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How to migrate your store from Squarespace to Shopify

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How to migrate products from Squarespace to Shopify

Exporting steps

The first thing you need to do is export your data from Squarespace. Don’t forget to keep your Squarespace site live whilst completing this step. In the Home Menu, click Settings.

  1. Click Advanced, and then click Import/Export.

  2. Click Export.

  3. Select Products from the Export Site menu.

  4. Click Download. Your products will download as a products.csv file.

So easy, right?

Importing steps

There is a whole bunch of ways how to get your products imported, whether it’s through an automated service offered on the app store, or manually entering small product catalogs.

Without further ado, here is a guide on how to import your Squarespace .csv product file to Shopify:

Steps:

  • 1. Go to your Shopify admin and choose Products tab.

  • 2.Click Import.

  • 3. Click Choose File in the Import products by CSV file window.

  • Locate your CSV file, then click Open.

  • Click Upload file.

  • A confirmation letter from Shopify will be sent to your email address as soon as your CSV file is uploaded.

How to migrate blog content from Squarespace to Shopify

Exporting

I am pretty sure the next stop you will want to do is export the content from your website including blogs, text and image blocks, and pages.

You are welcome to use our guide below.
1. In the Home Menu on Squarespace, click Settings.
2. Click Advanced, and then click Import / Export.
3. Click Export.
4. Click the WordPress icon.

Note: Click this icon even though you are going from Squarespace to Shopify, not Wordpress.
5. If you have more than one Blog Page on your site, a “Select Primary Blog” message will appear. Only one Blog Page can be exported.
6. Select a Primary Blog from the drop-down menu, and then click Export.
7. Wait for the export to process, which may take you to wait for a few minutes.
8. Download the exported file.
9. When the export is complete, a Download option will appear. Click Download to save the .xml file to your computer, or click Clear to erase the export.

Importing

For Shopify Plus members there is a possibility to use the Transpoprter App and comm and-line tool to import their content into Shopify.

First thing you need to do is decide the way you will migrate your content and in what order. You have a few options here :

1. Copy-paste your content from your old site.

2. Use existing migration apps from the Shopify App store.

3. Develop an app that uses the Admin API.

4. Migrate your content manually with the help of CSV files.

How to choose a Shopify theme

Creating a custom theme for Shopify, thanks to which your online store will stand out from the mass of competitors, is a responsible task as the visual representation of your business is of great importance.

We recommend using search and filtering options for this aim.

  1. There is an option to search by theme feature, which you can find with the help of the top bar search field on Shopify Theme Store, for example product filtering, video, related products, etc.

  2. You can also search by collection to be able to discover themes with a desired style or layout, or by industry. In order to do that you need to go to the Shopify Theme Store. Click “Collections” or “Industries”, and then select a category.

How to switch your domain

The main condition is that your Squarespace domain has been registered for at least 60 days. Then, the transfer can happen.

Step 1 - Unlock the domain

  1. In the Home Menu, click Settings, and then click Domains. You can also press the key while any panel is open and search domains.

  2. Click the domain you want to transfer.

  3. Scroll down and uncheck Lock Domain.

Step 2 - Get transfer key

The Get Transfer Key button will appear at the bottom of the panel after unlocking the domain.  Click Get Transfer Key and copy the transfer key that appears. You'll provide this code to your new domain provider to authorize the transfer. Your provider may also call this an “EPP code” or "authorization code."

Step 3 - Transfer the domain

To transfer your domain away from Squarespace, send your new domain provider the transfer key you just copied.

Steps:

  • From your Shopify admin, click Online Store > Domains.

  • If this is the first domain that you're connecting to your Shopify store, then click Connect existing domain, then click transfer in your domain:

If you already have a domain connected to your Shopify store, then click Transfer domain:

  • Enter the domain that you want to transfer to Shopify. Do not include www. at the beginning of the domain.

  • Click Next.

  • Click Verify domain.

  • If the domain is ready to be transferred, you see DOMAIN UNLOCKED. Click Next to continue.

  • In the Verification code box, enter the authorization code, or EPP code, that your domain provider gave you.

  • Click Next.

  • Click Buy and transfer.

  • Check the email account associated with your domain for an email from your domain provider. The email varies by domain provider, but you need to approve the domain transfer by clicking a link such as Confirm Transfer or Approve Transfer:

After you've approved the domain transfer, it takes up to 20 days for the transfer to be complete. You will receive an email from Shopify confirming that your domain is transferred.

How to redirect your urls for SEO

When migrating from a Squarespace store, you don’t want to lose any of the website features or links. You would want to minimize or avoid the loss of SEO ranking from the page changes.

This is how you can manage your redirects:

  1. Make sure to backup everything.

  2. Find your sitemap on Squarespace.

  3. Convert it to a CSV and download.

  4. Upload the file to Google Sheets (to make it safe).

  5. Create the SEO redirects.

  6. You have 3 courses of action:

    • Forward it to the same page on the new site, i.e About Page to About Page, Red Shirt to Red Shirt

    • Combine it with another page. This is just like forwarding it to the same page, but maybe you combined your About Us and Contact Page, or you no longer have Hoodies but you still have Sweaters. Just send it to the most similar page.

    • Send it to the homepage. Do not ignore it or else it will give a 404 error. As we stated, Google hates 404s and it will negatively impact your SEO ranking.

Tools you can use to automate the process

There is a whole lot of various tools which contribute to automating the migration project.

Spare some time to review some of the tools we recommend, they are definitely worth your critical eye.

1) Litextension. This tool provides you with a high level of security and accuracy while transferring your Squarespace store to Shopify. A few minutes – and the connection between the two carts is established.

2) Cart2Cart is another time and energy-saving service you should consider. In just 3 steps the transfer is completed and your nerves are preserved.

By and large, if you aim at creating an internationally acknowledged online store and attract traffic from other countries, Shopify will be a good tool for implementing a plan to reach the western world and fulfill your wildest dreams!