Migrate WordPress to STUDIO – see the result in a free demo first

When it makes sense to migrate WordPress to STUDIO

STUDIO is a Japanese no-code website builder: you design, edit and publish in the browser, and hosting, SSL and software updates are managed by the platform. There is no server to rent and no plugin to patch. The move pays off most for sites like these:

• Small to mid-size sites: company profile, shop or clinic pages, services, recruiting – roughly 10 to 30 pages
• Updates are mostly news or blog posts: content that fits STUDIO's built-in CMS
• Plugin maintenance is a burden: every update risks breaking something, or you pay a monthly fee just to keep the site running
• Design matters to your brand: you want a custom look without fighting a theme
• Nobody in-house speaks WordPress: PHP versions and backups are where things stall

The more of these apply, the lighter your day-to-day work becomes after the move. If you are still weighing why to leave WordPress at all, see alternatives to WordPress. A good first step: list how many pages you have and what you actually update each month.

STUDIO's limits and sites it does not suit

The main drawback of STUDIO is that you cannot freely bolt on features. There is no plugin library on the scale of WordPress, so think carefully if your site needs any of these:

• Serious online sales: cart, stock and payments are better handled by Shopify or BASE
• Membership or booking: logins and reservation management depend on external services
• Hundreds of articles: CMS items and pages have plan limits, and moving large archives takes real effort
• Custom functionality: filtered search or complex forms are outside what STUDIO does best
• Platform dependence: your site runs on STUDIO, so a future move to another CMS usually means a rebuild

The reverse also happens: a site launched on STUDIO grows, needs sales or member features, and moves off STUDIO to WordPress, Shopify or BASE depending on the goal. If you are comparing another no-code option, migrating to Wix walks through that route. A quick test: write down what you want the site to do in three years and check each item against STUDIO.

STUDIO or Wix: what to compare before you move

STUDIO and Wix are the two builders most often compared as a WordPress replacement. Both cut maintenance, and each has its own strengths. Weigh them on these points:

• Who edits the site: people who like fine design control tend to prefer STUDIO; people who like ready-made features often find Wix easier
• Features you need: whether booking, selling or members should live inside one service
• Monthly cost: a custom domain requires a paid plan on both, and pricing and plan contents change from time to time
• Language and support: whether your staff can use the admin panel and help pages comfortably in Japanese or English
• Content to move: how many blog posts and news items you have, and whether moving them by hand is realistic

Check current prices and features on each platform's official site. When you compare, put your present WordPress hosting and maintenance costs in the same table – that shows the real cost difference of the move.

How a STUDIO migration works, step by step

Moving from WordPress to STUDIO means rebuilding the site inside STUDIO; there is no one-click import of a full WordPress site. For a small site, one to two months is a typical timeframe.

• Inventory: list every URL, your most visited pages and each plugin with its job
• Decide what stays: pages to keep, merge or drop; choose which articles are worth moving
• Replace features: contact forms, booking and social embeds via STUDIO's own tools or external services
• Design and build: set the direction on the home page, then build inner pages and CMS templates
• SEO setup: page titles and descriptions, OGP images, and redirects from old URLs to new ones
• Domain switch: update DNS, then check pages, form delivery and tracking right after launch

It speeds things up to have ready: your WordPress admin login, your domain registrar and its login, original logo and photo files, and access to GA4 and Search Console. Keep the domain and analytics accounts in your own name so you stay in control whatever platform you use.

Common mistakes in a STUDIO migration

When inquiries or search visits drop after a move, the cause is usually something a pre-launch check would have caught. Go through this list before you switch:

• Old URLs are not redirected, so search results and links from other sites hit an error page
• Email runs on the same domain, and a careless DNS change stops mail from arriving
• Forms and auto-reply emails that a plugin handled are never replaced
• Popular articles get deleted as "old", and with them your entry points from search
• GA4 tags and conversion settings are forgotten, so before and after cannot be compared
• The WordPress hosting is cancelled too early and no backup of the old data remains

Keep the old hosting for one or two months until the new site settles, so you can still pull out text or images if needed. The same checklist works when you move off STUDIO to another CMS.

How UNANOBO handles a STUDIO migration: a free demo first

Before you commit, UNANOBO builds a free demo of your new site from your current content and brand. Looking at real screens, we can decide together whether STUDIO is the right home or whether another platform fits better. For new builds on STUDIO, see STUDIO website production.

The process is free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally, so you keep one contact from the first demo to improvements after launch. Everything runs by message, in Japanese or English. To start, send your current site address and a line about what is bothering you.