How Do I Import My Squarespace Site to VeloCMS?
Export your Squarespace site as a WordPress-format XML file, then upload it at Admin → Import → Squarespace — VeloCMS reads it directly and maps posts, pages, and images in automatically, with an honest report of what Squarespace's export leaves out.
Squarespace's own "Export to WordPress format" tool bundles your posts, pages, and image references into a WordPress-compatible XML file — go to Settings → Advanced → Import & Export → Export → WordPress and Squarespace emails you a download link. VeloCMS's dedicated Squarespace importer reads that exact file: upload it at Admin → Import → Squarespace and everything maps in automatically.
Where do I start the import?
Go to Admin → Import and open the Squarespace card, or head straight to Admin → Migrate. Upload the WordPress-format .xml file you downloaded from Squarespace into the Squarespace export file (.xml) field. Nothing gets written to your VeloCMS site yet — this step only reads the file.
What happens after I upload the file?
The Analyze step shows two things before you commit to anything: a static list of what Squarespace never includes in this kind of export, and a gap report that compares the file against your live sitemap so you can see if any pages were left out. If VeloCMS can't determine your site's URL from the file, or can't reach your sitemap, it says so plainly rather than pretending there are no gaps — either way, everything found in the file still imports normally.
What Squarespace's export never includes: products, orders, and customers (exported separately as CSV — use the product importer for those); any blog page after your first one; draft posts and pages (publish them in Squarespace first, or copy them over by hand); album, cover, index, info, event, and portfolio pages; audio, video, and product blocks (the surrounding text comes through, the block itself doesn't); custom code injections; SEO titles, descriptions, and redirects (VeloCMS generates fresh ones automatically); and comments beyond 1,000 per post. None of this is a limitation VeloCMS introduces — Squarespace's own export leaves these out every time.
What can I configure before importing?
The Configure step lets you set a default author name for posts Squarespace didn't attribute, choose between a strict 301 redirect (recommended for SEO) or a soft 302 for your old URLs, and optionally skip draft posts and pages entirely.
What do I see before anything is imported?
The Review step is honest about what happens next: VeloCMS imports directly into your live blog — there's no separate staging site. Your existing content is kept; the import only adds to it. You'll see exact counts for posts, pages, categories, tags, and media, plus a recap of the settings you just chose, before you click Migrate for Real.
Does everything land as a draft?
No — unlike some of VeloCMS's other importers, content keeps whatever publish status it had on Squarespace. Since Squarespace's own export never includes draft posts to begin with, everything that comes through was already published, so it typically goes live on your VeloCMS blog as part of the same import. Review your redirect and author settings carefully before you click Migrate for Real, since this isn't a staged preview.
What if I need to run the import again?
It's safe. VeloCMS matches posts and pages by slug, so re-running an import skips anything already there instead of duplicating it. Your original .xml file is also kept as a backup for 90 days after a successful import.
What happens to my domain?
The final step, DNS Switch-Over, either confirms you're live on your free *.velocms.org subdomain automatically, or — if you've already added a custom domain in Settings — shows you the exact CNAME record to point at VeloCMS.
What should I do once the import finishes?
Head to Admin → Posts to review what came in and clean up anything that needs it. Since your Squarespace design doesn't transfer, pick one of VeloCMS's 39 themes to rebuild the visual side — a same-afternoon job, not a rebuild from scratch.