How I Price My Squarespace Websites
Building a website is an investment, and understanding its cost helps you plan your budget wisely. Whether you’re a small business owner, nonprofit manager, or independent professional, knowing what goes into website pricing allows you to make informed decisions.
From size, complexity, features and expertise, to recurring costs like hosting and maintenance, every factor shapes the final price. In this post, I’ll break down website pricing, explain my approach as a Squarespace specialist, and provide full transparency on my pricing process.
What influences the cost of a website?
The cost of a website depends on several key factors. Here’s a simple formula that presents the main components that influence the total cost of a website:
(Effort x Hourly Rate) + Materials + Hosting & Domain + Maintenance
Let’s explore each component:
1. EFFORT
This includes the total hours spent on planning, UI/UX design, content creation, coding, testing, SEO optimization, mobile responsiveness, training, and revisions. The scope, complexity, and expertise required significantly impact the effort involved.
2. HOURLY RATE
Rates vary based on experience, location, and business model.
Agencies often charge more due to larger and specialized teams, while independent professionals offer a more flexible and cost-effective approach. More experienced professionals charge higher rates but typically deliver faster, higher-quality results.
3. MATERIALS
Depending on expectations and the website’s needs, additional costs may include premium plugins, stock images, professional photography or other assets that enhance functionality and aesthetics.
4. HOSTING & DOMAIN
Hosting ensures the website is accessible online, while domain registration secures the web address (e.g., www.example.com). These are recurring expenses that vary based on the hosting provider and platform.
5. MAINTENANCE
Once the site is live, regular updates keep it secure, fast, and reliable. This includes software updates, security checks, backups, and adding new content or features.
These factors affect both the initial website cost and ongoing expenses required for maintaining it over time.
How I calculate the price of a website design
Here’s how I approach website pricing. But before diving into the formula specifics, here are a few factors to consider that will influence the website cost and quality:
I specialize in Squarespace for website design and hosting.
I have over 15 years of experience in web design and 8+ years working with Squarespace.
I collaborate with the client for frequent feedback, and with a trusted programmer and designer, at no extra cost.
My process is structured to keep development efficient, streamlined, and predictable.
Now, let’s see how these factors influence pricing and how I calculate costs based on them:
1. EFFORT
The effort required depends on the project scope. I ask you to fill up a questionnaire as a basis for discussing your requirements and expectations. This allows me to do a reasonable estimate of the necessary effort and provide a detailed proposal.
Squarespace simplifies many design and development tasks, especially for experienced professionals. It allows for extensive customization without unnecessary complexity, making the process more efficient, therefore reducing effort.
2. HOURLY RATE
As an experienced independent professional, I provide competitive rates compared to agencies, delivering high-quality work at a cost-effective price.
(Effort x Hourly Rate) forms the core of the website cost.
3. MATERIALS
Premium plugins, stock images, or additional digital assets are priced separately based on your needs. We discuss these costs upfront, and if required, you pay the providers directly.
4. HOSTING & DOMAIN
Squarespace's pricing includes hosting and maintenance, offering exceptional value compared to platforms that require separate hosting. As a Squarespace Circle member, I can provide a 20% discount on your first year and a free custom domain (for the first year, when registered through Squarespace). All hosting and domain payments are made directly to Squarespace as fixed annual expenses.
5. MAINTENANCE
Squarespace’s user-friendly tools allow you to manage content updates and SEO yourself, minimizing ongoing costs. For more complex updates, I offer maintenance services at an agreed hourly rate. Squarespace also handles essential hosting-related maintenance tasks, including updates, security, and backups.
In addition to these costs, VAT may apply to my services if you are located in the EU. If you’re outside the EU, VAT does not apply to my services.
That’s it — no hidden fees, no surprises. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying upfront.
Conclusion
Investing in a website starts with understanding what influence its cost. Squarespace simplifies development and maintenance, making the process efficient and cost-effective. In the long run, its built-in features reduce maintenance effort and ongoing costs, making it a smart, sustainable choice.
By aligning your needs with my expertise, we can create a site that’s not only visually stunning but also functional and optimized for your goals
Contact me to discuss your needs and expectations and I’ll provide a tailored proposal with a detailed scope, deliverables, timeline, and total price.
