5 Ways to Build a Stunning Website that Converts for Less than $800 on Squarespace
Wait... but can't you build Squarespace sites for free? Why yes you can! And that's the first thing I'll be talking about below - DIY Websites from scratch with Google.
But as a small business owner myself, I know that time and money are two things you want to guard and invest wisely.
This is precisely why I'm sharing with you 5 ways you can build a stunning Squarespace website (that actually converts) for less than $800 USD.
Most of these require DIY or semi-DIY, sometimes with the help of experts.
But if you know you're one of those DIY savvy folks who wouldn't pass up some valuable free resources, then let me help you get one step closer to your goal of building a stunning website that converts!
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CONTENT
DIY Website from scratch with Google
Good DIY Website from paid Courses
Semi-DIY Website with Squarespace Templates
Semi-DIY Website + Hire Experts
Mix and Match your own
1. DIY Website from Scratch with Google
This is a great place to start and find helpful bits and pieces of information, but if you're trying to learn a whole website platform AND build a website that converts... you're in for some hefty information OVERWHELM!
The problem, is that you have SO much information to sift through that takes up SO much of your time, in the end - progress might be slower than you planned.
You might unconsciously be procrastinating on taking action from the knowledge you've gained because so much of it was conflicting! Is this info for Squarespace 7.0 or 7.1?
While you absolutely CAN string together a well functioning website through Google research, the learning curve is steep and confusing. You don't know if what you're doing is even right and that can be a major de-motivator.
The biggest advantage of free information is also its biggest disadvantage. Humans just don't value things that have no value. Free = $0 = no value.
Without risk or money involved to get information, there's a low chance of action being taken or information being implemented. Chances of implementation go way up if the information acquired was PAID for. This is a fact, not an opinion.
If you are completely new to the world of web design and SEO, then I recommend some of the options below.
My best advice if you want to do yourself and your business a favour is: invest in expert knowledge and good systems. This gives your website the best head start in the crowded online space.
2. Good DIY Website for Paid Courses
Taking paid courses is like having expert knowledge at your fingertips! When I was first starting out in web design, I was rolling on a budget, just graduated and did NOT by any means have the financial capacity to splash out on courses.
To say I was hesitant would be an understatement. But I just KNEW that what I was getting from Google wasn't enough and it was so time consuming. Once I decided on the specific area I wanted to learn about (the business side of Web Design), the perfect course came into my life.
Talk about Law of Attraction!
Since then, I've taken SO many courses. But that first course was amazing and I truly think that without it, I probably wouldn't be here today - or it would've taken me another 2-3 years to get here (if at all).
Another reason why paid courses work is because you actually PAY for it! Money is energy and when you pay for something, especially if it's a scary big amount, you will 100% make sure you earn your investment back.
You can expect really great courses to be priced between $300-800.
My best tips for choosing good courses:
don't get overwhelmed by the amount of Squarespace educators and courses out there.
pick the specific topic you want to learn about (eg. how to build a Squarespace website, Squarespace SEO, Squarespace CSS, etc.) and start from there.
don't choose by price, choose by expertise of the educator and your respect for their work
3. Semi-DIY Website with Squarespace Templates
Oooh who doesn't love 'done for you' templates?! There are SO many creative Squarespace templates out there and I'll be sharing with you what to look for in your first template.
First of all, why buy a paid template over the free Squarespace templates?
Two words: Quality and Uniqueness.
By quality, I mean that there's so much thought behind the design of paid templates. They have more page layouts, custom designed graphics, and most importantly - tutorials and tools for you to insert your content and customise it to your business!
By uniqueness, I mean that you can be sure to have a unique website that stands out and bet that very few others will looks similar to yours! Because these templates are paid for (and not free), fewer people have access to them.
The free Squarespace templates are typically so generic that it's now easy to spot a free Squarespace templated website these days. Don't be one of those people!
Extra Benefit: you get to learn the whole process! The template usually comes with instructional videos, showing you step-by-step how to build it. So it's like getting a whole Squarespace course + graphics + creative direction - all in a website template!
Tips for finding your Squarespace Template:
expect to pay around $200-$400 USD for a good template
make sure to buy a Squarespace 7.1 template (the newer version)
focus on design style and good graphics
4. Semi-DIY Website + Hire Experts
What if you're pretty confident you can create this website mostly all on your own. But there are a few things you need expert help on - like SEO or Custom CSS coding for example.
You know you don't want to outsource the WHOLE website process, neither do you have time to learn this all from a course or Google from scratch.
So here is my creative solution: do as much of the website as you can... and then hire an expert to fill in all the gaps!! This ends up being much cheaper than a full custom website ($3000 + USD).
Depending on the expert's day rates (eg. my day rate is $295 USD) you might only need 1-2 days worth of work, which comes to $590 USD.
The most common Squarespace areas that people need expert help with are:
Squarespace SEO - which has it's own set of techniques and strategies
Custom Coding - CSS, HTML and other plugins which are unique to Squarespace
Mobile Responsive Layout - through custom coding and layout design
Third Party Integration - how to sync other softwares to Squarespace
E-commerce - how to set up Squarespace to take payments on auto.
This option of DIYing what you can then hiring experts towards the end is a great example of playing to your strengths and outsourcing your weakness. This is working smart and efficient!
If you're interested in getting some expert help with your Squarespace site in any areas, reach out to me here and let's chat about how I can optimise your website!
5. Mix and Match
There is no right or wrong way to go about playing to your strengths. So have fun picking the ones that resonate with you and always follow your curiosity!
Here are a few mix and matches that I'd recommend:
Course + Hire Expert Whatever the course doesn't cover, you can hire an expert for
Template + Hire Expert Build it yourself from a template and have someone help with Custom CSS and SEO
Template + Course Build it yourself and then find a course to fill in your knowledge gaps on SEO and Custom CSS for example.
Let me know your creative recommendations in the comments below! Did you find this helpful? Feel free to start a conversation with me at @arohavisuals!
