Getting started in Squarespace - Help for beginners
Earlier this week, Elwyn Davies was interviewed to impart some of his wisdom to help the Squarespace beginner.
The conversation covered what Squarespace is, who it’s for, the cost of the platform and how you can get started.
“From our experience, Squarespace from out of the box has a much higher degree of flexibility than competitors like WordPress, where you are very limited unless you look at third-party plugins. ”
We have a plethora of resources to get you up and running in Squarespace here at PixelHaze.
If you want to reach the same height as the Squarespace pros then check out our range of courses here, or if you want to surpass the pros, then think about becoming a member and gain access to an infinite range of resources.
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a website builder that is comparable with other similar software like Wix, and to some extent, WordPress. Where Squarespace is different to both of those options is that it's built with designers in mind.
The starting templates are very sleek, easy to use, and you don't have to stray too far away from these starting templates to have a professional result. However, it's also built on what I refer to as a “building block” approach that allows you to take every page back to a blank canvas and build it up according to your specification in a quick turnaround.
This feature buys a huge amount of flexibility, both for those looking to build their first website, right the way through to professional designers and agencies like PixelHaze.
We can deliver a service around Squarespace that is set on a sliding scale from providing support for a client looking to build their own website on one end, right the way through to building a website on the client's behalf and getting it through to the launch process.
Who is Squarespace for?
The target audience for Squarespace is predominantly small business owners and niche businesses who need to create and run their own website and can't generally afford an agency to develop one for them.
It provides a wider toolkit that allows users to create blogs, small to medium sized shops, brochureware content for corporate websites or even event calendars.
It has other features like interactive form builders that allow you to build a form from scratch and also set landing pages and funnels according to your specific industry and target audience.
Squarespace is also a very useful and flexible tool for small agencies who work alongside small businesses to target. For example, at PixelHaze, we use Squarespace as our primary platform to develop websites on a quick turnaround, but also have all the bells and whistles and level of polish that you'd expect from a professional website.
The content management system is flexible and intuitive allowing you to build up your website from a single landing page through to a 300 or 400 page website at your own pace. The use of interactive elements that allow pages and sections to link together enable this type of website to grow without the growing pains that you may have with other similar software.
From our experience, Squarespace from out of the box has a much higher degree of flexibility than competitors like WordPress, where you are very limited unless you look at third-party plugins.
How much does Squarespace cost?
Squarespace is paid on a monthly or annual fee, which includes the license for the software and website hosting. The starting price for Squarespace is 10 pounds plus VAT per month although this is billed annually. If you pay the first year upfront, we can obtain a 20% discount for that year.
Also the plans then scale up according to your requirements. It starts off with a personal plan at £120 plus VAT per year. Then the business plan comes in at £180 plus VAT per year, which allows for unlimited users and additional features. For example, the option to add in custom code such as JavaScript.
The business plan also enables you to register a domain name free for 12 months and obtain one free email account through Google Workspace (formerly G Suite).
This means that for £180 plus VAT, with a 20% discount in the first year, you get a free domain name and a free email for the first 12 months, which is a very good startup bundle deal. We then have e-commerce prices starting from £240 plus VAT per year. These allow you to add in multiple products without being stung by an increased transaction fee.
How do I get started?
To get up and running in Squarespace, you can set up a free trial at any time. That free trial allows you to set up and play around with the software for two weeks before it expires.
The true benefit of a trial with Squarespace is the fact that you don't need to enter your credit or debit card details to get up and running.
Having that degree of flexibility allows you to familiarise yourself with the software and give it a realistic try with all features enabled before making your final decision.
If you're thinking about getting up and running with Squarespace, we strongly recommend that you set up a trial initially and familiarise yourself with the website builder software.
