Moving off Squarespace or Wix: what transfers, what doesn't, and how to keep your rankings
Squarespace and Wix make it easy to start and hard to leave. Here's exactly what each lets you take with you, what has to be rebuilt, how the main destinations import it, and the redirect plan Google recommends so you keep your search traffic.
Short answer: neither platform lets you pick up your site and move it. Squarespace exports part of a site, as a WordPress-format file, plus a product CSV. Wix says its sites must run on Wix's servers, so you can take products and contacts as CSV files but you rebuild the site itself.
Either way, your search rankings survive if you map every old URL to a new one and set up permanent redirects before you switch, as Google recommends.
Businesses usually leave a site builder for the same reasons: they've outgrown the templates, they need something the platform can't do, the site is slow, or they're tired of being the person who updates it. Whatever the reason, the move is mostly about three things: your content, your URLs and your domain. This guide covers the first two; moving a domain off Squarespace and moving a domain off Wix cover the third.
What you can take with you
| Content | Squarespace | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| The site itself (design, layout) | No. Style settings and custom CSS don't export | No. Must run on Wix's servers |
| Pages | Layout pages, as a WordPress-format .xml file | No export |
| Blog posts | One blog, with up to 1,000 comments per post | No: "not possible to export blog posts to other platforms" |
| Store products | CSV, up to 10,000; no featured or variant images, alt text or reviews | CSV, up to 5,000 rows per file; no digital products |
| Contacts and customers | CSV | CSV, up to 50,000 at a time (site owner only) |
| Images and videos | Not in bulk; download individually | No bulk export |
| Reviews | Not in the product export | Can't be exported or migrated to Shopify |
Squarespace in detail
Squarespace's export creates an .xml file for importing into WordPress. It includes layout pages, one blog page with its posts, text and image blocks, and, on version 7.0 only, gallery pages. It leaves out album, cover, index, info, calendar, portfolio and store pages, page-specific headers and footers, any extra blogs, audio, product and video blocks, drafts, style settings and custom CSS. The site must be published and public to export, and trial sites can't export at all (Squarespace: exporting your site).
Products export separately to a CSV of up to 10,000 physical and service products, without customer reviews, featured images, alt text or variant images (Squarespace: export products). Images and uploaded videos can't be exported in bulk (Squarespace: importing and exporting content).
Wix in detail
Wix is direct about it: "Since Wix is a SaaS solution, your site must run on Wix's servers", and its architecture "does not support external hosting" (Wix: exporting your site elsewhere). Blog posts can't currently be exported to other platforms (Wix: exporting blog posts). What you can export is your store products, to CSV files of up to 5,000 rows each, excluding digital products (Wix: exporting products), and your contacts, up to 50,000 at a time (Wix: exporting contacts).
Does Squarespace use PHP? Can you add code?
You can't run PHP, or any other server-side code, on Squarespace. Its help center says so directly: Squarespace "doesn't support server-side code, including PHP, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and SQL." Code blocks accept HTML, Markdown and CSS on every plan; JavaScript and code injection need the Core, Plus or Advanced plan, and Squarespace support doesn't help with custom code (Squarespace: adding custom code). On Wix, custom code is JavaScript, written in Velo and run on Wix's own Node.js runtime (Wix: about the site backend). Code written for either platform stays on that platform.
It's also why Squarespace and Wix sites weren't affected by PHP2Shell.
Where to move to
| Destination | Best for | How content gets there |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | The largest ecosystem of themes and plugins, if someone keeps it updated | The WordPress Importer reads Squarespace's .xml (posts, pages, comments, categories). Images may not all come across, and the design doesn't |
| Shopify | Sites that are mainly an online store | Shopify's Store Migration app imports Wix product and customer CSVs; it doesn't list Squarespace, so Squarespace products go in by editing the CSV, and pages and posts are copied by hand |
| Webflow | Teams that want visual design control on a hosted platform | CMS content by CSV (4 MB per file); pages are rebuilt in the designer |
| A custom site, managed for you | A fast site shaped around your business, with someone else looking after it | Rebuilt from your content and URL list, with redirects and the SEO work done for you |
Sources: WordPress Importer and WordPress.com: import from Squarespace; Shopify Store Migration, migrating from Squarespace and migrating from Wix; Webflow: CMS CSV import.
How to keep your Google rankings
Google's guidance for a site move with URL changes comes down to a few steps (Google Search Central: site moves):
- Map every old URL to its new one. Export a list of your current pages (your sitemap, usually at
/sitemap.xml, is a good start) and write down where each one will live on the new site. Keep the same URLs where you can. - Use server-side permanent redirects. Google recommends HTTP 301 or 308 redirects from each old URL to its new one; client-side redirects are a last resort.
- Keep the redirects. "Keep the redirects for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year", and for visitors, consider keeping them indefinitely.
- Update internal links and canonical tags on the new site to point at the new URLs.
- Submit the new sitemap in Search Console.
- Only if the domain changes, use Search Console's Change of Address tool. It isn't for moving platforms on the same domain (Google: Change of Address).
Google notes that on a medium-sized site it can take a few weeks or more before the new URLs replace the old ones in results.
One trap specific to leaving a builder: redirects you set up inside Squarespace (URL mappings, around 2,500 lines) or Wix (up to 5,000, custom domains only) only run while the site is on that platform. Once your domain points somewhere new, the new platform has to serve them. Shopify allows up to 100,000 redirects but only from URLs that would otherwise return "not found"; Webflow recommends no more than 1,000; WordPress needs a plugin such as Redirection for anything beyond changed post slugs (Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Webflow, Redirection plugin).
Moving checklist
- List every page, post and product URL on the current site, and note which pages get the most search traffic (Search Console, Performance, Pages).
- Export what the platform allows: the Squarespace .xml and product CSV, or Wix product and contact CSVs.
- Save images, copy and anything that doesn't export, page by page.
- Build the new site, keeping URLs the same where you can.
- Set up the redirect map on the new platform and test it before launch.
- Check forms, booking, payments and email before switching the domain.
- Point the domain at the new site, or transfer it (Squarespace, Wix), keeping your email records in place.
- Submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console for "not found" errors over the following weeks.
- Cancel the old plan only once everything is confirmed working.
Sources
- Squarespace: exporting your site, exporting products, adding custom code and URL mappings
- Wix: exporting or embedding your site elsewhere, exporting blog posts, exporting products and 301 redirects
- Google Search Central: site moves with URL changes and Change of Address
- Shopify: migrating from Squarespace and from Wix
- WordPress.com: import from Squarespace
Common questions
Can I export my Wix website to another host?
No. Wix says its sites must run on Wix's servers and that its architecture does not support external hosting. You can export store products and contacts as CSV files, but Wix says blog posts can't currently be exported to other platforms, so leaving Wix means rebuilding the site.
What can I export from Squarespace?
Squarespace exports a WordPress-format .xml file with layout pages, one blog with its posts, and text and image blocks. Store, index, portfolio, album and calendar pages, audio, video and product blocks, style settings and custom CSS don't export. Products go to a separate CSV of up to 10,000 items, without featured images, variant images, alt text or reviews.
Does Squarespace use PHP?
You can't run PHP on Squarespace. Squarespace's help center says it doesn't support server-side code, including PHP, Ruby, Ruby on Rails and SQL. Code blocks accept HTML, Markdown and CSS on every plan; JavaScript and code injection need the Core, Plus or Advanced plan.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I leave Squarespace or Wix?
Not if you plan it. Google recommends mapping every old URL to its new one, using permanent (301 or 308) redirects, keeping them for at least a year, and submitting the new sitemap in Search Console. Expect a few weeks for Google to switch to the new URLs on a medium-sized site.
Can I move from Squarespace to Shopify automatically?
Only partly. Shopify's Store Migration app doesn't list Squarespace as a source, so products move by editing Squarespace's CSV into Shopify's template, and Shopify says blog posts and pages have to be copied over manually.
Should I move to WordPress, Shopify, Webflow or a custom site?
Shopify if the site is mainly an online store. WordPress if you want the largest ecosystem and are prepared to keep it updated. Webflow if your team wants visual design control and a hosted platform. A custom site, managed for you, if you want a fast site shaped around your business and someone else looking after it.
Rather hand the move over? We rebuild sites from Squarespace and Wix as fast custom websites, carry over the content, photos, page addresses and the search value behind them, set up every redirect, and then manage the site for you. See web development, book a free discovery call or call (914) 222-3310.