Convert from Squarespace to WordPress

Outgrowing Squarespace is one of the most common reasons site owners reach out to us. Squarespace is friendly enough to get started, but once you need real control over design, SEO, integrations, or your hosting setup, the walls close in fast.

This guide walks through why WordPress is the smarter long-term home for your site, exactly how to convert from Squarespace to WordPress, and what to watch out for so you don’t lose content, search rankings, or weeks of momentum during the migration.

Why WordPress is the ideal Squarespace alternative

Squarespace is a closed, all-in-one platform. The theme, the hosting, the editor, and the backend are bundled together by design, which makes it simple to launch and frustrating to scale. Every customization beyond the basics runs through Squarespace’s rules, and your monthly fees only go up as your site grows.

WordPress is the opposite. As the most popular CMS on the web, it’s open-source, deeply customizable, and supported by a massive plugin ecosystem. With a WordPress site, you choose your own WordPress development team, your own hosting provider, your own WordPress theme, and your own SEO setup. Nothing is locked behind a Squarespace subscription tier.

A few things WordPress does better than Squarespace, every single time:

• Real design flexibility – Thousands of themes plus the ability to write custom CSS, build custom layouts, and ship a fully custom WordPress theme without platform restrictions
• Stronger SEO controls – Editable URL structure, permalink structure, schema, meta tags, and integrations search engines actually love
• Genuine content ownership – Your blog content, product pages, portfolio pages, and event pages live in a WordPress database you control, not a Squarespace account you rent
• A real plugin ecosystem – Tools for SEO, performance, ecommerce, forms, memberships, multilingual, and just about anything else you can imagine
• Full hosting control – Bring your own hosting plans, pick managed hosting, or run your site on a web host built for performance instead of being stuck with Squarespace’s defaults

If you’ve started bumping against the limits of the Squarespace platform, that’s the signal it’s time to move.

WordPress vs. Squarespace comparison

Here’s how the two platforms compare side by side once you start weighing whether to stay on your Squarespace site or migrate to WordPress:

Ready to move? Talk to our migration team, and we’ll map out exactly what your Squarespace to WordPress migration would look like, from export to launch.

How do you convert your website from Squarespace to WordPress?

The path to convert from Squarespace to WordPress is well-established, but it’s not as simple as clicking one button. Squarespace’s export tool only covers part of your site, which means you’ll need to plan carefully for everything that doesn’t come along automatically.

Here’s the high-level path:

1. Audit your Squarespace site – Inventory blog pages, product pages, portfolio pages, event pages, gallery pages text, custom CSS, media files, and video files
2. Export content from Squarespace – Log into your Squarespace account, head to Settings, click Export, choose the WordPress option, and download the Squarespace XML file
3. Set up your new WordPress site – Pick a hosting provider, click install on WordPress, choose a new WordPress theme, and configure the basics from the WordPress admin dashboard
4. Run the WordPress Importer – Inside the WordPress dashboard, install the WordPress Importer tool, click Upload File, select your Squarespace XML file, and click Submit to run the importer
5. Import Squarespace images and media – Use the Import External Images plugin or the Auto Upload Images plugin to pull every image into the WordPress media library, since image URLs in the XML still point back to Squarespace
6. Rebuild the design – Squarespace site’s design doesn’t transfer with the XML file, so design needs to be rebuilt in your new WordPress theme
7. Set up redirects – Map every old Squarespace URL to its WordPress equivalent so search rankings and inbound links stay intact
8. Launch and monitor – Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console, watch the site’s performance, and verify everything tracks cleanly in the first 30 days

The depth of work depends on the size of your Squarespace site, the volume of imported content, and how much custom design you’ve layered on over the years.

Squarespace to WordPress migration process

Plenty of articles will tell you the Squarespace to WordPress migration is “just an XML export.” That’s true for the bones of your content, but the full picture is more involved.

Squarespace’s export file covers some content and skips a lot. Here’s what to know:

What the Squarespace XML file actually exports:

• Standard blog pages (and yes, only one blog per Squarespace site, which is a hard platform limit)
• Layout pages with text content
• Gallery pages text content
• Some media files referenced inline

What the Squarespace export does NOT include:

• Product pages from your online store
• Event pages
• Album pages and most portfolio pages
• Audio files and video files
• Custom CSS and Squarespace site’s design
• Most importing Squarespace images, since image URLs in the XML still point back to Squarespace servers
• Style settings, fonts, and template configuration

This is where most DIY migrations fall apart. You run the WordPress Importer, see the success message, then realize half your media is broken or pointing back to Squarespace.

The full Squarespace to WordPress migration covers:

• Squarespace content export – Generate the export file from your Squarespace account through Settings, the Export button, and the WordPress option
• WordPress installation – Complete the installation process on your chosen web host, with the WordPress dashboard ready for the import
• Run the WordPress Importer – Click Upload File, select the Squarespace XML file in XML format, click Submit, and let the importer run; assign authors as needed
• Import attachments and external images – Pull all the images into the WordPress media library using the Import External Images plugin or the Auto Upload Images plugin so nothing depends on Squarespace anymore
• Manually migrate what didn’t export – Rebuild product pages, event pages, portfolio pages, and any layout pages the XML missed
• Design rebuild – A new WordPress theme paired with custom CSS to recreate or upgrade the Squarespace site’s design
• Redirect map – Map every old Squarespace URL to its new WordPress URL to preserve SEO value
• SEO transfer – Meta titles, descriptions, schema, and a clean URL structure built for long-term search visibility
• Performance and hosting setup – Move to a proper hosting provider with hosting plans that match your site’s traffic

If your old website is an established Squarespace site with years of blog content, a real online store, or strong organic traffic, an automated DIY migration is rarely the right answer. Broken internal links, missing images, and lost search rankings are the most common casualties.

You’ve completed your migration, what’s next?

Migration is the starting line. Once your Squarespace content is fully imported into your new WordPress website, the real work begins:

• Verify imported content – Walk through every post and page to confirm content imported cleanly, with no broken internal links or missing media
• Confirm all images pulled into WordPress – Run the Import External Images plugin one more time and check the WordPress media library to make sure no images still point back to Squarespace
• Test functionality end-to-end – If you migrated an online store, place test orders; if you migrated forms, submit them; if you migrated event pages, view them on the front end
• Set up redirects – Confirm every old Squarespace URL redirects to its new WordPress URL cleanly
• Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console – Help search engines re-crawl your new WordPress site under its new URL structure
• Polish the new site – A new WordPress theme paired with WordPress design services gives you the chance to upgrade the design, not just replicate the old Squarespace site
• Watch your site’s performance – Track loading times, traffic, and rankings in the first 30 to 60 days

This is also the moment to lock in managed hosting, security hardening, and ongoing WordPress maintenance so your new WordPress site stays fast, secure, and supported long-term.

Hire Freshy to manage your WordPress migration

WordPress gives you all the tools to migrate from Squarespace, but learning a new platform while keeping your site online is a real time tax. Freshy handles the full Squarespace to WordPress migration for you, so you can focus on running your business instead of debugging XML files, hunting down broken images, or rebuilding event pages by hand.

We’ve supported over 2,400 clients since 2011, and our team manages everything from the technical WordPress migration work to the design refresh that comes with it. A typical engagement covers:

• Full Squarespace to WordPress migration – Posts, pages, blog content, media files, custom CSS recreation, and any platform-specific content that the export skipped
• Custom WordPress theme design or theme selection – Built around your brand, not a generic Squarespace template lookalike
• Complete media migration – Every image, every video, every gallery pulled into the WordPress media library with the Import External Images plugin and Auto Upload Images plugin
• Full redirect map – Every Squarespace URL mapped to its WordPress equivalent to preserve search rankings
• SEO setup – Meta tags, schema, sitemap submission, search engine optimization, and Google Search Console configuration
• Ecommerce migration – If you sell on Squarespace, we move product pages and your online store to WooCommerce cleanly
• Mobile-first responsive build – Optimized for every device and screen size
• Managed hosting, SSL, and security – Ready for traffic from day one
• Training and documentation – So your team can confidently manage the WordPress admin dashboard from launch forward

If you’re ready to leave Squarespace behind and build on a platform that grows with you, get in touch with our team to scope your migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Squarespace to WordPress migration take?

A typical Squarespace to WordPress migration takes 4 to 8 weeks from kickoff to launch. Smaller sites with a single blog and a handful of layout pages can move faster, while larger Squarespace sites with online stores, portfolio pages, event pages, and heavy custom CSS can run 8 to 12 weeks.

Will I lose my SEO when I convert from Squarespace to WordPress?

Not if the migration is handled properly. The single most important step is building a complete redirect map from every old Squarespace URL to its new WordPress URL. Done well, most sites stabilize within 4 to 8 weeks and often improve, since WordPress gives you far more control over URL structure, permalink structure, and on-page SEO than Squarespace ever did.

Can I keep my Squarespace site online during the migration?

Yes. Most professional migrations build the new WordPress site in a separate staging environment, so your existing Squarespace site stays online and functional. The final switchover happens in a single planned window to minimize downtime.

Does the Squarespace XML file export everything?

No. The Squarespace XML file covers standard blog content, layout pages, and some media, but it doesn’t export product pages, event pages, portfolio pages, video files, audio files, or your Squarespace site’s design. Anything the XML format skips needs to be migrated manually or rebuilt in WordPress.

How do I export content from Squarespace?

Log in to your Squarespace account, go to Settings, then click Export and choose the WordPress option. Squarespace generates a downloadable XML file you’ll upload to the WordPress Importer in your new WordPress dashboard. Once you click Submit, the importer runs and pulls in your content.

How do I import all the images from Squarespace into WordPress?

The WordPress Importer brings in your XML content, but the image URLs still point to Squarespace servers. To pull all the images into your WordPress media library, install the Import External Images plugin or the Auto Upload Images plugin, run it after the import, and let it download every image into WordPress.

Can I migrate my Squarespace online store to WordPress?

Yes. Most Squarespace stores migrate cleanly to WooCommerce, including product pages, customer data, and order history. The migration takes more time than a content-only move, but it gives you full control over your online store, payment gateways, shipping rules, and checkout experience.

Do I need technical skills to manage my new WordPress site?

No. WordPress is built so non-technical users can manage day-to-day content through the WordPress admin dashboard. Adding posts, editing pages, managing media, and publishing new content all happen through a clean interface. For deeper customizations, our team handles the technical side so you don’t have to.

Can I use a DIY automated migration tool instead of hiring an agency?

You can, especially for smaller Squarespace sites. The free WordPress Importer plus the Import External Images plugin will get you most of the way for a basic blog. The trade-off shows up on larger sites, where redirects, design rebuilds, missing content types, and SEO transfer are the work most automated tools skip entirely.

What if my Squarespace site has custom CSS or unique design features?

Custom CSS and Squarespace site’s design don’t transfer with the XML file, but they can be recreated or improved in WordPress. During the migration audit, our team documents every design feature in your current Squarespace site and rebuilds the WordPress equivalent, often with more flexibility and better long-term maintainability.

Ready to convert from Squarespace to WordPress?

Outgrowing Squarespace happens fast. The migration to WordPress is where you take real ownership of your site, your data, and your future roadmap, but only if the migration is done right.

We’ve helped site owners across the country complete the Squarespace to WordPress migration without losing content, search rankings, or sales. If you’re ready to leave Squarespace behind and build on a platform that scales with you, we’d love to help.