Recover old service paths after moving a website to Wix

Build the inventory from real old URLs

Use an approved page export, existing navigation, Search Console records, or links you control. Record complete old URLs and customer tasks. Do not invent paths from service names because the previous site may have used different slugs. Prioritize important service pages and active marketing destinations before less-used historic resources.

Source checks: Wix Help: Set up a 301 redirect · Google Search Central: Redirects and Search · Google Search Central: Site moves with URL changes

Match each old task to a published replacement

Open the Wix destination without the editor and confirm that its service scope fits the old page. If the same path can be retained, verify it instead of adding an unnecessary redirect. If it changes, write a specific old-path-to-new-URL mapping. A homepage is not a universal replacement for every service.

Use Wix's current redirect workflow

First confirm this Wix site uses a connected custom domain. Wix states that 301 redirects require a custom domain and cannot redirect from a free Wix URL to a Premium site. The official workflow places URL Redirect Manager within the site's SEO tools. Create a single redirect using the old path and select the current Wix page or appropriate full destination. Interface names can evolve, so use the official current instructions alongside the written map. Save and test the published behavior rather than treating an editor entry as sufficient.

Check automatic rules and exceptions

Verify each mapping according to its page type.

• Inspect automatic redirects produced by supported Wix page slug changes.
• Create or confirm required mappings for imported old paths that Wix did not know.
• Review Wix Blog slug changes separately; do not assume the same automatic behavior.
• Resolve existing-rule conflicts deliberately instead of overwriting a useful destination.
• Test old links signed out, including final page content and response behavior.

Separate old-domain and new-platform responsibilities

A same-domain path mapping on Wix cannot help a different old domain whose DNS and hosting are no longer controlled. If the domain changes too, the old host must route requests appropriately. Keep domain migration work and Wix path mappings in the same inventory but assign them to the correct administrator. Do not disconnect the old domain before those routes work.

Recheck the high-value mapping set

After publishing, test the written map again and update internal links to the final Wix destinations. Confirm that the current sitemap contains preferred destination URLs. Store which redirects are manual, automatic, or external-domain routing so the next editor does not remove a needed rule. No redirect setting guarantees an unchanged ranking after a platform move.

For a small site, include a separate line for the contact route and any service currently used in an ad or directory. A correct redirect still fails the visitor if it lands on a page with an inactive inquiry form. Test the complete destination task, not only whether the browser's address changes.

Illustrative old PHP path mapped to Wix

An illustrative former site used /services/repair.php for appliance repairs. The Wix replacement is /appliance-repair. The owner verifies the new page and inquiry route, creates the old-path mapping, and tests a saved old link. A Blog post whose Wix slug changes is reviewed separately rather than assumed to follow the same automatic rule.

The mapping sheet identifies /services/repair.php as a manually reviewed imported path. That distinguishes it from future automatic Wix slug changes and helps the next editor avoid deleting a mapping whose old extension looks unfamiliar.

Questions about this task