How to transfer a Wordpress website to Squarespace?
Changing website platforms doesn’t have to be messy.
If you are a business owner who has built their website using Wordpress and is considering switching to Squarespace as their new hosting platform, here are four easy steps to save and transfer your Wordpress content:
1. Export your content
Squarespace allows you to transfer most of your core pages, including blog content.
Keep in mind that SS will not import your styling, plugin information, gallery content and image captions.
How to export your content:
Select ‘Tools’ in the menu located on the left navigation bar
Under Export, select which pages you want to download
Click ‘Download Export File’
Make sure to store your WP content somewhere safe incase you need to refer back to it later.
2. Import content to Squarespace
Navigate to your SS website
Select Settings > Advanced > Import/Export > Import
Choose Squarespace as your source platform
Toggle to the Advanced tb
Click and drag or import the XML file from Wordpress
After the upload is complete, all content will show in the ‘Not Linked’ section of ‘Pages’
3. Redirect your pages
Transferring content to SS may lead to having your links changed. If users try to access an old link, they will end up on your Error/404 page.
Create a 301 Redirect to link users to the new page:
Settings > Advanced > URL Mappings
Use the following format: /old-url -> /new-url 301
Example:
Previous blog post link: mysite.come/elephant
New blog post link mywebsite.come/blog/elephant
Your mapping will be: /elephant -> /blog/elephant.
4. Test for broken links
Do a final test to make sure everything is being redirected correctly.
Use Ahrefs to check for broken links and other website audit features.
