What moves to Webflow and what stays at GoDaddy
Treat the GoDaddy site as something you copy from by hand. Save everything before you change anything.
| Item | What happens | Do this first |
|---|---|---|
| Pages, copy and images | No export, so they're rebuilt in Webflow | Save the copy and original images, and list every URL |
| Blog posts | Rebuilt as a Webflow CMS collection, imported from a CSV | Put every post in a spreadsheet |
| Domain | Stays registered at GoDaddy, no transfer | Check who can log in to the GoDaddy account |
| Keeps working if MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are left alone | Screenshot the full DNS zone | |
| Forms | Rebuilt as Webflow forms and reconnected to your CRM | Note where each form sends |
| Store or bookings | Webflow Ecommerce or a separate tool | Decide before you scope the build |
| Rankings | Protected by 1:1 301 redirects, with a few weeks of movement | Build the redirect map |
Webflow confirms you don't need to transfer the domain. For blogs, its CSV import takes files up to 4 MB, and images imported by URL don't get responsive versions, so upload key images directly.
If you're still weighing platforms, compare Webflow and WordPress before you start the rebuild.
How to move from GoDaddy to Webflow, step by step
The order matters. Redirects and DNS checks happen before the switch, and the GoDaddy site goes last.
- Inventory everything. List every live URL from your sitemap, Search Console and a crawler, plus forms and embeds. Screenshot every DNS record in GoDaddy (Domain Portfolio, your domain, then DNS).
- Map every URL. Each old URL gets a new page or a reason to retire. Your team signs off the redirect map before design starts.
- Build on Webflow staging. Design and build on the free webflow.io address with your real content, then reconnect forms to your CRM and carry over analytics. To connect your own domain you need a paid site plan: Basic at $15/mo, or Premium at $25/mo with the CMS, both billed yearly.
- Load the 301 redirects. In Site settings, Publishing, 301 redirects, point each old path at its matching new page, never the homepage. Use capture groups for whole folders, since Webflow recommends 1,000 redirects at most. A CSV import overwrites every existing redirect, so export first.
- Free the A record. A connection to a GoDaddy site locks your DNS records, and so does domain forwarding. Remove both first.
- Connect the domain. Keep GoDaddy's default nameservers. Use Quick Connect, or copy the root A record, the www CNAME and the _webflow TXT record from Webflow's Site settings (Publishing, then Production), never from an old tutorial. Add the TXT record, and change only the root A record and the www CNAME.
- Make www the default and publish. This avoids redirect loops. DNS usually updates within a few hours and can take up to 48 hours.
- Test the same day. Send and receive email, submit every form, open your top old URLs, and check SSL and the sitemap. The domain hasn't changed, so you don't need Google's Change of Address tool.
- Then wind down GoDaddy Website Builder. Unpublish the old site or turn off auto-renew. Don't delete it: GoDaddy ends access at once, even with paid time left. Check the domain and email are still set to renew.
After launch, track rankings and indexing for 90 days and fix anything that drops. Our guide to moving to Webflow without losing rankings covers the SEO checks in more depth.
How to keep email working
Email breaks in one of two ways during this move:
- A nameserver change. Pointing nameservers away from GoDaddy moves your whole DNS zone, and Webflow warns that a nameserver change may reset the DNS zone file. Your MX records can go with it.
- Deleting too much. Webflow's general domain help says to delete any previously set A and CNAME records. Read literally, that also removes email CNAMEs such as autodiscover.
If you bought Microsoft 365 through GoDaddy, it relies on an MX record at @, an autodiscover CNAME and an SPF TXT record. None of them needs to change for Webflow.
The rule: change two records, add one TXT record and touch nothing else. It's the same if your email runs on Google Workspace.
Webflow's GoDaddy guide agrees: don't modify MX, SPF, DKIM or DMARC records. If you use Quick Connect, check your email records are intact afterward.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Cost line | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Webflow site plan | Basic $15/mo, or Premium $25/mo with the CMS, billed yearly |
| Webflow Ecommerce | From $29/mo billed yearly, only if you sell online |
| Domain | Stays at GoDaddy and renews as it does now |
| No change | |
| GoDaddy Website Builder | Keep paying until the Webflow site is live and tested |
| Design and build | Your team's time, or ours from $7,500 |
Webflow prices are from its pricing page. Our Webflow website builds start at $7,500, and page count, CMS needs, content and integrations set the scope.
Prices are starting points. Your quote depends on scope, not your funding round.
The DNS switch takes hours. How long the rebuild takes depends on page count and content. After launch, rankings can move for a few weeks, and mapping every URL and testing redirects before launch keeps that short.
A five-page site with no blog is a fair DIY job. Get help when blog posts rank, when there's a store, or when nobody on your team has edited DNS before.
Send us your GoDaddy site URL, a screenshot of your DNS records and who runs your email. We'll scope the move and confirm the price in writing. See how our Webflow migration service works, or contact us.
