Create Your Account
Go to https://squarespace.com and click Get Started. Enter your email and create a password. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, giving you full access to all features. After signup, Squarespace asks what kind of site you’re building: portfolio, blog, online store, or business. Answer a few questions about your goals, and Squarespace suggests templates tailored to your needs. The platform is known for beautiful, designer-quality templates that work out of the box.
Set Up Your First Project
Choose a template from the curated selection. Every Squarespace template is fully responsive and customizable. Click Start with this Design, and Squarespace creates your site with placeholder content. You’ll land in the editor, where the left sidebar shows pages and settings, the center displays your live preview, and the top toolbar holds design and content tools. Before customizing, explore Design > Site Styles to adjust global settings like fonts, colors, and spacing. These changes apply site-wide, ensuring consistency.
Build Your First Page
Click Edit in the top-left to enter editing mode. Click any section on your page to edit content inline. Squarespace uses sections and blocks: sections are large containers (like hero banners or galleries), and blocks are individual elements (text, images, buttons). Add new sections by clicking between existing ones and choosing from layouts like galleries, forms, or text-and-image combos. Drag blocks to reorder them. Upload images directly or choose from Squarespace’s built-in Unsplash integration. Each block has styling options in the right panel: alignment, spacing, and animations.
Connect and Publish
Preview your site across devices using the device icons at the top. When ready, click Save at the bottom of the editor. Before going live, add a custom domain: go to Settings > Domains and register a domain through Squarespace or connect one you already own. Follow the DNS instructions if connecting an external domain. Squarespace includes hosting, SSL, and CDN in every plan. When your domain is connected, toggle Settings > Site Visibility to Public and your site goes live instantly.
Next Steps
You’ve launched your first Squarespace site. Explore extensions for email campaigns, scheduling (Acuity), and analytics. Add e-commerce features if selling products or services. Squarespace excels at design-first sites with minimal technical friction. For the complete guide covering SEO, blogging, and advanced customization, visit /nocode-tools/squarespace.