You may have different reasons to switch from Squarespace to WordPress. As a web design specialist with years of web design expertise, I tried this option several times looking to expand my website’s functionality or willing to reach the goals my previous Squarespace website wasn’t able to complete.
I know this kind of migration isn’t a walk in the park – it takes time, effort and a bit of technical know-how to cope with every task.
Along with technical challenges, you always need to make sure that traffic is properly redirected to the new hosting with the old website domain. On top of that, it’s important to ensure that the content displays correctly on the new platform.
And let’s keep in mind the SEO aspect, of course. I’ve worked hard, for example, to build up my site’s search engine rankings and I definitely don’t want to lose that progress. I’m sure you don’t want that either.
If you are concerned with all these issues, have a look at the following guide I’ve prepared for you. It will help you decide, if you are ready to get involved into the migration process and cope with it in the best way possible, of course.
 |
| to Move Your Website! |
Why Should You Move?
I’ve already listed several main reasons to switch to WordPress from Squarespace. They, however, may differ with regard to the situation and web design tasks you have.
Keep in mind, though, that there are several crucial issues to consider to make the transfer process fast, smooth and hassle-free.
You’ll need to take care of proper hosting choice, domain name transfer and content migration to ensure correct and consequent growth of your website search engine positions. Let’s make a detailed overview of the entire process below.
The Squarespace vs. WordPress Showdown: Pros & Cons
Squarespace and WordPress are two quite different platforms, which is mainly manifested via their web design approach. While Squarespace is a website builder, the feature set of which still resembles the CMS, WordPress is the world-renowned Content Management System that abounds in integration options and design customization tools. However, both systems are worth user attention and both of them have much to offer to their target audience. Thus, comparison of these platforms is handy to the prevailing amount of web designers.
As a website builder, Squarespace is somewhat easier to use than WordPress (the open-source CMS). This is also confirmed by the fact that Squarespace initially targets the end user, while WordPress is geared towards the needs and requirements of those web developers, whose coding knowledge and skills are on a worthy level.
When it comes to flexibility and feature set, both systems are great in their own niches. Squarespace has an extensive library of high end responsive and customizable templates, integrated blogging and eCommerce engines, abundance of design development and management tools, ready-made integrable widgets and hosting included into the cost of selected plans.
WordPress also excels at integration and design development options. The platform grants access to hundreds of free and paid plugins/add-ons, integrated and third-party themes you can edit to create unique project design almost from scratch. At the same time, WordPress doesn’t include hosting and domain name by default. This triggers the need to pick and purchase hosting and domain on your own. On the other hand, this approach gives you full control over your website and its performance.
Template choice is also versatile in both systems. The only difference is that Squarespace has an integrated responsive design collection, while WordPress allows choosing from hundreds of free and paid templates, most of which are developed by third-party web designers. WordPress themes also require installation before detailed customization.
Speaking about the pricing aspect, Squarespace and WordPress differ as well. The website builder has a free trial and four paid subscriptions available at reasonable cost. The plans include hosting and allow for free custom domain connection. The CMS, in its turn, is free for initial download and installation yet it implies the necessity to invest into plugins, templates, best hosting choice and domain provider.
To find out more information about Squarespace and WordPress features, parameters and tools that may affect website creation and management process, it makes sense to read a detailed Squarespace vs WordPress comparison that will help you make the unbiased decision.
Who Should Migrate?
The variety of web design platforms is quite extensive. No wonder, people may be confused when choosing the most suitable option. Thus, if Squarespace you have initially chosen as your web design tool has functionality limitations or just does not comply with your growing website creation aspirations any longer, you may consider switching to another platform. WordPress becomes a great alternative here.
What You Gain
Migrating to WordPress opens the door to endless possibilities mainly because this is not a website builder, but the Content Management System.
You gain access to a broad range of plugins, advanced SEO and web development tools, custom post types, multi language support, possibility of WooCommerce integration to set up a large-scale web store, versatile membership options and what not.
In short, WordPress gives you room to grow. Yes, testing and exploring it always takes time and effort but what you eventually get is web design power and full control over your project.
Pre-Move Checklist
Suppose, you have made up your mind to move your web project to WordPress from Squarespace. What should you start with? There is definitely some groundwork that will help save your time and effort, minimize stress and prevent potential challenges. This is kind of a prep phase that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Taking Stock: What’s on Your Squarespace Site?
To start with, it is highly recommended to complete a full audit of your Squarespace website. This is because not all your current site entities can be transferred automatically. In fact, most of them will have to be moved manually.
Take note of everything, including web pages, blog posts and categories, images, videos, downloadable files, custom styling and code injections, SEO data, integrations and online forms, eCommerce entities (if any).
Ask yourself: What exactly do I want to keep, update or leave behind? Save those entities you will need and remove those that are no longer desirable. This is a great chance, by the way, to reorganize your website and create a brand new structure for it.
Picking the Right WordPress Hosting
What you should know is that Squarespace hosts its websites on its servers. As opposed to it, WordPress hosts the websites launched with the system with the hosting of your choice.
So, one of the first things you should take care of is selecting the trusted WordPress hosting provider and learning the terms it offers.
Look for a hosting provider that offers reliable uptime and performance, easy WordPress installation (many hosts have one-click setup), trusted customer support, free SSL certificates, daily backups and, preferably, affordable rates.
If your Squarespace website comes with a registered domain name already, you’ll have to transfer it as well to the hosting provider chosen. The transfer rules will depend upon the host you will work with.
Choosing the Perfect WordPress Theme
As a CMS, WordPress does not replicate your Squarespace theme. This means that you will have to pick a brand new WordPress design and create your site from scratch. The good news is that the CMS provides far more control over layout, features and branding than Squarespace.
When picking a theme for your new website, consider such aspects as design flexibility (easy customization of fonts, colors and layouts), performance and load speed, regular support and updates, compatibility with current WordPress version and plugins.
Mind that WordPress has a separate repository with quality designs (free and paid) as well as a versatility of templates available online. The latter are not always secure, so they may sometimes pose a threat to your website safety. Always take your time to check that aspect before choosing the template you like.
Step-by-Step Moving Guide
Once your prep work is done, you may proceed to WordPress installation. Actually, the setup process is easy and quick. Newbies will appreciate the tutorial that describes the installation procedure in details.
However, inexperienced users have to be careful about that. There are many nuances, underestimation of which may result in the problems in your further website functioning.
Are you done with that? Then it is high time to proceed to further must-have steps.
Exporting Squarespace Content
As mentioned above, not all Squarespace content may be transferred automatically. The rest of the content will remain on your integrated Squarespace domain name and you’ll have to copy it manually.
The content that can be exported includes the basic WordPress website pages, one blog page with all the posts it contains, gallery pages as well as image, text and embed blocks.
The sections that will remain in your WordPress website include product, album and event pages; video, audio and product blocks; custom CSS and style changes; index pages and folders.
To initiate the process of export, access the “Settings » Advanced » Import/ Export” Squarespace menu. Click the “Export” button to get started.
You will further see the pop up WordPress logo window, the activation of which will launch the file export process. As the export process is completed, download the export file and store it on your computer.
Importing to WordPress
Now hop over to your new WordPress dashboard and access the “Tools >> Import” page. You’ll be offered a list of services to choose from. Click WordPress to install the importer plugin.
As soon as the download is completed, activate the plugin and run the importer link. The next step is uploading and importing files from the export file you’ve downloaded.
In the import settings page, you will have to select the name for the available content. You can either select the existing admin user or create a new one.
As far as WordPress doesn’t import images from your Squarespace website automatically, you’ll have to do that manually, if needed.
Mind, though, that you’ll need to install the Import External Images plugin for WordPress first. After the plugin activation, reach the “Media >> Import Images” page to complete the task.
To preserve your Squarespace website traffic, make sure your WordPress URL structure is correct. This shouldn’t be a problem as the platform is SEO-friendly and will let you customize the structure of your links as you need.
Now, import the rest of the content. Check those content files that have not been transferred automatically and move them manually to your WordPress website.
Don’t forget to check, whether you have transferred title and description meta tags for each page correctly once again.
By the way, I recommend keeping your existing Squarespace website active until you make sure the migration process is completed properly and your new WordPress website functions well. This is a surefire way to prevent the potential troubleshooting issues.
Fixing Formatting Issues
After the files are all imported, pay attention to your website styling and formatting. Some things may not look quite right and you will have to fix those issues on your own.
Pay attention to broken line breaks or odd spacing, missing featured images, improperly formatted headings or text, duplicate pages or posts. Check your content one section at a time and remove anything that didn’t transfer smoothly. You may find that tedious, but this is what has to be done to make your website look stylish and complete.
Rebuilding Your Layout and Matching Your Squarespace Design
Even when your website content is successfully transferred, the new site may lack the feeling or design of your old project. This is because the layout is not rebuilt properly and the design has to be re-created to resemble the previous Squarespace project.
Your page layout may be recreated in the WordPress Gutenberg Editor (already built into WordPress) or in the new plugin (Elementor, Beaver Builder etc.) you’ll have to install further.
To get the most out of the template replication process, try to choose a WordPress theme that is close to your previous one. Use custom fonts and color schemes to perfectly match the branding. Upload the original logo and media assets as well as recreate footer structure, online forms and navigation menu.
This step, however, is optional. If you feel that you are not going to replicate your previous website design, you are welcome to create a brand new template from scratch.
Widgets & Plugins
WordPress is all about plugins. This is its strong point. To give your new website the required functionality, you won’t go without integrating plugins for SEO (Yoast SEO etc.), backups (UpdraftPlus or BlogVault), security (Wordfence or Sucuri), contact Forms (WPForms etc.), eCommerce (WooCommerce etc.), caching (W3 Total Cache or WP Rocket), analytics (Site Kit by Google) and more.
The diversity of plugins will depend on your website specialization and desired functionality.
Also, take your time to explore widget areas (like sidebars and footers) in Appearance > Widgets to add extra content blocks like recent posts, search bars, or social feeds.
SEO & Redirects
Moving your website entities and replicating the design is only one part of the migration process. Another point to make sure is your SEO does not take a hit in the process. After all, you’ve likely spent months (or even years) ensuring proper search engine visibility, and you don’t want to lose that out of a sudden. Read on to find out how to preserve your current positions and make sure your website visitors come to the right place.
Setting Up 301 Redirects
When you switch platforms, your old page URLs will mostly change, especially if you make any adjustments to the website structure. You should be ok with that.
To prevent 404 errors, you’ll need to set up 301 redirects to notify the search engines that your site has permanently moved to the new URL. In this case, your website visitors will be automatically redirected to the new URL.
You can easily manage redirects in WordPress using plugins like Redirection (simple and powerful), Rank Math or Yoast Premium (comes with an integrated redirect manager). Create a list of your old Squarespace URLs and match them with their new counterparts. After that, add redirects accordingly and check the result.
Fixing Broken Links
Internal links may also be broken in the result of the website migration process. These can happen when blog posts or web pages link to other parts of your site using old Squarespace URLs. Your task is to detect and fix them.
There are several ways to identify broken links. Those that work best are: Broken Link Checker plugin, Ahrefs or SEMrush (these are paid SEO tools), Google Search Console, which may flag broken URLs over time.
As soon as you find the broken links, update them manually or use automated search-and-replace tools (like the Better Search Replace plugin) to fix them all at a time.
Tweaking SEO Settings in WordPress
WordPress definitely grants you more control over your website functionality and, of course, over SEO settings.
By installing a popular SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, you will be able to set up titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps etc. To customize permalink structure, go to “Settings > Permalinks” and select a keyword-friendly format.
Don’t forget to optimize titles and meta descriptions, of course. Use the selected SEO plugin to fine-tune the pages and metadata.
Finally, submit your new sitemap and set up schema markup for better results.
Testing, Tweaking & Launching
You can neve be sure your website is transferred successfully and works great until you test it well. Running a pre-launch test is a must. Imagine you are a first-time visitor – browse all the pages, buttons, sections, forms etc. to check the way they work. The pre-launch checklist should look like that:
- All pages load correctly
- Online forms are all functional and send requests to the specified email
- All CTA buttons are active
- Navigation menus work well and lead to the required sections
- Images load and display well
- SEO metadata (titles, descriptions) is in place
- Social sharing previews are correct
- Page speed as sufficient (this should be tested with special tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights)
- Mobile version is also ok
And, of course, don’t forget to test your website across multiple browsers to note any rendering issues.
Fixing Any Last-Minute Glitches and Going Live
No migration is perfect. You will certainly come across small bugs, errors, broken links, styling/formatting issues while testing the project. Just fix them on time and that’s it.
Are some of the images missing? No problem – re-upload or fix image paths! Are there any layout bugs? Just tweak block settings or theme options. Found color/font inconsistencies? Adjust the details via CSS or theme customizer.
Whatever the problem is, there will always be a simple solution to it! Just don’t be in a hurry and check everything twice.
Well, that’s almost all about your website transfer! You are now ready to go live! To attract user attention, you can post an update on your social media channels, make the newsletter mailout, add a blog post about the recent move, update the info in the business listings etc. These are only a few effective ways to notify the target audience about the new website release.
Bottom Line
As a Content Management System, WordPress open-source software provides greater functionality as compared to Squarespace.
As soon as you are done with the website migration process, take your time to make sure it functions properly and all the plugins are installed and set up correctly. Check out, if all the redirects to new web pages are enabled (if any) and test the website once again.
I’ve created this migration guide for those of you who are not sure they will be able to cope with the task independently. It offers helpful tips on how to prevent the potential problems and make the website transfer process smooth and hassle-free. Hopefully, you’ll find it useful! Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Should I switch from Squarespace to WordPress?
Answer: The decision to switch from Squarespace depends on your project specialization, preferences, web design skills, budget and needs. The platforms differ a lot from each other. If you need a simple project, then Squarespace website builder is a nice pick. However, if you expect to avail a feature-rich project, then go ahead to choose WordPress – the CMS that requires deeper tech expertise in terms of plugin integration, hosting choice and design customization.
Question: Сan I transfer my Squarespace website to another host?
Answer: Yes, it is possible to transfer your Squarespace website to another host, but this will require extra coding proficiency and tech background. Prior to doing that, however, check whether your domain is eligible for transfer. It should be registered or transferred to Squarespace for over 60 days. If it is, get the authentication code and follow the software guidelines to complete the task. The entire process takes around a week.
Question: Can I export Squarespace blog to WordPress?
Answer: Yes, it is possible to export your Squarespace blog to WordPress. You initially need to create an XML file with the content (blog posts, comments, media files, web pages etc.) you intend to export. Then set up a new WP account and install a blog import plugin (either free or paid) to initiate the transfer procedure. Don’t forget to review and edit your blog posts afterwards to make sure they display well. Finally, redirect your domain name to your new WordPress website and check the result.
Question: Do I need hosting for the new WordPress website?
Answer: Obviously, you won’t go without choosing hosting for a new WordPress website. As a CMS, it needs a web server to host your project files and make them accessible for the target audience. Fortunately, there are various hosts to choose from and many of them offer separate packages for WordPress hosting. Each plan has its own advantages and drawbacks – review them and pick the one that suits your needs best.
Question: How long does it take to transfer a domain from Squarespace?
Answer: The process of moving your Squarespace domain to another registrar takes around 7 business days from the moment you get a transfer code, create a new account and send the code to the new host.
