Squarespace Website Transfers
common questions & answers
So you need a new or updated website and EVERYONE keeps telling you about Squarespace, and for good reason. But, you have a few concerns before taking a leap and moving your website.
Common questions I get are:
Is it worth the switch?
Is the platform as easy as everyone says?
Will I lose everything and have to start from scratch?
Will my blog transfer?
Is it worth the switch?
This is a very hard question to answer without knowing a lot of details. In short, if you’re looking for a simple platform that’s secure, has your domain and hosting in a single account, and is relatively simple to edit, then it’s at least worth some strong consideration. It may cost a bit more, but many of my clients have expressed delight in how simple Squarespace makes having a website.
Is the platform as easy as everyone says?
The simple answer is… No, it’s not… at first.
The answer from someone who builds a lot of websites on various platforms… Absolutely.
As with many things, there is a learning curve to Squarespace. If you’ve built a site before, you could get the hang of Squarespace pretty quickly. After I build a site for my clients I offer a crash-course in using the platform. Overall, making quick adjustments, changing images, or adding new content is a breeze in Squarespace.
Will I lose everything and start from scratch?
In many ways starting from scratch will be a more simple and quick method, especially for smaller websites. Many of the methods to export & import websites are not a svelte as we would like. Most of the time your content will transfer, but you’ll likely spend more time tweaking every page and feel like you’re wasting your time.
BUT(!)….
If your current website can stay active while you build a new Squarespace site, then the process can be extremely quick.
Will my blog posts transfer?
Nope. Not even from an older version of Squarespace.
Wait. Really?
Okay… that’s not completely true.
There is a way to export your blog (from an older Squarespace site or a WordPress site), but it is tedious. Most likely you’ll need to setup an Amazon S3 server (or something like it) to host your images, edit XML/HTML code, and potentially rename a whole lot of images.
It’s complex. It’s tedious. And I like it.
I’ll be doing an in-depth review of this in the near future.