Millions of websites are still running on platforms built for the 2010s — slow, expensive to maintain, and increasingly hard to justify. Migrating to an AI website builder in 2026 is faster, cheaper, and less risky than most people assume. This step-by-step guide covers everything from planning your move to protecting your SEO.

Why Migrate to an AI Website Builder?

  • Faster site generation and updates — AI builds complete sites in under 60 seconds, not weeks
  • Modern, mobile-first design — generated layouts follow current web standards by default
  • Automated SEO and analytics — no more manual meta tags and plugin juggling
  • Lower maintenance costs — hosting, SSL, and security handled for you from £29/year

Which Platforms Can You Migrate From?

AI website builders like ChilledSites work as a destination from virtually any existing platform. Here are the most common migrations:

WordPress

Export your content via XML, then use it as a reference when generating your new AI site. Most WP sites rebuild better than they migrate.

Squarespace

Export your blog posts and pages, then generate a new site with your existing branding. AI produces cleaner HTML and faster load times.

Wix

Wix doesn't allow full content export, so screenshot your pages and use them as a content reference when building with AI.

GoDaddy / Weebly

Copy your key page content manually — these platforms usually have fewer pages, making migration straightforward.

Migration Steps

The complete migration checklist

  1. Audit your current site — List all pages, identify which get traffic, note all forms and integrations in use
  2. Export your content — Download text, images, and any data you need to preserve
  3. Generate your new site — Describe your business to ChilledSites and let AI build a complete multi-page site in under a minute
  4. Review and customise — Use the AI editor to refine copy, adjust sections, and match your brand exactly
  5. Set up 301 redirects — Before switching DNS, redirect every old URL to its new equivalent
  6. Test thoroughly — Check all forms, links, and contact flows on mobile and desktop
  7. Launch and monitor — Point your domain, submit your sitemap, and watch analytics for 48 hours

SEO and Content Transfer Tips

Protecting your search rankings during a migration is the part most people worry about. Here's the short version:

  • 301 redirects are mandatory for every URL that changes — without them you lose the search equity those pages have earned
  • Check all internal links — run a broken link scan after launch
  • Update meta tags and schema markup — AI-generated sites include correct schema out of the box
  • Monitor rankings and traffic post-launch — use Google Search Console to catch any crawl errors within 24 hours

What About Blog Posts?

If you have a blog with significant traffic, migrating posts carefully is worth the effort. For each high-traffic post, either migrate the content to an equivalent page on your new platform, or use AI to rewrite and improve it for modern search intent. A rewritten post usually outperforms the original within 60 days.

How Long Does Migration Take?

For a typical small business site (5–10 pages), expect:

  • Planning and audit: 2–4 hours
  • AI site generation and customisation: 1–3 hours
  • Setting up redirects and testing: 1–2 hours
  • Total: roughly half a day

That compares to 3–6 weeks for a traditional developer-led rebuild. The time savings alone justify the switch.