog posts also sit under a prefix you can rename but not remove.

So open a few post URLs and look at the path.

Step 1: which URLs does Google already know about?

Merge three lists: the live sitemap, a full crawl, and the Search Console Performance report filtered to pages with clicks or impressions. The union is your migration scope. URLs that show up in only one list are the ones people forget, and you can only collect them while the Wix site is live.

Where do old URLs hide?

Google’s documentation says to find old URLs through sitemaps, server logs, analytics and your CMS. It also says to include images, videos, JavaScript and CSS files.

On most small sites only images and PDFs matter. A PDF price sheet with outside links belongs in the map.

Save these with today’s date, because you can’t recreate them after launch:

• The Wix sitemap.xml and robots.txt, exactly as served.
• A crawl export with URL, status code, title, H1, canonical and internal link count.
• Search Console clicks and impressions by page, over the longest range the report gives you.
• Referring pages by target URL from a backlink tool, so you know which old URLs have outside links.

Here’s a hypothetical regional HVAC company with 38 pages and 14 posts on Wix. The crawl finds 67 URLs: 52 real pages, plus 9 forgotten test pages and 6 tracking-parameter variants. Only 22 of the 67 earn clicks, about a third.

That leaves 30 real pages with no clicks, and zero clicks alone isn’t a reason to delete. Here 18 have a clear purpose (contact, privacy, a service that brings phone leads), 8 are thin near-duplicates to merge, and 4 can go.

• Real pages that earn clicks22 URLs
• No clicks, clear purpose18 URLs
• Forgotten test pages9 URLs
• No clicks, near-duplicates8 URLs
• Tracking-parameter variants6 URLs
• No clicks, can go4 URLs

Source: Hypothetical example

View the data as a table

Item	Value
Real pages that earn clicks	22 URLs
No clicks, clear purpose	18 URLs
Forgotten test pages	9 URLs
No clicks, near-duplicates	8 URLs
Tracking-parameter variants	6 URLs
No clicks, can go	4 URLs

Step 2: which URLs should keep their address?

Keep the same path wherever you can, because the best redirect is the one you never write. Our decision rules, in order:

• Traffic or backlinks and a sensible URL: keep the address exactly.
• Traffic but a messy URL: change it only if the new one is a clear improvement, and redirect the old one.
• No clicks, no links, no purpose: drop the page and return 404 or 410.
• Near-duplicates: merge into the strongest page and redirect the rest to it.

What does the rule list give the hypothetical HVAC site?

Run that on the hypothetical HVAC example. Of the 22 pages earning clicks, 13 keep their path and 9 get cleaner ones.

The 8 merged pages also need redirects, so the map has 17 rows (9 plus 8). The 4 dropped pages return 410, and the new site ends up with 40 pages (22 plus 18).

What about the trailing slash?

Then settle the trailing slash. Astro’s configuration reference lists trailingSlash as always, never or ignore, with ignore as the default. It also says build.format defaults to directory, which outputs /about/index.html.

Check which form Google indexed for your Wix pages. Then confirm on staging that links, canonicals, sitemap entries and redirects all use it.

Step 3: how do you build the redirect map?

A redirect map is a two-column sheet: old URL, new URL. Make one row per old URL that has clicks, links or a reason to exist. Send each to the closest page on the new site.

Google’s site move documentation rules out the shortcuts:

• Use server-side permanent redirects, such as 301 or 308.
• Redirect straight to the final destination, not through a chain.
• Don’t send many old URLs to one irrelevant destination, such as the homepage.

Here’s a slice of the map for the hypothetical HVAC site:

Someone who clicked a repair-cost article doesn’t want your homepage, and Google treats a pile of unrelated redirects as a problem. The exception is consolidated content: if three thin pages became one strong one, all three redirect to it.

Check for chains. Suppose an old /ac already redirects to /ac-repair, and that now moves to /services/ac-repair/. Rewrite the first rule to go straight to the final address.

Old lists often hold redirects that still earn traffic. The eSEOspace guide suggests testing blog redirects before importing a full list. Test every row, blog or not.

How do you serve redirects in Astro?

Serve them at the host, as real 301 or 308 responses. Astro’s redirects option does work.

With SSR, or a static adapter in output: static mode, status codes are supported: 301 for GET requests and 308 for other methods.

If you use the option anyway, the syntax in Astro’s reference looks like this:

export default defineConfig({
  redirects: {
    '/ac-repair': '/services/ac-repair/',
    '/seasonal-offer': { status: 302, destination: '/offers/' }
  }
});

The second entry shows the object form, which lets you pick a status. Astro’s own example uses 302, a temporary redirect. A permanent move wants the default 301, so use the plain string form.

Google’s redirects documentation ranks the options. A permanent server-side redirect is recommended whenever possible. An instant meta refresh is read as permanent.

A JavaScript redirect is a last resort, because “Google might never see it” if rendering fails.

• Permanent server-side redirectRecommended whenever possible.
• Instant meta refreshRead as permanent.
• JavaScript redirectA last resort, if rendering fails.

Anyone can verify a status code with one command. A meta refresh returns a 200 with the instruction buried in the page.

Rule syntax differs by host, so follow your host’s documentation for the exact format.

Row-by-row method lives in our guide to redirect mapping and the broader redirects guide. The glossary defines a 301 redirect and a redirect chain.

Step 4: which on-page basics do you have to rebuild?

Carry over every page’s title, meta description, H1, canonical, structured data and image alt text deliberately. Astro generates nothing you don’t write or configure, which is the appeal and the risk.

Use the Step 1 crawl export as the spec and diff it against a crawl of staging. Check for:

• The same title.
• The same H1.
• A self-referencing canonical.
• The same body copy.
• Internal links pointing at final URLs.

Every difference should be one you chose.

How do you set up the site option and the sitemap?

Set the site option in your Astro config. Astro’s documentation says it uses that full URL to build your sitemap and canonical URLs, and calls it strongly recommended.

Link internally to final URLs, never to old Wix paths, or every click detours through a 301.

Your sitemap should list only URLs you want in search. Google’s sitemap documentation says to choose the preferred version when content is reachable at several addresses. It also caps a single file at 50 MB or 50,000 URLs.

What are the design and SEO trade-offs?

A custom build gives you control over speed and markup, and it takes away the editor. A small site that works on Wix may not need the move at all, and we’d rather say so than sell it.

What does Google set as the speed targets?

Google’s Core Web Vitals page sets the targets:

• Largest Contentful Paint within 2.5 seconds.
• Interaction to Next Paint under 200 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1.

Google says these fit what its core ranking systems seek to reward, alongside other page experience aspects. It doesn’t promise that passing them lifts rankings.

For the nuance, read our posts on PageSpeed scores versus Core Web Vitals and whether website design affects SEO.

What should the launch checklist include?

Test everything on a staging copy that search engines can’t index, and switch DNS only after the redirects, canonicals and sitemap pass. Launch day should be a list you tick. Ours, in order:

1. Staging is noindex and password-protected, and the live site isn’t.
2. Every row of the redirect map returns the intended status and destination.
3. No chains, no loops.
4. Canonicals are self-referencing on the final URL form.
5. The new sitemap.xml lists only live, indexable, canonical URLs.
6. robots.txt doesn’t block pages you want indexed.
7. The Search Console property is verified, with the verification tag or file carried over, and ready for the new sitemap.
8. Analytics, forms, call tracking and chat fire on the new site.

• Staging noindex, live site openStaging is noindex and password-protected, and the live site isn't.
• Redirect rows passEvery row returns the intended status and destination.
• No chains, no loopsEach old URL reaches its final address in one hop.
• Self-referencing canonicalsOn the final URL form.
• Clean sitemapOnly live, indexable, canonical URLs.
• robots.txt checkedIt doesn't block pages you want indexed.
• Search Console readyProperty verified and ready for the new sitemap.
• Tracking firesAnalytics, forms, call tracking and chat work.

How do you handle noindex and robots.txt?

Google’s robots.txt introduction says it’s mainly for managing crawler traffic and is “not a mechanism for keeping a web page out of Google.” Use noindex on staging, then remove it at launch.

Leftover noindex rules and robots.txt blocks top Google’s troubleshooting list for site moves. The eSEOspace guide describes the matching switch inside Wix: indexing off while building, on at launch.

Do you need the Change of Address tool?

You don’t need the Change of Address tool for this move. Google reserves it for domain or subdomain changes.

It says the tool isn’t needed for path-only changes or for HTTP to HTTPS and www moves. If you’re also changing domains, split that into a second project.

How do you test the redirects?

For the redirect test, put old URLs in a file and run:

while read url; do
  curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code} %{num_redirects} %{url_effective}\n" -L "$url"
done < old-urls.txt

Each line shows final status, hops and destination. Expect 200 1 for a redirected page and 200 0 for a page that kept its address.

Two or more hops is a chain. Ending in 404 is a gap.

Run it twice: once against the host’s default address, once after DNS moves. Only the second run tests the real path.

What do you do after launch?

Submit the new sitemap, then watch whether new URLs replace old ones and whether top pages keep their impressions. Google says the Sitemaps report should show the old sitemap’s indexed count falling as the new one rises. It adds that redirect warnings on the old sitemap can be ignored.

These rules of thumb are judgment, not Google policy:

• Day 1 to 3: spot-check your 20 most valuable URLs by hand. Fix any 404 or wrong destination today.
• Week 1 to 2: compare impressions for top pages with your pre-launch baseline. A dip is normal. A page at zero is a problem.
• Week 3 to 6: old URLs should be fading from results. If an important new URL never appears, inspect it in Search Console.
• Month 3: judge the outcome against the baseline, not against launch week.

If something looks wrong, check in the order of Google’s troubleshooting list:

• Leftover noindex or robots.txt blocks.
• Redirects to URLs that don’t exist.
• A spike in crawl errors.
• A server struggling with extra crawling.
• Old sitemaps still listing old URLs.

Keep the redirects a long time. Google says as long as possible, generally at least one year. We treat a year as the floor, because outside links to your old paths don’t update themselves.

When should you not move from Wix to Astro?

Stay on Wix if the site is small, leads are steady and nobody on your team will own a code-based site. Migration risk and upkeep are real costs, and a faster stack won’t fix thin content.

Our rule of thumb: think twice in these cases:

• The site is under 15 or so pages and brings in leads today.
• Staff edit it weekly with no developer to hand it to.
• You depend on a Wix app with no easy replacement.

Moving makes more sense in these cases:

• You need page types the builder can’t produce.
• You want precise control over markup and loading.
• You are building large or programmatic sections.
• You already pay a developer or agency to maintain the site.

If you’re weighing it, our website design and development service covers builds on Astro. For process, see the website migration SEO guide, the CMS migration guide and our SEO migration service.

Design mistakes travel with you. So read website design mistakes that hurt SEO before you brief a new design.

What does the evidence not show?

As of 22 October 2026, here is what we couldn’t find or can’t claim.

• Any public dataset of ranking outcomes for Wix to Astro moves. The sources we found describe process, not results.
• That Astro, or any custom build, ranks better than Wix on its own. Google describes page experience as one factor among many.
• How long your redirects will take to process. Google says a few weeks for small to medium sites, with no guarantee.
• Lab or field performance numbers from our builds. We haven’t published any here, and we won’t borrow numbers from other projects.
• Whether your Wix plan, domain provider or host adds quirks the documents we read don’t cover.

The HVAC example is illustrative. It uses invented numbers to show the shape of an inventory and a redirect map, and it isn’t a client result.

Frequently asked questions

Want the redirect map and launch checks reviewed by people who build these sites? Run the free Website SEO Checker on your current site, then Get Your Organic Growth Plan.

Sources

• Google Search Central, Site move with URL changes, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Google Search Central, Redirects and Google Search, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Google Search Central, Build and submit a sitemap, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Google Search Central, Introduction to robots.txt, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Google Search Central, Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search results, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Astro Docs, Configuration reference, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Wix Help Center, Setting up 301 redirects, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Wix Help Center, Setting up a 301 redirect from one domain to another, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• eSEOspace, How to set up 301 redirects on Wix, accessed 22 Oct 2026.
• Wix Press Room, Wix launches Astro, an AI-powered assistant for site and business management, accessed 22 Oct 2026.