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Moving off WordPress without losing your Google rankings

October 20, 2026

Plenty of small businesses are tired of plugin updates, hosting bills and the security patches that come with running WordPress. The biggest worry about switching is losing the search traffic the old site earned over the years. Done carefully, a move keeps your rankings intact. Here is how.

Why do rankings drop after a website move?

Usually because addresses change and nothing tells Google where the pages went. A page that used to live at /our-services/ now lives at /services, the old address returns a "page not found" error, and the ranking that page earned slowly fades. Lost page titles, missing descriptions and removed content cause the rest.

What should I do before the move?

• Make a list of every page on your current site and its address. Your sitemap, usually at /sitemap.xml, is a good start.
• Note which pages bring in the most visitors. Google Search Console shows this under Pages.
• Keep the content on those pages. Improve it if you like, but do not drop it.
• Keep page titles and descriptions at least as good as they are now.

What are redirects, and why do they matter?

A redirect, specifically a permanent 301 redirect, tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved to a new address. Anyone who follows an old link, from Google, a review site or a bookmark, lands on the right new page, and search engines carry most of the old page's standing over. Every old address that changes needs a redirect to its closest new page.

What should I do after the move?

• Click through your old addresses and confirm each one lands on the right page.
• Submit your new sitemap in Google Search Console.
• Check Search Console over the next few weeks for pages reported as not found, and add redirects for them.
• Update the website address on your Google Business Profile and other listings if it changed.

Some movement in rankings during the first weeks is normal while search engines re-read your site. With redirects in place, it typically settles.

How Lentil helps

Lentil can import your current site, as it is or redesigned, from its address. You can set redirects from any old address to its new page, connect Google Search Console, and keep your own domain on Pro. Once you are on Lentil, there is no server, PHP version or plugin list for you to keep up to date.