Squarespace is beautiful and limiting. Many bloggers move to WordPress for more control, lower long-term cost, and richer SEO. Squarespace exports better than Wix but worse than most platforms. This post is the practical migration guide.

Short answer: Squarespace offers WordPress export (XML format). Install WordPress, import the XML, then manually fix images, redirects, and gallery posts. Set up 301 redirects for old URLs. Expect significant manual cleanup. Budget 10–40 hours depending on site size.
A Squarespace export interface showing the WordPress XML download option

What Squarespace exports

Squarespace → Settings → Advanced → Import / Export Content → Export → WordPress.

Generates an XML file containing:

  • Blog posts (with text, categories, tags).
  • Pages.
  • Some image URLs (pointing to Squarespace’s CDN).

What doesn’t export:

  • Gallery pages (Squarespace-specific format).
  • Product pages (if you have Squarespace Commerce).
  • Custom CSS.
  • Form submissions.
  • Member areas.
  • Most styling.

Expect blog content to migrate cleanly. Everything else requires manual work.

Step 1: Set up WordPress

  • Pick a host (SiteGround, Bluehost, A2 — for starters; WP Engine, Kinsta — for managed).
  • Install WordPress.
  • Pick a theme. Pick something that visually doesn’t try to replicate Squarespace; you’ll be happier embracing WordPress’s strengths instead.
  • Configure permalinks: Settings → Permalinks → Post name (/%postname%/) typically.

Step 2: Export from Squarespace

Settings → Advanced → Import / Export Content → Export → WordPress.

Wait for the export to generate. Download the XML file.

Step 3: Import into WordPress

Tools → Import → WordPress → Run Importer.

Upload your Squarespace XML.

Important: check “Download and import file attachments” so images get pulled into your WordPress media library (not just left on Squarespace’s servers).

Imports posts and pages. Categories and tags transfer.

Step 4: Fix images

Image migration is the trickiest part.

The problem

Some images reference Squarespace’s CDN. If Squarespace removes those URLs eventually, your images break.

The fix

  • Auto Upload Images plugin: scans posts for external images, downloads them to your media library, replaces URLs.
  • Manual: for important posts, manually replace images.

Don’t leave images hosted on Squarespace after canceling your Squarespace subscription — they’ll vanish.

Step 5: Map old URLs to new

This is the SEO-critical step.

Squarespace URLs vary:

  • Pages: yourdomain.com/page-slug
  • Blog posts: yourdomain.com/blog/post-slug (or whatever your blog page slug is).

WordPress default after migration:

  • Pages: yourdomain.com/page-slug/ (trailing slash).
  • Posts: yourdomain.com/post-slug/ (no /blog/ prefix unless you set it).

Differences trip up old links.

Step 6: Set up redirects

Install Redirection plugin (or use Rank Math’s Redirections module).

Add 301 redirects for every important old URL.

For all Squarespace blog URLs: /blog/(.*) → /$1 as a regex redirect (assuming you don’t want /blog/ in URL structure).

Or set WordPress to use /blog/ structure to match Squarespace: Settings → Reading → set Posts page to your “Blog” page → permalinks → “Custom Structure” → /blog/%postname%/.

Easier to match the existing structure than to redirect everything.

Step 7: Internal link updates

Posts may contain links pointing to old Squarespace URLs.

Run: wp search-replace 'old-squarespace-url' 'new-wordpress-url' via WP-CLI.

Or use Better Search Replace plugin.

WordPress admin showing migrated posts list with categories and featured images

Step 8: Squarespace galleries

Squarespace gallery pages don’t translate cleanly. Manual options:

  • Rebuild as WordPress galleries (Gallery block in editor).
  • Use a gallery plugin (Envira, NextGEN).
  • Convert gallery posts to standard posts with embedded image galleries.

Step 9: Squarespace Commerce migration

If you have a Squarespace shop:

  • Manual product re-creation in WooCommerce.
  • Export product CSV from Squarespace, import to WooCommerce via WooCommerce’s import tool.
  • Migrate customer data manually if needed.

Larger shops: hire a migration specialist. WooCommerce migration is its own discipline.

Step 10: Forms and email

Squarespace contact forms don’t migrate. Rebuild with:

  • Fluent Forms.
  • WPForms.
  • Gravity Forms.

If you collected emails through Squarespace, export your list and import to your new email tool (MailerLite, ConvertKit, etc.).

Step 11: Domain handling

Same domain

Update DNS to point to your WordPress host. Domain stays the same; only the underlying platform changes.

You may need to transfer the domain registration from Squarespace to a regular registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare Registrar) for easier management.

Squarespace domain transfer

Squarespace domains can be transferred out to other registrars after 60 days from registration.

Process:

  1. Unlock domain in Squarespace.
  2. Get authorization code.
  3. Initiate transfer at new registrar.
  4. Wait 5–7 days for transfer.

Or keep the domain at Squarespace’s registrar and just point DNS — works fine.

Step 12: SSL and HTTPS

Most WordPress hosts auto-provision SSL via Let’s Encrypt. Activate.

Update WordPress site URL to HTTPS: Settings → General → Site Address with https://.

Force HTTPS via Really Simple SSL plugin or .htaccess.

Step 13: Analytics migration

Add Google Analytics 4 to your WordPress site (Site Kit, Insert Headers and Footers, or your SEO plugin).

Verify in Search Console under the new property.

You’ll lose continuity with Squarespace’s built-in analytics, but you gain real GA4 data.

Step 14: Search Console resubmission

Add WordPress site to Google Search Console.

Submit new sitemap (yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml).

Monitor for crawl errors and indexing issues over the following weeks.

Step 15: Theme and design

Now do the visual rebuild. Don’t try to replicate Squarespace’s exact look — pick a theme that emphasizes WordPress’s strengths.

Themes that work well after Squarespace: Aurora, Astra Pro, Kadence, Blocksy, Divi.

Spend time on the homepage, navigation, and design system before promoting the new site.

Common Squarespace-to-WordPress gotchas

  • Image broken links if Squarespace URLs change.
  • Code blocks (Squarespace’s code blocks) may not import cleanly. Manual review of any post with embedded HTML.
  • Galleries rarely transfer cleanly. Plan to rebuild.
  • Member areas don’t migrate. Rebuild with membership plugin.
  • Custom Squarespace fonts need to be re-set up in WordPress theme.

Realistic time budget

  • Small blog (under 50 posts): 6–10 hours.
  • Medium blog (50–200 posts): 15–25 hours.
  • Large blog (200+ posts): 30–60 hours.
  • Add 50%+ if you have a shop or member areas.

When to hire help

Hire help when:

  • Your site has 100+ posts.
  • You have a Squarespace shop.
  • You have member areas.
  • SEO traffic is significant and you can’t afford disruption.

Cost: $300–$3000 depending on complexity.

The honest summary

Squarespace to WordPress is doable but involves real manual work. Use Squarespace’s WordPress XML export, import into WordPress, then fix images, redirects, galleries, and forms manually. SEO depends entirely on proper 301 redirects. Galleries and Commerce migrations are the hardest parts. For most blogs, plan 15–25 hours of work plus several weeks of monitoring. Done right, you trade Squarespace’s beauty constraint for WordPress’s flexibility and lower long-term cost.