How to become a Squarespace designer

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links. However, I only recommend brands I personally use and endorse.

Building a custom website is essential for all sorts of business owners in the design field. With numerous platforms available for website development and design, I've always favored Squarespace. If you're new to this, here's a rundown of how to become a Squarespace designer and get ready to offer your services.

Join Squarespace Circle

First things first, consider joining Squarespace Circle. Being a Circle member comes with several perks, but to qualify, you'll need at least three active Squarespace sites under your belt that you've either built or contributed to.

Once you're in, you'll enjoy a 20% discount on annual plans, which you can pass on to your clients or use as an affiliate fee. Plus, you'll get an extended six-month trial period for all new websites, which is a significant advantage for client projects. Another major benefit is priority for help inquiries. Learn more about the perks here.

Join Squarespace Circle

Define Your Ideal Clients

Understanding and defining your ideal client is another crucial step in setting up as a Squarespace Designer. Attract the clients you want to work with by showcasing the types of Squarespace projects you're aiming for in your portfolio.

By focusing on a specific industry or style niche, you can clearly communicate with potential clients and find the perfect match for both parties.

Refine Your Service Offerings

Being clear about your signature service offerings is essential for a thriving business! You can narrow down your services beyond just Squarespace.

Think about specializing in Commerce Squarespace Sites, Membership Sites, Sales Pages, etc. Alternatively, you could focus on building sites for specific industries, like yoga studios needing online booking or business coaches selling online courses.

Be specific and narrow your focus!

Refining your services

Price Your Services

Now, let's talk about pricing. There are a couple of ways designers can structure their pricing, but for this discussion, let's focus on two: project-based or hourly. Project-based or flat-fee involves setting a fixed price for an agreed-upon amount of work. Hourly means billing for each hour of work, similar to working in-house for an employer.

When setting your prices, consider the value you're providing to your client. Think about how much revenue their website could generate. If you're helping them build a website that could potentially earn them $100,000 a year, then investing $8-10k in a website is a solid return on investment!

Quick tip: Base payments on dates, not deliverables. This way, if the client delays providing content (which happens often!), you're not left waiting for payment.

Mock Up Your Sites Before Building Them Out

When it comes to becoming a Squarespace designer, part of the process involves managing client expectations. One of the most significant time-saving strategies for me has been creating mockups of client sites before diving into building them on Squarespace. It helps streamline your process and can be easily outsourced if needed. Learn more about why I mock up Squarespace sites first here.

Learn Some CSS or Outsource Development Another aspect of being a Squarespace designer involves learning some basic coding skills. If you're interested in this area and keen to learn, go for it! However, if you don't have the time or patience to work with CSS, consider outsourcing. Learning to code is one option, but you can also hire a developer to handle the technical side.

Squarespace is a template-based CMS, but it's possible to fully customize the sites you build for your clients. You'll need to think creatively and push the boundaries to create something beyond a standard Squarespace template using CSS.

Here are some developers I recommend: Square Stylist, Inside the Square, Square Studio, Square Websites.

Connect with Other Designers

Building a community is a fantastic way to expand your knowledge and receive referrals. Your network can be your biggest advocate and source of income, so creating a strong network is essential.

Facebook Groups are a great way to connect with more people and are highly active and accessible.

Groups and communities I recommend: Square Design Guild, Squarespace Customization Resource Group, Squarespace for Bloggers and Creatives.

Add Site Credit to Footer

Including site credit is common practice among web design studios. Always confirm with your client that they're okay with it. Adding a site credit in the footer of the sites you build is an excellent way to direct people to your own website. It's also beneficial for SEO because search engines like Google prefer websites that have backlinks.

I include a clause in my contract stating that site credit will be included, and there's a fee for its removal. Consider adding a similar clause to your contract.

Transfer Ownership and Billing

Once you receive final payment, transfer ownership to the client. This marks the handoff. If you paid for the first year of hosting, remember to update the billing information to their own. You can offer ongoing tech support or maintenance for an additional fee. If you want to maintain the relationship with your clients, create specialized packages to offer once the site goes live. There are various ways to continue working with your web clients.

While there are multiple components involved in getting started, addressing these aspects will set you up for success as you promote your services.

Want to build a thriving business as a Squarespace Designer?

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