What happens to Google when you change website builders

When you change website builders, Google sees your old pages disappear and new ones appear, usually at different addresses, because every builder names its pages in its own way. If the old addresses forward to the new pages and the new pages say what the old ones said, Google transfers its understanding over within a few weeks, often after a short dip. If they do not, Google treats it like a new site starting from scratch. The builder itself matters far less to Google than what happens to your addresses and your words.

What Google actually notices

Google has no opinion about whether you use Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, WordPress or anything else. It does not see "a Wix site". It sees pages: their addresses, their text, their titles, how quickly they load and how they look on a phone.

When you switch, here is what changes from Google's side:

Page addresses, almost always.
The code behind each page, which affects speed and how cleanly Google can read it.
Hidden settings: page titles, descriptions, image descriptions and structured data (the background labels some builders add for things like your address and hours).
The sitemap, which the new builder generates in its own format at its own address.

What does not change, if you keep the same domain: the domain's history with Google, the links other sites have to your domain, and your Google Business Profile.

Why addresses change between builders

Each builder has its own habits for naming pages, and you often never chose them. Some common patterns:

Wix sites often have addresses like /services-1 or /copy-of-about, left over from duplicated pages, and blog posts under /post/.
Squarespace uses the page's "URL slug" setting, and blog posts sit under the blog page's address, such as /blog/post-title.
GoDaddy's builder often uses short page names, sometimes with numbers added.
WordPress can use dates in post addresses (/2019/05/spring-cleanup/), plain names, or on old sites even ?page_id=42.
Very old hand-built sites may end every address in .html or .htm.

Move from one to another and almost every address shifts slightly: /services-1 becomes /services, /about-us becomes /about. To a person, they are the same page. To Google, they are different addresses until something connects them.

The dip, and why it usually recovers

In the first weeks after a switch, it is common to see visits from Google dip or wobble. Google is revisiting each address, following the forwards, reading the new pages and deciding how they compare to the old ones. That takes time, and it does not happen to every page on the same day.

Recovery depends on three things:

Every old address forwards to its matching new page, permanently. That tells Google "this page moved here", and it passes on what Google knew about the old page.
The new page covers what the old one did. Same service, same towns, similar depth.
Nothing on the new site blocks Google, like a leftover "hide from search engines" switch.

With those in place, most sites settle within weeks. Without them, the old pages drop out over time and the new ones have to earn their place from the beginning. Nobody can promise an exact outcome either way, because Google's results also move for reasons that have nothing to do with your switch.

The trap: your old builder's redirect tool goes away

Many builders have a redirect tool: Wix has a URL redirect manager in its SEO settings, Squarespace has URL mappings, WordPress has redirect plugins. Owners sometimes set up forwarding there before leaving, and then cancel the old plan.

Once the old site is gone and your domain points at the new one, the old builder's redirects stop mattering: visitors and Google never reach that builder again. The forwarding has to be set up on the new site, which is now answering for your domain. Ask your new builder or provider where redirects go, and make sure every old address is in there.

Domains bought through the builder

If you bought your domain through your old builder, the domain is a separate thing from the site, even though it was on the same bill. You can usually keep the domain at the old builder and point it at the new site, or move it to another registrar. Do not cancel the old builder account entirely until the domain is sorted, or you may lose it.

The connect guides for Wix and Squarespace show the pointing steps, and moving your domain off Wix covers a full transfer.

Builder differences that do matter

Even though Google does not care about the brand, a few real differences between builders affect how Google reads your site:

Speed on phones. Some builders load a lot of code on every page. A lighter site is easier on customers with weak signals, and page experience is one of the many things Google considers.
Control over titles and descriptions. Some builders let you set them per page easily; others bury them.
Clean addresses. Being able to choose /water-heater-repair instead of /services-3 makes your pages easier to understand for people and Google.
Real text vs text in images. Some templates encourage putting words into banners and pictures, which Google reads poorly.
Redirect support. Whether the new builder lets you forward old addresses at all, and how many.

What to do before and after the switch

Before

Make a list of every old page address, from your sitemap, your menu and a site: search on Google.
Note each page's title and description.
Write down the new address each old page should go to.
Check your new builder supports the redirects.

After

Turn on the redirects on the new site.
Type in a dozen old addresses and check each lands on the right page.
Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console.
Watch the Pages report for "Not found" errors over the next month.

The full step-by-step version, including which pages to protect most, is in keeping your Google traffic when you move to a new website. If you are leaving WordPress specifically, moving from an old WordPress site to something simpler covers the plugins, forms and blog posts to look out for.

What to do this week

Look at your current site's page addresses and note the builder's pattern.
Find out where your domain is registered, and whether it is tied to your builder account.
Ask any new builder or provider how they handle forwarding old addresses.
Do not cancel your current plan until the new site, the forwarding and the domain are all confirmed.

SiteSmith rebuilds a site with your old page addresses carried over and forwarding to the new pages, so you can see your site rebuilt first and test your old addresses before anything switches.