The Squarespace Migration Shortcut That Saves Hours (and Your Sanity)

Save hours on Squarespace content transfers with the right tools and methods to streamline your process while keeping your designs intact.

Transferring Content Between Squarespace Websites with Squarespace Website Tools Pro

Transferring Content Between Squarespace Websites with Squarespace Website Tools Pro

Why This Matters

There are few things as soul-sapping in web design as rebuilding the same layouts and styles again and again, especially when working with Squarespace. If you've ever spent hours matching fonts, button paddings, or duplicating content from one site to another, you'll know the pain. For freelancers, agencies, or anyone supporting multiple businesses or projects on Squarespace, the time spent manually recreating sections is monotonous and directly eats into time you could spend actually growing your operation (or escaping your desk for ten minutes and a nice cup of tea).

In reality, Squarespace never made it easy to transfer content or design elements between sites. Yes, you can duplicate pages within the same site, and for blog content, there are workarounds. But if you need to migrate service blocks or a whole pricing section, you’re stuck with the copy-paste shuffle and, inevitably, clicking around setting all your site styles from scratch. Multiply this by every client or project, and your calendar looks very bleak indeed.

This is why tools like Squarespace Website Tools Pro have made such a splash. For the first time, site creators can move full sections of content and design between Squarespace 7.1 sites in minutes, not hours. There is a price tag, but the hours you’ll claw back make it an investment rather than another tool collecting browser dust.

Common Pitfalls

You’re not alone if the promise of slick content migration has led to frustration. Here’s where most people (myself included) hit snags:

  • Missing the Setup Step. The most common mistake is trying to use the extension without logging in with your Google Account inside the Chrome toolbar. If you skip this, most of the features simply won’t appear.
  • Overlooking Layout Differences. If your destination site has different styling basics (site width, fonts, or colours), pasted content can look completely at odds with everything else. You end up patching things with a trowel.
  • One Section at a Time. The tool is powerful, but it doesn't bulk-transfer entire pages in one go. Many assume you can transfer an entire page or set of pages instantly (you can’t). It's one panel or section at a time.
  • Neglecting Links. After moving content, broken links or missing redirects can lead to SEO headaches and confused visitors. Most users forget this crucial last mile.
  • Thinking it Solves Everything. This tool works wonders for sections, but doesn’t carry over site-wide styling, products, blog posts, or custom code blocks. Expecting it to do so leads to disappointment.

In short: Don’t think of this as a holy grail. Consider it a strong ally for a very specific set of headaches.

Step-by-Step Fix

Migrating content between sites is, at last, a job for an afternoon rather than a lost weekend, if you follow these concrete steps. For this walkthrough, let’s imagine you want to move a few polished panels from your old portfolio site over to your new Pixelhaze-powered project.

1. Activate and Set Up the Extension Properly

First, install the Squarespace Website Tools Pro extension in your Chrome browser. But don’t stop there: you’ll see a little widget or drawer appear in the bottom-right when visiting any Squarespace 7.1 site. Click this to expand the tools. Crucially, now log into your Google Account through the extension's prompt—otherwise, its best features will be greyed out and you’ll think it’s broken.

If you don’t see the drawer, try switching to editing mode in your Squarespace admin. Occasionally, Chrome extensions play hide-and-seek on custom browser themes or strict security settings.

Pixelhaze Tip: If you find the toolbar missing, disable other extensions and restart Chrome. Occasionally, adblockers or script blockers interfere.
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2. Prepare Both Sites Ahead of Time

Before you start copying sections, do a bit of groundwork. On your destination site, create a new blank page called “Imported Content” for now. Keep one default blank section at the top or bottom as a reliable anchor. On your source site, make sure you know exactly which panels or sections you want to bring over. Close everything else—fewer tabs, fewer mix-ups.

Pixelhaze Tip: Open both sites in separate Chrome windows and arrange them side-by-side. It sounds simple, but it’s much less confusing than flicking through fifty tabs.
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3. Copy Panels or Sections One by One

Now the fun begins. Navigate to your source (old) site. Make sure you’re in preview or live view, not edit mode. Hover over the panel you want to move, and using the extension’s drawer, you’ll get the option to ‘Copy Section’ or similar. Click, let the magic happen, and wait for the confirmation.

Then hop over to your destination site's new blank page. Still out of edit mode, use the extension’s ‘Paste Section’ option. The content and design of the section should appear, often above or below your existing blank anchor section.

Don’t worry if images or assets seem slow to load. Squarespace sometimes takes its time, especially with larger content blocks.

Pixelhaze Tip: If a section doesn’t paste, switch between preview and edit mode once, then try again. Sometimes Squarespace needs a little nudge.
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4. Repeat the Process for Each Desired Section

Only one section at a time can be moved, so repeat this process for every panel you wish to transfer. It’s tempting to try and rush, but keeping things methodical ensures you don’t miss content (or end up with duplicate sections stacked unexpectedly).

Resist the urge to start deleting the anchor blank section until everything’s in place—a single reliable blank section helps avoid accidental overwriting or formatting issues.

Pixelhaze Tip: Rename each transferred section once it lands on your destination site. This makes final organisation much easier (and less of a hunt).
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5. Fine-Tune Styles and Check Layouts

Now, take time for a thorough inspection. Pasted sections can inherit odd widths, mismatched padding, or rogue font settings if the destination site is configured differently to the source. Check each panel in desktop and mobile views. Adjust styling directly in the Squarespace editor as needed.

Header and footer styles often clash, since those are set site-wide and aren’t transferred by the tool. For a perfect match, review your style settings for colours, fonts, and spacing.

Pixelhaze Tip: Make a list of your ‘universal’ styling rules before you begin, especially for fonts and button styles. Copy them over before importing content, for fewer surprises.
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Nearly everyone forgets this step: check any internal links, buttons, or custom navigation inside each panel. If they point to pages on your old site, update them immediately. Then, for any important pages that have changed URLs, set up 301 redirects through your Squarespace site's settings. That way, visitors and search engines are guided neatly to the right place.

If you skip this, your search rankings may drop and returning visitors can get confused.

Pixelhaze Tip: Use a free link checker tool to scan the new page after setup. Broken links caught early are far less painful to fix.
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What Most People Miss

Follow this principle: Do not rely on automation alone. Even with a powerful tool, the most professional-looking migrations are planned. Too many builders see the extension as a shortcut and trust it blindly. Planning ahead means you transfer sections with care and make improvements as needed.

For example, use the migration as an opportunity to prune outdated panels, refresh testimonials, or update pricing layouts. This step lets you ensure every transferred block is relevant, on-brand, and free of errors.

Another common oversight is permissions and access settings on both source and destination sites. Always verify these before you invest time in precise transfers. Running into restricted admin rights on the destination page can halt progress.

The Bigger Picture

Time saved is money earned. Completing these transfers efficiently brings added advantages. As your portfolio or client base grows, you build up a true set of reusable design assets. Each well-transferred section can serve as a template: an updated building block that saves even more time in the future.

Consistency increases as well. When branding, product layouts, or user journeys share familiar elements across multiple sites, you reinforce trust and credibility with your audience. Clients notice too—when you can quickly implement feedback or match a past project’s look, these requests no longer feel overwhelming.

Workflow shortcuts like these help you work on your web design business, delivering more creative strategy, refining your offer, or scaling up. This is the type of compounding efficiency that helps agencies grow, instead of getting stuck on repetitive tasks.

No need for wild promises: it feels better to finish a Squarespace project on time than to explain to yet another client why “the page builder wasn’t designed for this sort of thing”.

FAQs

How do I enable the Squarespace Website Tools Pro extension?
Once installed from the Chrome Web Store, open any Squarespace admin panel. Look for the tools drawer (bottom-right), expand it, and follow the prompt to sign in with your Google Account. If it doesn’t work, close and restart your browser.

Can I move entire pages at once?
No. The extension works on individual sections or panels at a time. You’ll need to repeat the copy and paste steps for each part. While some may find it tedious, it is much faster than rebuilding from scratch.

I transferred panels, but the fonts and spacing are wonky. What now?
This is common when your destination site has different global settings. Open ‘Design’ in Squarespace, and set global fonts, colours, and padding to match your old site (or, ideally, improve them). Then personalise as needed on a section-by-section basis.

After migration, some links aren’t working. How do I fix this?
Go into each transferred section and check every button, navigation link, or embedded hyperlink. Update any that still point to your old site, and use Squarespace’s built-in 301 redirect system under Settings > Advanced > URL Mappings if pages have changed location.

Will this tool copy over blog content, e-commerce products, or user accounts?
No. The Website Tools Pro extension only handles design sections and content within them. For products, posts, or users, manual export/import or specialist tools remain the best approach.

Is there a risk of breaking my destination site using this tool?
The risk is low, but always back up your site before bulk changes and test each new section in preview mode. If colours, fonts, or JavaScript misbehave, revert to a previous design and work through issues one by one.

Troubleshooting and Common Issues

Toolbar Won't Show Up
Try switching browsers, updating Chrome, or disabling other extensions. If on a corporate device, permissions may block the add-on.

Images Not Transferring
Occasionally, hosted images with unusual file types or permissions don’t pull through. Upload manually and relink as needed.

Content Formatting Breaks on Tablet or Mobile
Always test pasted sections at different browser breakpoints. Mobile styling, in particular, is notorious for breaking after a transfer.

Extension Stops Working Partway Through
Empty your browser’s cache, log out and back into the Google Account tied to the extension, and try again. If problems persist, check the extension’s support or Pixelhaze community for a fix.

Site-Wide Styles Disappear
Remember: site-wide settings do not transfer. These need to be re-set manually to ensure consistency.

Don’t forget the humans: If you’re stuck, walk away for a coffee, then give it another go. Sometimes both browser and brain just need a quick reboot.

For site support or deeper web design help, Pixelhaze Pioneers offers hands-on, jargon-free solutions for exactly these sorts of annoying problems.

Elwyn’s Take

After years of dragging content from one Squarespace site to another (let’s just say more hours than I’d care to tally), the Website Tools Pro extension genuinely lowered my blood pressure. Still, this extension is only one element of a workflow that makes for less stressful nights. Careful planning, double-checking every transfer, and never trusting a tool to make up for a lapse in attention are all crucial steps. In the end, the best web design processes free up your time to focus on what actually makes your sites stand out, not just what makes them functional.

Wrap-Up

Moving sections and styles between Squarespace sites doesn’t need to be a source of dread or a never-ending loop of “Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, adjust, repeat.” With Squarespace Website Tools Pro, a good checklist, and steady focus, you can rebuild, remix, or upgrade your sites in a fraction of the time it used to take. Watch out for styling quirks, don’t skip your link checks, and give yourself permission to adjust what you bring over so you never carry problems into a fresh build.

Want more helpful systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

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