Cost To Hire An Expert Squarespace Web Designer [2024]
Are you considering hiring a Squarespace Website Designer? If so, it's important to understand the different levels of pricing, the factors that determine cost, and how much you can expect to pay on your custom Squarespace website design.
Squarespace* Designer rates vary wildly across designers. I’ve seen designers advertising rates as low as a couple hundred dollars to upwards of $10,000 and more! Prices are typically based on how big the project is and how much experience the designer has.
As with any trade, we have beginner (aka junior), intermediate, and expert level designers. Prices will vary based on the skill level of your designer. So I would start thinking about the skill level you’d like your Squarespace designer to have and the features you’d like to see on your website. We’ll look at the price range for each skill level below.
Web Designer rates for all skill levels have gone up tremendously in the past couple of years (along with prices of everything else! 😬 Am I right?). Website demand is at an all time high and web designers have certainly capitalized on this opportunity. This article breaks down the different costs associated with hiring a Squarespace Website Designer and what you can expect to pay on your next project. Let’s dive in, shall we!
*This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission when you click on the links and make a purchase. This comes at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk.
How To Research Professional Squarespace Web Designers
Before hiring a Squarespace Web Designer, it’s a good idea to research all potential candidates. Searching for designers on Google is a great place to start. There have been many new Squarespace designers popping up within the past few years, so you’ll certainly have a lot of options to choose from.
PRO TIP — If you find your designer on the first page of Google, then you know their SEO skills must be good and that they can potentially provide the same top-notch SEO service for your website! I’ve had many clients tell me that they want to hire me solely because they kept seeing my website come up continuously in all of their Google searches (and of course because they love my web design work as well 😉).
Other than Google, Squarespace designers can be found on talent marketplace websites such as Upwork and Fiverr*. You can also ask around and see if anyone you know has recently had their website designed on Squarespace and ask for a referral. Typically half of my 1:1 work comes from referrals! However you end up finding your designer, you’ll want to make sure they have a nice-looking portfolio website with lots of projects and five-star client reviews.
Feel free to even ask for references! Any good designer should have no problem putting you in touch with a past client as a reference. Keep in mind, a Squarespace Designer should not only be able to show that they have an aesthetically pleasing website with lots of projects, but also that they are experienced in SEO and have had success with getting clients to reach the first page of Google.
Benefits of Hiring a Squarespace Website Designer
Hiring a professional Squarespace Website Designer can give you a significant advantage over your competition. An expert designer will ensure that your website is set up with a user-friendly layout, mobile-responsive design, best SEO practices, and of course an attractive brand aesthetic.
A Squarespace Designer will also take care of the complicated tasks such as setting up eCommerce, creating email opt-in forms, domain name transfers, URL mappings, submitting sitemaps, and more. Here are some of the biggest advantages of hiring a Squarespace Web Designer:
Working with a designer allows for a much faster turnaround time than trying to DIY the website yourself
You get a creative partner to bounce ideas off of and someone who can help turn your vision into reality
You’ll get more than just a website as many designers offer SEO services, branding + logo design & more
A Squarespace designer can help improve your website’s conversion rates by creating clear calls to action, optimized pages, user friendly layouts, intuitive navigation, and more
Get a professional aesthetic — an expert Squarespace web designer can bring a super polished look to your website, ensuring that it aligns with your brand identity and appeals to your target audience
Access to latest trends — professional Squarespace designers stay updated on the latest web design trends and technologies, equipping your site with modern features that enhance functionality and appeal
SEO — most Squarespace web designers are knowledgeable about search engine optimization techniques. So working with an expert can help your website rank higher in search results and attract organic traffic
Technical Support & Maintenance — Squarespace web designers often provide ongoing support and maintenance options, allowing you to get site updates make quickly and easily
Custom Design — a Squarespace web designer can create a tailored website design that meets your specific needs and goals, unlike those “out-of-the-box” Squarespace templates that may not fully represent your brand
Tax write-off — Don’t forget, paying a designer to create a website for your business is a sweet tax write-off!
You get a personal website designer that will answer all of your complicated questions 😊 My Squarespace clients know that my support doesn’t end once the project is over. I am always emailing back and forth with past clients answering new questions that arise and helping with website updates
Factors that Affect the Cost of Squarespace Design Services
Every Squarespace Web Designer has their own pricing model that is determined by several factors. These factors include the complexity of the website design project, potential customization/coding needs, experience level of the designer, timeline for completion, features needed on the site (such as e-commerce capabilities) and any additional services requested.
All of these will affect how much a web designer will charge for their services. Understanding which factors play into budgeting for a Squarespace website is important to ensure that you get the best possible value for your investment.
Number of Pages. Are you looking for a simple 1-3 page website that lists your services and contact info? Or are you a 15-year-old business looking to transition your outdated website from WordPress to Squarespace with 20+ pages and over 100 blog posts? The latter will, of course, cost you more.
SEO and Image Optimization. Most Squarespace Experts include Search Engine Optimization (and Image Optimization) in the cost of their services. This is because good SEO is crucial to the success of a website. And it’s a skill worth charging more for.
Custom Features & Functionality. If your website needs include a feature that is outside of what Squarespace offers, your developer will likely need to purchase a plugin, implement a 3rd-party service or custom code the functionality themselves. If this is the case, you’ll need to pay for this customization. If you’re unsure of whether or not Squarespace can do what you need, ask your designer before booking.
Level of Personalization. Are you looking for a website design that’s unique and outside of the typical Squarespace template look? If you’re seeking a Squarespace professional, then the answer is likely yes. Often times, a custom website requires your designer to have coding knowledge. This means that they’ll likely be using custom CSS and possibly JavaScript to build your design. Your designer will typically charge more if they know how to code, as these skills are highly sought after and not every Squarespace designer has them.
Deadline for Website Launch. Are you flexible with your website launch date? Or do you need a brand new, custom website launched by next Tuesday? Often times, if you’re working with a tight timeline, you’ll need to pay more for it. So try to plan your website project a few months ahead of time, to avoid paying for a super quick turnaround time.
Designer Expertise. As I’ve mentioned, the skill level of your designer greatly determines their prices. A junior designer’s rates will be strikingly different than an expert designer who’s been in the business for 10+ years. Additionally, a junior designer typically won’t offer the same level of service and won’t offer the same advanced features that an expert designer will.
eCommerce, Scheduling, or Member Areas. If you need eCommerce capabilities integrated into your website, you’ll likely need to pay a bit more for it for the additional time that is needed for your designer to set this up. You’ll also need to consider how many products you need added to your website and the amount of time that is needed to add each product to the site. Same goes for Scheduling or Member Areas, if you need either of these set up on your website, then your designer will be spending a bit more time to set all of this up.
What Does a Squarespace Designer’s Process Look Like?
All Squarespace Designers have a slightly different process, but from what I’ve gathered, all have a similar structure that I will outline below.
STEP ONE: Introductory Call — Jump on a call with your potential designer to explain your business and website needs. Your designer will explain their process and timeline, and then you can determine if their services will be a good match for you.
STEP TWO: Booking — If you decide you’d like to book your designer, they will typically send a contract, deposit invoice, some sort of questionnaire to gather information about your business, and a list of anything else they’ll need from you before they begin.
STEP THREE: Content Gathering — This step is usually up to you. While you are waiting for your designated time slot (which may be a month or two away), you’ll usually need to put together content (text and images) to send to your designer for them to use to build your website. I’ve found this step to always be the most difficult for my clients, especially if they are a brand new business. So I put together an extremely detailed “content writing guide” that I send to all clients during the on-boarding process. This guide has tremendously helped my clients come up with the text content for their new websites ✨
STEP FOUR: Website Design + Build — When your build slot is finally here, your designer will typically start with creating a first draft of your website and sending to you for review. Then, you’ll typically go back and forth with edits until the website is finalized.
STEP FIVE: Domain Transfer + Final Steps — Once your website is fully built, you designer will usually connect your domain name, provide tutorials for how to edit your website, send the final invoice, and make your website live!
Fixed Price vs. Hourly Rates
Most Squarespace Designers prefer a fixed or flat project fee over hourly rates (at least for the initial website build). A fixed project fee is determined before the project begins, and then a scope of work is set within that flat fee. I prefer this method because both myself and my clients know exactly what to expect moving forward.
In my opinion, hourly rates just don’t work great for large web design projects. However, hourly rates can work well for future website maintenance tasks. For help with an existing Squarespace website or for on-going website maintenance, you can expect to pay a rate of $50-$150 per hour.
✨ How Much Do Squarespace Designers Charge?
Alright, here’s the information you’re looking for! How much do Squarespace web designers actually charge?
Squarespace Designers set their own rates. Their cost is determined by their skill level, as well as how many years of experience they have and the exact services they offer. Below, I’ll list the average cost for beginner (aka junior), intermediate and expert level Squarespace Designers:
Junior Squarespace Designers will typically charge $2,000 or less per website
Intermediate Squarespace Designers will typically charge between $2,000 and $3,500 per website
Expert Squarespace Designers will typically charge $3,500+ for per website
Remember that you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for a super simple website without a ton of customization, it’s probably fine to go with a junior level designer. However, if you’re a well established business (or looking to be one) and you’re seeking a professional website design and a reliable designer with a streamlined process, always go with an expert.
A website represents your business even while you’re not working. It’s important to remember that a website is an investment and shouldn’t be an afterthought. If you’re looking to seriously market yourself online and become a top competitor in your industry, I recommend making the investment and hiring a professional. The long-term benefits will soon outweigh the upfront cost.
Hey there! I’m Elise 🙋♀️ I’m an an Expert level Squarespace Designer who provides exceptional Squarespace Web Design and SEO Services to businesses across the globe. I’d love to work together on your custom web design project. My Squarespace Design Package is $4,000 and includes up to 10 pages, my full SEO service, a custom design tailored to your business, video tutorials and blog / eCommerce / booking functionally if needed. Reach out to schedule your website project today!
Tips for Hiring a Squarespace Web Designer
Be weary of designers with super low rates. You might think you’re getting a great deal at the time, but in the end you might end up paying even more than if you would’ve just hired an expert from the get-go.
The best Squarespace designers are usually booked for the next 3-4 months. If you want to hire an expert, plan ahead and make sure you give yourself a flexible deadline + ample time for finding the right designer.
Don’t settle! If you really want to work with a specific designer but their schedule is full, wait for their next available opening. A website is an investment and you shouldn’t rush the process if you don’t have to.
Be clear about your needs from the start. Make sure your designer knows how many pages you need on the website, any custom features, eCommerce functionality, etc… Try not to spring a brand new idea on them in the middle of a project as it might be hard to incorporate late in the game.
Make sure your designer has coding knowledge. Trust me. It might not sound like something you need, but if your designer doesn’t have coding knowledge, you’ll be hearing a lot of “sorry that’s not possible with Squarespace” throughout your project. Almost anything is possible with the right level of knowledge :)
Ask if they provide help with additional updates and answering questions in the future. You’ll likely want to make changes and additions to your website in the future, and you’ll likely want to work with the same designer on those updates. Make sure you designer works with clients on an on-going basis.
"I recently worked with Elise to create a custom Squarespace website for my small business and the experience was wonderful from start to finish. Elise was always quick to respond to my questions or feedback and is impressively talented with web design. I greatly appreciated Elise’s ability to weave my vision and preferences into the web design process while offering insights and suggestions along the way. I absolutely love my new website and would highly recommend Elise to anyone who needs an expert touch and is feeling overwhelmed with the web designing process. Thank you so much, Elise!" — Sophia Turner, Turning Point Relationship Therapy
Expert Squarespace Web Designer Example Sites
Curious to see the exact types of websites that an expert Squarespace web designer can create? I created this blog post to showcase some of the wonderful, custom Squarespace websites I’ve had the pleasure of creating over the past few years. Please reach out with any questions about these websites 😊
How Much Should I Charge as a Squarespace Web Designer?
I understand that there are many new Squarespace Web Designers entering the industry lately, wondering how much they should charge for web design services. This section is for you!
When you’re first starting out, you might have to do your first few projects at an incredibly low rate. This is because you don’t really have a portfolio of live websites + clients reviews yet and you can’t show instant credibility to potential clients. I did my first two websites for free! Granted they were both family/friends but this was an excellent way to create real, live websites that I could add to my portfolio for people to look at.
Once you have a solid portfolio with 2-3 real websites and positive client reviews, this is when I would start developing a legit pricing model and process. Before you can determine how much you should charge as a Squarespace Designer, you’ll need to think about the exact service(s) that you can offer. Are you using premium Squarespace templates and just filling in content? Are you building custom websites with 10+ pages? Are you offering SEO?
If you are just offering custom web design (no SEO), I would start with a rate of $2,000. If you are offering custom web design + SEO services, I would start with a rate a $2,500. Remember, if your demand starts to get high, you can always raise your rates! I recommend taking a look at your rates once a year and evaluate if it’s time for a raise. Disclaimer: Every Web Designer is different! At the end of the day, you should set the rates that you feel your services are worth.
Squarespace Website Cost — Hosting Fees
When you launch a website with Squarespace, you’ll need to sign up for a subscription plan*. Squarespace offers four different plans: Personal, Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce. Each of these plans includes specific features and price points so you’ll need to do some research and figure out the best plan for you (your designer will typically tell you which plan you’ll need). You can choose a monthly or annual subscription plan, depending on your needs.
On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $23/month to $588/year for a Squarespace website subscription.
BONUS — If your Squarespace Designer is a Squarespace Circle Member, you’ll get 20% off your first year 🎉
Other fees associated with launching a Squarespace website include domain registration and add-ons such as membership areas, scheduling, email campaigns, extensions, and more. Check out my detailed Squarespace Pricing Guide that walks you through all of the pricing plans available with Squarespace.
Conclusion
Building a website can be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. Hiring a Squarespace Web Designer can make the process more manageable. If your budget allows, I always recommend working with an expert who can help bring your vision to life. On average, Expert Squarespace Website Designers charge around $3,500 for a custom website design project.
Not Ready to Hire a Squarespace Designer?
Consider purchasing a premium Squarespace template instead! This will allow you to get a custom, professional looking Squarespace website at a super affordable price point.
Hiring A Squarespace Designer FAQs
How long does it take to build a Squarespace website?
On average, Squarespace designers take 2-4 weeks to build a custom website.
What is typically included in a Squarespace web design package?
Typically Squarespace web designers will provide a 5-10 page website, some level of SEO optimization, social media + email connections, domain name connection, and more. See here for what’s included in my Squarespace web design service.
How will I know if I’m hiring a good Squarespace designer?
Before hiring a Squarespace website designer, check out their portfolio, client reviews, and even feel free to ask for references! In my opinion, a good Squarespace web designer should also have a proven track record of websites ranking on the first page of Google.
What if I want a professional Squarespace design, but I can’t afford a designer yet?
Purchase a premium Squarespace template! Lots of Squarespace designers sell custom templates, allowing you to get a semi-custom, professional website design at a fraction of the cost.
Can you show me some examples of professionally designed Squarespace websites?
Absolutely! Click here to check out over 30 examples of Squarespace websites that I’ve built over the past couple of years.
Are all Squarespace designers the same?
Definitely not! Each Squarespace designer brings their unique style, experience, and expertise to the table. Some may specialize in certain industries (such as lawyers or therapists only), while others focus on specific design aesthetics (such as simplistic or retro). Some even have different technical skills such as custom coding, CSS, etc… It's a good idea to do your research and chat with different Squarespace designers to find one that aligns with your vision and requirements.
Are You Ready to Hire a Squarespace Designer?
Hey there! 🙋♀️ I’m Elise. I’m an Expert Squarespace Designer with extensive coding + SEO knowledge. I’d love to work together on your Squarespace design project. My goal is to help you confidently sell your goods and services and develop a solid online presence. Feel free to browse my portfolio full of recent projects, check out my Squarespace Web Design Package or ask me a question! Thanks for reading 😊
Did you enjoy this article? Check out more articles like this in the Squarespace Blog. In the blog, I share tips for hiring Squarespace Designers (or becoming one!), custom CSS and Javascript solutions, my favorite plugins, Squarespace Template Shops, and more!
Browse Premium Squarespace Templates
My modern, service-based templates are designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses who are looking for a professional website design without breaking the bank. Each one of my templates includes my 10-module launch course (which walks you through every single step of customizing the template) and my Bonus SEO Crash Course (which outlines the exact techniques I use to help my SEO clients land on Google page 1).
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