If you’re considering moving your e-commerce site from Squarespace to Shopify, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each platform. While both have unique features, Shopify often proves to be the better option for managing online stores. Here’s why Shopify might be the right choice for your business.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Which E-Commerce Platform Is Better?
Expanding Your Sales Channels
Shopify boosts your market reach by connecting easily with various sales channels like Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Ads, TikTok, Amazon, and Walmart. This broad network helps you tap into different markets. On the other hand, Squarespace’s integration options are more limited, which may restrict your ability to connect with customers on their preferred platforms.
Streamlined Shipping and Fulfillment
Shopify provides strong shipping solutions with direct links to USPS, UPS, DHL, and dropshipping services, making logistics easier and offering significant postage discounts. Squarespace covers basic shipping needs but lacks the scalability and advanced features needed for handling larger orders.
Seamless POS
Shopify’s built-in POS system simplifies in-person transactions and has lower fees compared to Squarespace, which relies on third-party services like Square for POS. Shopify also offers more integration options, providing greater flexibility for both online and offline sales.
Range of Payment Options
Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including major ones like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Affirm, Klarna, and even cryptocurrency. This wide range simplifies global transactions. Squarespace supports fewer options, including Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Apple Pay.
Rich App Marketplace
Shopify’s vast app store offers thousands of apps for various business needs, from inventory management to marketing automation, providing extensive flexibility. While Squarespace has some third-party integrations, it doesn’t match the breadth of Shopify’s app ecosystem, potentially limiting growth and customization.
Exceptional Content Management
Squarespace excels in content management, making it ideal for bloggers, artists, and content-driven sites. However, for e-commerce, Shopify’s advanced content management and e-commerce tools make it a more effective platform.
SEO Flexibility
Squarespace offers strong built-in SEO tools like integrated Google Analytics and keyword search features. Shopify relies on third-party apps for enhanced SEO but provides greater flexibility to optimize your store’s search engine presence, giving you an edge in visibility.
What to Expect When Moving from Squarespace to Shopify
Migrating your e-commerce store from Squarespace to Shopify can be challenging, especially for larger or more complex sites. However, with careful planning, the process can go more smoothly. Here are some key things to keep in mind:
Transferring Content
You’ll need to move content like pages, blog posts, images, and other media from Squarespace to Shopify. This can be time-consuming, especially for large sites, so make sure to allocate enough time for this step.
Shifting Product Data
It’s important to transfer product data, including descriptions, images, prices, variants, and inventory, to ensure your store continues to run smoothly. Shopify has strong import/export tools, but you might need to adjust your data to fit Shopify’s format.
Adapting Design and Themes
Shopify’s theme system is different from Squarespace’s, so you may need to adjust or redesign your site’s layout. While Shopify offers a range of themes, customizing them to match your previous design may require some coding or design work. Hiring a developer could help if extensive customization is needed.
Managing Custom Code and Integrations
If your Squarespace site uses custom code or third-party integrations, you’ll need to find similar solutions on Shopify or recreate these features. Shopify supports custom code, but ensuring everything works well together is crucial to avoid issues during the migration.
How to Transfer Your Domain from Squarespace to Shopify: A Simple Guide
Transferring your domain from Squarespace to Shopify involves these steps:
- Unlock Your Domain
Go to Squarespace’s Domains settings and unlock the domain you want to transfer. - Get the Authorization Code
Copy the Domain Authorization Code (EPP code) from Squarespace. - Initiate Transfer on Shopify
Log into Shopify, go to Online Store > Domains, and select “Transfer domain” to start the process. - Enter Domain Name
Type in your domain name and follow the instructions. - Provide the EPP Code
Enter the EPP code from Squarespace when prompted. - Confirm and Wait
Confirm the transfer if needed and wait for it to complete. This can take a few hours to several days. - Check DNS Settings
After the transfer, verify your DNS settings in Shopify to ensure everything is correct.
Additional Considerations
- URL Redirects
Set up redirects from your old Squarespace URLs to your new Shopify pages to protect your SEO and prevent broken links. - SEO Preservation
Keep key SEO elements like meta descriptions, titles, and keywords during migration to maintain your search engine rankings. - Testing and Launch
Test all features thoroughly before launching your new Shopify store to ensure all data, links, and settings are correct.
Conclusion: From Squarespace to Shopify
Moving from Squarespace to Shopify is a big step that can greatly improve your e-commerce capabilities. Though it requires careful planning and execution, Shopify’s advanced features and flexibility make it a valuable transition. If you want professional help, ecommerce management services like VT Labs can manage the entire migration for a smooth and secure move to Shopify.
