Founder of Goodspeed
Migrating from WordPress to Framer presents an exciting opportunity to modernise your website, but it also comes with SEO risks. WordPress is packed with advanced SEO tools, plugins, and customisation options, and failing to carry these over properly can lead to a drop in rankings, broken links, and traffic loss.
However, with a well-structured migration strategy, you can preserve or even enhance your search visibility. This guide walks you through the crucial steps—SEO audits, structured data migration, and 301 redirects—to ensure your transition to Framer is seamless. By implementing these best practices, you can safeguard your rankings and make the most of Framer’s SEO capabilities.
1. Prep Work: SEO Audit & Data Gathering
Before you begin the migration, conducting a thorough SEO audit is essential. This ensures that all crucial ranking elements—such as metadata, keywords, and internal links—are identified and safely transferred to Framer.
1.1 Benchmark Your Current Rankings & Traffic
Your WordPress SEO performance serves as a baseline for measuring post-migration success. Use tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to extract:
Top-performing pages (highest organic traffic and conversions).
Keyword rankings (track visibility before and after the move).
Inbound backlinks (to ensure link authority is maintained).
Failing to benchmark properly could result in unnoticed traffic drops. Many websites experience a 10–30% traffic decline after migration due to disrupted URLs, metadata updates, and lost backlinks. This can be mitigated with a structured WordPress to Framer SEO migration plan that prioritises SEO retention.
A great example of SEO-first migration is Formula Bot, which successfully transitioned its site with Goospeed while enhancing SEO performance from 6th to 2nd rank on Google. Read how it was done.
1.2 Collect On-Page Metadata & URLs
WordPress sites rely on SEO plugins like Yoast SEO to manage metadata, including title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text. Migrating these elements correctly ensures that Framer maintains the same level of optimisation.
How to Export Metadata:
Use SEO plugins to export metadata as a CSV file.
Crawl the site with Screaming Frog to create a master list of URLs, meta tags, and structured data.
Manually review key pages to ensure nothing is overlooked.
By consolidating all SEO-critical data, you prevent the risk of losing essential ranking factors. Learn more about optimising Framer templates for SEO after migration.
2. Aligning WordPress URLs with Framer’s Structure
URL structure plays a major role in maintaining SEO. A poorly mapped URL migration can lead to 404 errors, loss of ranking signals, and broken backlinks.
2.1 Mapping Your Site Architecture
WordPress and Framer have different URL structures, so it’s crucial to map existing URLs to their new counterparts. Aim to:
Keep the same URL slugs wherever possible.
Plan 301 redirects in site migration for any URL changes.
Maintain canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues.
A structured URL mapping approach ensures minimal ranking loss. Unmanaged migrations can cause up to 80% organic traffic loss, requiring months to recover. Understanding Framer vs. WordPress SEO is key to preventing such setbacks—Framer offers a sleek, modern framework, but lacks WordPress’s built-in SEO automation, making manual optimisation essential.
2.2 Building a Redirect Spreadsheet
A redirect strategy is essential to preserving your site’s SEO authority. Create a spreadsheet that includes:
Old WordPress URLs
New Framer URLs
Redirect type (301 for permanent redirects)
These redirects must be implemented correctly using Framer’s built-in tools or server-side settings. This prevents users and search engines from encountering 404 errors, ensuring a smooth experience.
One company that successfully managed URL migration was Zen Educate, which worked with Goodspeed to move its marketing website while maintaining link equity. Their structured SEO plan ensured a seamless transition. Read their full review.
3. Preserving On-Page SEO Elements in Framer
Once your WordPress content is migrated, it’s crucial to maintain its SEO integrity within Framer. This involves correctly transferring metadata, optimising images, and ensuring structured data is preserved.
3.1 Meta Tags & Headers
Metadata and header tags are critical ranking factors that influence search visibility. Since WordPress SEO plugins like Yoast SEO automate metadata management, manually transferring these elements into Framer is essential.
Best Practices for Metadata Migration:
Ensure title tags and meta descriptions are identical to their WordPress versions unless you’re intentionally optimising for better rankings.
Confirm proper header hierarchy (H1, H2, H3) to structure content for readability and SEO.
Use keyword-rich descriptions to maintain organic visibility.
A poorly managed migration can impact rankings—many websites experience a 4–12 week delay in domain authority recovery after moving platforms. Ensuring metadata consistency minimises disruption and helps search engines re-index pages faster.
Want to fine-tune SEO elements further? Learn how to optimise your Framer template for speed and performance to enhance visibility.
3.2 Transferring Image SEO
Images play a key role in search engine rankings and page performance. WordPress users often rely on plugins to auto-optimise images, but Framer requires a manual approach to retain image-based SEO.
Steps to Maintain Image SEO in Framer:
✅ Alt Text Preservation: Ensure all image alt attributes are copied from WordPress, as these help search engines understand visual content.
✅ File Name Optimisation: Maintain descriptive file names (e.g., framer-template-guide.jpg instead of IMG1234.jpg).
✅ Image Compression: Framer offers built-in performance enhancements, but optimising images before upload can cut load times significantly.
3.3 Structured Data
Structured data (or schema markup) helps search engines understand your content and display rich snippets in search results. Since WordPress plugins like Rank Math or Yoast SEO handle schema automatically, Framer users must manually embed JSON-LD code or use Framer’s custom code blocks.
Key Structured Data to Migrate:
Article Schema (for blogs)
Product Schema (for eCommerce sites)
FAQ Schema (to appear in “People Also Ask” results)
4. Maintaining Link Authority & Internal Linking
Framer’s structure differs from WordPress, so preserving both external and internal links is crucial for maintaining SEO rankings.
4.1 External Link Check
Backlinks play a major role in domain authority. Losing high-value backlinks can significantly impact rankings, so it’s essential to ensure all external links remain intact.
Steps to Maintain External Link Authority:
Identify high-authority backlinks using Ahrefs or Moz.
Ensure linked pages exist on Framer or set up 301 redirects to the new URLs.
Reach out to referring domains if key backlinks point to outdated WordPress pages.
4.2 Internal Linking in Framer
Internal links are just as important as external backlinks for SEO, as they help distribute “link juice” and keep users engaged.
How to Maintain Internal Links in Framer:
Rebuild navigation menus, footer links, and sidebar links exactly as they were in WordPress.
Use keyword-rich anchor text when linking between pages.
Manually update broken internal links to match Framer’s structure.
Want more insights on effective internal linking? Read our guide to customising Framer templates for beginners.
5. Launch Phase: Redirect Implementation & Testing
With all SEO elements in place, it’s time to launch your Framer site and implement 301 redirects to avoid traffic loss and ranking drops.
5.1 Setting Up 301 Redirects
Redirects ensure that users and search engines are seamlessly guided from old WordPress URLs to new Framer pages.
Best Practices for 301 Redirects in Site Migration:
Use your hosting control panel (.htaccess for Apache, Nginx config for Nginx).
Manually add redirects in Framer’s redirect settings for simple cases.
Test each redirect to prevent redirect chains or loops.
5.2 Live Testing for 404s
Even with well-planned redirects, some broken links may still occur. Detecting and fixing them quickly ensures a seamless user experience and protects rankings.
How to Identify and Fix 404 Errors:
✅ Use Google Search Console to monitor errors.
✅ Run a Screaming Frog crawl post-launch.
✅ Check referral traffic logs to spot broken inbound links.
Want to avoid common mistakes? Read about the common challenges when migrating to Framer and how to overcome them.
6. Post-Launch Monitoring & Adjustments
Once your Framer site is live, the work isn’t over. Monitoring performance and making timely adjustments are crucial to ensuring SEO stability and long-term success.
6.1 Watch Your Rankings & Traffic
SEO rankings may fluctuate after migration, making close monitoring essential in the first few weeks.
Key Post-Migration Monitoring Steps:
Use Google Search Console and SEMrush to track keyword rankings.
Check Google Analytics for traffic trends, bounce rates, and user behaviour.
Compare pre- and post-migration backlink profiles to ensure no link authority is lost.
If traffic drops significantly, investigate missing metadata, broken redirects, or internal linking errors.
6.2 Re-Submit Sitemaps
Google relies on sitemaps to crawl and index new websites efficiently. After migration, your old WordPress sitemap may no longer be valid, so re-submitting it in Google Search Console is critical.
How to Submit Your New Sitemap:
✅ Generate a new sitemap in Framer (or manually create an XML file).
✅ Upload it in Google Search Console under the ‘Sitemaps’ section.
✅ Check for indexing errors in Google Search Console’s ‘Coverage’ report.
Want to speed up indexing? Learn how to optimise your Framer site for search visibility for better crawl efficiency.
6.3 Optimise for Framer’s Strengths
Framer offers performance-first features that can enhance your SEO when leveraged correctly.
Framer-Specific SEO Advantages:
Pre-rendering improves page speed, cutting load times for a better user experience.
Built-in CDN (Content Delivery Network) enhances site performance globally.
Faster interactive elements reduce bounce rates, improving rankings over time.
By fully utilising Framer’s modern infrastructure, you can boost site engagement and improve your organic search rankings.
7. FAQs on WordPress-to-Framer SEO
Will my rankings drop immediately after migrating from WordPress?
Small fluctuations are common, but a well-executed migration with 301 redirects and SEO audits minimises any long-term ranking loss. Most websites stabilise within 4–12 weeks, provided all technical SEO elements are correctly implemented.
Do I need technical support to transfer my SEO elements from WordPress to Framer?
While WordPress automates many SEO tasks through plugins, Framer requires a manual approach to structured data migration, metadata, and redirects. If your site relies on complex schema markups or custom post types, an SEO specialist may be required.
How quickly will Google re-index my new Framer site?
After submitting your new sitemap, Google generally begins re-indexing within a few days to a few weeks, depending on your crawl budget and site size.
Can Framer deliver better performance than WordPress?
Yes! Framer’s modern architecture often leads to faster page loads and lower bounce rates, both of which contribute to better search rankings. Unlike WordPress, which can slow down due to heavy plugins, Framer optimises for speed and seamless user experience.
Learn how to optimise your Framer template for better performance.
Conclusion
Migrating from WordPress to Framer doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your hard-earned SEO. By following a structured migration plan—benchmarking rankings, implementing 301 redirects, preserving metadata, and monitoring traffic post-launch—you can maintain search visibility and even improve performance.
Framer’s high-speed capabilities and modern design make it a powerful alternative to WordPress, provided you handle structured data migration and other SEO elements correctly. With careful preparation, technical execution, and ongoing monitoring, you can seamlessly transition your site while retaining or enhancing rankings.
Avoid SEO pitfalls—book a free consultation for WordPress to Framer migrations.
Written By
Harish Malhi
Founder of Goodspeed
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