Squarespace-to-Wix migrations present unique challenges that differ significantly from WordPress migrations. Squarespace generates URL structures with mandatory trailing slashes, uses collection-based content organisation, hosts images on its own CDN that becomes inaccessible after subscription cancellation, and exports content in a limited WordPress XML format that does not include images, products, or custom styling. Understanding these Squarespace-specific quirks before migration is essential for creating an accurate redirect map and preserving your organic traffic. This lesson provides a forensic-level guide to every Squarespace migration challenge and its solution.
Understanding the Squarespace Architecture
Squarespace organises all content into "collections". A blog is a collection. A shop is a collection. A gallery is a collection. Each collection has its own URL prefix, and items within a collection inherit that prefix. This architecture means URL structures are deeply tied to the collection system, and migrating to Wix requires remapping every collection-based URL pattern.
Squarespace URL Patterns by Content Type
Content Type Squarespace URL Wix Equivalent ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Standard page /about/ /about Blog post /blog/my-first-post/ /post/my-first-post Blog category /blog/category/marketing/ /blog/categories/marketing Blog tag /blog/tag/seo-tips/ /blog/tags/seo-tips Product /shop/handmade-candle/ /product-page/handmade-candle Product category /shop/category/candles/ /shop-category/candles Gallery item /portfolio/brand-identity-project/ /portfolio/brand-identity-project Event /events/summer-workshop/ /events/summer-workshop Index page section /home/about-section/ (usually inline on Wix) Custom collection /projects/my-project/ /projects/my-project Critical: ALL Squarespace URLs end with trailing slashes. Wix URLs do NOT use trailing slashes. You must redirect BOTH /about/ AND /about to the Wix page.
The Trailing Slash Problem
Every Squarespace URL ends with a trailing slash (/about/). Wix URLs do not use trailing slashes (/about). Google treats these as different URLs. If you only redirect /about/ but someone has linked to /about (without slash), or vice versa, you will have 404 errors. Include BOTH versions in your redirect map for every single URL. This doubles the size of your redirect list but prevents systematic 404 errors.
Custom Collection Names
Squarespace allows you to rename collections. Instead of the default /blog/ prefix, you might have /articles/, /insights/, or /news/. Instead of /shop/, you might have /store/ or /products/. Check your Squarespace Settings > Navigation to identify every collection and its custom URL prefix. Each custom prefix creates a unique redirect pattern that must be mapped individually.
The Squarespace Content Export: Limitations and Workarounds
Squarespace offers a content export in WordPress XML format, but this export is severely limited compared to what you might expect. Understanding exactly what the export includes and excludes is critical for planning your migration workflow.
What the Export Includes
- Blog post content (titles, body text, publish dates)
- Basic page content for most standard pages
- Blog post categories and tags
- Author information for blog posts
- Comments on blog posts (if any)
What the Export Does NOT Include
- Images and media files (hosted on Squarespace CDN)
- Product data from Squarespace Commerce
- Gallery collections and their configurations
- Custom CSS and design settings
- Form submissions and form configurations
- Member areas and gated content
- Audio and video files hosted on Squarespace
- Navigation structure and menu configurations
- SEO settings (title tags and meta descriptions set in Squarespace)
- URL redirect rules set up in Squarespace
- Scheduling and booking data
- Newsletter subscribers from Squarespace Email Campaigns
Manual Migration Required
Given the extensive limitations of the Squarespace export, plan for significant manual work. Every image must be individually downloaded, every product must be manually recreated, and every SEO setting must be re-entered on Wix. Budget at least twice the time you initially estimate for content migration.
Image and Media Migration: The CDN Challenge
Squarespace hosts all images on its CDN at images.squarespace-cdn.com with complex URLs like images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/site-id/image-id/image.jpg. These URLs will completely stop working when you cancel your Squarespace subscription. This means any external site linking to your images, any social media posts embedding your images, and Google Image Search results will all break.
Systematic Image Download Process
Downloading all images from Squarespace
- 1Navigate through every page and blog post on your Squarespace site systematically
- 2Right-click each image and save at the highest resolution available
- 3Name each downloaded file to match its original filename or the page it appears on
- 4For blog post images, create folders named after each post to keep images organised
- 5Download gallery images by opening each gallery item to its full-size view
- 6Download product images from the Squarespace Commerce product editor (each product individually)
- 7Check for images used in background sections, banners, and custom code blocks
- 8Record the original Squarespace CDN URL for each image alongside the downloaded file for redirect mapping
Browser Extension Method
Use a browser extension like "Download All Images" or "Image Downloader" to batch-download images from each page. This is significantly faster than right-clicking each image individually. After downloading, verify you have the full-resolution versions, not thumbnails or optimised web versions.
Image SEO Preservation
When re-uploading images to Wix, preserve the alt text from every image. Squarespace stores alt text in the image editor for each block. Check every image on every page and record the alt text before migration. On Wix, add the identical alt text when uploading each image. Also preserve any image captions, which often appear below gallery images and serve as additional on-page content.
Product Migration for Squarespace Commerce Sites
If your Squarespace site includes a Commerce store, product migration requires a separate process from general content migration. Squarespace Commerce product data can be exported as CSV, but the export format does not directly map to Wix Store import requirements.
Squarespace Commerce to Wix Store migration
- 1Export product data from Squarespace Commerce: Products > Export as CSV
- 2Map Squarespace CSV columns to Wix Store import template columns
- 3Key field mappings: Product Name, Description, Price, Sale Price, SKU, Weight, Categories
- 4Download all product images separately (not included in CSV export)
- 5Create your Wix Store and import products using the mapped CSV
- 6After import, verify every product: correct pricing, variants, descriptions, and categories
- 7Upload product images and assign them to the correct products and variants
- 8Recreate any product options (size, colour, material) that did not import correctly
- 9Test the checkout flow end-to-end on Wix to verify purchasing works
Redirect Implementation for Squarespace-to-Wix
The redirect implementation for Squarespace migrations is more complex than other platforms because of the trailing slash issue. Every URL needs two redirect entries: one with the trailing slash and one without. This effectively doubles your redirect map size.
Handling Existing Squarespace Redirects
Squarespace has its own URL mapping feature (Settings > Advanced > URL Mappings) where you may have existing redirects from previous URL changes. These existing redirects must be carried over to Wix. The source URLs of these redirects must point directly to the final Wix destination to avoid creating redirect chains (old URL → Squarespace intermediate → Wix final).
Carrying over Squarespace URL mappings
- 1Go to Squarespace Settings > Advanced > URL Mappings
- 2Copy all existing redirect rules
- 3For each existing redirect, trace the full chain: what is the original source URL and what is the final destination?
- 4In your Wix redirect map, create redirects from the ORIGINAL source URL directly to the Wix destination page
- 5Do not recreate the intermediate redirect step from Squarespace
- 6This flattens any existing redirect chains into single-hop redirects on Wix
Squarespace-Specific SEO Elements to Preserve
SEO Titles and Descriptions
Squarespace stores SEO titles and meta descriptions in each page and post settings. These are NOT included in the content export. Before migration, go through every page and post on Squarespace, open the SEO settings panel, and copy the custom title and description. If no custom title is set, Squarespace uses a formula: "Page Title | Site Title". Document the exact formula used so you can replicate it on Wix.
Social Sharing Images and Text
Squarespace allows custom social sharing images (Open Graph images) and descriptions for each page. These affect how your pages appear when shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Document these settings before migration and recreate them in the Wix SEO panel under Social Share settings.
Connected Domain and SSL
If your domain is managed through Squarespace (registered with Squarespace or using Squarespace nameservers), you need to transfer domain management before the migration. Transfer your domain to an external registrar like Namecheap, Google Domains, or Cloudflare first. Then point the domain to Wix. This prevents any domain lockout issues during the transition.
Post-Migration Verification Checklist
Comprehensive post-migration verification
- 1Submit your new Wix sitemap to Google Search Console immediately after going live
- 2Use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing of your 10 most important pages
- 3Test all redirects: visit old Squarespace URLs with and without trailing slashes and confirm they land on correct Wix pages
- 4Verify all images load correctly on every page (no broken image placeholders)
- 5Check that all forms are working and sending notifications to the correct email addresses
- 6Test eCommerce checkout flow if applicable (add to cart, checkout, payment)
- 7Verify structured data on key pages using Google Rich Results Test
- 8Compare page load times on Wix versus the old Squarespace site using PageSpeed Insights
- 9Check mobile rendering of all pages in different screen sizes
- 10If you used Squarespace Analytics, verify GA4 is tracking correctly on the new Wix site
- 11Monitor Google Search Console daily for crawl errors during the first 14 days
- 12Compare organic traffic weekly against the same week in the previous year for 90 days
Do Not Cancel Squarespace Immediately
Keep your Squarespace subscription active for at least 30 days after the Wix site goes live. This ensures any Squarespace-hosted resources remain accessible during the transition. More importantly, if you discover a critical issue with the Wix migration, you can temporarily revert DNS to Squarespace while you fix the problem. The cost of an extra month is insignificant compared to lost SEO equity.
Squarespace Code Injection and Custom CSS Migration
Many Squarespace sites use Code Injection (Settings > Advanced > Code Injection) for custom tracking scripts, analytics integrations, custom CSS, chat widgets, and third-party tool integrations. This custom code will be completely lost when you leave Squarespace. Document every code injection block before migration.
Code injection documentation and migration
- 1Navigate to Settings > Advanced > Code Injection in Squarespace and copy the Header code injection block entirely
- 2Copy the Footer code injection block
- 3Check each individual page for per-page code injection (Page Settings > Advanced > Page Header Code Injection)
- 4Document the purpose of each code snippet: is it Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, live chat, custom styling, or something else?
- 5For GA4 tracking code: add to Wix via Marketing Integrations or paste into Wix Settings > Custom Code > Head
- 6For Facebook Pixel and ad tracking: add through Wix Marketing Integrations or custom code in the site header
- 7For custom CSS: evaluate whether the styling is still needed on Wix. If so, add equivalent CSS via Wix Editor > Dev Mode or custom code blocks.
- 8For third-party widgets (chat, booking, reviews): check if Wix has native integrations or apps that replace the widget. Wix App Market has alternatives for most common third-party tools.
- 9For custom JavaScript functionality: test whether the scripts work in Wix custom code blocks. Some scripts may need modification for the Wix environment.
Squarespace Member Areas and Gated Content Migration
If your Squarespace site uses Member Areas to gate content behind a login or paywall, this is one of the most complex elements to migrate. Squarespace Member Areas include subscriber lists, access permissions, payment integrations, and gated page configurations that do not export automatically.
- Export your member list from Squarespace: go to Member Areas > Members and download the CSV with email addresses and membership tier information
- Document which pages are gated and which membership tier grants access to each page
- On Wix, set up Wix Members Area with equivalent membership tiers and access rules
- Import member email addresses into Wix Members. Note: passwords cannot be migrated. Members will need to create new passwords on Wix.
- Send a communication to all members before migration explaining the platform change and the need to reset passwords
- If you charge for memberships, set up equivalent payment plans in Wix Pricing Plans and manually migrate active subscriptions
- Recreate content gating rules on Wix: assign each protected page to the correct membership tier
- Test the member registration, login, and content access flow thoroughly on Wix before going live
Communicate Early With Members
Send members at least two emails: one two weeks before migration explaining the upcoming change and what they need to do, and one on migration day with direct links to reset their password on the new Wix site. Poor communication during member area migration causes subscriber churn that is difficult to reverse.
Squarespace Scheduling and Booking Migration
Squarespace Scheduling (Acuity Scheduling integration) stores appointment types, availability windows, client history, and upcoming bookings. If your business relies on online scheduling, this data must be migrated carefully to avoid losing upcoming appointments or client booking history.
Scheduling data migration process
- 1Export all appointment data from Squarespace Scheduling including past and upcoming appointments
- 2Export client contact information including email addresses, phone numbers, and appointment history
- 3Document all appointment types with their durations, prices, descriptions, and buffer times
- 4Document your availability windows, blocked dates, and timezone settings
- 5Set up Wix Bookings with equivalent service types, durations, and pricing
- 6Configure availability to match your current scheduling windows
- 7Import client contact data into Wix Contacts for CRM continuity
- 8For upcoming appointments: manually recreate them in Wix Bookings or keep Acuity running in parallel during the transition period
- 9Update any booking confirmation emails and reminders with new Wix booking links
- 10If you embedded scheduling on specific pages, update those pages on Wix with the new Wix Bookings widget
Squarespace Analytics Data: What You Lose and How to Prepare
Squarespace has its own built-in analytics dashboard that tracks traffic, popular content, referral sources, and geographic data. This data is not exportable and will be lost when you cancel your Squarespace subscription. If you have been relying on Squarespace Analytics instead of GA4, you need to take action before migration.
- Screenshot or PDF every Squarespace Analytics report for the past 12 months before migration
- Key reports to capture: Traffic Overview, Top Content, Search Keywords, Geography, Referrers, and Sales (if applicable)
- If GA4 is already installed alongside Squarespace Analytics, you have historical data preserved in GA4
- If GA4 is NOT installed, install it on Squarespace immediately, even if you are migrating soon. Every day of GA4 data collected is valuable.
- After migration, all analytics will flow through GA4 and Search Console on the Wix site. Squarespace Analytics history becomes your offline archive.
- For eCommerce sites: capture all sales and revenue data from Squarespace Commerce analytics including product-level performance, conversion rates, and average order values
