How To Migrate a Site + Domain From GoDaddy to Wix [2024]

What happens if you’ve already built your site with GoDaddy, only to then realize that Wix’s more advanced feature set and intuitive interface make it a much better option for your site? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no “export to Wix” button on the GoDaddy Website Builder. That doesn’t mean you can’t transfer your site, though. (Or your domain name.)

Although there isn’t a simple site export option, it’s still surprisingly easy to migrate a site and domain from GoDaddy to Wix. You just need to follow the steps I describe in this article. When all’s said and done, you should have your new Wix site up in an hour or two!

I would know. I moved my own GoDaddy site to Wix for the purpose of this article. Keep reading to see how I did it, step by step. 

What You’ll Need

You’ll need to have some things handy before you build your Wix site. Don’t worry, the list is rather short.

• A folder with all of your media. Get all the images and videos that you uploaded to your GoDaddy site and put them in a designated folder. This will make the entire process a lot easier.
• A document for external links. If your original GoDaddy site has elements like a custom podcast feed, an external blog RSS feed, or embedded links to a Youtube page, it’s a good idea to save any relevant URLs to a text or spreadsheet file.
• A GoDaddy site to move to Wix. Since you’re reading this article, I’m assuming you already have one (you can take a look at mine below).

That’s it! With these in hand, the only thing you’re missing is a Wix site to migrate to. On that note…

Starting a Site With Wix

To get started, just go to Wix’s site and click the huge Get Started button. Then, you’ll have to input your email and create a password. You’ll be greeted by yet another huge Get Started button. Click that one too.

The first thing Wix will ask is whether you want to start building a site with AI or not. Wix’s auto-generated sites look great and will save time, but if you opt to customize a premade template, you may be able to find something closer to your existing GoDaddy site.

If you go the manual route, you’ll be asked a simple question about the kind of website you want to create. Wix will show you a list of suggested niches, but there are many, many more available. I recommend typing your answer directly – chances are Wix caters to your niche.

You’ll then have to enter a name for your site. Don’t worry, you can change it at any time.

If you said that you’re building an online store, you’ll be asked if you want to migrate an existing store to Wix.

If you say yes, Wix will redirect you to a dashboard with a series of steps for setting up your store and site (I’ll get to migrating a GoDaddy store later, so let’s put that aside for now). Once at your dashboard, you can click the Design Site button in the top-left corner and start working on an auto-generated or pre-built template.

If you opted out of setting up a store migration, Wix will show you a list of features that you can add to your site.

Select the ones you already have on your GoDaddy site, such as an online store, newsletter sign-up form, or blog. You can always add new features and pages later, but adding them at the beginning saves time.

Whether you chose to set up a store at the beginning or not, Wix will once again ask if you want to generate a template with AI or start from a template. As I said earlier, you might be able to find a Wix template that closely matches your GoDaddy site. It’s then easier to customize it too. For this example, I chose to use a template.

Ultimately, it won’t matter too much whether you start with an auto-generated site or a website-builder template. Wix’s sites are incredibly customizable, so you’ll be able to create a website that looks just like your GoDaddy site either way.

Copying Your GoDaddy Site Over to Wix

Step #1: Copy your site’s design

Go to the Wix editor and click on Site Design. Then, click the Change Theme button. Then find the set of colors closest to your GoDaddy site’s theme. After that, go back to the Site Design menu and click on Color Theme – you’ll use this to fine-tune the design.

Next, open the GoDaddy Website Builder in another tab and go to Theme. Copy the custom color code from your GoDaddy site. Now return to the Wix editor, click the drop icon (see below) for the corresponding base or accent color, paste the custom code, and click Apply.

Wix offers more theme customization options than GoDaddy, so I recommend picking whatever option you think fits best with the rest of your theme’s colors.

You can take a similar approach to customizing your site’s fonts. Go to the GoDaddy editor and click Fonts under the theme menu. You’ll see a primary and secondary font. In Wix, go back to the theme customization area where you modified your site’s colors, and click Text theme.

You’ll see a list of text styles, and you can click to edit any one of them. Change the font of headings to your primary font on GoDaddy, and change the font of all paragraphs to your secondary font on GoDaddy. Even if Wix doesn’t have the exact font, you should be able to find a close match. 

Step #2: Edit your site’s menu

Go to the GoDaddy website builder. Under “Website” you’ll see a list of all your pages. Now, go to Wix’s Menus & Pages tab and click the “Add” button next to Site Menu. You’ll see a list of every page you can add.

Choose the options that best match the pages on your GoDaddy site. If you’re unsure about what kind of pre-built page to add, simply add a blank page and name it accordingly (so you can keep track). You can always edit your pages later.

Step #3: Transfer elements to Wix

Now it’s time to add content to your site. Go to the Wix editor, click on the plus sign on the upper left, and select the element that you want to add to your site.

With Wix, you drag-and-drop elements instead of adding sections like on GoDaddy.To copy your GoDaddy site as accurately as possible, I recommend you start by dragging blank strips to the same areas on the page that your GoDaddy sections appear and adding the actual elements later.

Once done, return to the site menu and add content as needed. You can add placeholder text, images, buttons, etc., and do the specifics later. Wix offers lots of vector graphics you can quickly add to remind yourself where certain images should go.

There is a corresponding Wix element or feature for nearly every GoDaddy section. If you don’t find it right away, I suggest checking out the app store. The Wix App Market has over 500 apps(both native and third-party)for extending your site’s functionality.

Once you complete building the fundamental structure of your site, you can choose to duplicate the text from your GoDaddy site and insert it into Wix whenever you need. You can accomplish this by selecting a heading or a paragraph from the “Add to Site” menu or by simply double-clicking on the default text of any pre-existing elements.

When you double-click a text element, a “Text Settings” menu will pop up. Use this to customize your text to match your GoDaddy site.

Remember that image folder I said you’d need? Now’s the time to use it. Add images as backgrounds, within a gallery, or as standalone pictures – all of which you can do from the “Add to Site” menu.

First, you’ll need to click on the element you want to change (in this case a blank strip that you added earlier) and then either Change Background or Manage Media. Delete the default media and upload the desired file(s) from your image folder.

Finally, I’ll go through what you’ll need to do to export an online store to Wix. First off, Go to your GoDaddy dashboard and click on Commerce and then Products.

Once you’re there, select all your products and click on Export. You’ll then receive an email containing CSV files for your products.

Now, go to your Wix dashboard, select Catalog, and then click on Products. Go to the More Actions button, and click Import.

Once you click Import, you’ll be asked to download a Wix CSV file. Do it. GoDaddy’s and Wix’s templates are slightly different, so you might need to mess around with the files in your spreadsheet editor to ensure all price, product, and variant details match Wix’s formatting. Once you’re done, click Import again and upload your new CSV file.

I won’t go into detail about how to export other content types to Wix, but rest assured, it can be done. For example, you can import custom RSS feeds for your podcasts and (externally hosted) blogs. You can also embed videos from the same platforms that you can in GoDaddy, like Vimeo and YouTube, and the same goes for SoundCloud embedding.

If you run into any trouble, simply click on the search bar in the upper right corner of the Wix editor. There, you can search for useful help articles, apps, and how-to guides.

Conclusion: Final Steps

Keep playing around with your Wix site until you’re happy. That’s it! All told, you should only need an hour or two to transfer your entire GoDaddy site to Wix. The only reason it’s not even quicker is because Wix offers so much more control over your site’s design.

If I were to give you one last piece of advice, it would be to make the most of this greater creative control. Once you’ve transferred your site to Wix, you’ll have access to a ton of extra features for improving it. Add animations, dynamic elements, and other advanced features, and explore everything that Wix has to offer.

Speaking of which, here’s how my own Wix site ended up.

FAQ

Can I transfer my GoDaddy site to Wix?

Of course! That said, there’s no “export” button that automatically transfers your GoDaddy site to Wix, so you’ll have to recreate it manually. Fortunately, there are several tricks and tips that make copying over your GoDaddy site surprisingly quick and easy. In most cases, the entire process will only take an hour or two. 

Can I transfer a GoDaddy domain to Wix?

Yes, in two ways. Option 1: you can point your GoDaddy domain to your Wix site. This means your Wix site will use your GoDaddy domain as its address, but GoDaddy will remain your domain host. Option 2: you can transfer the domain’s hosting from GoDaddy to Wix. Either option works, so it comes down to whether you want your domain and site building bundled together or not.

How much does it cost to get a Wix site?

It depends on what you want. Wix’s free plan is the best free builder plan around, but your site will still have a Wix subdomain and ads. Wix’s paid plans start at $17.00 a month, but to sell products, you’d need at least the second-tier pricing package. To find the perfect plan for your needs and budget, you can read our complete guide to Wix pricing in 2024.

Is Wix good for beginners?

Wix is great for beginners and experienced users alike. Its drag-and-drop editor is intuitive but powerful, and its selection of over 800 templates means you’ll have plenty of places to start. If you want to learn about other beginner-friendly options, I recommend checking out our list of the best website builders in 2024.

Can I transfer my GoDaddy email to Wix?

You can’t transfer ownership of your email account from GoDaddy to Wix, but you can connect your GoDaddy mailbox to your Wix account. This will let you send and receive emails with Wix, and keep an email address that is consistent with your website domain name. You’ll manage your email billing and settings with GoDaddy.