Everything You Need To Know About Your Squarespace Trial
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So you've chosen Squarespace to build your site on? Wise move.
I've also used Wix, Wordpress, and Shopify, and I ALWAYS come back to Squarespace.
HOW DO I START A TRIAL?
Just go to Squarespace’s website to choose a template. You can filter the templates by type and topic. From there you can preview a template and see how the pages look and then choose Start when you find one you like.
At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter which Squarespace template you choose. They all have the same features, so it's not like you'll be missing out on something if you choose one template over another.
You can also choose "build your own template" to just start building your site from scratch. If you're someone who just wants a blank page to start with (like myself), then this is the best option for you.
One of the great things about starting a trial with Squarespace is that you don't have to give them your credit card. Just start it.
HOW LONG IS MY TRIAL?
The standard Squarespace trial is 14 days. Not a lot of time to figure out if you like it, get comfortable with the platform, and actually build something worth publishing.
Here's the thing though - If a Squarespace Circle Member (like me) starts your trial, you get 6 months instead. So before you sign up on your own, shoot me an email and I'll get your trial started and hand it off to you. From there, you've got 6 months to build, tinker, and launch without the pressure of a two-week countdown.
It costs you nothing extra and takes about two minutes.
ARE THERE ANY LIMITATIONS ON THE TRIAL?
Nope! You'll have full access to the platform including using custom code, podcasting, starting an eCommerce store, and others. Once you go live with your site and purchase your subscription, you'll need to make sure to choose a subscription that supports the features you used during your trial period.
CAN PEOPLE SEE MY WEBSITE DURING THE TRIAL?
By default websites are not public during the trial process. However, if you want to share it with someone, just click Settings -> Site Availability -> Password Protected.
Type in a password and then you can share your link. Just be sure to remove the /config part that comes after the domain whenever you share it. If /config is in the url then it will prompt them to log in.
WILL I LOSE ANYTHING WHEN IT EXPIRES?
Nope! Everything will still be there, you just won't have access to all of the settings or be able to edit pages. You can access it again by either extending your trial or purchasing a subscription.
HOW MUCH IS A SUBSCRIPTION?
Squarespace subscriptions run anywhere from $16/mo for the lowest tier to $49/mo for the highest. Typically I recommend the Business tier for most of my clients since all of my sites use CSS (the lowest tier doesn’t support CSS). If you have a robust e-commerce store then you may need a higher level of subscription.
Some hosting platforms charge based on how much traffic your site has. Not Squarespace. You can have 5 visitors a month or 5 million and you're going to pay the same price. Which is great as you grow your business!
If a circle member starts your site (like myself), then you will get 20% off of your first year of hosting. Which is yet another benefit of working with me!
HOW DO I GO LIVE?
Go to Settings -> Site Availability and click the Upgrade to Publish button. Or you can just click the purple Subscribe button at the bottom of your site. Both will take you to the same place. From there you can select your plan and go live!
If you don't already have a domain, I recommend purchasing a domain through Squarespace for two reasons -
It's free for the first year
It's housed in the same place as your site - which makes it super simple to connect.
HOW DO I EXTEND MY TRIAL?
You have two options. You can reach out to Squarespace support through email or live chat (genuinely helpful, not the usual customer service runaround), or you can type this directly into your browser URL:
/config/extendtrial
So if my url is www.potato-rabbit-xlr.squarespace.com then I will just go to www.potato-deer-xlr.squarespace.com/config/extendtrial to extend the trial. It will extend it by another 2 weeks.
Or, if you want the full 6 month trial from the start, email me before you begin and I'll start the trial for you as a Circle Member.
ONE LAST THING
If you're building this yourself, grab the Website Launch Checklist before you go live. It'll make sure you're not missing anything before you hit publish.
And if you get a few pages in and realize you'd rather hand this off to someone who does it every day, let's talk. A fresh set of professional eyes can also go a long way, and a website audit is a great place to start if you're not sure where you stand.
