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Squarespace is a modern website building platform that allows its users to easily design, build and even monetize their own websites.
Squarespace is a renowned all-in-one website builder that helps companies develop and thrive. It is recognized for its slick designs and built-in marketing capabilities. It’s also user-friendly, allowing you to create a professional website in as little as five steps—ideal for a small company seeking to go online fast. To get started, sign up for an account, choose a template, modify it, review it, and then upgrade to a premium plan to publish.
1. Sign Up
Go to Squarespace and click the “Get Started” button in the upper right corner. It will then take you back to the beginning, where you will be asked questions to help you choose the ideal template for you.
You have the option of selecting your website’s Type and Topic. For example, if you select the boxes for Online Store and Photography, you’ll see different templates than if you check the boxes for Launch Page and Food. You may also choose to check several Types (e.g., Online Store plus Memberships).
Don’t select any boxes if you want to view all of Squarespace’s templates. Rather, choose All Templates. Press the heart at the bottom of the chosen template to designate it as a “favorite.” In the upper right corner of the selection screen, you can see your favorites.
2. Register for an account
After you’ve decided on a template, you may start creating your account. You have the option of continuing to use an email, Google, Facebook, or Apple account. It’s worth noting that establishing a website like this is completely free—you can start updating your website as soon as you sign up.
Choose a name for your website.
Squarespace offers you a quick rundown of what to do once you’ve finished building your website. To continue to the mini-tutorial, give your site a name.
3. Make changes to your website
You’ll enter the website editor once you’ve finished naming your site. Squarespace has a drag-and-drop editor where you may modify content blocks by dragging or clicking them. To view the menu, look in your sidebar.
The editing interface on Squarespace
Pages
Before you do anything further, make sure that the pages on your selected template are sufficient for your website and that you don’t need to add any more. To add or delete pages, or to modify your website’s navigation, go to the Pages tab. By clicking on the gear icon beside the page, you may change the settings of each individual page.
The page’s title, URL slug, and navigation may all be changed. For SEO reasons, make sure it provides an appropriate description of the page. You should also pay attention to the SEO tab in the page settings, where you can add SEO titles and descriptions to each page.
When creating a new page, you may select between a blank page and a preset layout. Contact, About Me, Appointments, and Menu are just a few of the choices available with Squarespace.
You have a variety of page layouts to select from.
Drag your pages onto your navigation bar to arrange them. Create a folder, name it, and then drag the pages you want into it to create subpages (which will appear as a drop-down menu on your navigation bar).
Make your design better
Now that you’re satisfied with your pages, you may go on to creating the rest of your website. To see the various fonts, colors, and button styles available for your theme, go to the Site Styles option in the Design sidebar. These modifications will be mirrored throughout the whole site.
Your 404 Error / Page Not Found message is also included on the Design tab. You have the option of using the default message, a live page from your website, or creating a whole new redirect page.
Don’t forget to include a favicon, which is the tiny symbol that displays next to your site address in the browser. To upload one from your computer, go to “Browser Icon.”
The editor is where you perform the real editing of your pages. Simply choose the page you want to modify, then click “Edit” in the upper left corner of the screen. From there, select the content block you wish to update.
Make changes to your content
By clicking on the “+” symbol and the “Add Section” button, you may add or delete content blocks and sections as required. Drag and drop your content blocks to where you want them to go, using the up and down arrows to organize the parts on your website.
Make changes to your header and footer.
To change your site’s header, go to any page and click the header. By going to the Site Logo area and uploading an image from your computer, you may change the title of your site and add your logo. You may also submit a unique mobile logo—leave this field blank if your website’s logo is the same across all devices. If you don’t have a logo yet, Squarespace has a free logo creator that you may use without having to sign up for an account.
Make sure to save all changes before going to your footer by hovering over “Done” in the upper left corner and clicking “Save.”
Then, scroll all the way down to the bottom of your screen to find your footer. The footer, like the header, is consistent throughout all pages of your website. Your location, contact information, social media links, a call to action (usually an email sign-up), and a search box are some examples of the material to include in your footer. To add all of these components to your footer, click the “+” symbol.
Make sure your SEO is correct
Squarespace offers additional built-in SEO tools that may help you become noticed in addition to adding SEO titles and descriptions to your pages. To view the additional Squarespace capabilities, go to the Marketing tab on your sidebar and click on “SEO.” Don’t forget to run your site through the in-depth SEO checklist to discover where you can improve it even more.
4. Examine Your Website
Once you’re happy with the way your website appears, go through each page to make sure all of the content blocks are in place and no essential information is missing. To convert between mobile and desktop mode, click the mobile symbol in the upper right corner of your screen. Remember that you may use the editor on your “mobile” site as well, and any changes you make will be reflected on your desktop site.
Examine the following before launching your website:
- Information about your company, such as its name, location, and phone number.
- The page names and descriptions listed in the SEO category are examples of website SEO. You may also use Squarespace’s SEO checklist to help you improve your website.
- Your header and footer include information.
- Plugins may be used to enhance the functionality of your website. The Squarespace plugins we suggest are listed below.
The last bullet is purely optional. The number of third-party plugins available for download is one of Squarespace’s distinguishing features. Plugins are tiny pieces of code that you may download to further personalize your website. Squarespace makes it simple to download and install plugins: Go to Squarespace’s list and look for the extension you want. Squarespace will install the plugin for you if you click on it and then press “Connect to Site.” In the Extensions page of Settings, you can see all of the extensions you’ve downloaded.
5. Publish
Now that your basic small company website is up and running, go to Settings and choose “Site Availability” from the sidebar. Unfortunately, unlike many other website builders, Squarespace does not offer a free plan. You’ll need to subscribe to a premium plan, which starts at $12 per month, to make your website public (when billed annually).
Upgrade your website to allow you to publish.
Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the most effective Squarespace substitutes?
If Squarespace isn’t for you, don’t worry: there are plenty of other beginner-friendly website builders available. Weebly, Wix, GoDaddy, WordPress, and Shopify are our top Squarespace alternatives since they are all extremely customizable (with the exception of Shopify).
Is it possible to use Squarespace for free?
Squarespace, unlike many other website builders (such as Wix and Weebly), does not provide a free trial. You can use Squarespace to create a website and use its services, but you’ll need to upgrade to at least a Personal plan (starting at $12 a month) to make your website public.
How much does it cost to create a website?
Building a website may range in price from only paying for web hosting (about $5 per month) to hiring a web design firm for thousands of dollars.
Conclusion
For good reason, Squarespace is one of the most popular website builders on the market. Its drag-and-drop editor is simple to use and packed with features to help you build the ideal website for your small company. Squarespace is a great option for company owners who want a quality website up and running fast and simply, even if its price isn’t the lowest.
