How to Transfer Your Domain from Wix to Squarespace
3 critical decisions most people get wrong when transferring a domain from Wix. The first one costs you SEO. The second costs you email. The third costs you time.
If you're moving to Squarespace from Wix, your domain is your most valuable asset. Get the transfer wrong and you'll lose search rankings, email will vanish for days, and you'll spend hours debugging DNS settings. Get it right and your site moves seamlessly.
This is a genuine step-by-step guide, not generic advice. I'm walking you through the exact decisions you'll face, the mistakes people make, and the non-negotiable things that keep your site alive whilst it switches platforms.
Why Businesses Leave Wix
Wix charges GBP 15-25 annually for basic domains depending on the extension. More importantly, Wix templates severely limit design flexibility. A real estate agent can't showcase their listings the way they want. A roofing company can't capture leads properly. An experience business can't tell their story. Squarespace gives you control. It's faster, more flexible, and built for businesses that need to rank on Google and convert visitors into clients. [Squarespace]
The Real Process
**Step 1: Unlock your domain in Wix**
Log into your Wix account. Go to Domains. Find the domain you're transferring. Click "Manage." Look for "Domain Lock" and toggle it off. This is non-negotiable. A locked domain won't transfer.
Then, still in Manage, look for "Transfer Out" or "Get Authorization Code." Wix will email you an EPP code (sometimes called a transfer code). This code is your passport. Save it somewhere you won't lose it. Store it in a note or your email draft folder. Some codes expire after 14 days, so don't sit on this.
**Step 2: Prepare your Squarespace site**
Before you touch anything on the Wix side, build your entire Squarespace site on a temporary URL (username.squarespace.com). Design it, populate it, test it. Publish it when the content is complete and the design is locked. Why? Because once you point your domain at Squarespace, Google will crawl whatever's there. Unfinished sites get indexed partially, and you'll spend weeks cleaning up that mess. Squarespace website design
This is where most DIY transfers go sideways. People rush, move the domain, then spend another week building the site. Your domain spends days pointing at an incomplete site. Google indexes poor metadata. Your SEO takes a hit before you've even launched.
**Step 3: The decision point: email**
Before you move your domain, answer this question: do you use email at your domain?
If yes, you must do this: log back into Wix. Go to your domain's MX records. Screenshot them or write them down. You need these exact MX records when you land in Squarespace. If you use Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or Zoho Mail, you'll need to re-enter these records in your new Squarespace DNS settings before the transfer fully completes. Miss this step and your email disappears for 24-48 hours.
If no, skip this and move forward.
**Step 4: Point your domain to Squarespace**
In Squarespace, go to Settings > Domains > Add Domain. Choose "Transfer a Domain." Enter your domain name and paste that EPP code from Wix.
Squarespace will ask about DNS management. If you use a third-party email provider, choose "Manual DNS." If you only use Squarespace email or no email, choose "Let Squarespace manage DNS" (easier, recommended).
The transfer initiates. This usually completes within 24 hours, though Wix occasionally takes up to 7 days to release the domain fully. This is rare. Most transfers finish overnight.
**Step 5: The critical SEO step: 301 redirects**
This is the difference between keeping your search visibility and losing it.
Before you delete or disable your old Wix site, set up 301 redirects from every Wix URL to its new Squarespace equivalent. In Wix, go to Domain > Redirect. If you have a homepage, a services page, and a contact page: redirect wix-domain.com to squarespace-domain.com, wix-domain.com/services to squarespace-domain.com/services, and so on.
Why? A 301 redirect tells Google "this page moved permanently to this new address." Google honours that and transfers your ranking authority to the new URL. Without 301 redirects, Google sees a bunch of broken links. Your search traffic tanks. [Support]
After DNS propagates (24-48 hours), log into Google Search Console. Update your property to the new domain. Submit your Squarespace sitemap. This accelerates Google's recognition of the move.
**Step 6: DNS propagation and the waiting game**
Your domain's nameserver change takes 24-48 hours to propagate globally. During this window, some people will see your old Wix site, others will see your new Squarespace site. This is normal and temporary. Don't panic. Use a free DNS checker (dnschecker.org) to monitor propagation. Once it shows 90%+ complete, you're nearly there.
**Step 7: Verify and monitor**
After transfer completion, log into Squarespace and verify your domain ownership. Go to Settings > Domains > [Your Domain] > Verify. Squarespace may ask you to add a verification record if you chose manual DNS.
Then wait 1-2 weeks and monitor your search traffic in Google Search Console. Most businesses recover their full ranking position within 2-4 weeks. If you set up 301 redirects properly, you'll see almost no traffic drop.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No, if you set up 301 redirects. Google recognises the permanent move and transfers your ranking authority. Most sites recover full position within 2-4 weeks.
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Minimal. Your site won't be "down," but some visitors may see the old Wix site for 24-48 hours during DNS propagation. This is temporary and normal.
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DIY is feasible for simple sites. Hire a specialist if you have complex email routing, multiple domains, or high traffic. A migration specialist costs GBP 300-800 / $400-1000 and eliminates the risk of costly mistakes.
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Technical transfer is 24-48 hours. Full DNS propagation can take up to 72 hours. Total real-world time: 2-4 days. The only wildcard is Wix's domain release, which occasionally takes a week.
If you're building a new Squarespace site and need it to rank from day one, this is where SEO strategy matters. Most people move their domain, build a functional site, and stop. That's how you end up with a site that looks good but attracts zero leads. Squarespace SEO
Want to ensure your Squarespace site is optimised for search visibility and built to convert? book a free call and we'll walk you through a migration strategy that keeps your authority and builds your visibility from launch.
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