Most professionally built websites cost between $1,000 and $5,000 and a designer will charge between $75 and $125 an hour. Costs will increase with a large number of pages, the level of personalization, timeline of the project and if features are needed beyond what Squarespace provides.

What effects the cost of building a website in Squarespace?

Size of Website

Page count is an important factor when evaluating the cost of building a website, but is not that simple. It is popular to have long scrolling pages with sections that showcase different subjects and a previous six page website can be consolidated into a single page website. In this situation, a designer could consider each section as a page.

Level of personalization

With any Squarespace site, you begin with a beautifully designed template with demo content. It is easy to simply swap in your content and images, but it would look like thousands of other sites.

To make you website look unique, you must spend time developing a color palette, selecting fonts, and layout content and imagery to reflect your brand. Squarespace makes it pretty easy for most people to get the design 90% correct, but the additional 10% typically requires knowing how to code.

Features and Functionality

Squarespace has done a great job of continually adding new features including make reservations with OpenTable to online booking with Acuity Scheduling.

If you happen to need a feature that is not built it, like multi-language support, or IDX integration for real estate, it will cost more to add these features.

Design Revisions

When working with a web designer, it is typical to discuss the design and gather references of sites or features you want to incorporate. Once a concept is created you will provide feedback, and this will lead into the building of the website. Typically a few rounds of revisions occur at the design phase, or it is left to the build phase. Being efficient in communication can streamline cost.

Deadline

If you need a website finished in an extremely short period of time you can expect to pay at least 25% more.

Designers

Web design is not a regulated industry and there is no standard of service. Squarespace has implemented a variety of status from Squarespace Circle Member, Squarespace Authorized Trainer and Squarespace Expert and you may come across designer showcasing a badge or two. The Circle Member is the lowest qualification, and a designer is not accredited or endorsed by Squarespace.

The Squarespace Authorized Trainer program was created as a solution to qualify a higher level of Squarespace designer. These designers are approved experts on the platform.

The Squarespace Expert designation is really a packaged endorsement from the Authorized Trainer accreditation. Prior to any of these programs was a list of experts called the Squarespace Specialists, this was a small group of hand selected experts on the platform and was created to help Squarespace customers beyond what Customer Care could resolve.

I am proud to share that I have every accreditation that Squarespace offers and was one of the original Squarespace Specialists back in 2013.