Best Squarespace Experts

What a good Squarespace package includes

Squarespace gigs range from template setup to fully styled sites with commerce. Check that the package states:

• Pages and sections to be built.
• Template choice and how much it will be customized.
• Mobile layout checked on real phones.
• Commerce or scheduling setup, if needed.
• Custom code: whether any is added, with a list.
• Search basics: titles, descriptions and URLs.
• Handover: ownership, walkthrough and revisions.

Ask the expert which Squarespace version and plan your site uses, because features and editing differ between them. Some advanced features, such as certain commerce tools or code injection, are only available on higher plans. Knowing this early prevents designs that cannot be built on your plan, and it helps you choose the right plan from the start rather than upgrading in a hurry just before launch.

How to brief a Squarespace expert

1. The goal of the site and your audience.
2. A page list with content for each page.
3. Brand files and high-quality photos, which matter a lot on Squarespace.
4. Templates or sites you like, with notes.
5. Features: shop, bookings, blog, newsletter, members.
6. Your account and plan, with the expert added as a contributor.

Squarespace templates look their best with good images. If your photos are weak, budget for photography or licensed images; an expert cannot fully make up for them with layout alone.

Keep a note of every setting the expert changes outside the page editor, such as domains, email campaigns, integrations and custom code. It makes future troubleshooting and changes much easier.

What drives the price

• number of pages and sections
• how far the template is customized
• commerce, scheduling and member areas
• custom code for special layouts
• content writing, image editing and product uploads
• the expert's experience and rush delivery

Red flags

• The site is built on the expert's account.
• Large amounts of custom code with no explanation.
• Requests for your password instead of contributor access.
• No live sites in the portfolio.
• No check of the mobile layout.

For product photos, read our product photography guide. For the text on your pages, see our website content guide, and for comparing platforms, our website development guide.

Plan who will keep the site fresh. Squarespace makes editing easy, but a site that is never updated soon looks neglected. Decide who adds new photos, events, products or blog posts, and ask the expert to show that person the few tasks they will do most often. A short list of those steps is often more useful than a long general tutorial.

Quick pre-order checklist

• The site is on my own Squarespace account.
• I have content and good-quality images ready.
• I know whether custom code will be added.
• The mobile layout will be checked.
• I will get a walkthrough on editing the site.