How to Launch Your Squarespace Website the Right Way
Congratulations on taking the exciting step of launching your very own Squarespace website!
Whether you're starting a blog for your wellness studio, showcasing your portfolio, or establishing an online store with beauty products, Squarespace offers a user-friendly platform that empowers you to bring your vision to life.
However, as with any endeavor, launching your website requires careful planning and execution to ensure its success. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the essential steps to launch your Squarespace website the right way.
Let’s say that you have already built out your whole website and now you are wondering how to launch your website to the world.
I am here to share with you my experience and I gathered together some information that I had to google along the line.
In this article, you can also find a checklist that will help you have the most smooth launch.
How to choose a Squarespace plan for your website?
One of the steps to a successful launch is choosing the perfect Squarespace plan. First of all, you need to understand Squarespace Plans.
Squarespace offers a range of plans designed to cater to different needs, whether you're a solo wellness entrepreneur or beauty salon owner or maybe you even sell beauty products on your website.
Before diving into the specifics of each plan, it's essential to understand the key features and limitations that differentiate them.
Personal Plan: Ideal for individuals who are just starting and need a simple yet elegant website to showcase their portfolio, resume, or personal blog. The Personal plan includes essential features such as a custom domain, SSL security, and 24/7 customer support.
Business Plan: Suited for small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to establish a professional online presence. In addition to the features included in the Personal plan, the Business plan offers advanced functionalities like e-commerce capabilities, unlimited contributors, and marketing tools such as email campaigns, pop-ups, and announcement bar.
Basic Commerce Plan: Geared towards individuals and businesses that want to sell products online. The Basic Commerce plan includes all the features of the Business plan, with added e-commerce functionality such as the ability to sell unlimited products, accept donations, and integrate with third-party payment processors. Compared to the Business Plan, on Basic Commerce, there is also a 0% transaction fee for product sales from Squarespace (credit card processor fee will still apply).
Advanced Commerce Plan: Designed for growing businesses with higher e-commerce needs. The Advanced Commerce plan includes all the features of the Basic Commerce plan, along with advanced e-commerce analytics, abandoned cart recovery, and more customizable options for shipping and taxes.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Plan
Now that you have a basic understanding of Squarespace's plans let's talk about the factors you should consider when selecting the right plan for your needs:
Budget: Consider your budgetary constraints and choose a plan that offers the features you need at a price point that aligns with your finances. While it may be tempting to opt for the cheapest plan, it's important to ensure that it includes essential features to support your website goals.
Website Goals: Define your website goals and determine the features and functionalities you'll need to achieve them. If you're primarily focused on showcasing your work or sharing content, the Personal plan may suffice.
Yet consider the fact that Personal Plan does not include promotional pop-ups and announcement bar which are both very powerful tools for building your e-mail list and booking your clients.
However, if you intend to sell products or services online, you'll need to consider opting for a plan that includes e-commerce capabilities.Scalability: Think about the future growth of your website and business. Choose a plan that offers room for scalability, allowing you to upgrade to a higher-tier plan as your needs evolve. Squarespace makes it easy to upgrade your plan at any time, so you can start with a lower-tier plan and upgrade as your website gains traction.
E-commerce Requirements: If you're planning to sell products online, carefully consider your e-commerce requirements. Evaluate factors such as the number of products you plan to sell, payment processing options, inventory management, and shipping logistics. Choose a plan that offers the necessary e-commerce features to support your business model.
Marketing Needs: Consider your marketing needs and the tools you'll need to promote your website and attract visitors. Squarespace offers built-in marketing features such as email campaigns, SEO tools, social media integration, and analytics. Choose a plan that includes these features to help you reach your target audience effectively.
You can see all the Squarespace pricing plans here. By assessing your needs, comparing plans, and considering factors such as budget, scalability, and e-commerce requirements, you can select a plan that sets you up for success and enables you to achieve your website goals.
ONCE YOU ARE READY TO GO LIVE WITH YOUR WEBSITE YOU WILL NEED A DOMAIN.
Which is basically an address where your website lives on the internet. And there are several options on how you can approach domains with Squarespace.
The next step for your launch is managing your domain.
If you don’t own a domain yet, you can get one with Squarespace.
If you’ve already picked a Squarespace subscription plan, you might have noticed that each plan has a one-year free domain included if you pay annually.
To get a domain with Squarespace:
Go to settings on your main website navigation
Under Domains & Email you will see a tile that says Domains
There you will see a button “Get a Domain”
You can read more about the Free Squarespace domain offer here.
What to do if you already own a domain?
If you bought a domain from a third-party provider like GoDaddy or 1&1 there are two options for you: connect your domain to Squarespace, or transfer it. There are pros and cons to both approaches.
I can only advise on what to do but it is completely up to you which way you want to go.
Connecting domain to Squarespace.
Under the same Domains & Email settings there is a button “USE A DOMAIN I OWN”.
Enter the domain name you want to connect to Squarespace and click "Continue."
Choose Connection Method: Squarespace will provide instructions for connecting your domain. Depending on your domain registrar, you may need to update your domain's DNS settings or add records to verify ownership.
Update DNS Settings: Log in to your domain registrar's account and update the DNS settings according to the instructions provided by Squarespace. This typically involves adding or modifying DNS records to point your domain to Squarespace's servers.
Verify Connection: Once you've updated the DNS settings, return to Squarespace and click "Verify Connection." Squarespace will check the DNS settings to ensure that the domain is connected correctly.
Finalize Connection: Once the domain is successfully connected, you can manage its settings, including SSL certificates, email forwarding, and renewal options, from the "Domains" panel in your Squarespace account.
Pros:
Maintain Control: When you connect a domain to Squarespace, you retain control over the domain registration and management. Your domain remains registered with your current registrar, and you simply point it to Squarespace's servers using DNS settings.
Flexibility: Connecting a domain allows you to host your website with Squarespace while keeping other services (such as email hosting) with your current provider. This provides flexibility in managing different aspects of your online presence.
No Transfer Hassle: Connecting a domain is typically quicker and easier than transferring it. You don't need to deal with the transfer process, which can involve obtaining authorization codes, unlocking domains, and waiting for the transfer to complete.
Cons:
DNS Management: Connecting a domain requires configuring DNS settings to point the domain to Squarespace's servers. While Squarespace provides detailed instructions, managing DNS settings may be intimidating for some users, especially those who are less technically inclined.
Potential for Errors: Incorrectly configured DNS settings can lead to website downtime or other technical issues. Users need to ensure they follow Squarespace's instructions accurately to avoid problems.
Transferring domain to Squarespace
Transferring a domain from a third-party provider to Squarespace offers several benefits, including centralized management of your domain settings and billing directly from your Squarespace account.
Whether you're using a trial site or a paid site, transferring your domain allows for seamless integration with Squarespace's platform, simplifying the management of your online presence.
With Squarespace, you have the flexibility to bring your existing domain to your website, ensuring consistency and convenience in managing your domain and website in one place.
Prepare Domain for Transfer: Before initiating the transfer process, ensure that your domain meets Squarespace's transfer requirements. This may include unlocking the domain, disabling privacy protection, and obtaining an authorization code (if required by your current registrar).
Under the same Domains & Email settings there is a button “USE A DOMAIN I OWN”.
Enter Domain: Enter the domain name you want to transfer to Squarespace and click "Continue."
Follow Transfer Instructions: Squarespace will provide instructions for initiating the domain transfer process. This typically involves unlocking the domain and obtaining an authorization code from your current registrar.
Initiate Transfer: Follow the instructions provided by Squarespace to initiate the domain transfer process with your current registrar. This may involve submitting the authorization code and confirming the transfer request.
Verify Transfer: Once the transfer request is submitted, you'll receive an email confirmation from Squarespace with further instructions. Follow any additional steps required to verify the transfer and complete the process.
Monitor Transfer Status: Keep an eye on the transfer status in your Squarespace account. It may take several days for the transfer to be completed, depending on your current registrar's policies.
Manage Domain Settings: Once the domain is successfully transferred to Squarespace, you can manage its settings, including DNS settings, email forwarding, and renewal options, from the "Domains" panel in your Squarespace account.
Pros:
Seamless Integration: Transferring a domain to Squarespace results in seamless integration with your website. Squarespace handles domain registration and management, simplifying the process of managing your online presence.
Consolidation: Transferring your domain to Squarespace allows you to consolidate all aspects of your website management in one place. You can manage your website, domain, and other services (such as email) from your Squarespace account.
Simplified Renewals: With the domain registered through Squarespace, domain renewals are managed automatically through Squarespace's billing system. This eliminates the need to renew the domain separately with another registrar.
Cons:
Transfer Process: Transferring a domain can be a more involved process compared to connecting it. It requires obtaining authorization codes, unlocking domains, and following specific transfer procedures set by your current registrar.
Transfer Fees: Some registrars may charge transfer fees to move your domain to a new provider like Squarespace. While Squarespace doesn't charge a fee for incoming transfers, you may still incur costs from your current registrar.
Loss of Control: Once a domain is transferred to Squarespace, you relinquish control over domain management to Squarespace's platform. While this may streamline management for some users, others may prefer to maintain control over their domain registration.
In summary, connecting a domain to Squarespace offers flexibility and control, while transferring a domain provides seamless integration and consolidation of website management.
The choice between the two depends on your specific needs, technical comfort level, and preferences for managing your online presence.
Last but not least: you need to make sure Google knows your website exists.
You wouldn’t want your hard work to go to waste when no one knows about your website, would you? To ensure Google shows you in search results you want to do several things.
#1 Connect your website to Google Search Console
Submitting your Squarespace website to Google Search Console is essential for ensuring that your website is indexed by Google and appears in search results. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
You can connect to Google Search Console directly from Squarespace settings. Click on “Settings”, then select “Third Party Tools”. There you will see a tile that says “Connected Accounts” inside which you will see the button “CONNECT ACCOUNT”. Pick Search Console and the whole instructions provided by the Google menu that will open up.
After you allow Google Search Console to connect it will take you back to Squarespace. It might take up to 72 hours for Google to index data on your website.
Now you will be able to access your Google Search Console data from the main menu of your website under the Analytics tab.
#2 Submitting Your Sitemap to Google Search Console:
In Google Search Console, select your website property. In the left-hand menu, click on "Sitemaps." Enter the URL of your sitemap (e.g., yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml) into the provided field and click "Submit."
Monitor Sitemap Status: Google will begin crawling your sitemap to index your website's pages. You can monitor the status of your sitemap submission and track indexing progress within Google Search Console.
Check Indexing Status: After submitting your sitemap, periodically check Google Search Console for any errors or issues related to indexing. You can also monitor your website's performance in search results and make adjustments as needed to improve visibility.
#3 Request Indexing for Individual pages
Manually insert the URL you want Google to crawl into the search bar on top of the Google Search Console. It will tell you whether it can appear in Google Search results.
If the Console says that “URL is not on Google” you can manually request indexing by pressing the “Request Indexing” Button. The crawling process can take up to several days. Just keep checking the status of your page. There is no need to request indexing several times.
Overall you can see a lot of different helpful analytics in the Google Search Console. From your website visits to keywords, you’ve been found by.
By following these steps to submit your Squarespace website to Google Search Console and submit your sitemap, you'll ensure that your website is properly indexed by Google and has the best chance of appearing in search results.
This is crucial for driving organic traffic to your site and reaching your target audience.
Choose your Squarespace plan
Get a domain or manage the one you own
Connect your website to Google Search Console
Submit sitemap to Google Search Console
Those are the main steps to ensure a successful launch, but if you want a full list, you can download it here:
