Squarespace for Beginners: 30 FAQs Answered
As Squarespace designers, we’ve created 50+ bespoke designs and sold hundreds of Squarespace templates, and we’ve noticed the same questions often being asked by our clients and customers.
In this guide, we’ve gathered all the essential Squarespace FAQs in one place, so you can easily find answers to your key questions as you get started. Please note that this is a guide for beginners, and we won’t cover advanced concepts here, but we include links to further reading where it might be helpful.
Affiliate disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, marked with an asterisk (*). Studio Founded may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made through these links, at no additional cost to you. You can read our full affiliate disclosure here.
The Kalina Squarespace template by Studio Founded.
General
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace* is a website builder that allows you to build a website in your browser without the need for code. It takes a lot of the website building process off your hands by rolling hosting, content management, and security into one platform.
Who is Squarespace for?
We recommend Squarespace for anyone who runs a small-medium sized business, and wants a website that runs without too much intervention or maintenance. Any type of business can build a website on Squarespace, as Squarespace sites are highly customizable. However, it’s most often used by creatives and service providers.
While larger business can run a site on Squarespace, they often want more granular control and freedom to custom develop features, so a fully coded site or a site built on WordPress often suits them better. This comes with more development fees and upkeep, however, so the needs of a particular business should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Can I build on Squarespace with no website experience?
Yes, it’s made for non-designers who want a straightforward way to build a website. Most of our template customers come with no prior experience and get to grips with the platform in a matter of days. If building yourself without a premium template or designer, there will be a learning curve, but this is true of any platform, and requires learning about general website and design principles. However, we find Squarespace one of the easiest platforms for beginners to learn with.
Are there limitations?
Of course, there are limitations as there are with every platform. Squarespace manages a lot of the backend for you, which is great for saving you time and technical difficulty, but it means you don’t have granular control over all the elements that may affect site speed, for example. It’s still possible to build a fast loading Squarespace site, this is just something to keep in mind.
You may also find that there’s a particular feature you’d like, like a more advanced checkout, which Squarespace doesn’t offer. However, there are often workarounds or third-party plugins that you can combine with your Squarespace site, for example, combining Squarespace with the Shopify Buy Button.
Pricing
How much does Squarespace cost?
Squarespace currently offers four plans (updated for September 2026), Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced. You can explore the plans, their pricing, and each of their features on Squarespace’s pricing page.*
You can choose monthly or annual billing, though we always recommend choosing an annual plan to save up to 36% compared to monthly.
Can I get a Squarespace Discount?
Squarespace offers discounts when you choose an Annual plan, saving up to 36% annually compared to monthly billing (you can explore Squarespace pricing here). As Squarespace Circle Platinum members, we offer an additional 25% off your first year, which you’ll automatically receive at checkout when you purchase one of our Squarespace templates or work with us to build a bespoke website.
Domains
Can I buy my domain through Squarespace?
Yes, you can purchase your domain through Squarespace, and it’ll be free for your first year with any annual Squarespace subscription. Purchasing through Squarespace is best if you’d like your domain and website managed in one place.
You can go here to get your Squarespace domain.
Can I create a custom email address?
Squarespace partners with Google Workspace so you can create a custom email address that matches your domain.
Can I connect a third-party domain?
Yes, you can connect third-party domains from providers like GoDaddy. Squarespace have a collection of tutorials on connecting third-party domains.
Design
What free templates does Squarespace offer?
Squarespace currently offers 199 templates that come with your subscription at no extra cost. You can go here to browse popular designs, with options for portfolios, shops, services, and more.
Templates in Squarespace are designed to give you a starting point that’s flexible and customizable with the drag-and-drop builder. This gives you total freedom, so you’re never locked in specific layouts. However, it does mean that you can’t ‘switch’ between templates, and would need to manually make adjustments if you’d like a specific look.
What are premium Squarespace templates?
Many designers create premium Squarespace templates. They are sold independently from Squarespace. There are many benefits to premium templates, from more design options to extra pages, features, and functionality. You can learn more about free vs premium templates in our post, and the best places to buy premium templates in 2026.
You can begin by exploring our Template Library, which includes a collection of Squarespace templates, each including 12+ strategic pages, custom coded features and functionality, a tutorial library, and email support.
Design and Customization
What’s the difference between Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1?
7.0 is the older version of Squarespace, and 7.1 is the latest version that includes the drag-and-drop editor, Fluid Engine. It comes with a lot of additional features like custom font uploads, sections, and tons of new design features. We recommend that anyone starting a Squarespace website uses 7.1.
What is Squarespace Fluid Engine?
Squarespace’s latest editor is called Fluid Engine. It’s a drag and drop editor which means you can place, stack, overlap, and reposition blocks on the page. It’s included with all 7.1 sites.
What design features are included in Squarespace?
Squarespace comes with a range of design features, including scrolling marquees, sliders, sticky text, image masks, galleries, lightboxes, and animations. For typography, you have access to Adobe Fonts and Google Fonts, as well as custom font uploads.
Squarespace experts receive access to Finish Layer, an extra layer of design tools that include block animations, transforms, and responsive editing. If you’d like a more advanced site design, we recommend working with a Squarespace professional who has access to these tools.
You can also use plugins from independent creators to add extra features and functionality to your website.
Do I need to know code to use Squarespace?
No, you can build a website absolutely code-free.
Can I add custom CSS and JavaScript?
If you’d like to add advanced features with custom code, every Squarespace plan supports custom CSS. Custom JavaScript requires the Core plan or above to access the Code Injection feature.
Selling Online
Does every plan include a shop?
All Squarespace plans include online selling features for physical products and digital products, such as downloadables, courses, memberships, and gated content. However, different plans come with different transaction fees.
What payment processors does Squarespace support?
Squarespace integrates with major payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, and Afterpay. This means you can cater to your customers’ preferences. You can also use Squarespace’s own processor, Squarespace Payments.
Can I sell gift cards on Squarespace?
Yes, you can sell gift cards from your Squarespace site.
Can I sell services on Squarespace?
You can sell service products in your shop (typically things like in-person classes and events). You can also use Acuity Scheduling to schedule and charge for 1:1 time with your clients, or use Squarespace Invoicing to manage clients, contracts, and invoices (best for services like graphic design).
Marketing & Content
Does every Squarespace site include a blog?
Every Squarespace plan comes with Squarespace Blogging* built-in, so you can create and publish posts on your website. You can also offer gated blog posts, with members paying a subscription to access your content.
Is Squarespace SEO-friendly?
Yes, Squarespace includes a range of SEO tools. You can edit page titles and meta descriptions, add alt text, and custom URL slugs, and you can submit your site to Google Search Console so it can start ranking in search.
That said, SEO is also about strategy. We recommend learning SEO concepts so you can manage it yourself, or working with an SEO expert, or using an SEO tool. SEOSpace* is the only SEO tool made for Squarespace, and you can use it to scan your site and receive personalized audits and targeted steps for improving your SEO.
Is Squarespace ready for AI SEO?
You can turn on or off AI crawlers, choosing whether or not AI search can find your content. Squarespace also rolled out a new tool called SEO AIO, a dashboard within your site that helps you optimize your site to be found in AI search.
Does Squarespace offer analytics?
Squarespace does offer built-in analytics* to track your website performance. If you’d like more advanced tools, you can also connect a service like Google Analytics for more details on visitor behaviour and conversion tracking. We also recommend connecting Google Search Console to find out which keywords your customers are searching for.
Does Squarespace offer email marketing?
Yes, with Squarespace Email Campaigns you can send newsletters from your website without the need for third-party software. It’s straightforward, easy-to-use email software. However, if you’d like something more advanced, we personally use and recommend FloDesk*, which has a Squarespace integration.
Services
Can I use Squarespace to share my portfolio?
Yes, Squarespace offers several beautiful portfolio layouts for you to share projects, galleries, and case studies.
Can I use Squarespace to schedule bookings or appointments?
Yes, Squarespace Scheduling is built for scheduling and appointments. Clients can book appointments, classes, or workshops from your site, and you can collect payment before the session.
Does Squarespace offer a CRM system?
Yes, with Squarespace Invoicing you can manage clients and projects, send invoices, proposals, estimates, and contracts, and take payments. This means you can run your business on the go without managing third-party CRMs and payment systems.
Support
What support does Squarespace offer?
Squarespace offers 24/7 customer support via email and live chat during weekdays. They also share a Help Center with a library of tutorials for support with common issues.
You can also look to the Squarespace forum or independent Squarespace designers and educators for additional support.
Can I hire someone to build my Squarespace website?
Absolutely. We offer bespoke design, development, and SEO, and you can start a project with us, or explore Squarespace’s expert directory.
