Websites
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Websites 〰️
Squarespace is THE BEST option for anyone looking to do their own website refinements
WordPress, Shopify, and Kajabi are also great platforms, but Squarespace wins almost every time.
Functionality: Drag-and-drop content blocks or use professionally designed templates that require no coding
Design: Match your styles of fonts, colors, and other branding
Pricing: Start small and upgrade as needed
Customer Support: They offer a live chat function and email support, as well as extensive online documentation
Squarespace App: Update your website from your phone (Android or iOS)
Some coaches still prefer Kajabi but are increasingly moving to Squarespace for community building, scheduling, invoicing, and selling digital content or memberships. Authors and speakers develop a brand to promote their work, share testimonials, and collect emails for newsletter campaigns. Creatives like showcasing portfolios, blogs, and events all in one place. Restaurants primarily display regularly updated menus and link to online reservations with OpenTable etc. Non-Profits can now accept donations directly through the website and share newsletters with uplifting stories and statistics to highlight their mission driven impact.
Squarespace Walkthrough
Pre-Build
Secure your domain name via Squarespace unless you want to save $20 and get it for free when you upgrade your subscription but please save everyone the headache and only buy domains from Squarespace so you don’t have to manage these records later
Make sure it’s something easily understood if you’re saying it out loud or over the phone and think about what it looks like as an email
Get one year of professional email from Google FREE with a Business or higher plan and save 20% on all annual subscriptions working with me as a Circle Member
Overall Look
Before anyone scrolls to learn more on your website, these subtle but important things will separate you from sloppy or unfinished DIY website projects:
Update Site title, logo and favicon (displays in browser tabs)
Develop your style with consistent fonts, colors, spacing, etc. (branding/design choices)
Structure/Flow
Review homepage - first impressions matter so create with a critical eye
Confirm navigation - click through like a curious client/prospect/partner
Review demo content/placeholder text (Lorem Ipsum is embarrassing on live sites)
Check URL slugs match page titles (if not, edit the slugs)
Make sure external links open in a new window
Toggle between desktop and mobile layout when making edits and test on different devices
Search Engines
Ensure each page's size is below 5 MB for loading speed (SEO checklist)
Design a custom 404 error page or redirect to Home
Use image formatting best practices (built-in image editor not recommended)
Check page SEO description and author, tags, categories, and excerpts for each blog post to build content to build authority (comments not recommended)
Test any links because any broken link will negatively impact SEO
Keep a running list of important keywords and key phrases and follow best practices
Check your site on a free SEO tool like SEM Rush,
Visibility
Publish your site by making it public
Remove any page specific passwords
Disable Under Construction page and any other pages
Invite site contributors or change permissions with staffing changes
Verify your site with Google Search Console for advanced analytics
Ask friends to test site on different mobile devices and browsers and refine as needed
Update announcement bar and promotional pop-ups on news or offerings
Configure featured images and social sharing images for every page and then test on LinkedIn, Facebook, and in a direct message in Instagram.
Promote website with friends, colleagues, etc. directly, on social media, and through a newsletter on launch day to drive traffic and improve rankings
Hire a PR firm for earned media and make it easier for everyone with a media kit
Set up and review privacy: Cookies and Terms & Conditions (required if using FB ads)
Ubiquity
If you have an established brand on social media, match hex colors and textures so people instantly recognize your brand on everything including business cards, email signatures, slide decks and more. Canva templates are great for this.
SOURCE: Squarespace’s Site Launch Checklist (Updated December 2024) and SEO Checklist (updated December 2024). They have other awesome Frequently Asked Questions on the Squarespace Help Center.
Need to jump on a call for a free 15 minute fix or discuss a website build or refresh?
Let’s talk!
Squarespace Web Design
The following is a list of why people work with me
Professional Expertise
I’m an experienced Squarespace Developer and been building and managing websites for small businesses and startups since 2016. As part of the Squarespace’s Circle community, I also can extend the standard 2 week free trial to 120 days and offer 20% off new annual subscriptions. If you want to polish and launch an existing site or build one from scratch, let’s book a time to discuss your needs.
Time Saver
We’re all busy. Squarespace empowers anyone to build a website on your own with the help of templates, your tech savvy nephew, and AI. BUT not everyone wants to learn yet another new platform. Sometimes people just need help starting up and they can handle regular maintenance. These are my favorite people to work with. I have zero interest in controlling your website. It should be an ever evolving thing. I just want to help get you where you want to go and help you avoid the mistakes any novice would make.
Custom Design and Consistent Branding
No one wants their website to look like every DIY Squarespace template. It should represent the level of care and consideration you have in the work that you do without breaking the bank. Having an extra set of eyes also catches all the Squarespace templated info you’ll likely forget to update. Let’s work together to carefully choose fonts, colors, and copy that match your brand identity so you becomes instantly recognizable to clients, partners, and peers.
Systems and Automations
Your website should work for you around the clock. Custom forms, calendar bookings, custom code, and other advanced third-party integrations are getting better each year. It should be user friendly and become a resource for colleagues, prospects, clients, and partners to help you scale and grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Like most of us in the industry, I did not study marketing in college. I actually have a BA and MA in International Affairs. In my various roles after graduating, I kept getting asked to edit websites, build new websites, draft newsletters, upand make marketing materials.
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I’ve worked with startups, non-profits, coaches, consultants, writers, and creatives in industries including insurance, medicine, law, politics, communications, and leadership development.
I’m industry agnostic as long as you exist to help others or solve a problem. I will not work with anyone that seeks to exploit or harm others. My preference is to work with portfolio clients that want to shout their success from the mountain tops.
For startups that require an Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), please note this before we scope out work and make sure it is clearly defined and reasonable. I will not sign an NDA with a timeline beyond the project.
References available on LinkedIn or upon request.
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Let me know what kind of work you do and I’m happy to send similar examples for clients that do not have an NDA in place.
I respect the right to confidentiality of all clients regarding marketing strategies, pricing models, or future plans as they work hard to quietly build and secure funding.
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Most of my clients are from referrals. I have testimonials listed on LinkedIn on my Featured Section or you can read them HERE.
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Initial websites can be built in as little as an hour, but most require 6 weeks for proper development, marketing, and design.
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I am happy to collaborate with other contractors, freelancers, and vendors if detailed at the beginning of the project. If additional points of contact are added to a project, this may result in additional billing for meetings to co-create.
Projects with multiple stakeholders can often take over three months to launch and require more of an investment in time and resources.
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I like to gather requirements and ask a lot of questions to ensure I understand your business goals.
We’ll discuss things like timelines, inspiration, what assets you already have (logos, photos, taglines), and what you’ll need help from me (copy editing, content writing, strategy, creating graphics).
If you have an existing website, you will need to decide whether you want to make refinements or start fresh with a new website. Some content can be migrated from Wordpress to Squarespace but the formatting is imperfect and it is often times faster and cleaner to build a whole new instance.
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Outside of the cost of your Squarespace subscription and domains, the cost of a website depends on the timeline, number of pages, brand development, copywriting, SEO and other aspects of the project's scope.
For example, some people come with a name, logo, brand colors, written copy, and the ability to make most refinements on their own. Others need all of those things because they are just starting out or have pivoted.
Other considerations: Audience analysis, keyword research, UX, link building strategy, content writing, newsletters, social media campaigns to drive traffic, and so much more.
As of 2025, all projects require a minimum of $1,000 deposit and payments can be made over time but paid in full before the website is made public or shared with others.
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All Squarespace websites offer basic analytics. We can also submit a site map and connect to Google Search Console after launch. This can be helpful in tracking keywords, CTAs, and popular content.
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I highly recommend you buy your domains on Squarespace because they don’t sell your information to third parties from around the world that blow up your inbox with requests to build your website. The spam you will get from purchasing your domain on GoDaddy is not worth it when it’s so easy to do everything on Squarespace.
You can search what is available here: https://domains.squarespace.com