A strong online presence is crucial to the success of any business. Perhaps you are in the process of setting up your own business? Maybe you are looking to establish a much needed digital presence but just don’t know where to start? Well fear not! Now more than ever, it is super easy for even the most tentative of beginners to set up a decent website all by themselves. 

Squarespace is a beginner-friendly website builder that equips entrepreneurs, creatives, store owners and small enterprises with the tools to create stunning websites and launch their businesses with ease. 

So, whether you're starting your own e-commerce store or launching a creative agency, we've compiled 40 top tips to help you make the most of Squarespace and kickstart your digital journey!

1 - Get a Squarespace account:

Well you’ve got to bite the bullet and start somewhere! Go on and sign up for a Squarespace Account here…now! 

2 - Select the Right Plan: 

Squarespace offers a range of plans on a monthly or annual subscription. Plans include Personal, Business, Commerce Basic and Commerce Advanced. You get 14 days free to test drive it, ensuring it works for you before coughing up the dollar. Here is a helpful comparison table, to help you figure out which plan aligns with your business’s needs best.

3 - Explore Designs:

There are hundreds of Squarespace designs to choose from. So get browsing and find a design that resonates with your brand. There are helpful filters to ensure you have a template that is suitable to your business needs and really showcases your services. It is worth mentioning these are just a starting design; you  can customise them and aren’t locked into a specific “template” with restricted functionality.

4 - Customise Your Site: 

Once you have decided on a design it is time to get personal! Edit the site to feature your logo, brand colours and fonts. Using the latest Squarespace tools - including a snazzy AI feature - you can build your own, as the platform walks you through the step by step process.

5 - Ensure Mobile Responsiveness: 

With 54.46% of users browsing the internet on mobile devices, it’s so important that your website is mobile responsive i.e. works and looks good in browsers on mobile. With Squarespace's easy to use drag and drop editor ‘Fluid Engine,’ it has become so much easier to manage and achieve this.

6 - Create a Clear Navigation Menu:

Users want answers now! If your website is confusing or takes too long they’ll go elsewhere. Clear navigation is key. Organise your website's pages logically. The general consensus is no more than 5 items in your main navigation. Consider the hierarchy of information; the more important it is the less clicks away it should be.  

7 - Craft a Compelling Homepage:

Your homepage is your elevator pitch. It needs to be clear, catchy and concise!  It should convey what your business offers and make visitors want to explore further. Keep it simple; all the nitty, gritty stuff can go elsewhere. Remember this is your trailer - not the entire movie! 

8 - Highlight Your Unique Selling Points:

Unless you are the only player operating in your field, a USP is vital to make you stand out from the crowd in a competitive landscape. Do your competitor research and really ponder what makes you different, gives you the edge and then shout about it from the rooftops!

9 - Showcase High-Quality Images: 

Use high-resolution, good quality images to truly represent your products or services. If your images are good quality, customers will trust that your products and the delivery of your services will follow suit. Don’t feel confident with a camera? Check out our blog Does my Squarespace website need professional photography?

10 - Optimise Page Loading Speed:

Optimise your content - in particular image sizes - to ensure your web pages load up fast, making for a slick user experience (UX). If image sizes are around ~600kb then you’re set up for success.

11 - Utilise Squarespace Extensions: 

Explore Squarespace's marketplace for plugins; a curated list of third party extensions that can enhance your website's functionality. For e.g. artists can link up with multi-product printing suppliers and sellers can automate post-purchase customer feedback surveys. Let tech do the work for you!

12 - Set Up Your E-commerce Store: 

If you are in the business of selling products, set up your online store and remember to configure payment gateways.

13 - Write Compelling Product Descriptions: 

Alongside product images, provide clear descriptions detailing the product's features, benefits and specifications. This is great for SEO, making it easier for customers to find your product. Moreover, write them in scannable, bullet point form and offer audio descriptions to improve accessibility. 

14 - Implement Secure Checkout: 

Out of the box, Squarespace provides you with an SSL certificate so you are covered straight from the launch of your site. So relax and put your feet up!

15 - Set Up Shipping Options: 

Define your shipping zones, rates and delivery times clearly.

16 - Offer Discounts and Coupons: 

Lure in prospective customers with a cheeky promotional offer or discount code.

17 - Create an Engaging About Page:

The ‘About Us’ page is usually the second most visited page of a website after the homepage. People want to know who they are doing business with. It is an opportunity to connect with your audience on a personal level and build trust. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle a bit of personality. Be your authentic self - you do you best! 

18 - Integrate Social Media: 

We don’t need to explain the benefits and power of social media. Make sure all your profile links are clearly displayed and include share buttons to encourage that all-important social interaction.

19 - Use Testimonials and Reviews: 

Testimonials and reviews are your prime source of credibility. Showcasing positive feedback from customers helps to build trust with prospective ones. Include a review section under individual products. Feature your most stellar reviews on your homepage front and centre. 

20 - Add an Email Signup Form:

Don’t miss the opportunity of including an email signup form on your website. Let your customers do the hard work; with little to no effort you are collecting email addresses for future marketing efforts.

21 - Optimise Your Website's SEO:

Use Squarespace's built-in SEO features to improve your website's search engine rankings. If you want to take it one step further, the best third party extension comes from SEOSpace that will help enhance it even further. Don’t forget to consider image SEO and incorporate alt tags and file names for improved search engine visibility.

22 - Set Up Google Analytics:

Work smarter, not harder! Set up Google Analytics and track website traffic and user behaviour. This way you gain invaluable insights into what works and what does not and can make data-driven decisions to improve your website's performance.

23 - Create a Blog: 

Blogs are a brilliant forum to get a bit nerdy, share your expertise, elaborate on the details and ultimately add value. Also a great opportunity to enhance your SEO ;)

24 - Offer Free Resources:

Who doesn’t love a freebee?! Provide downloadable resources like e-books or guides to attract leads.

25 - Integrate Email Marketing: 

Connect your Squarespace site with an email marketing platform to nurture leads and customers. Using platforms such as Mailchimp (which already exists as an integration) or Squarespace’s own integrated Email Campaigns feature will set you up for success.

26 - Utilise Announcement Bar:

Announcement bars can feature at the top of every page of your website except cover pages. Use them to promote limited-time offers, changes to hours in the festive season or other important updates!

27 - Optimise Your Contact Page: 

Make it easy for customers to get in touch with you by providing multiple contact options. As they say, Millennials and Gen Z hate the phone…

28 - Set Up Google My Business:

You need a Google My Business account for your business to feature on Google Maps and in local search results. Make sure to include opening and closing times, a link to your website and various points of contact.

29 - Use a Favicon: 

Upload a custom favicon to enhance your website's branding and make it easier for your customers to find you. Favicons are the little icons used to identify your website. They accompany URL links in search bars, bookmark lists and on open tabs.

30 - Implement Call-to-Action Buttons: 

Make it obvious and easy for visitors to navigate your website and take the desired actions with visually prominent call-to-action buttons. Think ‘Sign Up,’ ‘Add to Cart’ or ‘Download Now’. Button pressing is not reserved for toddlers! 

31 - Update Your Website Regularly: 

Keep your website fresh with new content, offers and updates. Let your customers have no doubt that your business is alive and kicking! And search engines too! Keeping your website up to date is essential for SEO. If your website becomes static (no changes for a long time), once favoured SEO factors may have fallen ‘out of fashion’ thus preventing your website from reaching its full potential in terms of rankings. 

32 - Add a Privacy Policy:

An absolute must! Include a clear and comprehensive privacy policy to build trust with your audience. Services such as Net Lawman (UK audience) offers you a free legally compliant privacy policy. This is one place where you should not use ChatGPT to write it for you.

33 - Connect or Transfer Your Domain:

If you purchased your domain name from a third party such as GoDaddy, you will need to either transfer or connect your custom domain to your Squarespace website.

34 - Set Up 301 Redirects:

If you're migrating from another platform, you can set up redirects to preserve your SEO rankings. Don’t let all that hard work go to waste!

35 - Utilise Announcement Pop-ups: 

Stop visitors in their tracks and capture their attention with eye-catching pop-ups detailing the latest special promotions or offers.

36 - Curate and Share FAQs:

If relevant, create an FAQs section to address common customer queries. Don’t waste time repeating yourself!

37 - Integrate Google Maps: 

Embed a dynamic Google Map complete with a pin to your location so customers can find your physical store (if applicable) with ease .

38 - Enable SSL:

Top of the priority list but Squarespace does it for you so grab a cuppa! Your Squarespace website will automatically be protected with an SSL certificate for enhanced data protection and security. 

39 - Set Up 404 Error Page:

Customise your error page to redirect visitors back to your homepage or relevant content. Albeit a relatively small part of your website it can actually pack a lot of punch in terms of branding and personality, so have fun with it! 

40 - Use Password Protection: 

If you want to limit access to certain content, you can set up password-protection for specific pages.

Starting up your own business, although an exciting and rewarding endeavour, can also be a little daunting. We hope these 40 top tips have taken the edge off that overwhelm and made the thought of building your own website that little bit more manageable.

Make your way through these steps methodically and in your own time. Before you know it, you will be set up with a website that not only showcases your products or services but connects you with your target audience in a meaningful way. Squarespace truly is such a powerful tool, so make the most of its features. 

If this list looks daunting to you and you are looking for support, please do get in touch; the team at Made by Dave would love to help you along the way.

We wish you all the best in your digital journey. May you feel empowered to go forth and create your own stellar website!