How to Migrate from Squarespace to WordPress: Step-by-Step Playbook

Why Move from Squarespace?

Three reasons we hear most:

• Cost: Squarespace is $12–33+ per month, plus transaction fees. WordPress hosting is often cheaper with more flexibility.
• Flexibility: WordPress plugins let you customize almost anything. Squarespace has limits.
• Ownership: On WordPress, you own your content and data. Squarespace can restrict exports or make changes to your platform.

Pre-Migration Checklist (Week 1)

1. Audit Your Current Site

• Export your Squarespace site content (pages, blog posts, images)
• Note custom CSS, JavaScript, or advanced features you rely on
• Screenshot key pages for design reference
• List all forms, integrations, and third-party tools (email capture, Zapier, etc.)

2. Set Up WordPress Hosting

• Choose a WordPress hosting provider (managed WordPress hosting reduces ongoing maintenance)
• Install WordPress and select a theme that matches your current design aesthetic
• Install essential plugins: Yoast SEO or RankMath, WPForms or Gravity Forms, caching plugin

3. Document All URLs

Export your Squarespace sitemap or manually list all page URLs. You'll need these for redirects later.

Content Migration (Weeks 2–3)

Step 1: Export Your Content

Squarespace doesn't have a built-in WordPress export. Options:

• Manual copy: Copy pages and posts manually into WordPress. Best for small sites (<20 pages)
• WP Migrate plugin: Use plugins like All-in-One WP Migration to export Squarespace HTML as drafts, then refine
• Developer migration: Hire a developer to write a script that scrapes Squarespace and imports into WordPress

Step 2: Recreate Pages in WordPress

For each page:

• Create a new WordPress page with the same title
• Copy content, images, and media
• Match the URL slug to your Squarespace URL (e.g., /about stays /about)
• Add relevant meta descriptions and keywords

Step 3: Migrate Blog Posts

• Export Squarespace blog posts to XML if possible
• Import into WordPress using the Importer plugin, or copy manually
• Preserve original publish dates so Google recognizes post history
• Keep original slugs (/blog/post-name) to maintain SEO value

Step 4: Move Images and Media

• Download all images from Squarespace
• Optimize images for web (compress, resize if needed)
• Upload to WordPress media library
• Re-link images in pages/posts if they weren't imported automatically

Forms & Integrations (Week 3)

Contact Forms

• Squarespace forms → migrate to WPForms, Gravity Forms, or Formspree
• Set up email notifications so form submissions reach your inbox
• Test submissions before launch

Third-Party Integrations

• Email list (Mailchimp, ConvertKit): Recreate signup forms in WordPress using native plugins
• Analytics (Google Analytics): Link WordPress to your existing Google Analytics account
• Zapier, webhooks: Reconfigure to use WordPress as the source
• SEO tools (Yoast, RankMath): Set up and configure in WordPress

SEO & Redirects (Week 4)

This is critical. If you skip this, you'll lose search traffic.

Step 1: Map Old URLs to New

Create a spreadsheet:

Old URL (Squarespace) | New URL (WordPress)
/about-us             | /about
/services             | /services
/blog/post-title      | /blog/post-title

Step 2: Set Up 301 Redirects

Use the Redirection plugin or your hosting provider's .htaccess file:

Redirect 301 /about-us https://yoursite.com/about

Why 301? It tells Google that the page moved permanently and passes all SEO value to the new URL.

Step 3: Update Your Sitemap

• Generate a new XML sitemap in WordPress (Yoast or RankMath handles this automatically)
• Submit it to Google Search Console
• Monitor Search Console for crawl errors in the following weeks

Step 4: Update Google Analytics

• Keep your existing GA property
• Add the new WordPress site as a view or new property
• Add 301 redirect rule in GA to consolidate old/new URL traffic

Launch QA Checklist (Week 5)

Before flipping the DNS, test everything:

• [ ] All pages load without 404 errors
• [ ] Images load correctly
• [ ] Forms submit and send emails
• [ ] Mobile responsiveness works
• [ ] Navigation menu is correct
• [ ] Internal links point to the right pages
• [ ] No broken links to external sites
• [ ] SSL certificate is active (HTTPS)
• [ ] Redirects from old Squarespace URLs work
• [ ] Blog pagination and archives work

DNS Switchover (Week 5–6)

This is the moment of truth.

• Set your domain nameservers to point to your new WordPress hosting
• DNS can take 24–48 hours to fully propagate
• During this window, some visitors may see the old Squarespace site, some the new WordPress site
• This is normal; wait for full propagation before investigating issues

Post-Launch Monitoring (Weeks 6–8)

• Search Console: Check for crawl errors, indexation status, and 404s
• Analytics: Monitor traffic and user behavior
• Uptime: Test that your site is accessible from different locations and devices
• Form submissions: Verify forms are working
• Redirects: Spot-check that old Squarespace URLs redirect correctly

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Broken redirects: If old URLs don't redirect to new ones, you lose SEO value
• Missing images: Images not re-linked in WordPress show as broken
• Form data loss: Don't set up new forms without migrating past submissions
• Duplicate content: Keep Squarespace site up briefly for redirects; then take it down
• DNS timing issues: Don't rush; allow 48+ hours for DNS propagation

After Migration: Ongoing Maintenance

Unlike Squarespace, WordPress requires regular maintenance:

• Updates: WordPress core, plugins, themes need monthly updates
• Backups: Schedule automated daily backups
• Security: Install a security plugin (Wordfence, iThemes Security)
• Performance: Use caching and CDN to keep your site fast

Professional WordPress maintenance handles all of this, so you don't have to worry.

FAQ