Steps to recreate your Google Sites website on Squarespace and maintain your site’s SEO.

If you already have a Google Sites website and you want to move it to Squarespace, follow this guide for help getting started. This is a great option for former Google Domains owners who want to move their Google Site to Squarespace and manage everything in one place. During the site-moving process, you’ll pick a template, recreate your site's content, and move your domain.

Tip: For hands-on help migrating your site, hire a Squarespace Expert.

When to cancel your old site

We recommend keeping your old site online with Google Sites until your new site is complete. This ensures your visitors have a live site to visit, and you can refer to your old content while you complete the transition. When you’re ready to make the switch, you can close your old site.

While working on your new Squarespace site, you can avoid having two live sites by keeping your in-progress site private. Add a site password to prevent it from appearing in search results. After your new site is complete, you can move or connect your domain to transition visitors over, then cancel service with Google Sites and publish your new site.

Step 1 - Build your new site

You can build a new site on Squarespace with these steps:

1. Start a trial - Every Squarespace site begins with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. Trials include access to nearly all Squarespace features and are a great way to find out if our platform meets your needs.
2. Choose a template or use Squarespace AI tools to create a custom template - Choose a pre-built template to get started right away or build your own template using one of the Squarespace AI tools for a unique design. Our templates use demo content to show off key features, but your site has access to every feature and style options.
3. Add pages - Place layout pages and specialized pages, like blog pages, in your navigation menu to create a site structure.
4. Upload content - Build out each page by adding and editing sections to create unique layouts.
5. Edit the style - Use site styles to change fonts, colors, and other design options.

As you work on your site, use our site launch checklist to help understand when you're ready to launch. If you need more time to finish things up, you can extend your trial.

Tip: In addition to our guides and video tutorials, we offer two Getting Started with Squarespace webinars. In these sessions, we’ll walk you through template building with Blueprint AI Builder, navigating your site, domain and email options, preparing site content, building a homepage, and styling colors and fonts. Webinars typically last one hour, and you don’t need a Squarespace site or account to sign up.

Step 2 - Move your domain

After your site is ready, move any custom domains you already own.

Tip: After moving your domain, you may want to create URL redirects to preserve SEO and ensure old links work. While your old site is still online, we recommend cataloging your site’s URL structure in a spreadsheet.

Google Domains

If you have any domains that were originally registered with Google Domains or were previously hosted by Google Domains, those domains have been moved to Squarespace. To learn more, visit our guide About the Google Domains migration to Squarespace.

To use your Squarespace hosted domain with your site, you’ll have two options. To merge your domain’s billing and permissions with the site’s, you can move the domain to your new Squarespace site. If your domain is currently parked, you can keep the domain’s billing and permissions separate by connecting it to your new Squarespace site instead.

Keep in mind, if you registered your domain through Google Workspace, you won’t have the option to move the domain to your Squarespace site. Instead, you’ll need to connect the domain to your Squarespace site.

Other third-party domains

If you have domains registered with another provider, transfer them to Squarespace. This way, you can manage all aspects of your site from one service instead of two, and we can help with any of your domain issues directly.

If your domain doesn’t meet our transfer requirements, or if you have a complex registration setup, you can connect it instead.

Note: If you have a custom email address linked to your domain, before transferring your domain to Squarespace, we recommend contacting your current email provider to ensure there won’t be any issues with moving to Squarespace. We also recommend backing up any emails, contacts, or settings you may need.

Register a new domain

If you don't have a domain or want to register a new one, you can register a Squarespace domain. All Squarespace sites on an annual billing plan include one custom domain for a year. You can register additional domains for their listed prices. Pricing for domains depends on the domain's top-level domain (TLD). To find a domain's price, you can search for it on the domain name search page or your Domains panel.

Step 3 - Upgrade to paid service

After you’ve explored the platform and built your new site with Squarespace, you’ll choose a plan and upgrade to paid service.

For more details on all of our plans, visit Choosing the right Squarespace plan.

Keep in mind:

• Our current pricing is always listed on our Pricing page.
• All billing plans are available on monthly and annual payment cycles. On an annual billing cycle, the average monthly cost is lower, and you can register a free custom domain for a year.
• Even after you upgrade, you can keep your site private until the design is done and you’re ready to add a domain.

Get to know Squarespace

As you continue working on your site, take a moment to explore Squarespace and learn how the platform works.

You can search this Help Center to find guides on any Squarespace feature. For an overview, our Getting Started page links to popular guides.

In addition to website building and hosting, we also offer tools for scheduling, creating social content, and creating members-only pages and content. Some of these require separate subscriptions. For a full list, visit Everything you can do with Squarespace.

Step 4 - Cancel old service

Squarespace provides website hosting and, if you have a domain registered with us, domain hosting. After your Squarespace site is online and you've moved over or recreated any content from your old site, you can cancel your Google Sites website.

However, if you connected a domain that’s still hosted by another provider (rather than transferring it), you'll need to maintain that domain subscription. If you're not sure, contact your domain provider to confirm what services you're still using and paying for.

FAQ

Is there a free version of Squarespace?

You can start any website with a free 14-day trial, but we don't offer a free version for ongoing sites.

I can't find a design for my business.

Squarespace sites are flexible, so the template can be customized to create any number of site designs. We use demo content to show off key features, but as an example, starting with a design that uses restaurant demo content doesn't limit you to building a restaurant site.

Can multiple people help with my site or view it early to share feedback?

Yes. You can invite contributors to view your site before it's published or edit and manage content and settings. By setting different permissions, you can ensure any collaborator has the level of access they need.

How does switching to Squarespace affect my SEO?

Squarespace is well-regarded for our search-optimized design, but it's important to understand that switching content management systems may cause your site's search ranking to dip, at least at first. This is true no matter what platform you choose or move between.

However, by following these tips, you can reduce this effect on search results and potentially increase your search performance in the long run.

Do I need to optimize my site for mobile?

You don't need to do anything. We use built-in mobile styles to ensure your site looks great on any display size and have tools for previewing and customizing your mobile layout.

Can I remove "Made with Squarespace?"

Yes. This text is optional on every plan and template, and you’re welcome to remove it and replace it with other content.

Can I add code or CSS?

Squarespace helps you build a site without coding or design expertise. If you have coding knowledge and want to make custom changes, you can use code injection, CSS, and code blocks.

Please note, adding code to your site is an advanced modification that falls outside of the scope of Squarespace support. To learn more, visit Adding custom code to your site.

Can someone rebuild my site on Squarespace for me?

Customer Support is here for you 24/7 if you need help building your site on your own. If you're looking to pay someone for more extensive design or development, visit Marketplace to hire a Squarespace Expert.

More answers

For more popular questions about moving to Squarespace, visit Getting started with your Squarespace website.