11 Things to Consider When You Hire a Squarespace Designer
Hello, you’ve no doubt found yourself here as you’re looking to hire a Squarespace designer. Great! Have you thought about what sorts of things to consider? If not, I’ve made a quick list that will help you find the perfect web designer to work with.
What to look for when you hire a Squarespace designer:
1. Aesthetics
It’s a vibe ✦
Do you like what you see?
You make a split-second decision when you see a website. You know what you like.
It can be said of anything. Next time a bus glides by with an advertisement, take a moment to notice what you’re looking at. What do you see?
Are there brand colours? Too much colour. Not enough colour. Can you read the font? Can you tell what they’re advertising in one quick look?
Did you know that colours can affect your mood and behaviour? Colour Psychology is a growing study, but I’ll bet you already know some of these inherently:
Red for passion, love.
Black for a bit of mystery
Orange for warmth and kindness
Take a peep at your local insurance companies. I bet they look very BLUE. They hope to convey hope, wisdom, and peace. It’s not just because the CEO likes blue (though they may), it’s on purpose.
Did you know that a logo that is a circle or has circular features is used to represent unity, community, and love? Look and see how many circular logos you can see. That’s on purpose, too. Mine is.
I remember an old graphic design teacher telling me that one day, and it’s always stuck with me. She also then spent about half an hour yelling about the font papyrus, but that’s for another day.
My point is, how will your designer think about getting your business’s brand across? Your purpose. Your values. The right Squarespace designer will help work that out with you.
2. Portfolio
Have a nose through your designers work
Take a look at their past work
All Squarespace web designers have a portfolio of websites they’ve created for you to poke your nose through. Take your time to go through them. How do they look? How do they perform? Do they load quickly? How does it look on mobile? Do you love them? Do you not? Do they all look the same? You want to be excited to work with someone!
3. Responsive Design
How your site looks on different devices
Make sure it works on mobile
You want your shiny new website to be as nice to view on a 24-inch computer as on your mobile. It should be a given that websites will work on all devices like desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile.
Responsive means the website moves with the size of the screen, it fits the space it’s in.
Make sure your website designer is designing in mind for mobile friendliness, as you’ll find that most or half of the traffic will come from a mobile device. It’s easy to think of your website as just desktop, but don’t forget how it will look and behave on a mobile device. Ensure this is part of your designer’s plan, be sure to mention it in the quote stage.
4. Understanding / Clarity
A website is an investment, yes. It’s also a big deal!
It’s a BIG DEAL
Building a new website is exciting! The right web designer will treat it as such. If someone is disinterested in you or what you’re working on, they’re not for you.
And likewise, you need to hire a Squarespace designer who will explain their process to you. How long will it take? What do they need from you first to get started? Their process. Ask lots of questions, they’re there to help.
You want someone honest. Someone who will explain why something isn’t a good idea. A good web designer has your best interests at heart and wants to create something great with you.
Your web designer should also give you a clear idea of what’s needed from you to help keep the build on track. I use a tracker so my clients can see what I’m working on, where I am at and what is next.
Look, your website designer doesn’t necessarily have to be your friend, but they should be a team member. If you don’t gel with someone, that’s ok. Find someone you can connect with. You should be able to get an idea of who someone is and their dedication to their work.
Don’t you want to work with someone who cares as much about your results as you do?
5. How much does it cost to hire a Squarespace designer?
Transparency is important
What’s the cost?
Some designers don’t have their pricing on their website, but you can message them to have a chat. Every designer will have a process here about how they work out costs. Make sure you give them as much information as you can about what you’re after. Or even see if you can have a chat with them first before you get a quote.
It’s also important at this stage that they explain any other costs that may occur (Eg, legal policies needed, annual Squarespace account cost, etc).
I provide a few packages on my website to try and help give a ballpark idea of the costs involved, as that’s the big question I get a lot. How much for a website? And, fair enough too!
When you’re chatting to them, your website designer will want to get an understanding of how many pages you’re after. What sort of features are needed? Time you need it by. Will you need custom coding solutions, etc. All of this comes into the cost of a website.
6. Testimonials and Google Reviews
What do their previous clients say about them?
How do they rate?
Look out for testimonials on their website. Do they have Google reviews? Have a look at what their previous clients say about them. What words do they use to describe them? Any pain points or worries you have, has it been answered here? Want to see how your experience will be or get an idea of their personality? Take your time to read through these before you make any decisions.
Also, a newer designer may not have had enough clients yet to garner these just yet. They may be wonderful and waiting to be discovered, so don’t discount them!
7. Other services
Sometimes a website is only part of the equation
What else do you need?
Are there other services you may need? Your designer can also help guide you through these.
Will you need a professional email (domain email) to connect to your contact page on your website? It helps establish a professional and credible online presence and also ensures you’re not using your personal email on your website. Will you need Copywriting services – are you comfortable handling the copy for your website?
Maybe you wanted to also create a newsletter, is that something you want to set up with the website when it goes live? Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - your website should be set up with technical on-page SEO in your build (if you’re not sure, ASK!). But afterwards, is this something you want help with? SEO is a long and ongoing game. It’s what helps your website get found by the right people.
Looking at the big picture from the start and setting your business up on a solid foundation will help set you up for success and save you from any surprises down the track.
8. Maintenance
How did they do that?
Do you know how to update it? Do you want to?
Perhaps you want to hand it over to someone to manage for you. That’s cool, your new designer might be able to help. If you’re not sure, ask them.
When picking your website designer, think of the future management of that site. I have seen a lot of beautiful bespoke websites created that a client loves, but two months down the track, when they can’t update or change anything … that love starts to sour. I make sure to include personalised walkthrough videos in my packages to make sure someone feels confident about taking control.
What works best for you? Think about how your website will be managed going forward when you hire a Squarespace designer. Will you be doing it, or someone else?
9. Who’s building my website?
Is this who you had a lovely conversation with?
Is the same person you spoke to building your website?
Bigger agencies or businesses will be there to acquire your business and then hand you off to someone else to look after your build.
Honestly, that’s fine, but is that what you want? Is this what you envisioned for your website build journey when you signed up? If you’re looking for a more personal touch, go for a website designer who will be with you from soup to nuts.
10. Yay I’m live! Now what?
What happens now I’m launched?
Do you know what happens after launch?
You’ve got your lovely new site. What’s next? For my clients, I stay on for two weeks after a site is live to ensure everything is working as it should, testing SEO and making sure they feel confident in taking the reins.
I also create personalised walkthrough videos for them well as sharing with them a practice copy of your website. (This is a sandbox, a simulation of your website that they have for 6 months.) Learning the basics on this version will be less stressful
Make sure you know what happens after the launch, you dont want to feel deserted as soon as you’re live.
11. Is Squarespace the right platform for you
What are your goals?
What you want to do with your website?
You need the right platform to succeed
Your website designer should be able to direct you to a platform that is more appropriate for your needs and not try to squish you into a solution that fits them.
For example, if you are looking to start a global e-commerce brand, then I would say you need to go and find a wonderful Shopify website designer, my friend.
If you are busy running a business, building a brand or don’t have the time to faff about with a platform that makes you want to piff your computer out the window, I can help.
I love Squarespace for my clients because:
All Squarespace plans include fully managed cloud hosting to ensure your website always remains available
There are no continuous plugin and/or theme updates that take time
It has a drag-and-drop editor that makes updating your site a hassle-free experience
The Squarespace customer support team are fantastic. Available 24/7 should you have any questions later down the line
It works for THEM
I hope this has been helpful for you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I’d love to be that person who guides you through a website build (if I am the right fit for you) so if you have any further questions you can get in contact with me at any time to chat more about your project.
I wish you the best of luck on your hunt to hire a Squarespace designer!
