Squarespace got you online fast, but now you’re hungry for flexibility, performance, and room to grow. If you’re searching for how to switch from Squarespace to WordPress, you’re already on the right path—WordPress powers 40 % of the web for a reason. In this guide, we’ll show creatives and e-commerce owners exactly how to make the hop without trashing SEO, losing sleep, or breaking the bank.
Pre-flight checklist (don’t skip!)
- Content audit – list pages, blog posts, products, galleries, forms, custom code.
- Analytics snapshot – record top URLs & keywords so you can compare post-migration.
- Choose hosting – we recommend a WordPress-optimized host with built-in staging (e.g., Cloudways, Rocket.net, Kinsta).
- Pick a starter theme – Gutenberg block theme for lean builds or a builder (Elementor/Bricks) if you crave drag-and-drop.
- Back everything up – keep a local copy of your Squarespace export and media library.
The step-by-step migration
1. Export from Squarespace
- Settings → Advanced → Import/Export → Export
- Select WordPress (.xml); download the file.
- If you sell products, export a .csv of products & orders separately.
2. Spin up WordPress
- One-click install on your new host.
- Activate your theme and keep the site in “maintenance” or staging until you’re ready to flip the switch.
3. Import content
- In WordPress: Tools → Import → WordPress → upload the Squarespace .xml.
- Tick “Download & import file attachments” so images come across.
- Install WooCommerce → Products → Import for that .csv.
4. Rebuild design & extras
- Use block patterns or your builder to recreate fancy index pages, galleries, event blocks.
- Replace any Squarespace-only forms with WPForms or Gravity Forms.
- Add SEO plugins (Rank Math, Yoast) and re-enter titles, metas, alt-text.
5. Perfect & redirect
- Permalinks: match the old slug structure (
/blog/post-title) or map them with 301s in a Redirection plugin. - Performance: enable caching, image optimization (WebP), and a CDN if your audience is global.
- Security & backups: Wordfence or Solid Security + daily off-site backups.
6. Launch
- Point DNS or update domain settings to your new WordPress host.
- Run a full site crawl (Screaming Frog) to catch broken links.
- Submit the new XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
- Keep the old Squarespace plan active for one billing cycle as a safety net.
Post-launch housekeeping
- Watch Search Console for 404 errors or indexing issues for at least four weeks.
- Compare traffic, bounce rate, and conversion metrics against your pre-migration baseline.
- Test contact forms, checkout flow, and newsletter sign-ups on both desktop and mobile.
- Schedule monthly plugin/theme updates (or let us handle them—see below).
DIY vs. hiring the pros
| Situation | DIY OK? | Bring in Visually Vogue |
|---|---|---|
| Small brochure site, < 20 pages | ✔︎ | Optional tune-up |
| Medium blog or portfolio, 100+ posts | Maybe (time-intensive) | ✔︎ We map 301s, optimize Core Web Vitals |
| E-commerce with variants & subscriptions | Risky DIY | ✔︎ Safe data migration, zero downtime |
| Multilingual or membership site | Painful DIY | ✔︎ Seamless migration + staging QA |
FAQ (fast answers)
Will I lose my SEO rankings?
Not if you keep the same URL structure or add proper 301 redirects. Bonus: WordPress’s stronger SEO toolkit can boost rankings.
Can I keep my Squarespace email campaigns?
The list itself, yes—export subscribers as CSV and import into MailPoet, MailerLite, etc. The templates will need redesigning.
What about my custom Squarespace CSS?
Copy it into the WordPress Customizer → Additional CSS, then tweak for theme differences.
Ready to migrate but short on hours?
Visually Vogue’s migration squad handles everything—from export to pixel-perfect WordPress rebuild—while you sip chai and watch the traffic graphs climb. Get a free 15-minute audit and timeline estimate by hitting that big friendly Start Your Migration button below.
P.S. Bookmark this guide so you can tick off steps as you go. Your future WordPress-powered self will thank you.