Founder of Goodspeed
Migrating your website from Squarespace to Framer can unlock new possibilities in design and performance, but it also introduces SEO risks that can impact your rankings. Poorly managed migrations can result in traffic losses of up to 80%, with some sites taking six months or more to recover. However, with a structured migration plan, you can protect your organic visibility and even improve performance.
In this Squarespace to Framer migration guide, you’ll learn step-by-step strategies to safeguard your SEO elements, including URLs, metadata, redirects, and backlinks, while ensuring a smooth transition to Framer. With the right approach, you won’t just maintain your rankings—you’ll enhance your site's performance and user experience in the process.
1. Prep Work: SEO Audit & Data Gathering
Before making any changes, conducting an SEO audit will help ensure no critical elements are lost in the transition. By benchmarking your current rankings, traffic, and metadata, you’ll have a reference point to compare performance after migrating to Framer.
1.1 Benchmark Your Current Rankings & Traffic
Your first step is to document your best-performing pages to track how they perform post-migration.
Use Google Search Console and tools like Ahrefs or Moz to identify:
Top-ranking keywords
Most visited pages
Inbound links driving traffic
If your migration is poorly executed, your site could suffer an immediate 10–30% drop in organic traffic due to URL changes, metadata updates, and disrupted backlinks. With a pre-migration benchmark, you can quickly identify and address any SEO dips.
1.2 Collect On-Page Metadata & URLs
Your metadata—title tags, meta descriptions, alt text, and structured data—directly affects search rankings and click-through rates. To avoid SEO disruptions, extract all metadata from your Squarespace site before migrating.
Export metadata using Squarespace’s SEO settings or a crawler like Screaming Frog.
Compile a spreadsheet with all URLs, titles, and meta descriptions to ensure they are properly reinstated in Framer.
This data mapping process is crucial, as many sites that fail to manage their metadata properly experience extended ranking losses after migration.
Learn more about Framer SEO best practices in our guide on How to Ensure SEO Best Practices When Using Framer Templates.
2. Aligning Squarespace URLs with Framer’s Structure
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make when migrating is changing URL structures without setting up proper redirects. This can lead to broken links, lost rankings, and traffic drops. Ensuring a seamless URL transition will help maintain link equity and user experience.
2.1 Mapping Your Site Architecture
Framer’s structure may differ from Squarespace, but maintaining consistency in URL slugs can reduce SEO disruptions.
Keep existing URLs intact where possible.
If a URL change is necessary, plan 301 redirects from Squarespace to Framer in advance to prevent loss of rankings.
Audit internal links to ensure they point to the correct Framer pages post-migration.
2.2 Building a Redirect Spreadsheet
To preserve rankings during website migration and prevent 404 errors, create a spreadsheet listing:
Original Squarespace URLs
New Framer URLs
Redirect type (301 for permanent redirects)
Once migration is complete, implement these redirects using Framer’s built-in redirect management tools or server-side settings. This will ensure that users and search engines are seamlessly redirected to the correct pages without any disruption.
Need a structured approach? Follow our SEO checklist for website migration from any platform to Framer.
3. Preserving On-Page SEO Elements in Framer
Migrating to Framer means manually transferring critical SEO elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and image SEO to maintain search visibility. This step ensures that your on-page optimisation efforts remain intact post-migration.
Missing out on structured data, meta descriptions, or image SEO can result in lower click-through rates and search visibility.
3.1 Meta Tags & Headers
Title tags and headers play a major role in search rankings and content structure. To maintain SEO integrity:
Manually transfer title tags and meta descriptions from your Squarespace site to Framer.
Ensure proper heading hierarchy (H1 for primary headings, H2 for sections, and H3 for subtopics).
Optimise for click-through rates (CTR): Keep title tags within 50-60 characters and meta descriptions under 160 characters to encourage higher engagement.
Skipping this step can significantly impact rankings, as Google relies on well-structured headers to understand page content.
3.2 Transferring Image SEO
Proper image optimisation is crucial for search rankings and page speed.
Retain alt text for all images—Google relies on this for accessibility and image search rankings.
Use optimised file names (e.g., best-framer-template.jpg instead of IMG001.jpg).
Convert images to next-gen formats (WebP or AVIF) to improve load times.
Since 53% of users abandon a website that takes more than three seconds to load, optimised images can directly influence user retention and SEO rankings.
3.3 Structured Data
Structured data (Schema Markup) helps search engines better understand your content and enhances rich results in Google.
Identify key schema types to migrate (articles, products, FAQs).
Embed JSON-LD markup in Framer using custom code blocks.
Validate structured data using Google’s Rich Results Test.
If left out, you risk losing featured snippets, star ratings, and other rich search enhancements, which can lower click-through rates.
4. Handling Backlinks & Link Equity
Losing high-value backlinks is one of the biggest risks during Squarespace to Framer migration. Ensuring proper redirection and internal linking is essential for maintaining SEO authority.
4.1 External Link Check
Your site’s inbound links contribute significantly to SEO rankings. Failing to retain these can cause a drop in domain authority.
Use Ahrefs or Moz to extract a list of backlinks pointing to your Squarespace site.
Identify high-authority backlinks from industry sites, media mentions, and guest blogs.
Reach out to referring sites if necessary to request updates to your new Framer URLs.
Goodspeed successfully migrated Formula Bot’s website to Framer without losing link equity, beating pre-migration traffic levels with the 2nd rank on Google search results.
4.2 Internal Linking in Framer
A well-structured internal linking strategy distributes link equity across your site and improves navigation.
Recreate navigation menus and footer links to mirror your Squarespace structure.
Ensure deep links remain intact (e.g., blog posts linking to relevant service pages).
Test all internal links post-migration to identify broken paths.
Proper internal linking helps preserve rankings during website migration, preventing orphaned pages and maintaining SEO strength across your site.
5. Launch Phase: Redirect Implementation & Testing
The launch phase is critical—this is where you implement 301 redirects, monitor errors, and ensure a smooth transition.
5.1 Setting Up 301 Redirects
A 301 redirect permanently forwards an old URL to a new one, preserving SEO rankings and link equity.
Implement 301 redirects from Squarespace to Framer in your hosting panel or through Framer’s redirect management.
Prioritise high-traffic pages first to prevent major ranking fluctuations.
Test redirects using Screaming Frog to verify proper forwarding.
5.2 Live Testing for 404s
Post-launch, identify and fix any 404 errors before they affect rankings.
Use Google Search Console’s Coverage Report to detect broken links.
Run a full-site crawl with Screaming Frog to verify all pages are accessible.
Address missing redirects immediately to prevent search engines from deindexing pages.
6. Post-Launch Monitoring & Adjustments
Even after migration, SEO monitoring is essential to detect and resolve any unexpected traffic drops, ranking fluctuations, or indexing issues. A well-executed Squarespace to Framer migration guide doesn’t stop at launch—it includes ongoing adjustments to protect long-term SEO performance.
6.1 Watch Your Rankings & Traffic
Traffic fluctuations are normal after migration, but a sharp decline signals a problem. To stay ahead:
Monitor rankings daily during the first week, then weekly for a month.
Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track organic traffic trends.
Check for sudden keyword drops and compare them against pre-migration benchmarks.
If rankings suddenly dip, the issue could stem from missing redirects, broken internal links, or incomplete metadata transfer. Fixing these early can prevent long-term SEO damage and help preserve rankings during website migration.
6.2 Re-Submit Sitemaps
After migration, search engines need to re-crawl your site. Submitting a fresh XML sitemap speeds up indexing.
Generate a new sitemap in Framer.
Submit it via Google Search Console under the Sitemaps section.
Request URL reindexing for any pages that aren’t appearing in search results.
Proper sitemap submission helps search engines learn your new site structure faster, reducing the time it takes to regain visibility.
Learn how to maximise Framer’s speed and UX benefits in Optimising Your Framer Template for Speed and Performance.
7. FAQs on Squarespace-to-Framer SEO
Website migrations often raise common concerns. Below are expert-backed answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Will my rankings drop immediately after migrating from Squarespace?
Some fluctuation is normal, but a well-executed migration with proper redirects and metadata transfer minimises long-term ranking loss.
Do I need technical support to transfer my SEO elements from Squarespace to Framer?
While metadata extraction is straightforward, more advanced tasks—like structured data implementation and redirect configuration—may require technical expertise.
How quickly will Google re-index my new Framer site?
Once your updated sitemap is submitted, indexing typically occurs within a few days, but full ranking recovery can take several weeks.
Can I leverage Framer to achieve better performance than Squarespace?
Yes—Framer’s optimised page speed and responsive design can improve SEO rankings and user engagement.
How can I preserve rankings during website migration?
To preserve rankings during website migration, ensure all URLs are properly redirected, metadata is fully transferred, and internal linking is intact. Regular monitoring and sitemap submission will also help minimise SEO disruptions.
For deeper insights, explore Why Migrate from Squarespace to Framer? Key Benefits for Startups.
Conclusion
Migrating from Squarespace to Framer doesn’t have to mean losing rankings. With a strategic SEO migration plan, you can maintain organic traffic, preserve backlinks, and even enhance performance post-launch.
By focusing on URL integrity, metadata retention, structured data, and continuous post-migration monitoring, you ensure that search engines quickly adapt to your new website structure.
Looking for a step-by-step implementation guide? Avoid SEO pitfalls—book a free consultation for Squarespace to Framer migrations.
Written By
Harish Malhi
Founder of Goodspeed
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