How does changing from WordPress to Webflow affect the link structure and SEO of my website, including already shared links on social media?

Switching from WordPress to Webflow can significantly impact your URL structure and SEO performance, especially for already shared or indexed links. Here's how to manage the change effectively.

1. Understand the Default URL Structure Differences

• WordPress often uses URLs like /category/post-name/ or requires plugins for clean slugs.
• Webflow generates cleaner URLs by default, like /post-name and /blog/post-name.
• Category, tag, and author archives from WordPress may not exist in Webflow unless manually recreated.

2. Audit Current URLs

• Export a list of existing URLs from WordPress (use tools like Yoast SEO, Screaming Frog, or a sitemap.xml).
• Identify high-performing or popular URLs – these are your priority for redirects.

3. Set Up 301 Redirects in Webflow

• In Webflow, go to Project Settings > Hosting > 301 Redirects.
• Use this to redirect old WordPress URLs to their new Webflow equivalents.
• Keep format as: Old Path: /old-url → New Path: /new-url
• This ensures already shared links (on social media or indexed by Google) still work and pass SEO value.

4. Preserve SEO Metadata

• Meta titles, descriptions, Open Graph data, and alt text should be replicated in Webflow for each page.
• Use Webflow’s SEO panel in the Page Settings and CMS template pages to manage this data.

5. Rebuild Canonical Content

• If WordPress had tags, categories, or author pages, recreate those using CMS Collections or static pages if needed.
• Ensure canonical URLs are properly set to avoid duplicate content.

6. Update Sitemap and Robots.txt

• Webflow auto-generates a new sitemap.xml and robots.txt (customizable under SEO settings).
• Submit the updated sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools after the launch.

7. Maintain Consistent Canonical Domain

• Ensure your domain and subdomain settings match the previous WordPress setup (e.g., www vs non-www).
• Set Webflow to redirect all traffic to your preferred canonical domain (Project Settings > Hosting > Advanced Publishing Options).

8. Monitor SEO Performance Post-Migration

• Use Google Search Console and Google Analytics to monitor crawl errors, broken links, and ranking shifts.
• Check for any increase in 404 errors, then address them in the Webflow redirect panel.

Summary

Migrating from WordPress to Webflow changes your URL structure, but by setting up proper 301 redirects, maintaining metadata, and monitoring SEO tools, you can preserve link integrity and search visibility. Shared links on social media will continue working if old-to-new redirects are correctly set.