Thinkific to Squarespace Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Thinkific to Squarespace

As your online business evolves, the need for a more versatile or integrated e-commerce platform often arises. If you're currently leveraging Thinkific for your online courses and are considering a move to Squarespace for its robust design capabilities, integrated e-commerce features, and marketing tools, this guide is for you. Migrating your store from Thinkific to Squarespace involves a careful data transfer process, primarily by exporting your Thinkific data into CSV files and then importing it into Squarespace via an advanced migration tool like Cart2Cart.

This detailed, step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire replatforming journey, ensuring a smooth transition for your courses, students (customers), orders, and other essential data, all while maintaining data integrity and minimizing potential downtime. We'll cover everything from initial preparation to crucial post-migration checks.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before you embark on your migration journey, proper preparation is key. Gathering the necessary information and configuring both your source (Thinkific) and target (Squarespace) platforms will lay the groundwork for a successful data transfer.

For Your Thinkific (Source) Store:

• Data Export: Since Thinkific is primarily a course platform and not directly supported by standard API connections for full e-commerce migrations, you will need to export your data into CSV files. Focus on extracting all relevant information that maps to typical e-commerce entities, such as:
  • Courses: These will become your products on Squarespace. Export details like course name, description, price, categories, and any associated files.
  • Students: These will be your customers. Export names, email addresses, order history, and any relevant customer data.
  • Orders: Export order IDs, purchase dates, associated products (courses), and customer information.
  • Coupons: Any active discount codes.
  • CMS Pages/Blog Posts: If Thinkific hosts any static pages or blog content you wish to transfer.

  You can typically find export options within your Thinkific admin dashboard under sections like 'Courses,' 'Students,' and 'Orders.' Clean up your data by removing any redundant or outdated entries to ensure a lean and accurate transfer.

• No Plugin Required for Thinkific Export: For exporting data from Thinkific, no specific third-party plugin is required. You will be utilizing Thinkific's native export functionalities to generate the necessary CSV files. For more general guidance on preparing your source store, read our article on how to prepare your source store for migration.

For Your Squarespace (Target) Store:

• Squarespace Account Setup: Ensure you have an active Squarespace account with a Commerce plan that supports product listings and e-commerce functionalities.
• API Access: Squarespace utilizes an API-only connection method for data transfers. The Cart2Cart Squarespace Migration App will facilitate this connection.
• HTTPS Requirement: Your Squarespace site must be running over HTTPS, which is standard for all Squarespace sites.
• Admin Credentials: Have your Squarespace Admin URL, Administrator Email, and Admin Password readily available. These credentials are essential for the migration tool to connect to your new store and perform the data import. Learn more about access credentials.
• Plugin Requirement: The migration to Squarespace specifically requires the installation of the Cart2Cart Squarespace Migration App to enable the API connection for data transfer.
• Awareness of Limitations: Be aware of Squarespace's API rate limits. Cart2Cart is designed to handle these, but it's good to know.
• For general best practices on preparing your target store, consult our guide on preparing your target store for migration.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your data prepared and platforms configured, you're ready to initiate the migration using an automated tool like Cart2Cart. Follow these steps to ensure a methodical and precise data transfer.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by visiting the Cart2Cart website. You can opt to start a free demo migration to test the waters or dive straight into the full migration process.

Step 2: Set Up Your Source Store (Thinkific via CSV)

In the migration wizard, select "CSV File" as your Source Cart. This method is used because you've exported your Thinkific data into CSV files. You will then be prompted to upload these prepared CSV files containing your products (courses), customers (students), orders, and other entities.

This leverages the CsvToCart method, which relies on file uploads rather than a direct API connection to extract your source data.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Squarespace)

Next, choose "Squarespace" as your Target Cart. The wizard will then ask for your Squarespace Admin URL, Administrator Email, and Admin Password. As mentioned in the prerequisites, ensure the Cart2Cart Squarespace Migration App is installed on your Squarespace site, as this app facilitates the API connection required for the migration.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to define exactly what data you want to transfer from your Thinkific CSV files to your new Squarespace store. Common entities for this migration include:

• Products: Your Thinkific courses will be migrated as products in Squarespace.
• Customers: Your Thinkific students will become customers in Squarespace.
• Orders: All historical order data will be transferred.
• Coupons: Discount codes.
• CMS Pages and Blog Posts: Any static content you've exported.

You can select all entities or pick and choose based on your specific needs.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

This stage offers powerful customizations to tailor your migration. Take your time to review these settings.

Additional Migration Options:

You'll find a list of checkboxes to enhance your migration. Consider the following:

• Clear current data on Target store before migration: This option is useful if your Squarespace store already contains test data or unwanted entries. Learn more about the Clear current data on Target store option.
• Preserve Order IDs, Product IDs, Customer IDs: Highly recommended to maintain historical data consistency. Read about how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• Migrate images in descriptions: Ensures product images embedded in descriptions are transferred.
• Create 301 redirects for SEO: This is critically important for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity by redirecting old Thinkific URLs to their new Squarespace counterparts.

Data Mapping:

The wizard will guide you to map customer groups (e.g., student roles) and order statuses from your Thinkific data to the corresponding fields in Squarespace. This ensures that your data is categorized correctly within the new platform.

Step 6: Run a Demo Migration (Highly Recommended)

Before committing to the full migration, perform a demo. This free trial migrates a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Squarespace store. It allows you to:

• Verify the data transfer accuracy and integrity.
• Check how your Thinkific courses (products) appear in Squarespace.
• Familiarize yourself with the process.

Review the demo results thoroughly in your Squarespace admin to ensure everything is mapping as expected.

Step 7: Full Migration and Insurance

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full migration. Review the summary of your selected entities and the total migration cost. You also have the option to select a Migration Insurance Plan, which offers additional remigrations in case any issues arise or if you need to transfer new data after the initial migration. This service can provide peace of mind.

Initiate the full data transfer. You'll be notified upon completion.

Post-Migration Steps

Completing the data transfer is a significant milestone, but the migration process isn't truly finished until you've performed essential post-migration checks and configurations on your new Squarespace store.

• Thoroughly Verify Data: Log into your Squarespace admin panel and meticulously check all migrated data. Verify that your former Thinkific courses are correctly displayed as products with accurate SKUs, variants (if applicable), descriptions, prices, and images. Confirm that customer accounts (students), order histories, and coupons have transferred accurately. Check any migrated CMS pages or blog posts for formatting and content integrity.
• Configure Your Squarespace Storefront: Now is the time to design and customize your Squarespace store's theme to match your brand identity. Set up payment gateways, shipping zones, tax settings, and update your menu navigation to reflect your new product offerings.
• Update DNS Records: Once you are fully satisfied with your Squarespace store, update your domain's DNS records to point to Squarespace. This will officially switch your live store from Thinkific to Squarespace.
• Implement and Verify 301 Redirects: Crucial for SEO, ensure that all critical URLs from your Thinkific platform redirect to their corresponding pages on Squarespace. This preserves your SEO rankings and link equity. If you selected the 'Create 301 redirects' option during migration, double-check that they are working correctly.
• Inform Your Customers: Proactively communicate the platform change to your existing students and customers. Provide clear instructions on how they can access their accounts, existing courses (now products), or purchase new ones on your Squarespace site.
• Review and Optimize SEO: Leverage Squarespace's built-in SEO tools. Update meta titles, descriptions, and ensure your sitemap is submitted to search engines. Optimize product images and content for improved search visibility.
• Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously monitor your site's performance, search engine rankings, and user experience. Be prepared to make adjustments based on analytics and customer feedback. If you discover any missed data or need to sync new data, consider our Recent Data Migration Service.

Migrating from Thinkific to Squarespace is a strategic move for businesses looking to expand their e-commerce capabilities beyond just courses. By following this comprehensive guide and utilizing robust migration tools, you can achieve a seamless transition, ensuring data integrity and setting your new Squarespace store up for success. Should you encounter any challenges or require expert assistance, don't hesitate to contact us.