After building your first website, pushing the “Publish” button can seem intimidating. What if the site isn’t perfect? What if you’ve missed something? The answer lies not in indefinite tweaking but in taking the plunge. Here’s your guide to confidently launching your website, and the reasons why you should do it sooner rather than later.
How to Publish a Squarespace Website
Connect a custom domain.
Upgrade to a paid plan.
Then to publish a Squarespace site, simply change Site Availability to Public: visit Settings > click Site Availability > select Public and click Save.
Boost your professional online presence with a tailored site review and user feedback session. With over ten years of client success stories, we guide new sites on how to launch properly. Book a Zoom today.
To Temporarily Disable or Unpublish a Squarespace Site: Visit the same panel as above: Settings > Site Availability > select Private or Password Protected, and click Save. But proceed with caution—when a website is inaccessible it only takes a matter of days before Google starts to de-index the pages.
Squarespace Launch Checklist
There are countless nuances and tweaks you need to be aware of when building a business website, but the points highlighted below are the essential elements to launch. Start with these tasks, then continue refining as you move forward.
Domain: Connect your custom domain.
Billing: Choose a hosting plan and setup your billing account.
Social: Add buttons for your brand’s social media profiles to the site. Update the social accounts with links to the new website.
Mobile: Ensure the site looks as expected on mobile devices, especially if the site is built on Squarespace 7.1 with Fluid Engine.
Footer: Ensure the footer section is organized and user-friendly.
Contact: Make sure the contact page is optimized and easily accessible.
Favicon: Change the default Squarespace favicon to a custom icon.
SEO: Make sure each page has an SEO-friendly URL structure and a unique page title. See our comprehensive article on SEO best practices for Squarespace or hire a Squarespace SEO expert to ensure a proper launch.
Test: Test all links, buttons, and forms. If applicable, test e-commerce functions, digital products or courses, or 3rd-party integrations thoroughly.
UX: Use the website as a visitor would—verify the site flows smoothly from one page to the next and that all CTAs are clear. Note that UX and SEO go hand-in-hand.
Next steps: After launch, you’ll want the site to get found on search engines, so the next step is to get verified on Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Then learn about other free SEO software that can help guide your digital efforts.
Remember, when you launch a new site, you need to allow time for search engines to crawl the site. This said, any legitimate site—business or personal—should be findable for brand name within a week or two of launch. If you are struggling to find your brand online, schedule an SEO consultation.
Is my website ready to go live?
Building a DIY website is both exciting and overwhelming. The challenge of creating a site that represents your vision, brand, or project can be a monumental task. And many beginners find themselves paralyzed by the question, “Is my site ready?”
However, websites are never “finished.” They constantly evolve, adapting to user interactions, new trends, and the ever-changing digital space. Launching earlier and iterating based on feedback is more strategic than waiting for the stars to align. Here are a few reasons why:
Overcoming the fear of imperfection: One of the most common reasons first-time builders hesitate to launch is the fear of imperfection. But the truth is, no website is ever perfect. There will always be elements that can be further improved.
Many first-time DIY creators feel an understandable hesitation to launch, especially if the site reflects their personal brand. While your website is a reflection of you, nobody is dissecting every detail as closely as you might imagine. Need a little push? We offer a second set of eyes with unbiased expert evaluations.
SEO benefit: Search engines take time to crawl and index new websites. By launching earlier, you give search engines more time to recognize your site and yourself time to work on search engine optimization (SEO). This is especially important if you’re launching before a big event and want people to find the site when searching for your brand.
Note, if this is a first-time website, you can rest assured the site will remain under the radar until you announce it. Go ahead and launch the site, allowing search engines to begin indexing it. Then once you’re confident in its presentation, integrate it with your social media profiles and start your promotional efforts.
Note that learning search engine optimization is fairly straightforward, but be aware of how DIY SEO efforts benefit from support.
Real-world feedback: No matter how many times you review your website, there’s nothing like real-world usage to highlight areas of improvement.
Learning by doing: There’s no better teacher than experience. The more time you spend managing a live website, the better you’ll become at understanding the intricacies of web development, design, and maintenance.
Get Past the Excuses and Launch
Still holding back from launching? Without a definitive launch date, it’s easy to get caught in the “just-one-more-change” loop. Remember, your website will always be a work in progress. Don’t let these common excuses deter you:
Logo limbo. You don’t need a logo. Start with your business name (i.e. Squarespace site title) in a simple font, and refine the branding later.
Photo fiasco: Have only a few product photos? Begin with those. More can be added progressively. Missing a professional headshot? Add it later.
Image issues: Can’t find that “perfect” homepage banner? Choose a placeholder for now and switch it when you find “the one.” And remember, even though most Squarespace templates show prominent hero images, not every website needs one.
Content concerns: Feeling overwhelmed with unfinished blogs or FAQs? Launch first, write more later.
Conclusion
Building and maintaining a website is an ongoing adventure. It’s about adapting, learning, and growing. While striving for excellence is commendable, waiting indefinitely for perfection is counterproductive. So, for every first-time website creator out there: launch with what you have and commit to ongoing refinement. It’s the proactive and adaptable ones who thrive in the digital domain.
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