If you’re a web designer, Squarespace Circle definitely needs your attention. With many of the best website builders now offering AI powered tools, web design is taking on an entirely new shape. And, if you’re someone who is looking for a platform where you can not only design sites for others but also get a lot of benefits, Squarespace Circle is a solid option for you.
Squarespace Circle is a community program exclusive for creative professionals that use the platform to build sites for others. As a Circle member, you get benefits like extended 6-month free trials for new sites, priority support, early access to new features, and a collaborative environment for designers, developers, and creative professionals.
In this article, we’ll guide you through Squarespace Circle, its features, eligibility criteria, and how you can utilize the community for your business.
Read our full Squarespace review to learn more about what the platform has to offer.
Features
Discounts and membership benefits
Squarespace Circle offers members a 20% discount on the first annual payment for websites, online store subscriptions, email campaigns, digital product plans, and Acuity scheduling subscriptions.
As a member, you also receive discounts on popular integrations, third-party tools, and extensions like Mailchimp, LiveChat, Syncee, etc. You gain access to exclusive tools for website building, like pinning, tagging, and gallery blocks. Plus, the Circle program offers advanced guides, blog posts, product release notes, and opportunities to test new features.
We list all the latest coupons and discount codes on our Squarespace promo codes page.
Circle forum
Think of the Circle Forum as a dedicated space for Circle members to connect, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. Within the forum, you receive hands-on support from product experts, a platform to drop feedback to the product team, and work alongside fellow designers on your website projects.
To join, simply log in with your Squarespace credentials, set up your profile, add your picture, and include details about your work. These details help Squarespace curate content, events, and testing opportunities to suit your interests.
Since your forum and Squarespace accounts are linked by the same email, you can change them in your account settings if required. Remember that changing your email will disable your current forum account, but you can easily reconnect by logging in with your updated details.
Circle referral payments
As a Circle member, you can earn money by bringing clients to Squarespace, provided you meet certain eligibility requirements.
You'll need an Impact account to generate qualifying subscriptions for websites and Acuity Scheduling. Once you've reached the threshold of 4 subscriptions, you'll earn commissions on every additional subscription you refer during the qualifying period. Your Impact account will provide details about your qualifying subscriptions, earned commissions, and payment timelines. Remember that subscriptions only get registered if they've been active for 15 days or more.
Squarespace Marketplace
Squarespace Marketplace connects individuals looking for website design and development services with qualified web designers from Squarespace Circle. Powered with 99designs by Vista, the Marketplace lets clients find and hire experienced professionals to build their websites.
As an eligible Circle member, you are periodically invited to join their Marketplace as an Expert. This gives you the opportunity to market your services to a broader audience.
Cost & Eligibility
Squarespace Circle is completely free, with no hidden fees or maintenance charges.
To be eligible, you must have built or contributed to at least three active Squarespace sites, all of which need to be on active billing plans at the time of sign-up. This means you need to be either an owner or a contributor with one of the following permissions: Administrator, Billing, Website Editor, Analytics, Store Manager, Email Campaigns Editor, Scheduling Administrator, or Scheduling View and Edit.
However, once you’re a member, your Circle membership will not be revoked even if you lose access to one of your three qualifying subscriptions. Members can also use a Circle badge on their sites to inform clients of their affiliation with the program. This adds an extra layer of credibility to your work. Meanwhile, if you think you're eligible but are facing an issue joining the Circle, you can contact Squarespace via their Help Center.
How to become a Squarespace Expert?
Squarespace may invite its circle members to become Squarespace Experts when their customer support demands spike. To qualify, you must create eight Squarespace websites in a year. Your eligibility further boils down to client demand and the services you offer. This means you can leverage your creativity to build your portfolio on the platform.
As an Expert, there are some services recommended by Squarespace that can help your clients get the full potential of their Squarespace websites. You can start with full site builds for new websites or online stores, redesign existing sites, or even migrate your client’s site to Squarespace. If your clients priority lies in ecommerce, you can set up products on the site, integrate payment processors, customize categories, and add relevant marketing strategies. For clients looking to improve their visibility, you can provide SEO audits and help them develop a long-term SEO strategy.
You can fully audit and refresh a client's site design, create custom design work, add finishing touches, and more. Also, you can update site layouts, connect third-party integrations, add custom code, and more for people who want to improve their site’s user experience.
If you typically work on smaller projects, you can reach out to clients who want to make minor adjustments like tweaking their design with code, setting up custom domains, creating forms, or adding custom fonts. You can even offer site migration services and personalized training to help your clients get the most out of Squarespace products. All in all, these services get you paid and help you master your skillset.
Squarespace Circle: Verdict
Squarespace Circle makes Squarespace one of the best website builders for agencies, freelancers, and other creative professionals. Your success on the program depends on the availability of Marketplace projects and your expertise with Squarespace tools.
However, you can still benefit from the program since the eligibility criteria are quite basic. So, if you have a knack for building exquisite sites, sending engaging email campaigns, or setting up online schedulers for your clients, Squarespace Circle might be worth a shot.
