WordPress to Webflow Migration Guide.

1. Pre-Migration Checklist (SEO & Technical Prep)

Before you open Webflow, it's key to prep your exports and Wordpress CMS properly.

• Full Content Audit: List all static pages, blogs, custom post types, and category/tag pages. Prioritize critical content. Use a spreadsheet with columns like URL, page title, content type, status (keep/delete/update), and SEO value.
• URL Mapping: Use a sitemap tool (like xml-sitemaps.com) to generate a complete URL list. This becomes the backbone of your redirect map and lets you track 1:1 URL parity post-migration.
• SEO Metadata Inventory: Use BuzzStream’s Meta Tag Extractor or export Yoast/RankMath metadata to CSV. Save title tags, meta descriptions, OG titles/images, and canonical tags.
• Plugin & Script Audit: Document every plugin or third-party tool. Create a feature migration map: e.g. WP Forms → Webflow Forms, Intercom embed → HTML Embed.
• Backup: Full site backup (files + database). Ensure rollback safety if anything goes wrong.

2. Exporting Data from WordPress

Clean export is the foundation of smooth import:

• Posts/Pages via CSV: Use WP All Export to export blog posts/pages. Include fields like title, content (HTML), slug, publish date, featured image URL, excerpt, author. Webflow only accepts CSV format so ensure to export it as a CSV format.
• Media Files: Use FTP or Export Media Library plugin. Folder structure isn't too important. Alternatively, use image URLs during import.
  
  • ‍Important: If you plan to use image URLs, make sure your current site stays accessible until the Webflow import is done, so that Webflow can retrieve those images from the links.
• Custom Post Types: Export each post type as a separate CSV. Each will map to a distinct Webflow CMS Collection.
  
  • Example: Export blogs, news, newsletters, events all as separate CSV items. If your current Wordpress setup was not done in that way, you will need to manually clean up the export. We recommend using Airtable for this.
• Validate Data: Open exported CSVs in Airtable/Google Sheets. Clean up empty fields, malformed HTML, broken image URLs, or WordPress shortcodes.
  

3. Clean & Structure Content for Webflow CMS

Now that you have your Wordpress site data all exported, it's time to clean it up before pushing it to Webflow.

• Remove WordPress Artifacts: Strip [shortcodes], inline styles, unnecessary  wrappers, and theme-specific classes that Wordpress exports.
• Field Mapping: Align each CSV column to a Webflow CMS field: title → Name, content → Rich Text, slug → Slug, image URL → Image, etc.
• Slug Format: Convert slugs to lowercase, use hyphens, and remove special characters. Validate uniqueness within collections.
• Media Handling: Ensure image URLs are publicly accessible. Inline images inside Rich Text won’t auto-import, so prepare to handle those manually or with find/replace scripts.
• Split Files: Webflow only imports one CSV per collection. Create separate CSVs for each content type.

We recommend using Airtable for this as the editor is much simpler with powerful extensions and formulas to automate a lot of this mundane work. Another pro is that you can then automatically sync your Airtable database to Webflow CMS.

4. Webflow Project Setup (Or hire an agency for this)

Your CMS structure should mirror your content model:

• Start Clean: Use a blank project or lightweight template. Avoid bloated themes as they often have a load of junk and bloat. We suggest starting blank if working with an agency.
• CMS Collections: Create Collections for blogs, case studies, team, etc. Add custom fields to match your CSV columns.
• Design System First: Set global styles (H1-H6, body, links), spacing, and button classes. Consider using Client-First or similar class naming conventions.
• Static Pages: Rebuild your website on Webflow. Start with static core pages such as Homepage, About, Contact, Services manually in Designer. Use Components for nav, footer, banners. Or hire a Webflow agency to do all that for you 😉
• Template Pages: Design CMS templates (e.g. blog post layout) and bind fields to content. Include dynamic SEO fields like title/meta pulled from CMS.
• Replace Plugins:
  • Forms: Use Webflow Forms or embed HubSpot, Typeform, etc.
  • Analytics: Add GA4/Meta Pixel scripts to Custom Code.
  • SEO: Configure meta titles/descriptions, Open Graph, and canonical URLs in page/CMS settings.
  • Search: Enable native Webflow search or add Jetboost for advanced filtering.

5. Importing Content to Webflow (Non Airtable method)

Time to move your content into place:

• Import CSV: For each collection, go to CMS > Import > Upload CSV.
• Field Mapping: Match CSV columns to Webflow fields. Create new fields on the fly if needed.
• Image Import: Webflow fetches and hosts external image URLs. Validate that the URLs resolve correctly.
• Slug Matching: Map slugs 1:1 to preserve SEO. Use original slugs where possible.
• Date Formatting: Use YYYY-MM-DD format for publish dates.
• Validation: Spot-check imported items. Verify rich text, image rendering, and SEO field population.

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5.1 Import content to Webflow from Airtable (Fully Automated & Real time sync)

We recommend using Airtable as a CMS or content staging area, you can skip the manual CSV steps entirely and sync directly into Webflow.

Why Use Airtable?

• Collaborative content editing (drafts, review cycles)
• Keeps content decoupled from Webflow development
• Easier interface with powerful apps and formula that could automate a lot of the mundane admin and clean up work.
• Automatically uploads Airtable image attachments into Webflow (not just referencing image URLs).‍
• Rich Text Support: Cleanly syncs long-form content from Airtable into Webflow Rich Text fields preserving links, heading strucutre and text styling.

• Multi-Reference Fields: Maps to categories, tags, authors, etc.
• Status-Based Publishing: Only push content marked as “Ready” or “Published” in Airtable. Helps separate staging from production CMS.

⚠️ Caution: Airtable column names and Webflow field names should be clearly aligned. Test with a small batch before syncing 100s of records.

This is the most scalable, non-technical way to keep Airtable as your central content source while Webflow handles layout and publishing. NoBull cuts out the middle layer — no Zapier or Make scenarios required.

6. SEO Migration & Redirects

Avoid traffic loss with these essentials:

• SEO Fields:
  • Static Pages: Add titles and meta descriptions via Page Settings.
  • CMS Content: Use dynamic fields (e.g. {SEO Title}) to auto-fill meta.
  • Alt Text: Add alt fields in the CMS for key images.
• Redirects:
  • Use Webflow's Hosting > 301 Redirects tool.
  • Paste redirects in old-path,new-path format.
  • Use wildcards for pattern-based rules (e.g. /blog/(.*) → /posts/\1).
• Sitemap: Webflow auto-generates it. Submit to Google Search Console.
• Structured Data: Add schema via Embed fields or custom code (especially for BlogPosting, FAQs).
• Canonical Tags: Set canonicals if you’ve changed slugs or URL structure.
• GSC Setup: Verify domain, submit sitemap, and monitor for crawl errors.

Limitations to Note:

• No plugin library like WordPress – use custom code or external tools
• Editors can’t design – only Designers can change layout
• CMS item caps based on Webflow plan
• Cannot export CMS content with design (CSV only)