A Comprehensive Guide to Migrating from Wix to Squarespace
Switching your website platform is a significant step. Moving from Wix to Squarespace can unlock new design possibilities and features, but a successful transition requires careful planning and methodical execution. Migrating website data can often seem daunting, involving multiple steps from setup to data transfer and final checks.
This comprehensive guide provides a detailed walkthrough to help you navigate the migration process smoothly. We’ll cover each stage, from setting up your new Squarespace site to ensuring all your valuable content is transferred accurately.
Step 1: Build Your New Squarespace Site
Before moving any data, the first crucial step is establishing your presence on
Squarespace. This involves more than just signing up; it’s about creating the structure that will house your content.
Sign Up and Choose Your Canvas.
Begin by creating a Squarespace account. You’ll be prompted to select a template. Squarespace is renowned for its visually appealing, designer-made templates. Consider these options:
- Brand Consistency.
- Fresh Start.
- Functionality First.
Customize and Structure.
Once you’ve selected a template, dive into customization:
- Site Structure: Recreate your site’s page hierarchy (e.g., Home, About, Services, Blog, Contact). Use Squarespace’s Pages panel to add, delete, and organize pages. Define your primary and secondary navigation menus.
- Essential Features: Add core functionalities. This might include setting up gallery blocks for portfolios, enabling the blog feature, creating contact forms, or integrating basic e-commerce elements if needed.
- Explore Squarespace Tools: Familiarize yourself with Squarespace’s integrated tools and block editor. It operates differently from Wix’s editor, often providing more structured control over layout and design elements. Pay attention to features like section layouts, spacing controls, and font/color settings within the Site Styles panel.
Design and Responsiveness.
Step 2: Exporting Data from Wix
This stage is often the most challenging part of a manual migration, as
Wix does not offer a comprehensive, one-click export feature for all site content. You’ll need to extract different data types separately.
Blog Posts (via RSS Feed):
- Locate Your Feed: Open your live Wix site in a browser and append /blog-feed.xml to your site’s root URL (e.g., https://www.yourwixsite.com/blog-feed.xml).
- Save the XML File: This will display an XML file containing your blog post text content, titles, publication dates, and potentially post URLs. Right-click on the page and select “Save As…” or “Save Page As…” to download this .xml file to your computer.
- Understand Limitations: This RSS feed primarily contains text. Images within posts are usually linked, not embedded, and comments are typically not included. You may need tools like XML viewers or converters (e.g., RSS-to-CSV) to parse this data effectively for the import stage.
Images and Media:
- Access Media Manager: Log in to your Wix Editor, navigate to the “Media” section (usually found in the left-hand panel) to open your Media Manager.
- Manual Download: Unfortunately, Wix requires you to download images individually. Select an image, find a download option (often via right-click or an options menu), and save it to your computer. Repeat this for all images, videos, and other media files you need.
- Organize Locally: Create a clear folder structure on your computer (e.g., Website Migration > Images > Blog Images, Website Migration > Images > Page Banners) to keep track of your downloaded files. This organization is vital for efficient re-uploading later.
Page Text Content:
- Navigate Page by Page: In the Wix Editor, go through each page of your website (Homepage, About Us, Service Pages, etc.).
Copy and Paste: Manually select the text content within each section or text box. Right-click and choose “Copy.”
- Store Locally: Paste the copied text into a word processor (like Google Docs or Microsoft Word) or a plain text editor. Create separate documents for each page or logical section to maintain structure (e.g., HomePage_Content.docx, AboutUs_Content.docx).
Form Data (Contacts & Submissions):
- Export Contacts: Go to your Wix Dashboard. Navigate to the “Contacts” section. Look for an option to “Export Contacts” or similar, typically allowing you to download a CSV file containing names, email addresses, etc.
- Download Form Submissions: If you used Wix Forms, go to the relevant app or section within your dashboard. Find your forms and look for an option to view or download submissions. This data is also usually exportable as a CSV file. Note: This exports the data submitted through the forms, not the form structure itself.
Step 3: Importing Data into Squarespace
With your data extracted from Wix, the next step is to populate your newly created Squarespace site. This largely involves manual rebuilding using the assets you gathered.
Import Text Content:
Upload Images and Media:
- Add Image Blocks: Go to the pages or sections where images belong. Add Image Blocks or Gallery Blocks.
- Upload Files: Click the option to upload images and select the relevant files from the folders you organized on your computer in Step 2. Upload them individually or sometimes in batches, depending on the block type.
- Recreate Galleries: If you had galleries on Wix, use Squarespace’s Gallery Blocks or Gallery Sections and upload the corresponding images to recreate them. Adjust layout and design settings as needed.
Recreate Blog Posts:
- Access Blog Page: In Squarespace, navigate to the Blog page you set up.
- Add New Posts: Click “Add Post.” Manually copy the title, body content, and original publication date from your downloaded RSS/XML file or text backups into the new Squarespace post editor.
- Upload Post Images: Add Image Blocks within each post to upload and insert the relevant images you downloaded earlier.
- SEO & URLs: Pay attention to the post URL slug and SEO title/description settings in Squarespace to match the old posts where possible (important for SEO).
Rebuild Forms:
- Add Form Blocks: On the relevant pages (e.g., Contact page), add a Squarespace Form Block.
- Configure Fields: Customize the Form Block by adding and naming fields (Name, Email, Message, etc.) to replicate the structure of your original Wix forms. Refer to your downloaded form submission CSVs if you need a reminder of the fields you used. Set up storage options (e.g., email address, Google Sheets) for new submissions.
Addressing the Manual Effort: Leave It to The LitExtension Experts
As you can see, manually downloading and re-uploading data (Steps 2 & 3) can be time-consuming and prone to errors, especially for sites with significant content like numerous blog posts, products, or customer data.
For a more streamlined and automated approach, consider using a dedicated migration service.
LitExtension, the #1 Shopping Cart Migration Expert, specializes in simplifying platform transitions like Wix to Squarespace. We service automates the transfer of crucial data, including:
- Pages and Content: Migrating your website pages along with their text and associated content.
- Blog Posts: Transferring blog posts, often including SEO URLs and related data, saving significant manual effort compared to RSS export/import.
- (If Applicable) E-commerce Data: For those using Wix Stores, LitExtension can handle the migration of products, categories, customers, and order history, which is extremely difficult to do manually.
Using the LitExtension service can drastically reduce migration time, ensure data integrity, and free you up to focus on refining your site’s design and strategy on Squarespace.
Step 4: Moving Your Domain to Squarespace
Once your Squarespace site is built, populated with content, and thoroughly reviewed, it’s time to connect your domain name.
Option A: Domain Registered with Wix:
- Unlock: Log in to your Wix account, go to the “Domains” section, select your domain, and find the option to unlock it for transfer. You may also need to disable privacy protection temporarily.
- Get Auth Code: Request the transfer authorization code (also known as an EPP code or transfer key) from Wix. They will usually email this to the registered domain contact.
- Initiate Transfer in Squarespace: In your Squarespace dashboard, go to Settings > Domains. Click “Use a domain I own.” Enter your domain name and follow the prompts. You’ll be asked for the authorization code to initiate the transfer.
- Wait for Propagation: Domain transfers can take anywhere from a few hours to 7 days to complete. Monitor the status in both your Wix and Squarespace accounts.
Option B: Domain Registered with a Third-Party:
- Keep Domain: Your domain stays with your current registrar. You are simply changing where it points.
Update DNS Records: Log in to your domain registrar’s control panel. Navigate to the DNS management section. You will need to update specific DNS records (usually CNAME and A records) to point to Squarespace’s servers. Squarespace provides detailed instructions and the specific record values you need within their Settings > Domains > Connect a Domain section.
- Propagation Time: DNS changes also take time to propagate globally, typically ranging from a few minutes to 48 hours.
Important: Plan your domain transfer or DNS update carefully to minimize potential downtime. It’s often best to do this during a low-traffic period.
Step 5: Review and Cancel Wix Service
Before cutting ties with Wix, perform final checks:
- Thorough Review: Browse your live Squarespace site using your domain. Check all pages, links, images, forms, and functionalities. Ensure everything works as expected.
- Backup (Optional Last Chance): If there’s anything you missed or might need later, perform one last manual backup from Wix.
- Cancel Wix Premium Plan: Log in to your Wix account, go to “Billing & Payments” or “Subscriptions.” Cancel your premium plan subscription. Note that your site might revert to a free Wix plan with ads until the end of the current billing cycle, or become unpublished depending on Wix’s policies at the time.
- Close Wix Account (Optional): If you are certain you no longer need access to your Wix account or any remaining free sites, you can proceed to close the account entirely through the account settings. Be aware that action is usually permanent.
Conclusion
Migrating from Wix to Squarespace involves several detailed steps, particularly concerning data transfer. While a manual migration is achievable following this guide, the process requires significant time and attention to detail, especially for content-rich websites. Remember to plan carefully, execute each step methodically, and thoroughly review your new site before completing the transition.
For those seeking a faster, more automated, and less error-prone solution for data migration, using
LitExtension’s Wix to Squarespace service can significantly simplify Steps 2 and 3, ensuring a smoother journey to your new Squarespace home.
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