To migrate Squarespace to WordPress, set up WordPress on Australian hosting, then export your Squarespace content as a WordPress XML file (Settings > Import & Export). Import it via Tools > Import in WordPress, move your images into the Media Library, rebuild your design and online store, set up 301 redirects from every old URL, and finally point your domain to the new site.
Squarespace is a great place to start. You pick a template, drop in a few blocks and you can have a polished site live by the arvo. Sooner or later, though, many Australian business owners run into its limits. You might need a booking system that syncs with your CRM, an online shop with proper shipping rules for regional customers, or more say over how Google reads your pages. That’s usually when the search for how to migrate Squarespace to WordPress begins.
The switch is very achievable. The catch is that Squarespace doesn’t hand over everything in one tidy bundle, and a rushed migration can undo years of search rankings almost overnight. This guide walks you through the whole process in plain English, from planning and exporting through to redirects and post-launch care, so you can make the move with your traffic intact.
Why Australian Businesses Are Making the Switch
WordPress is the most widely used content management system in the world. Figures from W3Techs published in October 2026 show it runs roughly four in ten of all websites and close to six in ten of the sites whose CMS can be identified. That popularity matters, because it means more themes, more plugins and more developers to call on when you need help. Here’s what usually tips the scales: aerospace
- You own everything. With self-hosted WordPress from WordPress.org, your files and database live on hosting you choose. If you’re unhappy with your host, you can move. On Squarespace, you’re effectively renting.
- Almost unlimited functionality. Thousands of plugins cover everything from Australian payment gateways and Australia Post shipping to Xero accounting integrations and membership portals.
- Finer SEO control. You can adjust schema markup, redirects, canonical tags and site structure in ways Squarespace’s built-in settings don’t allow.
- Room to grow. WooCommerce, learning management systems and multilingual setups all slot in as your business expands.
- No vendor lock-in. If your developer moves on, any competent WordPress professional can pick up where they left off.
What Squarespace Exports (and What It Leaves Behind)
Before you change a single setting, understand the limits of Squarespace’s export tool. It produces an XML file formatted for WordPress, but it only carries part of your site across.
Squarespace’s own help documentation lists layout pages, a single blog page with its posts and comments, text and image blocks, gallery pages and project pages as the content that exports. Store pages, events pages, album pages, index pages and anything in page-specific headers, footers or sidebars stay behind. Audio and video elements, product pages and custom CSS don’t transfer either, so they’ll need rebuilding in WordPress. You can read the full details in Squarespace’s guide to exporting your site. waybackmachineunlimited-elements
Images are the tricky part. When you import into self-hosted WordPress, your pictures may not come across as files at all. The importer can bring in links that still point to Squarespace, and those links stop working once the Squarespace site is deactivated. Step 5 below covers the fix. waybackmachine
If you sell online, Squarespace lets you export your product catalogue as a CSV file, which can then be imported into a plugin like WooCommerce. Orders, customer accounts and member areas need separate attention. wp-rocket
Your Pre-Migration Checklist
A little preparation now saves hours of head-scratching later. Tick these off before you export anything:
- Map every URL. Squarespace generates a sitemap at yourdomain.com.au/sitemap.xml. Copy every address into a spreadsheet. This becomes your redirect map.
- Record your top performers. Export your highest-traffic pages and best-ranking queries from Google Search Console so you have a benchmark to check against after launch.
- Download loose files. Linked files such as PDFs are included in the XML export but won’t import into WordPress, so download them manually and upload them through the Media Library. Think menus, price lists and brochures. chemicloud
- Save your custom code. Copy any custom CSS, code injection snippets and tracking tags for Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager or the Meta Pixel.
- Screenshot every page. A visual reference makes rebuilding layouts much quicker.
- Keep your subscription active. Don’t cancel Squarespace until the new site is live, tested and stable.
Step-by-Step: How to Migrate Squarespace to WordPress
Step 1: Set Up Australian Hosting and Install WordPress
Choose a host with servers in Australia. A Sydney or Melbourne data centre means faster load times for local visitors, which helps your conversions and your Core Web Vitals scores. Most reputable hosts offer one-click WordPress installation. Build on a staging site or temporary URL so your current Squarespace site keeps trading while you work.
Step 2: Set Your Permalinks Before You Import
In WordPress, go to Settings > Permalinks and choose a URL structure before importing anything. Many Squarespace blog posts use date-based addresses such as /blog/2024/3/6/post-title. You can copy that pattern with a custom structure, or switch to the cleaner “Post name” option and redirect the old addresses later. Copying the old pattern means fewer redirects. Switching gives you neater URLs. Either works, as long as you decide before the import.
Step 3: Export Your Content From Squarespace
Log in to Squarespace, open Settings and find Import & Export (on some dashboards it sits under Advanced). Click Export, then select the WordPress icon. If your site has more than one blog page, you’ll be asked to choose a primary blog, because only one can be exported. Once processing finishes, download the .xml file to your computer. chemicloud
Step 4: Import the XML File Into WordPress
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Tools > Import, find WordPress in the list and click Install Now, then Run Importer. This installs the official WordPress Importer plugin. Upload your XML file, assign the imported posts to an author and tick the option to download and import file attachments.
Don’t worry about how your posts look at first. Imported content usually arrives as Classic blocks, carrying leftover HTML markup from Squarespace, so convert each post to blocks and clean up stray formatting. On large sites the import may time out. If it does, ask your host to raise the PHP upload and execution limits and try again. wp-rocket
Step 5: Bring Your Images Home
Auto Upload Images is a handy free plugin for this job. It downloads images that are still linked to your old Squarespace site and adds them to your WordPress Media Library. Bulk-update your posts so the plugin can run, then check featured images, add descriptive alt text and compress large files (WebP works well) to keep pages fast. blogvault
Step 6: Rebuild Your Design and Missing Features
Choose a lightweight, well-supported theme and rebuild your homepage, navigation, footer and key landing pages, using your screenshots as a guide. Import your product CSV into WooCommerce, then set up payment gateways, GST settings and shipping zones. Add a forms plugin for enquiries, an events plugin if you run workshops, and re-add your tracking codes. Avoid pasting in every line of old Squarespace CSS. A clean rebuild usually performs better.
Step 7: Point Your Domain to WordPress
If your domain is registered through Squarespace, either update its DNS records to point at your new host or transfer it to a registrar of your choice. If it’s registered elsewhere, remove the Squarespace records and add your host’s details. Install an SSL certificate (most hosts include a free one) and allow up to 48 hours for DNS changes to take effect.
How to Protect Your SEO During the Move
This is where migrations succeed or fail. Search engines trust your old URLs, so you need to show them exactly where each page has gone.
- Set up 301 redirects. Using your URL spreadsheet and a plugin like Redirection, point every old address to its new equivalent. A 301 tells Google the move is permanent and passes ranking signals to the new page.
- Recreate titles and meta descriptions. SEO titles, descriptions and social sharing images don’t always come through the export, so check each page and fill the gaps with an SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math.
- Submit your new sitemap. Add your WordPress XML sitemap in Google Search Console and request indexing for your most important pages. Google’s site move guidance is worth reading.
- Watch for 404 errors. For the first few weeks, check the Pages report in Search Console regularly and redirect anything you missed.
Some movement in rankings during the first few weeks is normal. A sharp drop that doesn’t recover almost always points to missing redirects.
After Launch: Test Thoroughly, Then Keep It Healthy
Before you announce the new site, test it properly. Submit every form and confirm the emails reach the right inbox. Place a real test order. Check every page on an actual phone, not just a resized browser window. Run your key pages through PageSpeed Insights, click through your menus for broken links, and confirm your analytics is recording visits.
This next part is often forgotten. Squarespace handles updates and security behind the scenes, but WordPress makes them your responsibility. Core software, themes and plugins need regular updates, backups need scheduling and security needs monitoring. If you’d rather not take that on, professional Website Maintenance Services keep everything updated, backed up and running smoothly while you focus on your business.
Should You DIY or Call in the Experts?
A do-it-yourself migration is reasonable for a small brochure site with a handful of pages and a modest blog, especially if you’re comfortable in a dashboard and have a free weekend.
The stakes rise quickly if you run an online shop, have hundreds of blog posts, rely on organic traffic for leads or need custom integrations. When it comes to website design Australia has no shortage of agencies, so ask anyone you’re considering for real examples of Squarespace-to-WordPress migrations and how they handle redirect mapping.
Meeting in person helps too. For businesses around Parramatta, the CBD or the Northern Beaches, choosing a local team for web design Sydney projects means quicker workshops, easier sign-offs and someone in the same time zone on launch day.
Final Thoughts
Moving from Squarespace to WordPress is one of the best investments a growing business can make in its online presence. You gain ownership, flexibility and far more control over SEO. The key is to treat it as a planned project rather than a quick copy-and-paste job: map your URLs, export carefully, bring your images across, rebuild thoughtfully and redirect everything.
If you’d like experienced hands on the job, Systronic IT Group can plan your migration, handle the technical work and keep a close eye on your rankings through launch and beyond. Get in touch for a no-obligation chat about your move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I migrate Squarespace to WordPress for free?
Partly. Squarespace’s export tool and the WordPress software cost nothing, but you’ll pay for hosting and possibly a premium theme or plugins. If you hire a professional, include their fee too. For DIYers, the biggest hidden cost is time, especially for image clean-up and redirects.
Will moving from Squarespace to WordPress hurt my SEO?
It doesn’t have to. If you set up 301 redirects for every old URL, recreate your page titles and meta descriptions, and submit a fresh sitemap to Google Search Console, most sites keep their rankings. Small fluctuations in the first few weeks are normal while Google recrawls the site.
How long does a Squarespace to WordPress migration take?
A small brochure site with a basic blog can be moved in a few days. Larger sites with online stores, hundreds of posts or custom features usually take two to six weeks, including design, testing and redirect mapping.
Does Squarespace export images to WordPress?
Not reliably. The export often brings across links to images still hosted on Squarespace rather than the image files themselves. Use a plugin such as Auto Upload Images to copy them into your Media Library before you cancel your Squarespace plan.
Can I move my Squarespace online store to WooCommerce?
Yes. Export your products from Squarespace as a CSV file and import it into WooCommerce. You’ll still need to set up payment gateways, GST, shipping zones and customer accounts separately, and test checkout thoroughly before launch.
Can I keep my domain name when I switch to WordPress?
Yes. You can update your domain’s DNS records to point at your new host, or transfer the domain to another registrar. Your web address stays the same, so customers and search engines can still find you.
When should I cancel my Squarespace subscription?
Only after your WordPress site is live, your domain points to it, every image has been moved and your redirects are tested. Many businesses keep Squarespace running for one extra billing cycle as a safety net.
