WORDPRESS HELP · CHECKED 5 NOVEMBER 2026

Moving away from WordPress without losing Google.

By The Zarla Team · Updated November 2026

The order that gives your Google standing the best chance, written for the business owner rather than the developer: what to list, what to build, where the redirects go, when to switch the domain, and why the hosting gets cancelled last. Built on Google's own site-move guidance and WordPress's help pages.

The short answer

Plain steps, sources linked · No sign-up, nothing to download

The short answer

To move your business site off WordPress without losing your Google standing, do it in this order: list every address your old site has, build the new site while the old one stays up (with the same page titles and descriptions), point every old address that changes at its new page with a permanent (301) redirect, switch your domain to the new site, then tell Google through Search Console and watch for dead links. Cancel the old hosting, plugins and renewals last, once visitors and Google are reaching the new site, and move your email first if it lives with your host.

Google's own guidance backs the parts that matter most: permanent redirects "don't cause a loss in PageRank", they should stay in place "generally at least 1 year", and "a small to medium-sized website can take a few weeks for most pages to move", with rankings moving around in the meantime before they settle (Google Search Central). What costs a business its Google standing in a move is usually old addresses that lead nowhere, the words of good pages going missing, or the old site being switched off too early. The order below is built to avoid all three.

First: which kind of move is yours?

Most owners leaving WordPress keep their domain name, and then Google sees one of two things.

Every page keeps its exact address (yourbusiness.com/services is still yourbusiness.com/services on the new site). Google treats that like changing your hosting: get the new site ready, point the domain at it, check it, then shut the old one down (Google: Changing your hosting).

Some addresses change. WordPress lets every site choose how its addresses look, and the new platform may not offer the same pattern, blog posts especially. That's what Google calls a site move with URL changes, and every changed address needs a redirect to its new page (Google: Site moves with URL changes).

Google's Change of Address tool doesn't come into it if you keep your domain. In Google's words, "You only need this tool when moving from one domain or subdomain to another".

THE ORDER THAT MATTERS

How to move your site off WordPress: six steps, in order

Each step depends on the one before it. The hosting is cancelled last for a reason.

01

List every address your site has

WordPress publishes its own list: add /wp-sitemap.xml to your site's address (or use the sitemap address your SEO plugin shows in its settings). Add the pages that get the most visits, from Search Console or your analytics, and any PDFs or images other sites link to. Keep it as a spreadsheet; it's the checklist for every step after this one.

02

Build the new site while the old one stays up

Build on the new platform's temporary address and leave WordPress exactly as it is. Copy each page's title and description across (they're the words Google usually shows in results), and keep the headings and words of the pages that bring in customers. Test every page, form and download before anything switches.

03

Redirect every address that changes

Next to each old address on your list, write the new page it belongs to. Where the address stays the same, nothing to do. Where it changes, set a permanent (301) redirect from the old address to its own new page, one to one, never everything to the home page. Check the new platform has a redirects setting before you commit to it.

04

Switch the domain

Point your domain at the new site, usually by changing its settings wherever the domain is managed. You don't have to transfer the domain to leave WordPress; you only change where it points. If that means changing the domain's name servers (the setting that says which company runs the domain's settings), copy every record the domain already has to the new provider first, email and Search Console records included, or your email and Search Console access can stop. This is the moment visitors and Google start reaching the new site, so the redirects need to be ready on it.

05

Tell Google, then watch for dead ends

In Google Search Console, add the new site's sitemap in the Sitemaps report. Over the next few weeks, check the Page indexing report for old addresses showing as Not found (404) and give each one that moved a redirect. Some movement in rankings during these weeks is normal.

06

Only then cancel hosting, plugins and renewals

Keep the old hosting until visitors and Google are reaching the new site. Before you cancel, move your email if it's on the host, and download anything that only exists there: a full backup, photos, form entries, store orders. Then turn off renewals for the hosting, paid plugins and theme licences.

Your list of old addresses, and where each one goes

Since version 5.5, WordPress publishes a sitemap at /wp-sitemap.xml that lists the site's pages and posts (WordPress). If an SEO plugin runs your sitemap instead, its settings show the address. Google's own tips for finding the addresses that matter: your sitemaps, the pages that get the most traffic in your analytics, and the Links report in Search Console for pages other sites link to; and don't forget images, videos and PDFs, which "need to be moved in the same way as all other content" (Google).

Turn the list into two columns: the old address, and the new page it belongs to. That spreadsheet is your redirect plan.

Three rules from Google for the redirects themselves (Google: Redirects, site moves):

  • Permanent, not temporary. A 301 (or 308) tells Google the page has moved for good and the new address should show in results.
  • Old page to its own new page. Don't point many old addresses at the home page; Google says that might be treated as a dead end (a soft 404). Pages you merged can point at the merged page.
  • Straight there. One hop from the old address to the final page, not a chain of redirects.

A page you're deliberately not bringing across can simply be gone (Google asks for a 404 or 410 for pages that are gone), as long as nothing on your new site still links to it.

What comes across from WordPress, and what doesn't

Your words. In WordPress, Tools, then Export, downloads a file with your posts, pages, comments, categories and tags (WordPress.org). WordPress.com's help is clear about its limits: it carries "links to your media files (not the actual files)", and not your theme design, customizations or plugins. It also says "Don't delete or make your original site private yet.", because a new site copies the images from the old one (WordPress.com). Whether your new platform reads that file depends on the platform; if it doesn't, the words get copied or rebuilt.

Your photos. Download a copy of the media library as well, so you hold the originals whatever happens to the old hosting.

What your plugins did. Plugins don't move to another platform, but the jobs they did for customers have to: the contact form, bookings, the gallery, reviews, the chat button, the SEO settings. Open Plugins in WordPress and write down what each active one does for a customer, then make sure the new site does the same job before switch day.

Forms and leads. Rebuild every form, send yourself a test message from each one, and confirm it lands in the inbox you actually check. Some form plugins keep past entries inside WordPress; export the ones you want before the hosting goes.

A store. WooCommerce has a built-in product export: Products, then All Products, then Export, then Generate CSV, which downloads a spreadsheet file (WooCommerce). Past orders and customer accounts live in your WordPress site, so decide which order records you need to keep and save a copy while the old site still runs.

Email, the domain and the hosting are three different things

Email. Find out where your business email lives before you touch anything. If your addresses came with your hosting plan, they stop when the hosting does, so move them to an email service of their own first and update the domain's email settings (its MX records) to match. If your email already runs on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, it isn't on the host, but its settings still live with the domain. If switching means changing the domain's name servers (the setting that says which company runs the domain's settings), first copy every record the domain already has to the new provider: the email ones (MX, plus the records that prove your email is genuine) and Google's Search Console record. Skip that and your email and your Search Console access can stop.

The domain. Find out where the domain is registered: with your host, with WordPress.com, or with a separate domain company. You can leave it where it is and only change where it points. Moving the registration is a separate job you can do later, or never. Wherever it sits, keep it renewed in your own name.

If it's registered with WordPress.com and you do want to move it, WordPress.com's help says a transfer takes five to seven days, so "change the name servers first before starting the official transfer" if you need the new site working straight away (copy every record across first, as above). A domain registered or transferred in the last 60 days can't be transferred again yet, and: "Do not cancel or delete your domain during the transfer process." (WordPress.com).

The hosting. Cancel it last. Google's advice for a hosting move is to shut the old hosting down only once you're confident everyone, Google included, is getting the new site (Google). On WordPress.com, cancelling a plan turns off its renewal and the plan runs until its expiry date; removing it straight away is a different button, and its help says that when you do, "all plugins and content created with those plugins are removed right away" (WordPress.com). With any other host, read its cancellation and refund terms on its own site before you cancel.

BEFORE YOU CANCEL ANYTHING

What to keep, move or cancel when you leave WordPress, and when

One row per thing that can get lost in a move, in the order it needs doing.

Leaving WordPress: what to keep, move or cancel, and when
WhatWhere it usually isWhat to doWhen
Your page addressesYour WordPress sitemapList them; redirect any that changeBefore you build
Page titles and descriptionsEach page's settings, or your SEO pluginCopy them to the matching new pagesWhile you build
Business emailYour host, or a separate service such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365If it's on the host, move it to its own service; either way, copy all its records before the domain switchesBefore switch day
Domain nameYour host, WordPress.com or a domain registrarKeep it renewed in your name; change where it pointsSwitch day
Contact forms and past entriesForm pluginsRebuild and test each form; export any entries you want to keepBefore switch day
Store products and ordersWooCommerceExport products as a spreadsheet file; keep a copy of the order records you needBefore you cancel hosting
Photos and filesThe WordPress media libraryDownload a copyBefore you cancel hosting
Hosting, paid plugins and theme licencesYour host and each plugin's makerTurn off renewalsLast, once visitors have moved

Where things live varies from host to host; if you're not sure where your email or domain is, your host's support team can tell you.

Search Console, and the first weeks after you switch

  • Before you switch, keep your way into Search Console. Google's site-move guide says: "Make sure your Search Console verification will continue to work after the site move." (Google). If a WordPress plugin or a file on the old site proved to Google that the site is yours, that proof goes with the old site, so before switch day add your whole domain to Search Console: Google gives you a short line of text to paste into your domain's settings, and its verification help says "To stay verified, don't remove the DNS record from your provider, even after verification succeeds." (Search Console Help). If you've never set up Search Console, this is the moment to start.
  • Add the new sitemap in Search Console. In the Sitemaps report, paste the sitemap address into Add a new sitemap and select Submit (Search Console Help).
  • Look for old addresses that lead nowhere. The Page indexing report lists pages showing Not found (404). Google's help is direct: if a page has moved, give it a 301 redirect to the new location (Search Console Help). Your spreadsheet tells you where each one belongs.
  • Search for your main services yourself, the way a customer would, and check the result opens the right new page.
  • Expect some movement, then settling. Google says ranking changes during a move are normal while it recrawls the site, and that rankings settle over time. A page that drops and stays down usually points to a missing redirect or a title or page that lost its words.
  • Leave the redirects in place. Google's advice is to keep them "generally at least 1 year", and longer is better for visitors following old links.

Still deciding where to go?

If WordPress itself suits you and it's the upkeep you want gone, staying on WordPress with a managed host or WordPress.com is a real option, and moving between WordPress hosts is a hosting change rather than a platform change. What WordPress really costs to run puts the bills side by side, and if a hacked site is what started this, what to do when a WordPress site is hacked comes first.

If you're leaving the platform, the best WordPress alternatives compares the main options on the same tests, and two head-to-heads go deeper on the most common pair: Wix vs WordPress and Squarespace vs WordPress. Whichever you choose, the order on this page stays the same.

Moving away from WordPress: your questions

Will I lose my Google rankings if I leave WordPress?

A move done in order doesn't have to cost you rankings. Google says permanent (301) redirects don't cause a loss in PageRank, and that rankings can move around for a few weeks while it recrawls a moved site, then settle. What costs rankings is old addresses that lead nowhere, good pages losing their words or titles, and the old site going dark too early. Nobody can promise a position, before or after a move.

Do I need to transfer my domain to leave WordPress?

No. You can leave the domain registered where it is and change where it points, so it opens your new site. Transferring the registration to another company is a separate job you can do later, or never. Keep the domain renewed in your own name either way.

What happens to my email when I cancel my WordPress hosting?

If your email addresses came with the hosting plan, they stop working when the hosting is cancelled. Move them to an email service of their own first and update the domain's email settings to match. If your email is on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, it isn't on the host, but if switching the domain means changing its name servers, copy every record the domain has (the email ones included) to the new provider first, or your email can stop.

How do I export my WordPress site?

In WordPress, go to Tools, then Export, and download the file. It holds your posts, pages, comments, categories and tags. WordPress.com's help adds that it carries links to your images rather than the images themselves, and not your theme or plugins, so download your media library separately and keep the old site public until the new one has copied what it needs.

What doesn't come across when I move off WordPress?

Plugins and your theme don't move to another platform, so the jobs they did (contact forms, bookings, galleries, reviews, SEO settings) need doing on the new site. Past form entries, store orders and customer accounts stay in the old WordPress site, so download what you need before the hosting is cancelled.

When should I cancel my WordPress hosting?

Last. Wait until the domain points at the new site and visitors and Google are reaching it, after your email has moved and you've downloaded a backup, your photos, form entries and any store orders. Then turn off renewals for the hosting, paid plugins and theme licences.

How long does it take Google to catch up after moving a site?

Google says a small to medium-sized website can take a few weeks for most pages to move, and larger sites take longer. Add the new sitemap in Search Console, fix any old addresses that show as Not found (404), and keep the redirects in place for at least a year.

Do I need Google's Change of Address tool?

Only if your domain name changes. Google says the tool is for moving from one domain or subdomain to another, and isn't needed for moving pages within the same domain, so if you keep your domain you don't use it.

Sources

Google's guidance, WordPress's and WooCommerce's steps and the quotes on this page come from these pages, read on 5 November 2026; the practical advice around them (the order of the jobs, checking where email and the domain live, testing every form) is ours.

If you'd rather not rebuild it page by page

Some tools rebuild a site from its address for you. Hostinger's AI Website Cloner recreates one "as a fully editable site", which its page calls "a close starting point, not a pixel-perfect duplicate" (Hostinger). Zarla's import reads your live WordPress site, up to 50 pages plus up to 100 blog posts, and rebuilds your pages, words and photos in a new design in a few minutes, free to see and edit; you pay when you publish. Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built. Its Site Move tool reads your old site's addresses and helps you point each one at its new page. WordPress plugins and theme code don't come across; Zarla has its own forms, CRM, analytics and SEO. Your WordPress site stays live until you point your domain at the new one, so the order above still holds: email first, hosting last. Bring your WordPress site across.