Can You Move Your Website to Another Platform?
How website portability works, which builders lock you in, and how to move your site without losing content or Google rankings.
Short answer: you can always move your domain, your content and your images to another platform. Whether you can move your design depends on your website builder. Many builders keep your design locked to their platform, so moving means rebuilding. Some, like Relume, let you export your site to other tools. Done carefully, with redirects in place, you can move without losing your Google rankings.
What website lock-in means
Lock-in is when leaving a platform is so hard or costly that you stay even if it no longer suits you. For a small business, that can mean paying more than you'd like, putting up with features you've outgrown, or paying someone to rebuild your site from scratch when you finally move.
What you can always take with you
- Your domain. If it's registered in your name, you can point it to any website builder or transfer it to another registrar.
- Your words. Copy and paste your page content, or better, keep a copy in a document.
- Your images. Keep the original files somewhere you control.
- Your Google rankings, as long as you keep your domain and redirect old page addresses.
What you may not be able to take
- Your design and layout. Most builders don't export designs in a form another platform can use.
- Apps and integrations that only work on one platform.
- Blog posts and online store data, unless the builder offers an export.
How to check before you choose a builder
- Can you connect a domain you own, rather than buying it through the builder?
- Can you export your pages, content or code?
- Can you export blog posts or other content as a file?
- Can you set up 301 redirects if page addresses change?
How Relume handles portability
Relume lets you export your site to Webflow, Figma or React, so you can move to another tool or hand it to a developer without starting again. Your domain stays yours, and you can set up 301 redirects in your site settings. You can also bring an existing site in by pasting its address, and Relume uses your content as a starting point.
How to move without losing rankings
- Keep your domain.
- List every page address on your current site. Your sitemap is the quickest way.
- Rebuild or export your site on the new platform.
- Keep page addresses the same where you can, and set up 301 redirects where you can't.
- Connect your domain to the new platform and check SSL is working.
- Submit your new sitemap in Google Search Console.
For a full walkthrough, see our guide to replacing an outdated business website.
FAQ
Can I move my website from one builder to another?
Yes. Your domain and content can always move. Your design may need rebuilding, unless your builder offers an export. With an AI website builder, rebuilding from your existing site can take minutes.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I change platforms?
Not if you keep your domain, keep or redirect your page addresses and keep the content that ranks. Short dips can happen while Google re-crawls your site.
Do I own my website?
You own your domain and your content. Whether you can take the design and code depends on your builder's export options.
Which website builders let you export your site?
Relume exports to Webflow, Figma and React. Many all-in-one builders don't offer a design export, so check before you commit.