Free WordPress Migration Service: What's the Catch?

A free WordPress migration service is worth taking when it moves your URLs, SEO tags and tracking at no cost and states every condition in writing. The usual catch is required hosting, a page cap or a redesign pitch.

We build sites you edit through chat with an Ai website editor, so we've spent a lot of time on what a good migration has to carry over. Use the checklist below on any offer you're weighing, ours included.

What does a free WordPress migration service include?#

A fair offer puts its scope in writing before you hand over anything. Ask for each of these by name:

• Every URL, with redirects for any address that changes. Lost URLs mean lost rankings and broken links.
• SEO tags: title tags and meta descriptions, carried over as written.
• Tracking: analytics and ad pixels, tested after the move.
• Content and media: pages and images, checked against the old site.
• A review step, so you see the new site before your domain points to it.

If an offer only says "we'll move your site," ask what that covers. A vague yes tends to turn into a paid add-on later.

Which conditions come attached to a free WordPress migration?#

Most free offers attach at least one condition, and these are the common ones:

• Required hosting. The move is free, but you must sign up for the provider's hosting plan. That can be reasonable, so check the cost and the cancellation terms.
• A trial that converts. Find out whether a free trial turns into a paid plan automatically, and how you cancel.
• A page cap. Some offers cover the first handful of pages and charge for the rest.
• A redesign pitch. The migration is a way to start a sales conversation. A redesign pitch is worth hearing if you want one. If you don't, it's a distraction from the migration.
• Locked content. Ask whether you can export your content if you leave.

One example from our side: Captive Studio, from the agency Captive Demand, rebuilds your WordPress site on its own Vercel-hosted platform, where there are no plugins to update, as a free migration (normally a $5,000 project), and it's invite-only for now. The details are on our wordpress migration service page, so you can hold them up against this checklist.

What are the red flags in a free migration offer?#

Some signs should slow you down:

• No mention of redirects, SEO tags or tracking anywhere in the offer.
• No clear timeline, or a timeline that only shows up after you've signed.
• A request for admin access before anyone has described the scope.
• Terms that you can't find, or that contradict the sales page. Read them in full, the same way you'd read ours on the terms page.
• No answer to "what happens if I leave?"
• Pressure to decide today.

Treat one red flag as a question to raise before you decide. A provider with a fair offer answers in plain language and puts the answer in writing.

Free WordPress migration FAQ#

Q: Is a free WordPress migration really free?

A: It can be, but the cost often sits in a later step such as hosting, a plan or a redesign. Ask what you'll pay after the migration is done and get the answer in writing.

Q: What should a free migration carry over?

A: At minimum, your URLs, SEO tags, tracking and content, plus a chance to review the new site before it goes live.

Q: Will I lose search rankings if I migrate?

A: Rankings are at risk when URLs change without redirects or when titles and meta descriptions go missing. Check that the offer covers both before you agree.

Q: Can I take my content with me if I leave later?

A: You can when the provider supports export, so ask for the export process and any fee in writing before you sign.

We publish more guides like this on our blog.

Once you've picked a provider, our Ai website editor is how you'd edit the site by asking in chat. Check the free migration terms on the wordpress migration service page against the checklist above.