You read that Squarespace is cutting about 19% of its staff, around 300 people, and your website sits inside that company. Maybe your domain and your business email do too. The Squarespace layoffs were reported on November 2, 2026, and the question on your mind is whether your site is safe.
The statement Squarespace gave TechCrunch is about how the company runs. No change to websites, domains, support or prices was announced with it, so nothing in the news calls for a move today.
What does call for attention is who holds the keys to your account, your domain and your email. Those are the things that cause real trouble when they are lost, on any platform, in any news cycle. Ten minutes in your account will show you where you stand.
Key Takeaways
Squarespace's spokesperson described the cut of about 19% of the workforce as a way to simplify how the company operates, sharpen priorities and move faster.
Exporting content, transferring a domain and moving email are separate tasks, and each one carries over different things.
Site content exports as an .xml file and products and contacts as .csv files, while images and uploaded videos are saved one at a time.
Know who holds the login, who receives the domain's transfer and renewal messages, and where your email is hosted.
Squarespace described the cuts as a staffing change
Squarespace's spokesperson, Jeff Seedman, told TechCrunch that the company is reducing its global workforce by approximately 19%, and that the changes "are intended to simplify how we operate, sharpen our priorities and enable the company to move faster." TechCrunch put the number at around 300 employees.
The memo to staff, as reproduced on careerofbusiness.com, says most of the reductions affect Product and Engineering and mentions more "player coaches." That site is a reproduction, not a Squarespace publication, so the details are reported rather than confirmed by the company.
All of that describes how Squarespace organizes its own people. If a billing, support or plan notice does arrive, open it from inside your account instead of through a forwarded link, and read what it says before acting.
Moving a website is three separate jobs
People say "move my website" and mean three different things. Squarespace's help pages treat them separately, and so should you, because each one carries over something different and leaves something behind.
| Job | What it carries | What it leaves behind |
|---|---|---|
| Export your content | Site content as an .xml file; products and contacts as .csv files | Images and uploaded videos, which are saved one at a time from the Asset library |
| Transfer your domain | The domain registration | Your site hosting and content, which stay where they are |
| Move your email | Nothing moves on its own with a domain transfer | Mailboxes stay with their provider, and the MX records have to be kept or adjusted |
An export is a copy of your content for use on another platform. Treat it as raw material for a rebuild, because it is a set of files and not a working copy of your site.
Your domain is the first thing to check
Your domain name is how customers and Google find you, so confirm it is in your hands. Squarespace's domain transfer help says a transfer starts by turning the Domain Lock off and then requesting a transfer authentication code. The code goes to the registrant contact, usually within 24 hours.
That detail matters because the code goes to a person. If the registrant contact is a former employee, a former agency or an inbox nobody checks, you cannot get the code when you need it. Open Domains in your account and note the registrant, the email address on file, whether auto-renew is on and the date the domain renews.
Squarespace also has a help page on managing domain permissions, which is where to look if the wrong people have access.
A transfer moves the domain only. Squarespace says it "doesn't move your site hosting to your new provider," so a site stays on Squarespace until you rebuild it somewhere else.
An export saves your content, and your images come out one at a time
Squarespace's import and export help lists what you can pull out: site content to an .xml file and products to a .csv file. Contacts also export as a .csv file. It is a good habit to run all three and keep them somewhere other than your Squarespace account.
Images and uploaded videos are the gap. Squarespace says it is not possible to export them from your site in bulk, so you save them individually from the Asset library. Start with the logo, the photos on your home page and anything you could not easily make again.
A copy like this is what our post on backing up a small business website describes in more detail, and it is worth having whether you stay on Squarespace or not. The files are your insurance, not a sign that you are leaving.
Business email needs its own note on paper
Email is the job people forget until it breaks. Squarespace's Google Workspace guide says Google Workspace stays managed through Squarespace unless it is canceled, and that the MX records have to be kept or adjusted with a new domain provider. Billing may also remain with Squarespace after a domain transfer.
Mail only arrives where the DNS records point it. If those records were set up years ago by someone else, you may not know what they say. Write down which service hosts your email, who the account owner is, and the MX, SPF and DKIM records, which you can copy from the DNS settings in your domain.
Put that note somewhere other than your Squarespace account, next to the export files and the domain details.
A ten-minute check can be enough, and a rushed move costs more than waiting
If the site works, the domain is in your control, billing is current and your email is written down, there is no reason to change platforms because of this announcement. Google's own guidance on moving a site is about keeping equivalent URLs, using redirects where addresses change, verifying ownership in Search Console and watching both the old and new properties. A rushed move can break each of those.
The same caution appears in our post on switching website builders: a move should wait for a real reason, such as cost, a feature you need or a plan you already had.
The ten-minute check
Sign in by typing Squarespace's address into your browser, then note the account owner, the collaborators and who sees billing.
Open Domains and record the registrant, the email that receives transfer codes, the renewal date and the auto-renew setting.
Export site content as .xml, then products and contacts as .csv if you use them.
Download your logo, key photos and uploaded videos one at a time from the Asset library.
Record who hosts your mailboxes and your MX, SPF and DKIM records.
Keep every export and note outside the account it came from. If one thing in this list is hard to answer, that is the one worth fixing first.
Outside help makes sense when access is unclear
You can do the ten-minute check yourself. Bring in help when it turns up a gap: the login belongs to someone who has left, an agency registered the domain in its own name, the email setup is undocumented, or a migration is already planned.
Our post on owning your audience when a platform closes your account covers the same habit for social and marketplace accounts: keep copies, keep your own contact list and keep the keys in your name.
A site that brings in revenue is also worth a test pass after any change. Send a test message through your contact form, tap your phone number from a phone and place a test booking if you take them.
Is your Squarespace site recoverable?
Pick an answer to begin.
1. What does a domain transfer move?
2. What does a Squarespace export not give you in bulk?
3. Which check comes before any decision about changing platforms?
Frequently Asked Questions About Squarespace Layoffs
Is Squarespace going out of business?
The announcement on November 2, 2026 was a restructuring that reduces the workforce by approximately 19%, and the spokesperson framed it as a way to simplify operations and move faster. No shutdown was announced with it.
Are Squarespace websites safe after the layoffs?
Squarespace's statement describes staffing, and no change to hosted sites was announced with it. Confirm your login, your domain details and a recent export so you can recover your content if you ever need to.
Will Squarespace raise prices or change support?
No price or support change was announced with the layoffs. Read any billing or support notice inside your account and compare it with the current plan and support pages.
How do I back up or export a Squarespace site?
Export site content to an .xml file, and products and contacts to .csv files. Images and uploaded videos are saved individually from the Asset library.
Does transferring my domain move my website or my email?
Neither moves on its own. Squarespace says a transfer does not move site hosting, and email stays with its provider, so the MX records must be kept or adjusted.
Should I move my website off Squarespace now?
The layoffs alone are not a reason. Make the account, domain and email checks first, and move only for a reason such as cost, features or a plan you already had.
Wrapping Up
The Squarespace layoffs were reported as a cut of about 19% of staff, around 300 people, and Squarespace's spokesperson described the changes as a way to simplify how the company operates. Your site, domain and email are three separate things, and each can be checked in your account. An export gives you content files, a domain transfer moves only the domain, and email follows its MX records.
Having the login owner, the domain details, the export files and the email records in one place means a lost password, a departed employee or a platform change becomes an afternoon of work instead of an emergency. That stays true for as long as your business has a website.
If the check turns up a gap, or you are already planning a move, Web Leveling can help you sort out the account, the domain and the email before anything changes. Our web design team builds sites that you own outright, and we can document what you have and test your forms and phone links. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas. Tell us what you found in your Squarespace account, and we will tell you whether you need anything more than the ten-minute check.
Terms
Words used in this post
Tap a term to see what it means.
Registrant. The person or business listed as the owner of a domain name, and the contact who receives its transfer code.
Transfer authentication code. The code Squarespace sends to the registrant contact when you ask to transfer a domain to another provider.
Domain Lock. A setting that blocks a domain from being transferred until you turn it off.
MX record. A DNS setting that tells the internet which service receives email for your domain.
Asset library. The place in Squarespace where uploaded images and videos are stored and saved one at a time.
Site export. A copy of your site content as an .xml file, with products and contacts as .csv files.
