How To Publish Squarespace

Ever poured your heart and soul into building the perfect Squarespace website, only to feel lost when it's time to actually share it with the world? You're not alone! Many aspiring website owners get tripped up on the final steps, overlooking crucial settings that can impact visibility and performance. After all, a beautiful website hidden from view is like a masterpiece locked away in a private gallery – nobody gets to appreciate it.

Publishing your Squarespace site correctly is more than just clicking a "go live" button. It involves configuring essential settings like domain connection, SEO optimization, and ensuring mobile responsiveness. These factors significantly impact your website's discoverability, user experience, and ultimately, its success. Mastering these elements is key to attracting visitors, building your brand, and achieving your online goals, whether you're a small business owner, blogger, or creative professional.

Ready to Launch? Let's Answer Your Burning Questions:

How do I connect a custom domain to my Squarespace site before publishing?

You can connect a custom domain to your Squarespace site before it's published by initiating the domain connection process within the Squarespace platform and then configuring the necessary DNS records at your domain registrar. This allows you to test the connection and ensure everything is properly configured before your site goes live to the public.

Connecting your domain before publishing involves two key steps. First, within your Squarespace account, navigate to Settings > Domains and begin the process of either transferring a domain to Squarespace or connecting a domain you already own. Squarespace will provide specific DNS records (typically A records and CNAME records) that need to be added to your domain's DNS settings at your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains). These records point your domain to Squarespace's servers. Once you've added the DNS records at your registrar, it can take up to 24-48 hours for these changes to propagate across the internet. Squarespace will usually detect the changes within this timeframe. While the DNS propagation is happening, your site technically isn't "live" in the traditional sense, but the domain is linked to the Squarespace platform. You can then preview your site using the built-in Squarespace domain (your-site-name.squarespace.com) or, sometimes, the connected domain itself (depending on DNS propagation status) to make final adjustments before officially publishing. After verifying the connection and finalizing your site's design and content, you can then proceed with officially publishing your Squarespace site.

What Squarespace subscription plan do I need to fully publish my website?

To fully publish your website on Squarespace and remove the trial banner, you need at least the Personal plan. While Squarespace offers a free trial, it's only for building and testing your site; you can't make it publicly accessible without subscribing to a paid plan.

The Personal plan is the most basic paid option and includes a custom domain, SSL security, unlimited bandwidth and storage, and basic website metrics. This plan is suitable for simple websites or personal blogs. However, if you intend to sell products, require advanced e-commerce features, or need deeper analytics, you'll need to consider the Business, Basic Commerce, or Advanced Commerce plans. Each higher-tier plan unlocks additional features and removes transaction fees on sales (depending on the plan), providing more value for businesses with specific needs. Choosing the right plan depends entirely on your website's purpose and anticipated growth. Carefully review the features offered in each plan on the Squarespace website to determine which best aligns with your requirements. Consider factors like the number of contributors you need, the types of marketing integrations you want, and the level of customer support you might require. Upgrading is always an option as your needs evolve.

How can I preview my Squarespace site before it goes live?

You can preview your Squarespace site before it goes live using the built-in "Preview Mode" and by sharing a private link with collaborators. This allows you to thoroughly test your site's functionality, design, and content on different devices without it being visible to the public.

Before launching your Squarespace website, take advantage of the preview options to ensure everything functions as expected. Preview Mode is accessed directly within the Squarespace editor by clicking the "View Site" icon (usually a small monitor icon) in the top right corner. This lets you navigate your site as a visitor would, experiencing the live design and testing interactive elements like forms, galleries, and links. Use this to catch any last-minute typos, broken links, or responsiveness issues across different screen sizes. For a more comprehensive review, you can also share a private link with clients, colleagues, or friends. This gives them full access to explore the unpublished site. To create the private link, navigate to Settings > Permissions and invite collaborators by entering their email addresses. You can assign different permission levels (Administrator, Editor, etc.) depending on the level of access you want to grant. Remember that anyone with the private link can access the site until you revoke their permission or make the site public. This feature is invaluable for gathering feedback and ensuring that your site meets all your stakeholders' expectations before the official launch.

Is there a checklist to follow before officially publishing my Squarespace site?

Yes, absolutely! Before you hit that "Publish" button, running through a comprehensive checklist is crucial to ensure your Squarespace site is polished, functional, and ready to make a great first impression. This will help catch any last-minute errors, optimize your site for search engines and user experience, and ultimately set you up for success.

Think of this checklist as your final quality assurance pass. It covers various aspects, from visual consistency and content accuracy to technical configurations and marketing considerations. Taking the time to meticulously review each item will minimize the risk of post-launch issues and provide a smoother experience for your visitors. A well-prepared site will not only reflect well on your brand but also contribute to improved search engine rankings and higher engagement rates.

Consider dividing your checklist into categories such as Content & Design, Functionality & Technical SEO, and Legal & Marketing. This will help you organize your review process and ensure you haven't overlooked any critical areas. Remember to test everything thoroughly, including links, forms, and responsiveness on different devices. By addressing potential problems proactively, you can launch your Squarespace site with confidence, knowing that you've put your best foot forward.

How do I set up SEO for my Squarespace site before publishing to improve visibility?

Before publishing your Squarespace site, optimize it for search engines by focusing on keyword research, on-page optimization, and technical SEO. This involves identifying relevant keywords, incorporating them naturally into your page titles, descriptions, and content, optimizing image alt text, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly, and setting up proper URL structures.

Begin with keyword research to understand what terms your target audience uses to find businesses like yours. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs can help you identify high-volume, low-competition keywords. Once you have your keywords, strategically incorporate them into the following areas of your Squarespace site:

Beyond on-page optimization, ensure your site is mobile-friendly, as Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing. Check your site's responsiveness on different devices. Also, verify that your Squarespace site is connected to Google Search Console and Google Analytics. This will allow you to track your site's performance and identify areas for improvement after you publish.

What happens if I accidentally publish my Squarespace site too early?

If you accidentally publish your Squarespace site before it's ready, visitors will see whatever state your site was in at the time of publication. This could include incomplete content, placeholder images, broken links, and an overall unfinished appearance.

While publishing prematurely isn't ideal, it's generally not a disaster and is easily rectified. The most important thing is to immediately unpublish the site (set it back to private) or make the necessary edits as quickly as possible. Squarespace allows you to quickly unpublish by navigating to Settings > Availability and toggling your site back to "Private." While in private mode, only you (and contributors with permission) can view the site. This gives you time to finish your work without the public seeing an incomplete version. Consider setting up a "Coming Soon" page as a temporary solution. This page can provide a brief message informing visitors that your site is under construction and will be launched soon. You can activate this page while you continue working on the rest of your site in private. Once you're completely satisfied, you can remove the "Coming Soon" page and officially launch your completed website. Thoroughly review all pages, links, and functionalities before the final re-publication.

How do I unpublish my Squarespace site if needed after it's live?

To unpublish your Squarespace site, you'll need to switch it to private mode. This effectively hides your website from the public while still allowing you to access and work on it. You can do this within your Squarespace account settings.

Specifically, navigate to your Squarespace dashboard and go to Settings, then Visibility. Here, you can select "Private." This will require visitors to log in with a password to view your site, effectively making it inaccessible to the general public. You'll be prompted to create a site-wide password, so remember to keep it in a safe place if you intend to provide access to specific individuals while the site is unpublished.

Keep in mind that changing your site's visibility to private will also impact its search engine ranking. Search engines like Google will eventually de-index your site as they are no longer able to access its content. When you are ready to relaunch, remember to switch your site back to public visibility to allow search engines to crawl and index your site again.

So there you have it! You're now equipped to share your Squarespace creations with the world. Thanks for taking the time to learn, and we hope this guide has been helpful. Feel free to pop back anytime you have more questions – we're always updating with fresh tips and tricks to make your online journey a little smoother!