Founder of Goodspeed
Migrating from Webflow to Framer is an exciting step, but without proper planning, you risk losing a significant portion of your organic traffic. Poorly executed migrations can cause rankings to drop, sometimes taking months to recover.
A badly executed migration can lead to up to 80% traffic loss, requiring over six months to regain lost visibility. Fortunately, by following a structured SEO approach—including audits, redirects, and content preservation—you can maintain SEO during migration from Webflow to Framer without traffic loss.
A well-planned migration not only protects your current rankings but can also lead to performance improvements if Framer’s strengths are leveraged correctly. This guide walks you through each step, from pre-migration audits to post-launch monitoring, ensuring your transition is seamless and risk-free.
1. Prep Work: SEO Audit & Data Gathering
Before making any changes, you need a clear benchmark of your current SEO performance. This ensures that post-migration, you can quickly identify any traffic losses and resolve them before they become critical.
1.1 Benchmark Your Current Rankings & Traffic
The first step is to document your existing SEO performance using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. This data will help you measure how your Framer site performs after the migration.
Identify top-performing pages that drive the most traffic.
Note high-ranking keywords and ensure they are retained in your content strategy.
Check backlinks to key pages—losing these can impact domain authority.
A common mistake during website migration is neglecting these benchmarks. Many sites experience 10–30% traffic loss in the first month if key pages or metadata are altered without a strategic plan. To mitigate this, maintain consistency in URLs, meta tags, and content structure. A structured SEO migration plan ensures rankings are preserved during the transition from Webflow to Framer.
Need more help with content migration? Read our guide on Best Practices for Content Migration: Ensuring No Data or Traffic Loss When Moving to Framer" here.
1.2 Collect On-Page Metadata & URLs
Every detail matters when migrating platforms and missing metadata can affect rankings. Before switching to Framer, create a master spreadsheet with:
Title tags and meta descriptions (Ensure they align with targeted keywords)
Image alt text and structured data (Vital for accessibility and image search rankings)
Canonical tags (To prevent duplicate content issues)
A seamless transition means preserving the elements Google already associates with your content. Webflow allows easy exports of metadata, or you can use a crawler like Screaming Frog to extract this information. Framer site optimisation involves preserving metadata, and structured data, and ensuring fast load times to maintain rankings post-migration.
2. Aligning Webflow URLs with Framer’s Structure
One of the most common SEO pitfalls during migration is URL mismatches. If URLs change without proper redirects, your site could suffer ranking drops and broken backlinks.
2.1 Mapping Your Site Architecture
Where possible, keep URLs identical to their Webflow counterparts. This maintains Google’s understanding of your site structure and reduces the risk of 404 errors.
Check URL patterns in Webflow and match them within Framer.
If a slug change is necessary, ensure a 301 redirect is in place before launch.
An unmanaged migration can cause up to 80% of traffic loss, with some businesses taking over six months to recover. Protecting your URLs from unnecessary alterations is a key factor in maintaining rankings.
2.2 Building a Redirect Spreadsheet
Even with the best planning, some URL changes may be unavoidable. To prevent broken links and traffic loss, create a 301 redirect plan:
Old URL | New URL | Redirect Type |
|---|---|---|
/blog/seo-tips | /seo-tips | 301 Permanent |
/services/web-design | /web-design-services | 301 Permanent |
Once your spreadsheet is ready, you can implement redirects through your hosting provider or Framer’s built-in redirect tool.
3. Preserving On-Page SEO Elements in Framer
Migrating to Framer is more than just transferring content—it requires maintaining on-page SEO elements such as meta tags, headers, image alt text, and structured data. Overlooking these can result in ranking drops, reduced visibility, and a negative impact on organic traffic.
3.1 Meta Tags & Headers
Meta tags and headers play a crucial role in ensuring your pages remain search-engine-friendly post-migration. Since Framer does not automatically transfer metadata from Webflow, manually copying and optimising each tag is necessary.
Retain title tags and meta descriptions as per your original site’s data.
Ensure H1s, H2s, and H3s are structured correctly to maintain content hierarchy.
Avoid duplicate meta tags—each page should have a unique title and description.
Additionally, Google Search Console can be used post-migration to verify that meta descriptions and headers remain intact and are correctly indexed.
3.2 Transferring Image SEO
Images contribute to search rankings, and if they are not properly migrated, image search traffic can decline. To ensure a smooth transition:
Maintain file names that are descriptive and keyword-rich.
Retain alt text to improve accessibility and help Google understand the image’s context.
Use Framer’s built-in optimisation to compress images without losing quality.
Framer site optimisation involves properly handling images, structured data, and page speed to improve performance. A website’s first impression is 94% design-related, meaning high-quality images with optimised metadata significantly impact user engagement and conversions.
3.3 Implementing Structured Data in Framer
Structured data helps search engines understand and display content more effectively. If your Webflow site used schema markup (such as FAQ, product, or blog schemas), you’ll need to manually reapply it in Framer.
Use JSON-LD format to implement structured data.
Apply schema types relevant to your content (e.g., Article, FAQ, How-To).
Test structured data using Google’s Rich Results Tool to confirm validity.
Implementing structured data in Framer helps search engines interpret content, improving visibility in rich results. If you require a more complex setup, developer assistance may be necessary.
4. Handling Backlinks & Link Equity
Backlinks contribute significantly to domain authority and rankings. If high-value backlinks point to broken URLs after migration, your site’s link equity can be compromised.
4.1 External Link Check
Use Ahrefs or Moz to generate a backlink profile report before migration.
Identify high-authority links pointing to your Webflow site.
Ensure these URLs still exist on the new Framer site—or are redirected properly.
A common SEO pitfall during migration is failing to preserve backlinks, which can result in lost rankings and referral traffic. Goodspeed’s Formula Bot migration successfully retained external link equity, ensuring an SEO boost post-launch that got them from 6th to 2nd rank on Google.
4.2 Internal Linking in Framer
Internal linking helps Google understand your site’s structure and distribute page authority effectively. When setting up Framer:
Rebuild site navigation, footers, and sidebar links to match Webflow’s structure.
Ensure blog articles link to relevant internal pages to maintain content relationships.
Use keyword-rich anchor text instead of generic phrases like “click here.”
5. Launch Phase: Redirect Implementation & Testing
Even with careful planning, SEO issues can arise post-launch if redirects aren’t properly implemented. The key to preventing ranking drops is to test everything before and after going live.
5.1 Setting Up 301 Redirects
Redirects are the most critical aspect of SEO migration. If URLs change without proper 301 redirects, users and search engines will encounter 404 errors, leading to lost traffic.
To set up redirects:
Implement 301 redirects in your hosting provider’s settings or Framer’s built-in redirect manager.
Ensure each old Webflow URL redirects seamlessly to the corresponding Framer page.
Avoid redirect chains—each redirect should be a direct path to the new URL.
5.2 Live Testing for 404s
Once your Framer site is live, immediately test for 404 errors and missing redirects.
Use Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to check for broken pages.
Monitor Google’s indexation to ensure no essential pages are missing.
Fix any missed redirects within 24 hours to prevent ranking losses.
If you need more answers read- Common Challenges When Migrating to Framer and How to Overcome Them".
6. Post-Launch Monitoring & Adjustments
A successful migration doesn’t end at launch—ongoing monitoring is crucial to ensure rankings remain stable and traffic doesn’t drop. Even if all redirects and metadata have been correctly implemented, Google’s re-indexing process can take time, and minor fluctuations in rankings are common.
6.1 Watch Your Rankings & Traffic
After migrating to Framer, monitor your site’s performance daily for the first week and then weekly for the next month. Use tools like:
Google Search Console to track indexing status and search appearance changes.
Google Analytics to analyse user behaviour, bounce rates, and session durations.
Ahrefs or SEMrush to monitor keyword rankings and backlink status.
If you notice a sudden traffic drop, identify potential causes such as:
Broken redirects that weren’t properly set up.
Missing metadata impacting page indexing.
Lost backlinks from external sites no longer pointing to valid pages.
6.2 Re-Submit Sitemaps
One of the most effective ways to accelerate Google’s reindexing is to submit an updated sitemap via Google Search Console.
Steps to re-submit:
Generate a new sitemap.xml in Framer.
Go to Google Search Console > Sitemaps and add the updated file.
Monitor indexing progress and fix any coverage issues detected by Google.
An effectively re-submitted sitemap ensures search engines detect new structures quickly, reducing post-migration ranking fluctuations.
FAQs on Webflow-to-Framer SEO
To address common concerns, here are expert insights on maintaining SEO during migration from Webflow to Framer.
Will my rankings drop right after I switch?
Minor fluctuations are normal, but a well-executed SEO migration ensures stability. Using 301 redirects, retaining metadata, and monitoring post-launch data will prevent long-term ranking losses.
Do I need a developer to handle structured data?
Basic schema markup can be added using custom code blocks in Framer, but complex structured data in Framer (such as advanced JSON-LD configurations) may require developer assistance.
How soon will Google re-index my new Framer site?
Typically within a few days if you’ve correctly re-submitted your sitemap, but full re-indexing can take several weeks, depending on site size and Google’s crawling schedule.
Can I improve site speed compared to Webflow?
Yes! Framer site optimisation includes pre-rendered pages and HTTP/3 integration which can establish connections up to 33% faster. Optimising images and minimising animations will further enhance speed.
Conclusion
Migrating your website from Webflow to Framer doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your hard-earned organic traffic. By following a structured SEO strategy, ensuring proper redirects, and monitoring performance post-launch, you can maintain and even improve your search rankings.
Key takeaways from this guide:
Pre-migration audits help benchmark rankings and prevent content loss.
301 redirects ensure search engines and users find the correct pages.
On-page SEO elements (meta tags, structured data, and image alt text) must be preserved.
Sitemaps and performance optimisations help Google reindex pages faster.
By implementing these best practices, your Framer migration can be a growth opportunity rather than a setback.
Avoid SEO pitfalls—book a free consultation for Webflow to Framer migrations.
Written By
Harish Malhi
Founder of Goodspeed
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