What is Squarespace, Create Account, Sign-up and Pricing

What Squarespace

What is Squarespace? How to Create an Account, Sign up, Pricing, and Subscription

what-squarespace
Credit: Squarespace

If you’re wondering “what Squarespace is”! It’s a popular platform for building websites. The platform’s easy-to-use interface and stylish templates make it a top choice for many developers. Currently, over 3 million websites are powered by the subject site builder. 

This year, the average Spend per Employee in the Web Hosting market is expected to reach US$53.68, statista.com. A metric that highlights the level of investment and efficiency within the industry. 

This Article Covers:

  • What is Squarespace
  • Understanding Squarespace
  • Squarespace Create Account
  • Squarespace Signup 
  • Squarespace Pricing
  • Squarespace Subscription
  • Squarespace Alternatives
  • Squarespace FAQs

To lift this off the ground, let’s start by defining the terms you need to know. 

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a powerful, all-in-one website builder platform that helps you build professional websites, portfolios, and online stores with no coding knowledge.

Its intuitive, user-friendly interface allows you to customize templates, create and manage content, and optimize SEO. Thereby enhancing your online visibility. As such, Squarespace is accessible to both beginners and professional web developers.

Judging by Statista research, Web Hosting is forecasted to witness substantial growth in the coming years, with projected revenue of US$192.80bn this year.

Adding that this growth is expected to continue at an annual growth rate of 16.55 percent, resulting in a market volume of US$355.80bn in the next 4 years. These statistics highlight the evidence of growth in this space.

Understanding Squarespace

Squarespace offers a variety of features and tools specifically for individuals and businesses looking to establish a solid online presence. This makes it an ideal option for those determined to take advantage of Squarespace’s attractive collection of website templates.

It’s fair to note that the template gives you the desired output. So finding a great template ensures your website-building problem is half solved. Moreover, these templates, crafted by an award-winning Design Team, offer developers a solid foundation to build upon.

The table below shows some of the best Squarespace features.

Squarespace FeaturesDescription
Website BuilderSquarespace’s drag-and-drop feature makes it easy to create custom layouts and designs. Thus, an excellent tool for beginners and professional developers alike.
Blogging toolIt supports multi-author blogging and RSS feeds and enables the scheduling of posts.
eCommerce platformThe platform’s eCommerce capabilities allow users to set up an online store, manage inventory, and process payments. As such, suitable for business.
Search Engine OptimizationIts built-in SEO tools help your website rank higher in search results.
AnalyticsSquarespace provides comprehensive analytics to track your website’s performance, visitor demographics, and traffic sources.
Customer supportIt offers 24/7 customer support through email and live chat, along with a vast library of help guides and community answers. 

Squarespace also ensures all hosted domains on its platform are secured by providing SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates. Ensuring that the connection between a user’s site and their visitors is secure. This measure helps to protect sensitive information and strengthen trust in the site.

To help you get the most out of the platform, Squarespace provides an Online Help Center. In addition to the latter, various informative resources are included as part of the platform’s package.

These resources include videos, articles, and live online sessions, designed to improve understanding and platform proficiency.  

If you value a platform that’s easy to use, has no technical knowledge, and requires minimal maintenance? Then, Squarespace might be your best choice. Provided it meets all your needs and you’re satisfied with the performance and design options. There might not be a compelling reason to switch.

Squarespace Create Account

Steps to Create a Squarespace Account and Domain.

·         Visit Squarespace’s official page and click the “Create Account” button in the top right corner.

·         Next, choose a “Template”.

·         The next step is to “Add your account into”.

·         Next, follow the Squarespace setup instructions and add your “Site Title and Description”.

·         Set up instruction leads to the “Welcome to Squarespace Commerce”, “START” button, then your “SITE TITLE”, and “SITE DESCRIPTION”.

·         To start your domain name search, enter it in the “Search” field and on the “arrow” button. Start your search by clicking on the “Search” icon in the field after entering a domain. 

Squarespace sign-up

To sign up for Squarespace, simply follow the above steps to create an account. Once you’re able to carefully follow and implement all that’s required by Squarespace, you’ll easily complete the process. 

Squarespace Pricing

Choosing the right plan for your website ensures you have the features you need. You can do a lot, such as invoice clients, and sell products, content, and memberships on any plan.

The pricing plan in the table below provides an overview of Squarespace’s website and monthly cost.

Once you upgrade, your fees decrease, and you’ll receive more features, such as in-depth commerce analytics and form integrations.  

Squarespace offers four categories of pricing plans, with a 14-day free trial that allows you to choose a plan. Offering the option to opt for an annual or monthly payment method.

In case you don’t have a domain name, you can purchase domains through Squarespace. Note that domain pricing varies by TLD.

Subscription PlanPersonalBusinessCommerce BasicCommerce Advance
Pricing$16 a month (yearly)/ $25 a month$23/month (yearly) or $36/month$28/month (yearly) or $40/month$52/month (yearly) or $72/month
Build Your WebsiteMobile-optimized websites. Templates to fit every need. Free custom domain.Mobile-optimized websites. Templates to fit every need. Free custom domain. Advanced website analytics.Mobile-optimized websites. Templates to fit every need. Free custom domain. Advanced website analytics.Mobile-optimized websites. Templates to fit every need. Free custom domain. Advanced website analytics.
Sell Products and ServicesSend invoices for free.Send invoices for free. Sell products and services. Check out your domain.Send invoices for free. Sell products and services. Check out your domain. Powerful merchandising.Send invoices for free. Sell products and services. Check out your domain. Powerful merchandising. Advanced Shipping. Advanced discounting. Sell subscriptions.
Accept Payments0% transaction fee on invoice plus more.0% transaction fee on invoices. 3% transaction fee on online store transactions, plus more.0% transaction fee on invoices. 0% transaction fee on online store transactions, plus more.0% transaction fee on invoices. 0% transaction fee on online store transactions, plus more.
Squarespace
Credit: Squarespace

Squarespace Subscription

Understanding how Squarespace subscriptions work is significant because subscriptions are independent of each other. This means that canceling one subscription doesn’t automatically apply to other subscriptions.

For example, let’s say you cancel a website subscription; any domain subscriptions you have will remain active. Equally, if you have multiple sites on your account, changing the billing plan of one won’t apply to others.

This means that you need to repeat the steps to change or cancel a subscription for each additional site. For a better understanding, let’s explain the process of each subscription.

Website Subscription and Cycle

It’s worth noting that each active Squarespace site has its own website subscription. You can select the manual or auto-renewal option. If the auto-renewal option is enabled, your subscription renews either monthly or annually.

To see your current billing plan and cycle, do the following.

·         Log in to your account dashboard, and open the “Billing panel”

·         Under subscriptions, click Website, Store, or Squarespace, depending on your plan. In the Website billing panel, you can view the following.

Website BillingDescription
Online sinceShows the date you subscribed to this plan.
PaymentThe payment method on file for your account.
Next payment and Payment dueDetails renewal charge amount and due date.
PlanIndicates your current billing plan title and billing cycle (monthly or annual payment).
Renew automaticallyYou can use the toggle to turn auto-renew on or off.

Should there be an expired website on your account dashboard? It will display other active subscriptions remaining on the site, such as custom domains or Email Campaigns.

Domain Subscriptions

This refers to your Squarespace Domain subscriptions. To check Domain subscriptions, including domains you’ve transferred to Squarespace, follow the steps below.

·         Open your domain dashboard.

·         Locate the domain you want to check.

·         View your domain’s information, in addition to the table below.

Domain Subscription InformationDescription
ProviderIt reveals your domain provider. If Squarespace is listed, it will show the next three fields.
StatusIndicates if the domain is active, expired, or suspended.
ExpirationIt shows when it’s set to renew or expire.

You can also view more details by clicking the domain to open the domain details page.

Email Campaigns Subscription

To access your Email Campaigns subscription, do the following.

·         Open the “Billing panel”.

·         Navigate to under “Subscriptions”, and click the “Email Campaigns” button. Additionally, you can also view the following in the “Email Campaigns” billing panel.

Email Campaign further infoDescription
Online sinceIndicates the date you subscribed to the plan.
PaymentIt shows the payment method on file for your account.
Next payment and Payment dueRenewal charge amount and due date.
PlanIndicating your Email Campaigns subscription plan and billing cycle (pay monthly or annually).
Renew automaticallyThe toggle allows you to turn auto-renew on or off.

Google Workspace Subscription

If you manage a Google Workspace account through Squarespace, use these steps to view your subscription. Precisely, if your Google Workspace subscription is associated with a domain and website subscription.

·         Open the “Billing panel”.

·         Click the “Subscription” button.

·         Then, click your Google Workspace subscription.

If your Google Workspace subscription is associated with only a domain subscription, proceed and do the following.

·         Go to your Domain dashboard, and click the domain associated with your Google Workspace account.

·         Click Billing.

·         Under Subscriptions, click the “Google Workspace” button. Equally, in the Google Workspace Billing panel, you can view the following.

More Google Workspace Subscription ViewDescription
DomainIndicating the custom domain used for the Google Workspace account.
Online sinceThe date you subscribed to the plan.
Active usersIndicating the number of individual email addresses created.
Inactive seatsThe number of available seats for users to fill (only appears for annual plans).
PaymentShows the payment method on file for your account.
Next payment and Payment dueRenewable charge amount and due date.
PlanIndicate your Google Workspace subscription plan and billing cycle (pay monthly or annually).
Renew automaticallyUse the toggle to turn auto-renew on or off.

Digital Product Plan

If you have opted for Squarespace’s Digital Product plan, do the following to check your plan.

·         In your dashboard, open the “Billing panel”.

·         Under Subscriptions, click the “Digital Products” button.

Additionally, you can also view more information that is listed in the table below.

Product Billing InformationDescription
Online sinceThe date you subscribed to this plan.
Active member sitesIndicates the number of individual member sites you’ve already created on your site.
PaymentShows the payment method on file for your account.
Next payment and Payment dueRenewal charge amount and due date.
PlanYour Member Sites subscription plan and billing cycle (pay monthly or annually).
Renew automaticallyAllowing you to use them to turn auto-renew on or off. 

Acuity Scheduling Subscription

This is the last on Squarespace’s subscription list. Do this to check the billing status.

·         Open the “Billing panel”.

·         Under the Subscriptions menu, click the “Scheduling” button. From here, you can view the following information.

Subscription InformationDescription
Online sinceIndicates the date you subscribed to this plan.
PaymentThe payment method on file for your account.
Next payment and Payment dueRenewal charge amount and due date.
PlanRevealing your Scheduling subscription plan and billing cycle (pay monthly or annually).  
Renew automaticallyUse the toggle to turn auto-renew on or off.

Payment for each subscription service on your account generates separate invoices. It starts with the most recent payment. You can also find and download your invoices by visiting “Reviewing your Squarespace account invoices”.

Squarespace Alternatives

To ensure we don’t leave things in piecemeal, precisely for those looking for something specific. While Squarespace offers excellent web-building solutions, there are alternative platforms you can consider based on your needs. Below are a few notable options.

Alternative platformsDescription
ShopifyAn eCommerce-focused platform known for its robust features and scalability.
WeeblyIt’s a beginner-friendly website builder with a drag-and-drop interface and affordable pricing options.
WixA user-friendly platform with a wide range of templates and extensive customization options.
WordPressThis is a highly flexible platform that offers complete control over your website’s design and functionality.

Conclusion

Squarespace is an excellent website-building solution, offering a range of features that you need to build a visually stunning website. Its built-in templates are functional and aesthetic. Moreover, its drag-and-drop editor is user-friendly and allows you to build sites even with no coding knowledge.

One downside to the platform is its limited access to third-party tools. Furthermore, while Squarespace covers a lot with its built-in features, it lacks the same extensive app marketplace that other platforms provide.  

Squarespace FAQs

Is Squarespace completely free?

The answer is no, Squarespace is not free. It offers a free trial, but to continue using its services, you need to pay for a subscription plan. 

What is better Wix or Squarespace?

The choice between Wix and Squarespace depends on your specific needs. Wix offers more flexibility in customization, while Squarespace is known for its design aesthetics and ease of use. You need to evaluate features and preferences to determine the platform that suits your project better.  

Can I make money on Squarespace?

Yes, if you sell products or services, which include ask for donations for your cause using a donations block. You can also monetize by using a third-party service to create ads on your site.

What is the downside to Squarespace?

Squarespace is more costly than some competitors and also offers limited access to third-party tools.

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