New Website
New Website
Squarespace Quick Start
By Ashley Dodge, Growth Strategist
Getting Started
You may be on the fence about needing a website. You may win work or sales strictly from referrals or social media. But if you’re like me, you’re realizing that it’s time for a proper website. Why?
Social media platforms come and go. Remember MySpace?
When you Google yourself, you don’t like what you see
You’re still using a gmail account and want to be taken seriously (this impacts newsletter open rates)
Emails and names are sitting in an excel sheet rather than a database with names, emails, and segmentation for newsletters and promotional marketing
You want to track insights like traffic sources, engagement touch points, and other analytics
Your VA is always repeating themselves and it would be nice for resources to be easily available
Basically… your website should be working for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Step One: Domain
Purchase a .com on Squarespace (formerly Google Domains) or GoDaddy
Update Squarespace Domain
Benefits: Squarespace has low initial cost, renews at same rate, SSL certificates included, WHOIS privacy included, spam-free parking page, easy DNS management. If you get a Business Subscription, you can get your first domain free. Check out pricing here: https://www.squarespace.com/pricing
Step Two: Build Sections and Pages
Header: Site Title + Logo + Menu Pages (TBD)
Social Links: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Youtube Email
Examples of Pages: Blog, Store, Portfolio, Gallery, Team, Partners, Services, Events, About, Contact, FAQs
Consider: Copy (header and paragraph), image, call to action
Footer: Menu + Social Links
Optional: During the webste build, we can create Coming Soon Page for newsletter signup
Step Three: Configure Your Design
Favicon: Shows your logo in a browser tab rather than the generic Squarespace logo
404 Page: Set to Home to avoid broken links
Site Styles: Colors, Fonts, Animations, Buttons (CTA), and Links
SEO Description: 50-300 characters long
Consider Audience Engagement and UX/UI on Desktop and Mobile.
Step Four: Upgrade Your Subscription
Don’t forget to look out for discounts in the banner of Squarespace.com! Do this before purchasing any extra domains or Google Workspace if you’re going to upgrade to the Business Subscription and you’ll get a free domain and Google Workspace for the first year FREE. When you work with me you’ll also see a Circle Member discount.
Optional subscriptions and configurations include:
Commerce: Available case you want to upgrade and sell products
Marketing: SEO, Newsletters, Pop-Ups, and Announcement Bar
Scheduling: Popular with coaches and consultants
Analytics: Track traffic and engagement
Settings: Permissions, Billing, Domains, Google Workspace
Billing: Make sure you use a credit card for auto renew
Scope of My Web Projects
Please note each web project has a limited timeframe and limitations to what it includes. I am happy to assist in minor ways to complete the project but reserve the right to refuse requests outside of scope.
Discrete Timeframe: This includes a monthly retainer with up to four (4) meetings in four (4) weeks. Any additional meetings after this term can be scheduled at an hourly rate here.
Squarespace capabilities: Blogging, eCommerce, SEO, Email Marketing (Newsletters), Google Workspace, and Analytics. Not all configurations may not be necessary or upgraded during the term of the retainer. Future meetings beyond the agreed upon timeframe and scope can be scheduled at an hourly rate here.
Best Practices: UX, UI, and SEO are considered to get the most out of your website, generate awareness, and drive traffic.
Marketing: Technical assistance in setting up blogs and email templates through the term of retainer is also included. Copy can be refined but extensive writing is not included in this project.
Communication: Requests for changes can be made via email and will be responded to in 1-2 days Tuesday through Saturday.
Invoice: The one month retainer including 4 meetings and up to 10 additional development hours tracked in this document. Payments are made through Stripe, check, or cash.
Rescheduling and Refunds: After work has been initiated with the first meeting, no refunds can be issued.
Billing: Everything will be set up with your credit card in Squarespace so you have full control of renewals and maintenance. Retainer does not include subscriptions in Squarespace or third parties (Google Business, Canva, Calendly, Facebook, Mailchimp, Google Workspace, GoDaddy, etc).
Documentation: This document will be a resource beyond the length of the contract. Should you need additional assistance outside of this limited scope, please book a time HERE.
All projects are work for hire and the owner of the domain retains rights to to content and design once paid for in full. Any changes by third parties should be made after the completion of the project to avoid disruption or confusion.