What Squarespace exports, and what gets rebuilt
Squarespace exports your pages and blog posts as an XML file. That is content, not a website: the design and layout are rebuilt on whatever comes next. Theo does not need the file; it reads your live site from its address, carries the pages, photos and wording over, and shows you design options to pick from. Ask in chat if you want the old look kept.
| On Squarespace | When you move to Theo |
|---|---|
| Pages and posts | Exported as XML; Theo rebuilds them from your live site. |
| Domain | Point it from where it is registered, or transfer it first. |
| Shopify store | Connects directly; checkout stays on Shopify. |
| Etsy shop | Keeps its checkout; Theo builds product pages from your listings. |
| Checkout run by Squarespace | Does not move; set up a Shopify store and connect it. |
How to transfer a domain from Squarespace, or point it instead
You do not have to transfer the domain to move the website. Transferring changes where it is registered; pointing changes where it sends visitors. Pointing is all the move needs, and Theo walks you through it: connect both root and www, turn off forwarding and parking at the registrar, and leave the email records alone. The switch happens once the registrar's records update, usually within a few hours, and Squarespace keeps serving visitors until then; the domain connection page has the details.
Transfer the domain only if you would rather keep nothing at Squarespace, and do it before you point the domain at Theo. The transfer runs between registrars: unlock the domain in Squarespace, request its transfer authorization code, then start the transfer at the registrar you are moving to and follow its steps; a transfer usually takes a few days. Once the domain sits at its new registrar, point it at Theo from there.
How the move works, step by step
- Give Theo your Squarespace address; it reads the site, brings the content across and builds a first preview, usually ready in minutes, with design options to pick from.
- Ask for changes in chat, in plain English, and publish when it reads right; Squarespace keeps serving visitors.
- Connect the domain when you are happy with the site.
- With the domain live, connect Google Analytics and Search Console. Theo then redirects the old addresses that still get traffic to their new pages; a domain change adds a change-of-address step in Search Console.
- On Starter and Pro, Theo submits the new pages through Search Console and the ongoing work begins: new pages and posts, technical fixes, weekly reports.
What happens to your rankings during the move
Expect some movement for a few weeks while Google recrawls the new pages and follows the redirects. Redirecting the old addresses that still get traffic preserves most of what you built, and on Starter and Pro, submitting the new pages through Search Console shortens the wobble. What happens to rankings when you move your website walks through the pattern.
Among the 177 Squarespace sites with search data in Theo's audit of 5,974 small business websites, 49 percent got an estimated zero visitors a month from Google search (The State of Small Business Websites 2026). The ongoing work on Starter and Pro is what changes that.
Keeping your Etsy or Shopify store
The store stays put. A Shopify store connects directly: products, prices and stock on your Theo pages with a cart, checkout on Shopify, a Refresh my products button after changes. An Etsy shop keeps its checkout: Theo reads your public listings and builds product pages from them (names, descriptions, prices and photos) with buy buttons that point at Etsy; after a listing changes, click Refresh my products or ask in chat. Checkout run by Squarespace itself does not come across, because Theo does not process payments: set up a Shopify store, which Theo recommends for a new store, and connect it.
Your email and the cost of the move
Connecting your domain changes the records for your website and leaves your email settings alone; if you are unsure, email the team and they will check your settings before you switch. The move itself has no price of its own. The plan is the bill; top-up credits, a domain bought through Theo and the optional backlink packages in the Boost checklist are extras you choose or skip.
The free audit shows what the Squarespace site gets from search today. When you are ready, give Theo the address and build the site free; you see the first draft of the rebuilt site before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to move a website from Squarespace to Theo?
No separate charge, and the first build is free. The site and hosting are $29.99 a month on Basic; Starter, $69.99 a month and free for the first 30 days, adds the ongoing search work; Pro is $129.99.
How long does the move take?
The first preview is usually ready in minutes. Once you point the domain, the switch lands when the registrar's records update, usually within a few hours, and Google settles over a few weeks.
Who owns the site after the move?
You do: the pages, posts and images are yours, and the domain stays yours wherever it is registered. Theo hosts the site.
What if I cancel after moving?
Cancel whenever you like; the confirmation tells you the day the subscription ends. Up to that day, copy the site and its images, and point the domain wherever it goes next.
Do I have to transfer my domain away from Squarespace?
No. Pointing it at the Theo site from where it is registered is enough. Transfer it only if you would rather keep nothing at Squarespace, and finish the transfer before you point the domain at Theo.
What does Squarespace export?
Pages and blog posts, as an XML file. The design and layout are not a file you can move, so every move off Squarespace is a rebuild.
Can I move my existing site over without losing my Google ranking?
Mostly. The old addresses that still get traffic are redirected to their new pages once Search Console is connected, and the visibility those pages earned follows the redirects; the few weeks of movement while Google recrawls are normal. If the domain changes as well, Search Console has a change-of-address step, and the team helps with it. Squarespace keeps serving the old site while your subscription there is active, so keep it until the new site is live on your domain.