Moving from Squarespace to Static Hosting
The 2026 Technical Migration Guide
Moving from Squarespace to static hosting (using platforms like Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare Pages) is a significant architectural shift. You are trading a "rented, all-in-one apartment" for a "custom-built house."
While you will gain incredible speed, ironclad security, and significantly lower costs (often £0/month for hosting), you lose the proprietary drag-and-drop builder. In 2026, this trade-off is more popular than ever for businesses looking to escape "subscription fatigue."
1. The Reality Check: Replacing Dynamic Features
Before you cancel your subscription, you must plan replacements for the features Squarespace provided automatically. In the static world, we "plug in" best-in-class tools:
Visual Editor
Replaced by a "Headless CMS" (like CloudCannon or Decap CMS) where you can still edit text and images easily.
Forms
Replaced by utilising specialized services like Netlify Forms or Formspree.
Search
Replaced by a static search library like Pagefind.
E-commerce
Replaced by lightweight tools like Snipcart or Stripe Payment Links.
2. The Export Process (The "Image Trap")
Squarespace does not have an "Export to HTML" button. It only offers a generic XML export designed for WordPress.
The Problem
The XML file contains the text of your posts, but it only contains links to your images sitting on Squarespace's servers. This is a trap. If you cancel your Squarespace account, those links will eventually break, and your images will disappear. You must download the actual image files to your own machine.
How to Do It:
- Export XML: Go to Settings > Advanced > Import / Export and download the WordPress-formatted XML.
- Bulk Download Images: Use a script or a "WordPress Bridge" (running a temporary local version of WordPress) to force the download of every image from the Squarespace CDN to your local "assets" folder.
3. Choosing Your New Technology Stack
In 2026, you have several world-class options for building your new static site. These are known as Static Site Generators (SSGs):
| Generator | Best For... |
|---|---|
| Astro | The 2026 standard. Fast, easy to learn, and perfect for brochure sites. |
| Hugo | Extreme speed. It can build a 10,000-page site in seconds. |
| Eleventy | Maximum flexibility for those who want clean, simple code. |
4. Preserving Your SEO (Redirects)
This is the most critical step. Squarespace often uses long, date-based URLs (e.g., /blog/2025/10/my-post). If your new site uses a cleaner format (e.g., /blog/my-post), you will lose your Google rankings unless you set up 301 Redirects.
If you host on a platform like Netlify, you simply create a small text file named _redirects in your main folder:
/blog/2025/* /blog/:splat 301
/contact-us /contact 301
The Migration Checklist
- Export Content: Download your XML data from Squarespace.
- Secure Media: Ensure all images are downloaded locally, not just linked.
- Build Locally: Develop your new site using a generator like Astro or Hugo.
- Deploy: Push your code to a secure repository (like GitHub) and connect it to your new host.
- Map Redirects: Double-check that every old URL points to a new one.
- Domain Switch: Unlock your domain in Squarespace, get the Auth Code, and move to a wholesale registrar.
Let the Experts Handle It
If the checklist above looks like a full-time job, that’s because for most business owners, it is. We are a small agency with over 20 years of experience building and migrating websites.
When you work with movemy.site, we handle every step mentioned above—from the complex image scraping to the delicate SEO redirects. We don't just move your site; we optimise it for the future.
Get a Migration Quote