How to Build a Website

A step-by-step guide to building a beautiful Squarespace website.

Having a website for your business, side hustle, portfolio, resume or even your wedding is invaluable. And let’s face it: first impressions count. While building a website may already be on your to-do list, it’s time to check it off. This guide will show you how to create a website using one of our beautifully designed templates that fits your style so you can start sharing your story with the world today.

Start a website
01. Choose your website template
02. Secure a custom domain name
03. Start adding your own content
04. Spread the word
05. Continue to update your website

01. Choose your website template

If you’re not sure how you want your site to look, we recommend spending some time brainstorming before you get started. Browse some of the websites of other companies you admire to see how they get their messages across. Do you need space for lots of big images? Are you going to create a blog? Will you be starting an online store? Putting together a list of your desired features will help you find the right template to get you started.
Our award-winning website templates come with pre-built pages showcasing different content and layouts, but this is just a starting point. Each template includes the same features and styling options, so no matter what template you choose, it can be customized to create a site that presents your style, brand, and vision to the world — from minimalist blogs to portfolios of full-bleed images.
Explore our templates
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02. Secure a custom domain name

Help your audience and future customers, collaborators, and colleagues find you by adding a custom domain to your website. A domain, sometimes called a web address or URL, is where your website will live online. If you think of your website as your home, your website is the actual, physical space where you live. Your domain is like the street address that directs people to your location.
Custom domain
When choosing a domain name, think about keywords that match your site’s purpose or your brand. If you don’t have a brand name quite figured out, you can use our Business Name Generator for help coming up with ideas.
Keep in mind that you can also select your own TLD. A TLD, or top-level domain, is the part of the URL that follows the last period, such as a .com, .org, or .net. You could keep it simple and choose a .com TLD or get creative and select one that’s unique to your industry or business, like .cafe for your coffee shop.
Add a Custom Domain

03. Start adding your own content

Get started with the basics. Add a Contact page or an ‘About’ section. Write a description of your business or brand so visitors can learn more about it. Add beautiful imagery you have created, or add free professional imagery, courtesy of Unsplash.
Write blog posts to share more of your story. Organize and format content any way you want with customizable drag-and-drop sections. Using the Design panel to style fonts, colors, spacing, and other features, you build a website custom to your design. All Squarespace websites have built-in responsive design so your content scales to fit different devices and screen sizes.
Custom content

04. Spread the word

Share on social media

Now that your blog is up and running, it’s time to start telling everyone all about it. Love using social media? Add links to your accounts on your blog. Then simply share your latest blog post to Facebook, X (formally Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Tumblr. You can also use the free Squarespace Image Resizer to help format your images for a variety of social posts.
Share on social media

Create email campaigns

Looking to market your new business? Try out Email Campaigns. Create email content that resonates with your consumers and stands out in their inboxes. You can even populate the emails with the content you’ve already shared on your website.
Email campaigns

05. Continue to update your website

Your website is officially live. But that doesn’t mean your work is done. Try to add new content to your website with some frequency so that it doesn’t become stale. This will encourage your visitors to continue to come back. Plus, by keeping your website up-to-date, people will always have access to the latest information from you or your company. And you’ll be able to use the new content you add in various social posts, email campaigns or future blog posts.
Matsuya template

A step-by-step guide to creating a website

Get started

  1. Choose your website template

    Find a design for your blog that reflects your personal style.

  2. Secure a custom domain name

    Start building your brand with a unique URL.

  3. Start adding your own content

    Share your story on your site.

  4. Spread the word

    Use our built-in marketing tools to grow your audience.

  5. Continue to update your website

    Keep your visitors up-to-date.

Generate on-brand content easily with AI

While you work on exhibiting your digital portfolio, Squarespace AI can act as your personal creative agency and provide the copy you need to perfectly showcase your work. Get started with tailored recommendations to build your website with AI.

Generating content with AI
Customer care advisors.
Customer care advisors.
We’ve got you covered, 24/7

Expert Customer Care

Need some help with your website? Reach out to our Customer Support Team via email or live chat. Customer Care Advisors are highly trained and work with Designers and Engineers in our New York City and Dublin offices. They have deep Squarespace knowledge and are ready to help whenever you need it.

Contact us

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