Squarespace to Framer migration

Squarespace to Framer, a site that looks like you

When the template can’t keep up with the brand. We rebuild in Framer, move the blog and keep every URL.

Typical timeline
Scoped after the URL inventory
Cost
Quoted after the URL inventory
SEO risk
Medium: blog and collection paths usually change
Moves cleanly
One blog and basic page text (through the XML export)
Must be rebuilt
Design, most page types, images, forms, store

In short

Checked against Squarespace and Framer docs

Squarespace’s only site export is a WordPress XML file with layout pages, one blog and basic blocks; styles, custom CSS, most page types and bulk images don’t export. A Squarespace to Framer migration rebuilds the design in Framer, converts the blog from the XML file into CSV for Framer’s CMS import, collects images from the live site, and recreates every URL as a page or a 301 in Framer’s redirect settings.

Why teams move

Why teams move from Squarespace to Framer

  1. The brand outgrew the template

    Templates are a good start, but a company with a real brand wants layouts and motion that templates don’t offer.

  2. Designers want to own the site

    Framer lets the person who designed the page publish it, without fighting a section system.

  3. A sharper story for a raise or launch

    For startups, the site is part of the pitch. Framer makes a small team look as considered as its product.

Old vs new

Squarespace vs Framer, for this move

CriteriaSquarespaceFramer
DesignSquarespace:Templates and sectionsFramer:Free canvas with components and effects
MotionSquarespace:Limited to template optionsFramer:Built-in effects and interactions
CMSSquarespace:Blogs and collection pagesFramer:Collections with plan limits (Pro: 10 collections, 2,500 items)
CommerceSquarespace:Built-in storeFramer:Not a store platform; pair with a commerce tool
RedirectsSquarespace:URL mappings (about 2,500 lines)Framer:Site settings, wildcards and capture groups

What moves, what doesn’t

What comes across from Squarespace

Squarespace exports less than most platforms, so we plan the manual work up front.

  • Content

    Partly: The WordPress XML export covers layout pages, one blog, text and image blocks. Other page types, headers, footers and extra blogs are collected from the live site.

  • CMS

    Partly: One blog converts from the XML file to CSV and goes into a Framer collection. Product data exports to CSV (without images), if the store is moving somewhere.

  • SEO

    Rebuilt: Titles and descriptions are collected page by page and set in Framer. Squarespace URL mappings are rewritten as Framer redirects.

  • Forms

    Rebuilt: Form blocks don’t export; they’re rebuilt as Framer forms or a form tool.

  • Integrations

    Replaced: Scheduling, newsletter and commerce blocks are replaced with embeds or dedicated tools.

  • Animations

    Rebuilt: Designed fresh in Framer’s effects and interactions.

  • Media

    Rebuilt: Squarespace has no bulk image export, so images are collected from the site and uploaded to Framer with alt text.

Partly
Some of it imports, the rest is redone
Rebuilt
Nothing to import, we rebuild it
Replaced
Swapped for the new platform’s equivalent

Content model

How Squarespace content maps to Framer

  1. Blog (one, via XML export)

    The one blog page that Squarespace’s XML export includes, with its posts, dates and images.

    On Squarespace:

    Framer blog collection

    A Framer CMS collection, filled by converting the XML export to CSV and importing that file.

    On Framer:

    What you get CMS › Blog

  2. Other blogs and collections

    A second blog, plus events, portfolio and other collection pages the XML export leaves out.

    On Squarespace:

    Further collections

    More Framer CMS collections, with their content collected from the live site by hand or by script.

    On Framer:

    What you get CMS › Events

  3. Layout pages

    Pages built from Squarespace sections and blocks, which are rebuilt rather than imported.

    On Squarespace:

    Framer pages

    Pages laid out on the Framer canvas from shared components and styles, with SEO set per page.

    On Framer:

    What you get Pages › About

  4. Products

    Commerce products with prices, variants and checkout, run by Squarespace’s own store.

    On Squarespace:

    Commerce tool or showcase

    A dedicated commerce tool for checkout, or a plain collection when the products are a showcase only.

    On Framer:

    What you get CMS › Products

Process and timeline

How we move a Squarespace site to Framer

  1. Inventory and redirect map

    Before design

    Crawl every URL, export the existing URL mappings, and map every page and post to its Framer URL.

  2. Get the content out

    Before design

    Run the XML export, export products if needed, and collect everything the export leaves out from the live site.

  3. Design and rebuild

    Build

    Styles and components in Framer, then pages and the blog template.

  4. Import and check

    Build

    Convert the blog to CSV, import it, then check every post, image and alt text.

  5. SEO parity and redirects

    Before launch

    Per-page SEO set, redirects added with wildcards for the blog, forms and links tested.

  6. Switch and watch

    Launch and after

    Move the domain early in the week, submit the sitemap and watch 404s and indexing daily.

SEO safety

The pre-launch checklist for Squarespace to Framer

Rankings are lost in three ways: broken URLs, missing on-page signals and crawl problems. 4 stages, from the first crawl to the weeks after launch, close all three. Tick the checks as you go; your progress stays in this browser.

Stage 1 of 4

Before the build

Know every URL and where it goes before anything is designed.

Stage 1: Before the build

Stage 2 of 4

During the build

Carry every on-page signal across, page by page.

Stage 2: During the build

Stage 3 of 4

Before launch

Real redirects and a clean path for crawlers, ready for the switch.

Stage 3: Before launch

Stage 4 of 4

After launch

Watch what Google sees in the first weeks and fix it fast.

Stage 4: After launch

What people worry about

What Squarespace teams worry about

  1. The export misses most of our site

    It does, by design. We plan for it: the XML covers the blog, and the rest is collected from the live site and checked page by page.

  2. We have a store

    Framer isn’t a store platform. If selling is central, we’ll recommend keeping commerce on a dedicated platform or a different destination entirely.

  3. Will we lose rankings?

    Blog and collection paths usually change, so every old URL gets a one-to-one 301 in Framer before the domain moves.

When not to migrate

When to stay on Squarespace

  • Selling products is the core of the business and the store works.

  • The site is small and stable, and nobody on the team needs more design control.

  • You rely on Squarespace scheduling or member areas with no replacement planned.

Not sure which side you’re on?

If one of these is you, staying on Squarespace is probably the better call. We’ll say so on the first call.

Book a call

FAQ

Squarespace to Framer questions

Adrian

Moving from Squarespace to Framer?

Every URL mapped, the CMS rebuilt, SEO kept. We scope it on a 30-minute call.

What does Squarespace let you export?

A WordPress XML file with layout pages, one blog page (with comments), and text, image and some gallery blocks. Other page types, more than one blog, product and video blocks, styles and custom CSS aren’t included, and images can’t be exported in bulk.

Does Framer have a Squarespace importer?

Not that we know of. The blog goes through Framer’s CSV import after converting the XML export; pages are rebuilt on the canvas.

How do redirects work?

After the move they live in Framer’s site settings, which support wildcards and capture groups, so a whole blog path can redirect with one rule.

Can we keep our Squarespace store?

Framer isn’t built for commerce. If the store matters, we keep it on a commerce platform and link to it, or recommend a different destination.

Platform facts checked on . Platforms change their exports and limits; we recheck at the start of every project.

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