If you've been building Squarespace websites for a while but you started after Fluid Engine dropped in 2022, there's a pretty good chance you've looked at the blog post editor and thought, "What the hell is this and why does it look like it's from 2017?"

I get it. Fluid Engine is the shiny, drag-and-drop-almost-wherever-you-want experience that Squarespace built to keep up with the times. So when you click into a blog post and suddenly you're in a totally different editing world, it probably feels like you accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up on the old version of the internet.

The Classic Editor is not a lesser experience. It's just a different one. And once it clicks, it's actually a lot more stable in ways that Fluid Engine isn't. I've been using Classic Editor for 10 years—started with it before Fluid Engine ever existed—and this whole live class was intended to help you get more comfortable with it too.

This post covers everything from that session: why Classic Editor still runs blog posts, how to set up your blog, my favorite template hack for never starting from scratch, how the editor works (including the stuff that trips people up), and all the blog post settings you should be filling out before you hit publish.

Why Squarespace Still Uses Classic Editor for Blog Posts

Squarespace hasn't said explicitly why they haven't migrated blog posts to Fluid Engine's editor yet, but after using both editors for years, I have my own strong opinion on it.

Fluid Engine becomes unpredictable the longer your content is, within in a single section. If you've been building sites lately (as of posting), you may have already noticed that the section editor has been kind of buggy. Now imagine trying to put a 2,000-word blog post—with images, video blocks, summary blocks, code blocks, all of it—into a Fluid Engine section. Holy shit, that would be an unstable nightmare. 😂🫣

Google likes long-form content though. High-value posts are considered to be at least 2,000 words, or longer; that's what you're shooting for if you want to show up in search results. Classic Editor handles that volume of content in a single section without losing its mind. It's more stable, and for blog posts specifically, stability matters more than design flexibility.

Classic Editor also shows up in a few other places on your site, not just inside blog posts:

• Event pages (if you use the Events collection)

• Product additional information sections (in Squarespace Commerce)

• Any Classic Editor sections you add to regular pages on your site

So getting comfortable with it pays off in more places than just your blog.

And one thing Fluid Engine genuinely can't do that Classic Editor can, is text wrapping. More on that in a bit! 👇

Setting Up a Blog Page in Squarespace

How to create a new blog collection in Squarespace

This is pretty simple since you start with a default template layout, so I'm not going to spend much time on this part.

In your Pages panel, click the ➕ to add a new page and select Blog from list of page-type options. Pick a layout on the preview side of the module (single column, grid, list, masonry — it doesn't really matter because you can switch later), give it a name, and you're done.

A few things worth knowing about your blog page settings (click the gear icon next to the page name):

• Page title and URL slug — fill these in intentionally. Don't just leave the auto-generated slug as-is.

• RSS feed — Squarespace creates one automatically for your blog. You don't have to do anything to get it, it's just there. If you know what RSS feeds are useful for, great. If not, don't worry about it.

  • Squarespace article: Using RSS feeds

• Navigation — you control whether this shows in your nav or stays hidden, by placing that page in either the Main Navigation section, or Not Linked section of your Pages menu.

You can have unlimited blog posts on one website. I also haven't found a limit for the number of blog collections you can add to a single website. You could use one collection for a regular blog, one for case studies, one for a client directory, one for a review series—whatever you want. There's no (known) limit on the number of collections, and there's no limit to how many blog posts each collection can have.

The catch is that all blog collections that share the same layout style, will share the same design settings for that style of page layout. So if you have two grid-layout blog collections and you want them to look different from each other, you'll need custom code to do that. It's not a built-in option, which is... a choice, Squarespace. 😂

Creating a New Blog Post
(& My Favorite Template Hack)

When you add a new blog post via the ➕ button in your blog's side panel, you get a blank page editor with one empty text block by default. If you start from scratch every single time you publish something new, you're wasting time doing the same setup over and over again, especially if you're repeatedly building the same layouts.

So here's what I do instead.

How to create a blog post template in Squarespace

I keep a dedicated "New Blog Post Template" draft that I duplicate every time I need a new post. Inside it, I have all my standard empty elements already in place:

• A text block for the intro

• A video block (for embedding my YouTube video)

• A spacer block to separate sections

• A summary block at the bottom for related content or resources

• Any other elements I consistently use

Everything is blank; it's just the structure, ready to fill in for each new post so I can skip rebuilding the my go-to layouts each time. When I need to post something new, I duplicate that draft 'template', rename it, and start writing.

How to keep the template draft at the top of your blog post list in Squarespace

How to keep the template draft at the top of the list of blog posts

Normally, a draft post stays sorted by the date you created it, which means it'll get buried as you publish more posts over time. To keep it pinned at the top, go to Settings → Options, set the status to Scheduled, and pick a date faaaaaar in the future. I usually use January 1st, with the year being at least 5 years ahead of the current date. Then I save those changes. Once it's saved & scheduled to post 5+ years from now, then I go back and set the status back to Draft, which keeps the 'created' date but makes sure it won't be automatically published at any point.

Now Squarespace thinks that post was created on January 1st, 2030, so it will stay at the very top of your list until that date, no matter how many new posts are added in between. It never publishes because it's set to draft, it just lives there and is always easy to find from the top.

How to use the template blog post in Squarespace

How to use your blog post template in Squarespace

Click the three-dot ••• menu on the template post, hit Duplicate, and work from the copy. The duplicate opens automatically once a post has been duplicated, so just click Edit to begin making changes to the copy.

I've been doing it this way for years! I also create a template post for my clients during custom website projects, because it's so useful to speed up the initial process of writing posts.

Bonus tips

You can also pre-populate your template with settings you use on every post, like the Google Search Console sharing toggle (more on that below) and tags you always include. It's easier to delete something you don't need than to remember to add it every single time.

Create a template for different types of posts, if you have different types of content. For example, if some are just written blog posts with no video or audio component, create a template to use for those specifically. If some of your blog posts also contain a podcast episode or a YouTube video, create a different template for that type of post. If you also publish posts sharing your work as a portfolio item, or review from a client project, then create a post template for that too!

How Classic Editor Works in Squarespace

Classic Editor looks deceptively simple—it's just blocks, after all—but there are some specific behaviors that will make much more sense once you understand the underlying structure of this editing experience.

Starting at timestamp: (26:33) Using Classic Editor - Seeing & using the 12 column grid

The Grid System

Classic Editor is built on an invisible 12-column grid. You can't see it (and unlike Fluid Engine, there's no keyboard shortcut to show it), but it's always there. All blocks snap to positions on that grid, and that's what controls your layout.

Think of it like a really flexible table or spreadsheet. Things can stack vertically, sit side by side, or float within a text block. You're not able to drag blocks more freely, the way you can in Fluid Engine, but once you know how the grid works, you can actually do a lot with it!

The maximum number of items you can add side-by-side is 12 columns across, which means the smallest a block can get is 1/12 of the width of your editable area. In practice, you rarely need to go that small, but good to know.

Starting at timestamp: (18:53) Using Classic Editor: Blocks & Layout

Adding Blocks

The only way to add content in Classic Editor is through the insert points, which are those little blue + icons that appear between or within, above, and below existing blocks. Click one and you'll see the block menu where you can pick a new element type to add to the page.

The insert point you click controls where the new block appears. So if you want something between two existing elements, find the insert point between them specifically, OR click one to add the block, then drag it to the right spot afterward. This is where people often get lost, because they click the wrong insert marker + and the block ends up somewhere unexpected so they struggle with moving it.

The most useful blocks for blog posts are typically elements like:

• Text — your main content block. Also where you'll format headings, quotes, and lists.

• Image — with some extra design options not available in Fluid Engine (more on this below)

• Video — paste in a YouTube or Vimeo link

• Code — for adding custom code, displaying a code snippet on the page, or embedding anything custom (forms, scripts, HTML, etc.)

• Embed — for embedding anything custom (forms, videos, scripts, HTML, etc.)

• Spacer — adjustable empty space (stop ignoring this one 👇)

• Line — a horizontal divider line

• Button — a standalone CTA button

• Summary — pulls in posts from your blog collections in masonry, grid, carousel, or list layout

• Quote — a styled pull quote block

Wrapping Text (around another block)

This is genuinely one of my favorite things about Classic Editor, and it's something Fluid Engine literally cannot do (still).

In Classic Editor, you can drag any block (an image, a button, a graphic) into one of the four corners of a text block, and the text will automatically wrap around it. Left side, right side, wherever you put it — the text flows around the block like you'd see in a magazine layout.

To do it: click and drag the block you want to wrap the text around, then slowly move it toward one of the corners of a text block. You'll see a blue box show up on top of the text in whatever corner you're dragging the block into; once you see that blue box, let go of your mouse to drop the block in that spot. The text wraps around it once you've let go of the click-drag motion with your mouse. If you messed up and need to move it, no worries! Just click the block you want to move, to select it, then drag it to the new spot & let go again.

This works in blog posts AND in any Classic Editor section on your regular site pages. So if you ever add a Classic Editor section to a layout page, you have access to text wrapping there too. It's one of the reasons I'll sometimes choose Classic Editor sections for regular pages too, not just in blog posts.

Starting at timestamp: (20:03) Using Classic Editor - Moving Blocks & Understanding Insert Markers

Moving Blocks

Click on a block to select it, then drag your mouse to move the selected block. When you're dragging, you'll see blue guidelines appear—those show you where the block will land when you let go.

• A vertical blue line running the full height of the content area means the block will create a new column where that line is

• A horizontal blue line running across the full width = the block will create a new row (go above or below something) where that line is

Quick reminder: blocks in Classic Editor cannot overlap. That's just not how this editor works without code (or a tool like SquareKicker*, which writes code like that for you). Everything stacks neatly next to or below/above each other. If you're coming from Fluid Engine where you can layer things, this takes some adjustment, for sure!

Also worth knowing: if you drag one text block on top of another text block that's directly above or below it, they are likely to merge into one block. Don't worry! Your content will stay there, but they won't be separate blocks anymore. This is expected behavior, not a glitch. If you want two separate text blocks stacked vertically, you need to put something between them (like a spacer block or a line block).

Starting at timestamp: (26:08) Using Classic Editor - Spacer Block & Building Columns

The Spacer Block

The spacer block confuses a lot of people, but it's just adjustable empty space. That's it. You drag it to wherever you need a gap, and then you drag the little grey dot on it to make it bigger or smaller than the default size.

3 main uses are:

1. Separating stacked text blocks so they don't merge (as mentioned above)

2. Resizing (controlling the width) and centering of other blocks

3. Creating columns for a multi-column layout

For that second use-case, say you have an image that's taking up the full width of the post and you want it smaller and centered. Add a spacer block on the left side of the image, then add another one on the right. Now drag the borders of the spacers, that touch the image block, to push the image to whatever width you want. It stays centered because the spacers on each side are balanced and pushing the image block toward the middle.

You can actually use any block to create that same effect (buttons, text blocks, etc.), but spacers are kind of invisible to visitors, which is why they're the easiest choice.

Resizing Blocks

Hover between two blocks that are sitting side by side and your cursor will change to a resize handle. Drag left or right to resize. Just know that resizing one block affects its neighbor; they share the available column space, so making one wider makes the other one narrower.

If this becomes a tug-of-war game, just add a second spacer block to the other side and adjust each incrementally until you get what you want. This way there's space on both sides working together to resize whatever block is in the middle.

Image Block Design Options (Classic Editor Only)

Images in Classic Editor have a Design tab inside the block editor that also give you layout options that you won't find in Fluid Engine's image blocks, because these layout options are specific to Classic Editor only. These layouts are: Inline, Poster, Card, Overlap, Collage, and Stack.

Here's a quick breakdown of what each one does:

• Poster — adds a transparent color overlay over the image, with an optional title, paragraph text, and button sitting on top of it. Great for an image block that's also a CTA!

• Card — puts the image on one side and text content (title, paragraph, button) on the other side. A side-by-side layout with no code required. These can be flipped with image on left, or on right, of the content beside it.

• Overlap — text content that looks like a card, except the title text (if long enough) can literally overlap the edge of the image. The background color behind the text pulls from your color theme's settings for this image block layout type. These can be flipped with the image on left, or on right, of the content beside it.

• Collage — similar overlap or card effect, just styled a bit differently, giving the entire content card a background color which overlaps the image, so the title, paragraph and button all share the same card background style. These can be flipped with image on left, or on right, of the content beside it.

• Stack — places the image on top, with text content underneath it, all in one column. This layout doesn't allow you to choose where the content sits (above or below the image), but it works well in tight spaces where the column is more narrow and a side-by-side layout won't work as well.

From a Classic Editor Image Block’s Content tab, all of those layouts can either link the image itself as a button, link from a button, ––or not link to anything at all. Your choice! If using a button, styling options for color, etc are in Site Styles, and those options are unique to each Image layout, meaning Poster layouts can have a different button color than Card layouts, etc.

See the examples below! 👇🏼

👆🏼 These layout options can be really useful for things like end-of-post CTAs (linking to a freebie, a related post, or a paid offer, etc), and they can look a lot more polished than just dropping in a plain image, and a text block, and a button block below that, plus they make all 3 elements editable within 1 block, which makes it easier to rearrange the page if you want to move the CTA to a new section in your layout (because you don't have 3 different blocks to move around).

The styling for the colors (backgrounds, buttons, overlays, etc) are in these layouts is controlled in your site's color themes. So if the colors look off, that's where to go fix it.

The settings for spacing, image size, and more, are in your Site Styles, under Miscellaneous, then Image Blocks.

Where to adjust the colors in these Image Block layouts

Where to adjust the size, alignment and spacing in these Image Block layouts

Starting at timestamp: (26:33) Using Classic Editor - Building Columns

Multi-Column Layouts in Blog Posts

You can create side-by-side columns in Classic Editor — but you have to build them yourself. Blocks 'attach' to other blocks, based on where you saw the insert marker when you placed it there, which can affect how mobile rearranges the elements on the page to fit smaller screens.

👉🏼 OPTION 1

One way to do it is to use spacer blocks as column placeholders first, then insert (attach) your actual content (image block, text block, etc.) to each spacer that's in the column position you want it to be in. Once you're done adjusting, you can remove the spacer blocks. The reason this works well is that it makes sure the images are in the correct position on mobile.

👉🏼 OPTION 2

Another way to do it is to use the blocks themselves to form the columns, but while this might seem easier on the surface, it can sometimes result in unexpected shifts in layout order on mobile, because you may have accidentally 'attached' or inserted the block in 'the wrong' place.

Here's the workflow:

1. Add a spacer block

2. Add a second spacer block and drag it to the left or right of the first (so they're side by side)

3. Add a third spacer if you want three columns, drag it to the left or right of the second

4. Repeat for as many columns as you want, noting that even numbers will give you evenly spaced columns!

5. Now add your images or content using the insert block icon/button on each spacer, in each column position; repeat for each column

6. Once your content is placed, you can delete the spacers if you don't need the extra spacing and the column structure will remain

Why go through the spacer step at all? Because it helps you control the mobile order more effectively. Classic Editor stacks everything vertically on mobile from top to bottom, left to right; the same order as you'd read a page in English. By attaching your content to specific column positions, you control what order they appear in on mobile too.

Honestly, if you're comfortable with Classic Editor, using blocks to form the columns is the faster method, but if you're NOT confident with CE yet, I'd use spacer blocks to build your columns until you are, because it's much more straightforward & less likely to result in a unexpected re-ordering on mobile.

Which brings us to mobile...

Mobile Behavior in Classic Editor

Desktop changes affect mobile, and mobile changes affect desktop too. You don't have independent mobile or desktop control in Classic Editor sections, or pages, the way Fluid Engine allows. What you build on desktop is basically what shows up on mobile too, just stacked vertically; the only thing that may fluctuate based on how you've added the blocks to Desktop view, is the order they are displayed in on mobile.

The good news is that Classic Editor generally handles mobile pretty well without much intervention, so you rarely need to look at it, unlike Fluid Engine's editor which constantly needs checking. Basically, the blue dot indicator you're used to seeing on the mobile icon in Fluid Engine (the one alerting you that something needs attention) rarely shows up in Classic Editor because the editor's stacking behavior is usually fine as-is.

That said, it's still worth checking mobile before you publish anything—especially if you've done anything with multi-column layouts. If something looks off on mobile and you swap the order, just know that changing the order on mobile may also change it on desktop. There's no way around that without code, or a tool like SquareKicker*.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats - Platform Comparison Market Share

Tablet View in Classic Editor

This REALLY isn’t that big of a deal, even though I know it drives most designers crazy.

Why?

Stat Counter tells us that for the last several years, less than 2% of ALL internet users are browsing from a tablet, which is not enough for companies like Squarespace to create an editor that allows changes for that specific breakpoint (for those device size ranges specifically).

As long as your website looks good on Desktop, and on Mobile, you’re catering to literally 98.5% of website users, and Squarespace still handles the in-between sizes automatically anyway. Those tablet layouts may not be perfect, but literally almost no one is looking at those, if it makes ya feel any better. 😉

Learn more about how Squarespace’s editor is fluidly responding to the viewer’s device size in this post.

Squarespace Blog Post Settings

This part... 🤦🏻‍♀️ So many people skip a lot of these settings or half-fill them out and then wonder why their posts aren't performing. 🫠

One thing I want to mention before we get into it: while you're inside a post in edit mode, you can click the post title/status area in the top editor bar (above your website preview's main header navigation) to open the settings panel while you're editing a blog post in Squarespace. You don't have to exit the editor, hunt down the post in your blog list, click the three dots, and then click Settings. —just click the draft title/status area while you're editing.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure that out, so I hope that helps someone else!

Content

Featured Image

This is the thumbnail that shows on your blog list/feed page, and in summary blocks. It will not also get pulled into the Social Image, so you should set that separately (more on that in a bit)!

Don't upload this image multiple times though; if it's already in your asset library, search for it rather than re-uploading each time you use it, because duplicate assets add up and become a mess down the road.

Excerpt

These are just short descriptions of the post. but I rarely have a reason to use them.

A quick heads up on a quirk: if excerpt is turned OFF in a summary block's design settings and you have "Read More" enabled on the same summary block, the Read More link often won't show up. So if you're using summary blocks to pull related posts in various places, you may need to have the excerpt ON even if you don't want it displaying, just to be able to see the Read More link.

It's annoying, yes. Complain to Squarespace support—not to me. 😂 I personally skip excerpts 99% of the time, that way it's technically "on" but nothing will show in the summary block's excerpt, because nothing is thereto show.

URL Slug

Squarespace auto-generates this from new blog post titles, but it may need adjusting & you should almost always check it before publishing!

If you're duplicating & using a blog post template, the url slug will be the same as the original template's URL and a 5+ digit alphanumeric nonsense scramble of words & numbers, like: /blog/template-s73bvu

The recommended goal is to keep it between 4–6 words, keyword-rich, using dashes instead of spaces, and you don't need the little stop words (like "the," "a," "and," "of," etc.). Google prefers shorter URLs, and a cleaner slug is easier to share and remember anyway!

Author

Relevant if yours or your client's website has multiple contributors. Otherwise, it's probably just you & so the 'author' will be auto-selected to the website owner (you) by default.

Comments

You can enable or disable comments per post. The global comments toggle lives under Settings → Blogging. One cool thing people overlook: you can set comments to automatically close after a certain amount of time — like a year — so you're not dealing with spam on old posts forever.

Options

Status

This is where you can Schedule the post to publish automatically at a date/time you choose in the future, set a published post back to Draft or Needs Review, or Publish now after saving your final changes. You can change the status of any post, any time.

Categories vs. Tags

• Categories are broad, meant for basic information, kinda like book genres: fiction vs non-fiction, fantasy, self-help, etc. Use a few of them, but limit the total list per collection to about 10, give or take a few. They show up on your blog post, in Archive blocks, summary blocks, etc. Examples for blogging might be: "Squarespace," "Business Tips," or "Client Projects."

• Tags are more specific and granular. They display on the blog post page, at the bottom of the post, right above the comment section. Google sees them too and may use them to sort your post into relevant search results if the other on-page SEO elements aren't working hard enough. Think of them like hashtags but without the hashtag symbol & adding spaces to them. Examples for blogging might be — "Classic Editor," "Squarespace 7.1," "blogging tips," and "2026."

Use commas to separate tags when you're typing them in. The comma is also the separator so be careful where you use it.

Comments

I keep comments ON by default for new posts, so I almost never mess with these settings & just leave my comments on until I have a reason to close them, per post.

However, there is also a 'Disable Comments' option that allows you to turn off the comments at a specific date/time in the future if, for example, you want to disable comments 3 years after the blog post was initially published and it may no longer be as relevant.

Featured Posts

I rarely use this. The problem is that once you toggle it on, you have to go back and manually look at the blog post's settings to find any 'featured' posts later to turn it off, which is a major pain. There is no indicator in the main blog list, even while logged in, for which posts are featured vs. not.

In my humble opinion, there's no reason to use this unless you make a note yourself, outside of Squarespace in your task manager app (Asana, ClickUp, etc) so you know exactly which posts are marked as Featured.

Again, it's only worth using if you have a summary block specifically set to display only featured posts, and you keep a list of which ones are marked as featured.

SEO

SEO Title

Squarespace will usually pull your blog post title if you leave this blank, which is fine some of the time but it's usually more effective to write something specifically for Google to use on search result pages, versus for browsers on your website who already know you & want to read your content.

Target length is 50–60 characters — Google cuts it off after that (truncates it) for mobile devices, so I tend to keep it short enough to work on mobile first, which will also work well on desktop Google searches too. The character count Squarespace shows you in the field goes up to 100, but PLEASE ignore that. 100 is way too long and will get truncated in search results anyway.

SEO Description

Write this for every single blog post. Don't let it default to an excerpt (or worse, force Google to write one for you), especially if you're skipping the excerpt like I do.

Target length is 150–160 characters—enough to describe the post clearly and include your main keyword. This is what shows up under your title in Google search results, and it directly affects whether someone clicks on your website link from search results.

Social Share

Social Sharing Image

This controls the preview image that appears when someone shares your post link on LinkedIn, Facebook, in a text message, on WhatsApp, —wherever. If you don't set one, it defaults to whatever your site-wide share image is (usually your logo, if you haven't set one).

It's easiest to just set this to the same image as your featured image in most cases. You do have to set it separately though; changing the featured image does not automatically update the social image, and vice versa. Two different fields, two separate settings per blog post.

One thing to keep in mind: social platforms crop this image differently. Facebook crops it one way, LinkedIn another, text messages another. To avoid having important text or graphics get cut off, keep anything critical—especially post titles if showing in the image—as close to the dead center of the image as possible.

Share

🏆 Enable Google Search Console

This one is genuinely important for anyone blogging with any kind of regularity!

First, you need to connect Google Search Console to your Squarespace site if you haven't yet. Go to Home Menu → Analytics → Search Keywords, then click Connect (or Reconnect). Sign in with your Google account and authorize the connection. Once it's connected, you'll start seeing actual search data there within about 24-72 hours.

Now, in the Sharing tab of your blog post settings, you'll see Google Search Console listed as an option (it shows up under what Squarespace calls "Connected Accounts," which are different from the social links). Toggle it ON.

What this does:

Every time you publish a new post (when this is enabled, or turned ON), Squarespace automatically pings Google Search Console and tells it, "Hey, new content over here, please go index it." Without this, Google crawls your site on its own timeline—which could be tomorrow, could be two months from now, or two years! You have no control over the 'when' unless you request a crawl from Google on that specific page. With this toggle turned ON, you're basically raising your hand and saying "this post is new & ready to be found."

This is the reason I build this toggle into my blog post template. That way, each time I duplicate the template for a new post, the GSC toggle is already enabled on the duplicate. I never have to think about it again.

What's Next?

This was the first episode of a LIVE series on my YouTube channel, and I'm just getting started!

Future episodes could dig more into topics like blog page design, blog customizations, blog monetization, client portals, and anything else (Squarespace related or not) — I'm taking requests, so if there's something specific you want covered, drop a comment below or leave it in the chat on the next live!

If you want to catch these sessions live so you can ask questions in real time, subscribe to the YouTube channel and hit the bell icon to get notified of new episodes. I also try to announce them in my newsletter, and in the Club's Free Event calendar.

And if you want to go even deeper with me on a regular basis with more 1:1 time, come hang out in the Club with us — that's where I hang out most of the time with a smaller group of designers. 👇🏼

One of my members brought a blog post to my community a while back, and I immediately made a note to discuss it here with you too.

The post shared was written by another designer—let's call him James—who'd run a little experiment: he put his prices on his website, got way fewer leads, panicked, pulled the prices back down, and then concluded that listing prices publicly was the reason all of his leads dried up.

The thing that stood out to me was that this person shared that post with me because it confirmed a fear she'd been dealing with herself, and that's where I'm coming from for this conversation.

It's not that his conclusion was right or wrong, necessarily, but no matter what it proved or didn't prove, that doesn't mean the same will happen to everyone else. There are lots of variables involved!

And I completely understand why it was scary to read! I have had the same fear(s) myself. Putting a big number on a page—especially when you're used to getting paid double digits per hour in your past life—and letting total strangers judge whether you're "worth it" is genuinely uncomfortable for a while. That feeling is totally valid.

But the conclusion he drew from his experiment...? I actually think it's wrong—or at least, not the whole picture. And I have a lot of thoughts about why.

Should You List Prices on Your Website? One Designer's Experiment

Before I get on my soapbox, let's walk through what actually happened in the experiment.

James added his base price for the cheapest logo package he offered, with an inquiry button for his other two tiers. The goal seems to have been what most of us want when we list prices: to filter out the people who aren't in the right budget range before anyone wastes time on a call (us, or our inquirers). Before the prices were added, he was getting five or six leads a week. Afterward, he got one lead over two months, and that one fell through, he says.

So of course he panicked. I mean, I probably would've too. That can be a scary thing to watch happen in real time when your bills are still due on a regular basis.

He lowered the floor price after four weeks, stripped his entry package down to basically just logo files, tried paid ads on Google and Facebook (neither of which worked either), and ultimately removed the prices entirely. He changed his navigation link from "prices" to "packages," went back to an inquiry-only model, and called it a day.

His takeaway: listing prices hurt his business.

Here's my takeaway: I actually don't think that's what the data proved, but I understand the knee-jerk reaction.

3 Common Fears About Listing Prices on Your Website

James wasn't just reacting to numbers—he named three specific fears that were fueling his decisions, and I think it's worth unpacking each one.

Fear #1: Competitors Will Undercut Me

This one comes up more than you might think, among other industries & even some of my clients have even voiced this concern too, so I get it. But think about it: Target knows Walmart's prices. Coach knows what Chanel charges. Neither of them are hiding their pricing from customers because a competitor might (will) try & copy them, or underprice them to compete.

Cheap is the easiest thing in the world to replicate. Zero personality or expertise is required to just charge less than someone else. Literally just lower the number. 🫠

If the only way someone can compete with you is to undercut your price, then your competitive advantage isn't the price—it's everything else. Your personality. Your niche. Your process. Your results. Your experience. Your expertise. None of that can be duplicated as easily, and certainly not by just slashing a dollar amount.

Letting your fear of what a competitor might do drive your business decisions is exhausting and, frankly, it's a losing game because there will always be someone that can do it cheaper than you.

You don't get to control what other people do. You only get to control what you put out there.

Fear #2: I'll Miss Small Budget, High-Exposure Jobs

James actually mentioned that he'd taken a fun, small job for a motorcycle club that came through Reddit, and the client hadn't seen his prices at al, so that opportunity worked out well.

And sure! Those projects can still find you through other channels. Referrals, Reddit threads, DMs from people who never visited your website—those things can happen regardless of whether your prices are listed publicly, and that's a good thing!

But I want I want you to ask yourself: are those jobs actually good for you? Do they cost you more in time, stress, and resentment than they're genuinely worth? Because the fear of missing one fun, potentially high-exposure, but low-budget gig is a really shaky reason to hide your prices from every single good client who's ready to pay what you actually need to charge.

You're making it harder for the RIGHT people to reach out because you don't want to scare off people who can't pay you. That logic is... —well, it doesn't really make sense. You don't want the wrong inquiries cluttering your inbox while the right ones bounce because the pricing transparency they needed wasn't there.

What I would've done as part of this experiment, if you want to keep attracting those smaller, scrappier projects for high exposure purposes, I would create a separate sales page or a standalone service offer specifically for those people. Maybe that looks like a design day, a one-hour session, or a discount with the agreement of backlinks, mentions, interviews, —whatever. It'd just be a clear "starter" option with its own sales page that would talk specifically to those types of inquiries, so they feel seen & understood, and separate from your higher package rates for other types of businesses. You don't have to choose between transparency and flexibility. You could actually have both, IF the messaging is clear on both sales pages.

Fear #3: Clients Will Use My Prices to Undercut Other Designers

This one is completely and utterly outside your control. The super uncomfortable truth is that people who are inclined to 'designer shop' for the best prices, they could still do this even after a discovery call where you finally shared your prices.

Yes, it's a shitty thing to do, to waste everyone's time like that & then just pick the lowest number. But it's not something you can prevent just by hiding information, even from the people who would actually hire you regardless of the price you charge.

Trying to solve for other people's potentially bad behavior by making your business less accessible to your good clients is not my recommendation.

I say this with tough love: you're making it harder for the right clients to decide whether you're the right fit for them, too.

What Hiding Your Prices Can Do to Your Conversion Rate

This is the part that gets me the most, because James actually had some genuinely useful data — and I think that possibly fear just got in the way of reading it correctly.

He said traffic went up over 30% during those two months while the pricing was listed. That tells me it wasn't a traffic problem; he HAD MORE eyeballs on those pages, or at least on his website. Meaning, more people were finding his website, they just weren't converting into inquiries.

His own diagnosis was that clients were seeing a big number before he'd had a chance to build context around his goals, his experience, the value of his work—and without that context, they didn't reach out or submit any inquiries.

He literally said "my sales funnel was fucked." And honestly, I don't think he was wrong about that part!

Here's where I think he took a wrong turn though: he removed the prices, but doesn't fix the broken sales funnel, which just hid the symptoms of the broken piece of the sales process.

If someone is landing on your prices page and immediately leaving, the problem doesn't HAVE to be the amount you're charging. It may just be that the amount showed up before they trusted you enough to care, or to reach out anyway & see if you'd negotiate the price. That's most likely a messaging problem. Bluntly put, it's a "the rest of my site isn't doing its job" problem.

Think about it like renovating a house. If your kitchen cabinets are ugly, you don't fix it by nailing drywall over the cabinets. You actually fix the cabinets: re/paint them, remove & replace them, etc. If the kitchen is still ugly, then you can reassess after you've addressed one of the problems that contributes to that issue.

What I think he could have done instead is to restructure the services' sales page so the value and trust was built before the price was shared. Lead with what you do, who you do it for, what the results look like, and then show the prices. Make the number land alongside the context where it makes sense. If you have multiple packages or tiers, list them strategically so that they can properly be compared to each other. That's how you test your variables.

Pulling prices entirely and going back to an inquiry-only model is a full retreat, and you can't learn as much from it because too many things changed at once & you won't know which change caused the outcome you saw. 🤷‍♀️

Why Clients May Hate “Inquire for Pricing” (A Real Story)

Now let's look at this from the other side of the street, so to speak. Way before the world had AI assistants to write things for us, back when I was trying to figure out how to write sales copy, and website copy in general, I was absolute garbage at it (relatable, I know! 😂).

I decided to look into hiring a copywriter to at least write the sales pages on my website. I did my research, found someone whose voice felt like a great match for my brand, and reached out to ask about her rates. No prices were listed anywhere on her site, just a contact form. I had a sense that she was probably out of my budget, but I reached out anyway. (See? With the right messaging the potential client —me, in this case— may reach out regardless!)

One of her team members replied the next business day and said something like, 'Great. Let's set up a call!'

And I panicked. 🤭 I was like, 'wait! I really just need a ballpark first, because I don't want to waste anyone's time,' especially if we were in completely different price ranges.

...And I never heard from them again. 

To this day—almost ten years later—I have no idea what she charges. It could be $3,000 for a sales page. It could be $30,000 per word written for the sales page. No clue.

And that experience made me feel like I wasn't worth the time of day. Like my genuine inquiry wasn't worth a response, because I had the audacity to ask about price before committing to a call. In my case, it wasn't because I was being cheap, I had a VERY real (small) budget to work with and I had to ask because they weren't listed; I wouldn't have bothered them if they'd had any indication of their pricing on their website.

I wasn't scared off by a potentially high price. I had a sense her rates were probably outside my budget, but I wanted to check anyway. I was trying to be considerate of her time by not scheduling a full discovery call first, just to have the awkward conversation about how far outside my budget this actually was... And I was ghosted for it. 🥴

That's the type of experience you're creating when you make pricing a mystery. Not only "exclusive" or "premium." Just frustrating, and potentially inconsiderate.

And for the clients you most want to attract—the ones who do their research, who respect your time, who show up to calls prepared & ready to talk to you—those may be exactly the people you're losing without the transparency, especially if know/like/trust isn't built through your website, at the same time.

How to List Prices on Your Web Design Website

If listing prices is worth doing (& I think it is), here's how I recommend you do it in a way that ...actually works. 🤭

Start with starting prices

At a minimum, if you have one main service package you sell, put something like "Packages start at $_____" on your sales page. That gives potential clients enough information to self-qualify without requiring a full conversation with you, only to figure out they're wildly out of your league, price-wise. It's not as helpful as a price range, but we'll get to that in a minute!

Use tiered packages

Even better than just using a 'Starting at' price, if you have different package options at different price points (low, mid, and high options), that gives people a spectrum to place themselves on. Your "low" doesn't have to be your hourly rate or anything, it can be a Design/VIP day, an hour's paid work session, —basically, just a lighter-scope project option that's less of a commitment.

The point is that it signals what kinds of work you take without locking you into one single option, and shows your flexibility.

Try a price range

Instead of a single 'Starting at' price, you can list a range, too. The lowest end of the range should be your absolute base rate, —your "I literally can't do this for any less than $_____." Your highest end of the range should be somewhere above what you'd charge for the most complex project you've ever taken on, or want to do again. That way, you have a lot of wiggle room in between to deliver a custom quote for any project inquiry you get, and potential clients can look at that range and decide if it's in the realm of possibility for them before reaching out. That's the goal!

The price itself is not doing the selling, though. The price is just information. Your website has to do the work of building trust, demonstrating your expertise, and making someone feel like you, specifically, are the right person for their project—before they ever get to the amount it costs. That's what determines whether the price lands well, or triggers them to inwardly cringe & leave.

If someone trusts you enough, they'll reach out even if the price is a stretch for them. They'll want to have the conversation with you first, before they let you go. They'll show up to that discovery call already half-sold, and THEN you can talk through scope, budget, fit, payment plans, — all of it. But that only happens if the rest of your site has already done its job by the time they scroll to your pricing section on the sales page for the service they want.

Your Homework:

Pull up your website right now and ask yourself these questions:

• If I were a total stranger who knew nothing about web design and landed on this page, would I trust this person?

• Do they have testimonials?

• Is there a photo of them? Or a video intro so I can see that they are real?

• Anything that makes this person feel like a real human being to me, and one that I'd trust, pay, & hand my business or livelihood over to?

⭐️ Remember!

A price shared in isolation—with no context, no trust-building, no personality—is always going to land cold.

But that's not necessarily a pricing problem, it's probably a messaging problem & you need to find out whether you're communicating the value of that amount effectively.

Think Like a Scientist: Iterate, Adjust, Experiment with Your Sales Page, but Don't Abandon It

I'll be blunt: James is obviously a successful designer and a smart person; his experiment was genuinely interesting to read. But I think his understandable fears, and potentially even his panic, changed more variables than he realized, and "remove the prices" was possibly the wrong conclusion to draw from the results he got.

The best advice I've ever heard came from another James (Wedmore): to think like a scientist. Scientists don't prove a theory and then close the book on it forever—no! They stay curious, keep testing, and stay open to being proved wrong at a later date.

When this designer's services page wasn't converting, the right response was to evaluate, iterate, adjust, and pivot, not to go back to the known status quo.

We are designers, after all! We can restructure the page, move the page content around so that the value of the service itself (& the problem it solves) is shared BEFORE the amount we charge to solve it. We can add social proof & testimonials from other clients. We can test a different price point, or rearrange how prices are shared on the page.

Change ONE thing and see what happens after giving it some time to work (or not).

Fear is a terrible data analyst. When you're in fight-or-flight mode, you're going to pick the safest-feeling option, not necessarily the one that will actually move your business forward. And removing your prices feels safe because it removes the scary variable, but it also removes your ability to learn anything useful from the situation.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not great at this in my personal life. I can abso-fuckin'-lutely spiral with the best of them! (Hello—Enneagram 6, here!) But in my business, I've practiced treating things like experiments instead, which makes it easier to evaluate what's working vs. what's not. Ex: That didn't work the way I tried it, so what can I adjust? That's the question you have to ask! Not, 'that didn't work, so I'll never try it again.' 🫠🤦🏻‍♀️

Your fear of listing prices is valid. I'm not dismissing it. But valid feelings don't automatically mean your assumptions about the outcome were right. Correlation does NOT equal causation.

Try it. Look at your data. Adjust the variables. Try again.

👇🏼 Want to go deeper on this? This post covers why you might not be getting booked the way you expect, and how our pricing is displayed was a big part of that conversation. Watch/Read that one next!

I've actually tried to sell things online TWO separate times, several years apart.

Both were complete failures.

Joke's on me, –– ba-dum-bump 🥁–– because now I'm doing it again, and it's finally working!

I'm sharing this because I think it's genuinely funny to look back on, and because I believe there's real value in watching someone else's mess so you don't have to make the same one yourself. Neither of these attempts means I was bad at business in general, or that I shouldn't have tried again... I just didn't know what I didn't know yet.

Sound familiar? Thought so. 🤭 Let's get into it.

Attempt #1:
The Etsy Shop (2016-ish)

Okay so... way back around 2016, I opened a shop on Etsy.

Was it a Squarespace template shop? No.

Was it anything related to web design? Also no. 😂

I was working in-house as a graphic designer at a print and embroidery company, which meant I had access to at-cost materials for production. Jackets, T-shirts, hats, koozies, embroidered stuff — you name it, I could make it. So naturally, my brain saw dollar signs, I guess, and I thought: I could just make this stuff on my break while I'm at work.

Classic side hustle logic. Chaotic, but I suppose I still respect it.

I set up my shop on Etsy, did a deep dive into how their system worked, researched the hell out of it, and... it didn't go so well.

I had one sale.

One. Single. Sale. EVER.

And you might think I'm crazy for putting this on the internet, but apparently that's exactly the kind of thing I'd do & laugh at: the ONE sale I got happened on my actual birthday, from a complete stranger, for a RIP David Bowie koozie.

Like... WHAT?

Honestly, I'm not even a super-fan of Bowie. I'm more of an REM girl. Bowie's cool, but I'm not tattooing a lightning bolt on my face anytime soon.

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

I literally sold it for $4.16, total. Shipped it myself. Produced it myself. Designed it myself. All me, baby! LOL

(Etsy also takes a cut of sales, by the way, so I didn't even get the full $4.16. I may have actually lost money on that koozie. 😂)

Eventually Etsy emailed me and said hey, you don't have the rights to use this image, we're taking the listing down. And I was like: "(😬 Shit.) Cool, cool, cool. Not a big deal." And that was the last sale I ever made on Etsy.

Why My Etsy Shop FAILED

Here's the thing: I wasn't completely clueless. I had researched Etsy. I understood the concept. But understanding a concept and having an actual strategy are two very different things.

The shop failed because:

• I didn't have a clear niche. I had random stuff — koozies, merch, whatever I could produce, with totally random stuff on those products. There was no cohesive thread, no clear customer in mind.

• I didn't have an audience. I thought I could "borrow" Etsy's audience by just showing up on the platform. Etsy is a search-driven marketplace. If you don't know how to play the SEO game there, you're just a store in the middle of a proverbial field that nobody knows exists.

• I had no strategy for how anyone would find me. I just... put stuff up and waited. The internet did not notice.

That's it. That's the whole Etsy chapter. 😂

Attempt #2:
My Squarespace Template Shop (2020)

Fast forward to 2020. COVID hits. I got furloughed.

Leading up to that point, I'd been pulling back on client work (in my side-hustle) because I was completely burnt out from working a day job and doing client projects at night. So when I suddenly had a lot of free time, I thought: This year, I'm going to focus on designing. I'm going to get creative. Maybe I can make something I can resell.

That was actually a great idea. Genuinely.

The execution, though? That part I botched.

Instead of learning from anyone who had done this before, FIRST, I just dove in and tried to figure it out myself. I designed three Squarespace website templates, bought a Teachable account & learned an entirely new platform, recorded tutorials for how to use each template, uploaded everything to Teachable, and built out the whole shop structure there.

––Oh, and did I mention that I first built the template shop on Showit, of all places, under my then-new brand 'Launch the Damn Thing®' instead of my current Squarespace site & brand??? 🤦🏻‍♀️

(BTW: are you tallying these costs yet? Teachable + Squarespace + Showit + video hosting...)

I could have done it so much simpler. I know that now.

I sold one template. ONE.

It was my favorite of the three I made, so at least there was that.

I did give away two or three templates during the launch promo period because I thought a giveaway would drive waitlist signups, and from the waitlist, people would buy. That logic... did not hold up in practice. 🥴

And then —the part that really stings— I continued to pay for Teachable for over a year afterward, even after I shut down the Showit site, and moved everything from it over to my existing Squarespace website. At $39/month. While I technically didn't have a full-time job.

So I created three templates, recorded tutorials for each one, edited said tutorials, made A LOT of bad takes because I was not comfortable on camera, set up a whole launch, gave stuff away for free, and then paid $39/month to host a shop that wasn't selling anything.

Cool, cool, cool. 🫠

Why My Template Shop Failed

1. I spent too much & used the wrong platform (for me).

Teachable is a course platform & it's a great one. People use it as educators to deliver courses, not templates. Putting a template shop on Teachable for me, was like opening a coffee shop inside a car dealership and wondering why people keep asking you about financing & test drives. 😆

In 2020, hosting tutorial videos on Squarespace wasn't really possible the way it is now, with Squarespace's newer built-in features, but even so, Teachable was disconnected from Squarespace in every meaningful way. Squarespace template transfers are a manual process. You have to set up your own automated delivery system through something like Zapier. I had none of that in place.

2. I gave away value at the start and tanked my own perceived worth.

By giving away free templates during the launch, I was essentially telling people: these aren't worth paying for. That's not what I meant, but that's what the action communicated. Oopsie! Lesson learned.

3. No warm audience.

This is the bigger one. I had created a small waitlist that I built while I was creating the shop, but I didn't have an audience that was asking me to create a template shop. Nobody had requested this. I just had time on my hands and thought people would buy because... "why wouldn't they? It's way cheaper than a custom website!"

But "why wouldn't they" is NOT a marketing strategy.

4. No evergreen traffic driving people to the shop.

No organic content strategy to create a flow of traffic to the shop directly. No ads. No SEO plan. Nothing consistently funneling new people toward what I was selling.

So basically: I built the shop, ...I waited for someone to notice, ...and nobody ever did.

What Both Failures Had in Common

Here's the pattern I didn't see until after the second failure, because I genuinely thought I had learned from the first one.

I built something without an audience first BOTH times.

That's it. That's the whole lesson.

The audience are the people who buy. If you don't have people waiting for what you're making — people who asked for it, who know you, who trust you — then it doesn't matter how good the product is. It doesn't exist to them, because they don't know it exists, and if you don't have a marketing strategy even fewer people will find it.

Both times, I basically opened the equivalent of a shop in the middle of a field, in a rural area, with no roads leading to it, and wondered why nobody was walking in & where all my foot-traffic was. 👀

The other things they had in common:

• Wrong platform. Etsy required expertise in their system that I didn't have. Teachable was built for courses, not Squarespace templates & was overpriced for what I needed at that time.

• No strategy for discovery. Likely terrible SEO, no content or marketing engine, no ads, no audience pipeline.

• Assumed demand instead of validating it. I thought of a thing, assumed it would work, assumed people wanted it, and launched into the void.

⏭️ Skip to 8:15 in the video where I toured the old website!

👀 A Peek at the Old Shop‍ ‍(Studio 1862)

Since I'm already putting my embarrassment on the internet, I might as well show you what's left of the old shop.

My previous brand was called Studio 1862 — named after the year our old log cabin house was originally built. I still keep the back end of that Squarespace site alive just so I can see where I came from. A lot of it got lost after I let it expire originally, after moving to 7.1 and starting over as Launch the Damn Thing®, but a few remnants survive.

The "shoppe" itself listed:

• A mini website audit offer

• A mini brand audit offer

• A Photoshop T-shirt mockup template I'd made for my day job (this one actually sold okay organically, which is hilarious in retrospect)

• A freebie

• And a roundup of Society6 coffee mugs with designs like "Get Shit Done," "Fuck This Shit," and "Oh, For Fuck's Sake"

Why? 🤷‍♀️ Why were there swear word mugs on my professional design brand? I have no idea. I thought they were funny (still do), but they did not match the Studio 1862 vibe at all. But looking back, this is actually when I started realizing there was a massive disconnect between how I was representing my brand and who I actually was as a person, and ultimately the face of the company I was accidentally building.

Those mugs would fit perfectly on Launch the Damn Thing® though! On Studio 1862? Not so much. The rebrand wasn't just a name change — it was me finally figuring out how to show up as myself.

What I Did Differently to Actually Sell My Products

Between 2020 and now, I didn't just try again, I completely changed my approach.

After the rebrand to Launch the Damn Thing®, something clicked. The new vibe was more me. Marketing felt easier. I had more fun doing it. I stopped dreading the content work because I wasn't performing a version of myself that didn't fit anymore.

Eventually I started building an audience here on YouTube, growing my email list, and showing up consistently in ways that actually connected. I got intentional about platforms, positioning, and —most importantly— who I was building things for.

The biggest shift: I stopped trying to figure it all out alone.

I'd never run a successful digital product shop before. I didn't know what I didn't know. And after the second failure, I finally accepted that if I was ever going to do this again, I needed to learn from someone who had already done it successfully.

That was the best decision I made in this whole process!

Now the shop pretty much runs on autopilot. Same person, same business under a different name (& vibe), but a completely different experience for both me and my students!

The Course That Helped Me 3x My Sales

I took Kate Scott's Scale With Templates course, and it taught me everything I was missing.

I quite literally 3x'd my digital product sales after binging Scale with Templates, going from earning $5,745 in 2023, to making $17,965 in 2024.

The course was created specifically for Squarespace designers who want to set up a template shop that actually works. It covers the tech (including ThriveCart and selling through Squarespace), plus positioning, pricing, delivery systems, and all the strategy stuff I was flying blind on both times before.

It's the roadmap I wish I'd had in 2016, ...and again in 2020.

Kate's videos are clear, to the point, with no-fluff, and are very well produced. I powered through it in less than a week, maybe even a weekend. It answered every question I didn't know I had, and probably some I'd been too embarrassed to ask before.

Even though my shop doesn't primarily sell Squarespace templates right now (it actually only sells one Squarespace template for designers, as of posting), everything I learned in that course still applied well enough, in concept, to the digital products I am selling. The strategy transferred well.

👉 Learn from Kate! Enrollment opens periodically, so check the link for current availability.

Lessons Learned from 2 Failed Online Shops

Want to see more of my mess-ups? Drop a comment below! I'm planning to make "I Did It Wrong" a recurring thing here on the blog and on YouTube — real failures, real lessons, mistakes you can actually learn from without making them yourself.

And if you're a Squarespace designer thinking about selling templates, check the link above to enroll in Kate's course. Learn from my shit-show, so you don't have to live it.

Neither of those failures meant I was bad at business & should give up.

The Bowie koozie was a $4.16 lesson & a slap on the wrist for doing something truly stupid. The Teachable shop was a $39/month-for-a-year lesson. Both lessons were worth learning — because those experiences eventually pushed me toward the education I actually needed, which led to the strategy I'm now using successfully.

You can see the roadmap: two failures → found the right resource → learned the strategy → implemented it → it worked.

That's not a failure arc! It's just how it actually goes sometimes, IRL.

Done is better than perfect. Get the idea out there. If it flops, find someone who's figured it out, learn from them, and try again with better information. The journey is not as linear as we want it to be, but it's also not as complicated as we make it. 🤭

We don't have to be perfect on the first try. Or even the second one.

This post is sponsored by Squarespace. That said, I've been building websites on Squarespace since long before this sponsorship existed, and everything you're about to read reflects my honest experience and opinions. I only work with brands I actually use and believe in.

The opinions in this post are based on my own direct experience using these platforms, firsthand feedback from clients and students I've worked with, and independent research. While I've done my best to ensure accuracy, some experiences are anecdotal in nature. Website platform features, pricing, and capabilities change frequently — always verify current details directly with each platform before making a decision.

When I first decided to start freelancing as a more serious side-hustle in 2015, the available options for building my own website were few and far between. At least, they seemed hard to find when you didn’t exactly know what you were looking for. From what I remember, it seemed like FrontPage, WordPress, or some kind of custom-coded solution that I wasn’t equipped to build at the time. 

In fact, the senior designer from the art department at my then-day job had chosen to custom code that company’s website himself, rather than build it on a no-code website building platform. Even as a designer myself, I didn’t have anyone around me that I felt like I could ask for help or guidance on what to pick. 

So I panicked and decided to start with a Facebook Business profile instead. 😂 

Shortly after that, I realized I did need to have a website and I decided to try learning to code first. (Because that sounds super easy, right? 🤭) This approach lasted about 3-6 months. I was decent at it, even proud of my progress, but ultimately I realized that wasn’t sustainable and went looking for something easier.

Now, years later, there are easily 10x the options that were available back when I started this journey for myself, and even more things to consider while making this choice. 

I’ve created this comparison guide to help you decide which website builder platform to use and other related considerations you might not be aware of during your research. Hopefully it’ll help you decide what the best fit will be for your website too!

I’ll be transparent with you about which website builders I’ve actually used myself (because I have used and tried a lot of them, though I specialize in only one now), and which platforms I’ve only explored, researched, or lightly tinkered with, out of curiosity.

Quick Picks: Best Website Builders By Use-Case

If you’re not here for the deep dive (that I’m practically famous for around here), here’s the short version. This decision involves more considerations than you might think! If you’re on the fence after this list, skim the next section before you commit.

• ⭐ Best Overall -> Squarespace

• 🛒 Best for product-based businesses -> Shopify

• 💼 Best for service-based businesses -> Squarespace

• 🌱 Best for beginners -> Squarespace

• 🎨 Best for portfolios & creatives -> Squarespace

• 🖥️ Best for granular no-code design control -> Showit 

• ✍️ Best for dedicated bloggers & CMS databases -> WordPress

• 🧑‍💻 Best for developers & designers -> WordPress, Webflow, or Framer

• 🔗 Best for the most customization & integration power -> WordPress

🆕 Keeping my eye on: 

• Figma Sites, 

• Ghost, etc.

They’re newer, and some are gaining popularity quickly. But they still seem unproven, or they’re missing features that matter for SEO, accessibility, or marketing. Before I’d choose one of these, I’d watch their development for a couple more years to see if the company has staying power, or if it’s just another quickly developed tool that’ll fall flat when everyone realizes how ineffective it is at performance.

⛔ Not recommended: 

Options like the following are not worth the time, money, or research for a variety of reasons: 

• GoDaddy’s Website Builder

• GoDaddy’s Airo (AI-powered builder), 

• Kajabi and similar platforms which include basic website builders, 

• ‘blogging’ platforms like Substack or Medium, 

• miscellaneous other platforms that can build customizable public pages like Notion and ‘make’ them websites

• Weebly – it used to be a bigger player, but it’s been acquired by another company that’s not committed to keep it updated or to innovate and improve the platform. I personally wouldn’t bet on it being actively improved long-term.

• Canva Sites – these aren’t accessible or SEO-optimized, so in my opinion that makes them closer to a shareable web page than a real website builder.

How to Choose A Website Builder: What Actually Matters The Most

Here’s the checklist of things that are really important for this research process, beyond design options and user-friendly or drag-and-drop interfaces.

Pricing: Actual Cost vs. Advertised Prices

For a lot of platforms, the advertised monthly rate is just the start of how much it costs to have and run a website. You’ll want to understand all of the different things you may be paying for, including hidden add-ons that may show up later.

Things to look for might include hosting fees, blog fees, extra payment processing fees, and higher prices to access video hosting, blog functionality, or higher-traffic for larger audiences. Support may cost more in some places, and design themes may be free or paid depending on which you decide to use.

When you consider all of the costs related to your website, that $10-20/mo rate can go up pretty quickly, so don’t let that deceive you into thinking one is cheaper than another, or if that cheap price only includes the bare minimum & would force you to buy a bunch of add-ons to get a functional website.

Ease of Use: How Much Do You Want To Learn?

The next important thing to consider is how much do you want to learn in order to create, edit, or maintain this website? It’s not a judgment! I swear. This is an important thing to consider, and may immediately eliminate most of this list, depending on how you answer.

All platforms have a learning curve, but some are bigger and longer than others. Some platforms are beginner-friendly, while other builders give you truly incredible design control. In exchange for granular design control, there may be a lot more to learn how to use, depending on your background and experience with this sort of thing. 

Neither option is bad, of course; it just depends on your capacity and bandwidth for learning something new, especially if you plan to maintain and edit it yourself.

Figure out which camp you fall into, and it’ll save you a hell of a lot of frustration!

Built-in Features vs. Bolted-On with Third-Party Add-Ons

The phrase “bolted on” always makes me think of Frankenstein 🧟 but I think that’s kind of the point, because it’s describing a monster of ad-hoc connections, integrations, and other mess that tends to feel messy and chaotic on the backend. 

Whereas, features that are built into the platform are typically simpler in capability, but don’t require extra effort to connect those pieces to your website, which is often very helpful!

Examples of these added features you might one day need are:

• Invoicing

• Email marketing

• Scheduling

• Analytics

• Privacy solutions

• Course hosting

• Members-only or password protected content

• SEO tools

• and more!

Neither of these are necessarily wrong, but it’s harder to duct-tape these kinds of features together with tools like Zapier, Make, or Pabbly, and it usually costs a bit more too. Trust me on this! The more you have to manually integrate and “bolt on”, the more of a Frankenstein it becomes.

Scalability: Will Your Website Grow With Your Business?

Where is your business or venture headed in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, or even 10 years? Will this current system you choose now hold up for a while as you grow?

The first version you launch into the world won’t be perfect (and that’s normal), but with some platforms you’d be able to stay and rebuild individual pages as needed, or even redesign the whole website without needing to move or migrate a new platform.

So as you decide, think about the things you might want to add in the near or distant future like a blog, video library, course, shop, password-protected content, a membership or forum, scheduling systems, a client or customer portal, etc. Choose the platform that will grow most easily with you.

AI Features Included

Insert eye-roll here. 😂 Whether you enjoy using AI, are sick of hearing about it, or somewhere in between, you know we have to talk about it! This consideration is MUCH newer to the conversation, but since most platforms have their own built-in AI now and more and more platforms are AI-powered and run based on prompts, we can’t ignore this one.

AI-powered website builders, SEO tools, and content creation tools have gone from being useless or gimmicky to being genuinely useful in many cases. 

That said, as I hinted at earlier in this post, I don’t think that choosing the platform based on its AI capabilities is the best possible choice you can make. Choose the website builder for its website-specific capabilities, not solely based on how well or how much AI is integrated into the user experience.

AI-Only Website Builders: Are They Worth Using Yet?

By this I mean “AI-powered,” and am referencing website builders that solely use AI to build the entire website with our prompts, like Lovable, Claude Design, Durable, and Relume, etc.

These types of builders are popping up all over the place! Some seem better than others, but since they’re all new and untested for sustainability, security, privacy, SEO, strategy, and other considerations, they’re honestly not what I’d recommend for a serious business website yet. 

I know I seem biased saying this, as a web designer! 

Honestly though, as an example, Lovable already has a reputation for creating beautiful designs that have absolutely horrific SEO structure, which means the websites it builds aren’t likely to get found by the intended audience because search engines can’t understand what’s on those website pages. (And in turn, that means it’s not worth the time or money spent using it.) That’s just one example!

SOURCES: 

• I analysed 6,000+ Lovable websites

• SEO and Lovable: Is it really that bad, and is there hope it’ll get better soon?

I don’t know what the future holds, but at least for now, this is not a viable option yet for anyone that runs a business or needs to be found online by customers, clients, or fans. 🤷

In addition to that, one agency’s ROI comparison (Spark Interact) suggests that AI-built sites often have a shorter ‘average lifespan’ of around 1-2 years versus professionally designed websites lasting around 3-5 years before significant changes or a redesign is needed. 

Platform Stability: Is Your Website Built To Last?

The stability of the company itself is an important consideration too. The last thing you want is to spend 60+ hours building your website, or paying someone else thousands to build it for you, then find out the company has declared bankruptcy, being absorbed by a company you don’t like, or shutting down, and is forcing you to move your website to another platform, as a result.

This is yet another reason why I’m not ‘convinced’ by these AI-powered builders yet, because failure rates are high. A lot of these tools pop up fast, and disappear even faster. 

Builder.ai is a great example. According to The New York Times, it went from a $1.5 billion unicorn to Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidation within months, after prestigious investors poured $450 million into the company, including Microsoft (which invested $30M in 2023). 

And now with vibe-coding being so popular, it’s all too easy to create something that looks legit, but may have near zero users and/or no funding for maintenance, security, updates, support, and innovation. These founders are getting a serious reality check after one founder-focused observation from Forbes Technology Council put it like this: week one is excitement, week three is concern, and by month two, many people are bailing.

SOURCES: 

• How Builder.ai Collapsed Amid Silicon Valley’s Biggest Boom - The New York Times

• Beyond The Hype: Why 'Vibe Coding' Leaders Are Facing A Retention Crisis

• AI vs Traditional Web Design: Which Delivers Better ROI?

7 Best Website Builders

Most website platforms clearly fall into one of a few categories: ecommerce, AI-powered, all-in-ones, self-hosted, and intended for designers or developers. Once you know which bucket you fall into, the next deciding factors are how modern it feels, how easy it is to use, and how much it’ll cost. 

I’m evaluating these based on pricing, learning curve, built-in options vs add-ons, scalability, SEO and accessibility, ecommerce, and long-term stability. Not all of those factors matter equally to every platform, so I’m also weighing these based on what each of these builders are intended to do best.

I’ll also mark which of these I’ve used myself to build websites, so you know whether my opinions were formed with hands-on experience, research, or reputation. 

Since there’s truly no one perfect or best platform for everyone (only the ‘best platform’ for your project), these are listed in order of how much I’ve personally used each of these platforms (from most to least), not in order of “best” to “worst.” For each one, I’ll share my opinions, important advantages and disadvantages, and who I believe it will work best for.

1. Squarespace – Best All-In-One Builder for Small Businesses

ALL-IN-ONE •  EASY •  AFFORDABLE

💡My Experience: I’ve created, edited, and/or managed 70+ websites on Squarespace and I’ve used it for years, making it the platform I’m most familiar with and the one I know inside and out.

Squarespace is the best all-in-one option I’ve ever found, and it works really well for small businesses in pretty much any industry. It combines a professional looking design, with solid SEO options throughout, and built-in features that businesses usually need, like: invoicing, scheduling, basic email marketing, contact forms, blogging, etc., all under one subscription and with a price tag that’s genuinely hard to beat.

While Squarespace is sponsoring this post, I’ve been recommending it for years and years. I’ve used it loooong before this opportunity, and I’d still choose it even if it weren’t sponsored, because it’s that good.

Squarespace fills the sweet spot for so many: it’s beautiful enough for design-forward creatives, powerful enough for more serious businesses, approachable enough for DIYers and beginners, and you don’t need a developer to help you maintain it.

They offer a lighter AI-powered site builder with Blueprint AI which preserves your creative control, or you can choose from a library of basic templates that offer a good starting point with a decent structure and innovative designs that don’t require any coding skills.

It’s the best you’ll get for a real all-in-one option at this price point, providing a website, scheduling, invoicing, basic email marketing, analytics, domain management, courses, members-only content, and shops, all in the same box. No, not all of those features are best-in-class, but they are absolutely enough to get started, test the waters, and put something out there. But Squarespace is particularly good at innovating and adding features smaller businesses genuinely need and the option to keep it all under one roof for a decent price.

The built-in SEO options are solid. It’s a myth that Squarespace sites are horrible for SEO. That, my friend, is actually dependent on us and how we’ve implemented the SEO strategy on the website we build, because it gives us everything we need to be successful if we make good use of it.

Is it perfect? No. But seriously, is any platform perfect? 😂

If you want a high-volume shop, Shopify would be a better choice. If you want pixel-perfect control then Showit, Webflow, or maybe Framer would be a better fit. And if you’re a developer that wants all the customization you could possibly dream of, WordPress is the best option for that.

But for the vast majority of website owners these days, including small business owners, service providers, creatives, and freelancers who just need an attractive and competitively priced website that looks great, works reliably, and doesn’t become a second full-time job to manage, Squarespace is what I’d recommend every time.It’s faster, easier, cheaper, and remarkably hard to break.

Bottom Line: If you want a professional, modern, easy to create, and easy to maintain website that doesn’t take up so much of your time, Squarespace is the best overall platform for most small businesses.

✅ Pros

• Good, modern templates that are free to use

• Designs look really modern & good, right out of the box

• An all-in-one: website, scheduling, invoicing, email marketing, domains, course hosting, shops, analytics, & more

• Blueprint AI makes getting started easier & faster

• Built-in SEO & AIO options for search visibility

• No coding necessary, but code can still be added in multiple areas if wanted

• Customer Support is generally available 24/7 via email, or during the week via live chat

• Scales well from initial launch to multi-six figure growth

• Free trial lengths vary & can be extendable 

  • the normal free trial is just 14 days, but Circle Members can offer clients longer free trial periods to accommodate the time needed to build the website

• Community of Squarespace Circle Members (professional users like me) is phenomenal, supportive, & helpful

❌ Cons

• No free plan; free trials start with 14 days (check current pricing here)

• Not the right fit for serious, high-volume ecommerce or course hosting

• You don’t build elements from scratch, which means less granular pixel-perfect design control without adding custom code

• Many of the built-in features are basic compared to best-in-class competitors (but you may not need robust options in each of these areas either)

Best for:

Squarespace is going to be the best fit for smaller businesses, service providers, creative industries (artists, musicians, designers, photographers, etc), freelancers, coaches, and anyone else that wants a professional website without the hassle of maintenance sucking up all of their time.

Pricing:

Plans start affordably low at around $16/mo (billed annually), as of posting. Make sure you factor in the additional cost of domains, privacy compliance (privacy policy, cookies management, etc), transaction fees if selling anything on your website, and any feature add-ons when budgeting for this one. Always check Squarespace’s Pricing page for the current rates as that’s subject to change: squarespace.com/pricing.

2. Shopify – Best Website Builder for High-Volume Ecommerce

ECOMMERCE • MODERATE •   PRICY

💡My Experience: I’ve created, edited, and/or managed a few websites on Shopify, have used it on and off for a few years, and took a course on the finer points of using the platform, making it the second-most familiar platform I’ve used over the last decade.

If your primary source of business revenue comes from your product sales, then Shopify’s platform is quite literally built specifically for that. I believe it’s the most capable ecommerce website builder currently available, while also not coming with the caveats WordPress famously brings. If products aren’t your sole or primary source of income, then it’s probably not the right fit for your business model.

Shopify was built from the ground up for online shops and ecommerce websites. Meaning, Shopify specializes in building websites specifically for product-based businesses that have (or want to have) serious sales volume, and sell a lot of merchandise as the primary revenue source of the business. It’s the best ecommerce platform on the market, in my opinion, especially for high-volume product businesses.

But it also has a decent website builder, offering a modern drag-and-drop design editor, and a code-free experience with both free and paid templates available. In addition to that, developers can add custom-code throughout to further customize the design or functionality, but Shopify uses Liquid in addition to other code languages like CSS, so it does require more of a specialized skillset to add custom code to this platform.

If you’re a service-based business, coach, creative (photographer, designer, etc), or freelancer, you’ll probably hate it and feel boxed in, but it’s not designed for the service-based business model. Blogging tools and non-commerce pages will feel a bit clunky to design, leaving a lot to be desired.

It’s best at larger shops that either already have or plan to have high-volume sales and a lot of inventory with minimal backend management. The platform provides ways to make bulk changes in inventory, automatically show products where they need to be across the website without duplication, and even connect with a litany of other integrated tools to make it a truly unique ecommerce setup.

The cost can add up quickly, with transaction fees, add-ons for various extra tools & integrations, and a higher starting cost for their lowest plan compared to Squarespace’s entry-level plan.

For the right client or business, Shopify is an easy recommendation!

✅ Pros

• Gold standard for user-friendly product-based businesses

• Massive app ecosystem

• Large template library to fit every budget (some designed by Shopify, but most are designed by Shopify experts, designers or developers)

• Exceptional & easy checkout system

• Scales well from smaller shops to enterprise systems

• Built-in systems for abandoned carts

• Customizable email notifications for purchases

• Detailed variant control

• Bulk actions are available throughout inventory management areas

• “Shop Pay” allows members to save payment info to use on any Shopify-hosted store, simplifying checkout for customers

• Centralized “Shop” mobile app provides an extra way to be discovered by new customers by allowing shops to opt to be discoverable there too

• Manage subscriptions, payment installments, discounts, pre-orders, & more

• Strong shipping options

• Lots of inventory integrations

• 24/7 support

• AI assistant to answer questions (extremely helpful & effective)

❌ Cons

• Overkill for service-based businesses

• Free template designs can be underwhelming

• Paid template designs can be harder to use, as their editing interface can be a little different between templates

• No built-in scheduling options

• No built-in email marketing options

• Transaction fees may differ between plans, or based on what payment processor you choose

• Blogging and non-commerce page designs are clunky

• Cost climbs up pretty quickly depending on which extras you want to add

Best for:

Product-based businesses, online stores, high-volume ecommerce, retail brands, and any business model that relies primarily on the sales of physical or digital products at scale.

Pricing:

Plans start at $29/mo (billed annually), which is roughly double Squarespace’s lowest rate, but you get a full storefront and website. Make sure you factor in the additional cost of domains, privacy compliance (privacy policy, cookies management, etc), transaction fees, app costs, and any add-on apps when budgeting for this one. Check shopify.com/pricing for current details.

3. Showit – Best for Creatives & Granular (No-Code) Design Control

DESIGNERS • MODERATE •  PRICY

💡My experience:I’ve created, edited, and/or managed a couple websites on Showit, including one of my own. I’ve tried it on and off for a few years, but ultimately don’t enjoy using it, which is why I moved my Showit site to another platform.

Showit is really fun to play with, and it gives designers and creatives much more granular design freedom and control than almost any other no-code builder on this list. BUT, with that freedom comes real tradeoffs because it is a website-only tool that will require multiple additional subscriptions for nearly everything else that’s in your website ecosystem, like scheduling, robust contact forms, email marketing, analytics, etc.

I totally get why designers and creatives initially gravitate toward Showit, because the editing experience feels like using Adobe creative software. It feels so much like a graphic design app! When I use it, I catch myself attempting Adobe keyboard shortcuts (pure muscle memory from using Adobe’s industry-standard creative software for 20 years), and then remember where I am. 😂

With pixel-perfect and super granular design control, you can design a totally custom mobile or desktop website experience that’s unique and great for a design-focused approach.

That said, it’s usually marketed as ‘limitless design freedom’, but I beg to differ! The reality is more nuanced than that, and I found limits on the very first website I built with it. I know those limitations weren’t my own, because even multiple people on Showit’s support team told me that what I wanted to do couldn’t be done the way I’d envisioned it. 🤭 So it’s notactually limitless design freedom, of course.

Showit is purely a website builder. There’s no extras for ecommerce, analytics, email marketing, scheduling, invoicing, domain hosting, course hosting, or even robust forms. Those extras will require a separate third-party tool, and probably an additional subscription, making it a pricier option than you’d expect.

Even blogging isn’t included on their cheapest tier, and their plans are also partially traffic-based, which means the cost goes up with the size of your audience! To add a blog to your Showit site, it’s actually just bolting on WordPress blog functionality, which requires Showit’s Support team to set it up on the backend for you. Then you have to design everything for it as a templated layout system for the blog feed, blog post layouts, etc. To add and publish posts, you have to log into WordPress to write, edit, and schedule them in a separate place, which feels like a disjointed system that can be confusing. On the upside, because it uses WordPress for the blog, once set up correctly, it can be a pretty powerful system with access to WordPress plugins like Yoast for SEO checks as you write.

The Desktop and Mobile version of your website are designed separately, though they can be seen side-by-side in the editor. What you add to the Desktop version gets added to the mobile version automatically, but by default the styles you assigned to that element on Desktop don’t carry over unless you apply the styling to each one, creating an extra step. If you’re not careful, it’ll create a mess that’s hard to sort through and redesign on either version. This process doubles the already elongated design time, when compared to faster platforms.

Showit also doesn’t build responsive websites. Because the canvas-style editor lets you stick any element, anywhere, you’re limited in how the platform controls the location of those elements on the page, as the browser size (width & height) adjusts based on the visitor’s screen size or device. Meaning, while the Desktop and Mobile sites can be customized, the in-between sizes are easily a mess, because the platform doesn’t fluidly adjust the elements & their spacing to accommodate the device being used to view the website.

You get to (or have to?) build everything from scratch. Everything! Header navigation, footer navigation, FAQ dropdowns, slideshows, forms, blog feeds, recent post carousels, popups, announcement bars, —you —name it. Until 2026, they didn’t even have a button element, so you built those from scratch too. You even have to apply the headers & footers to every page of the website, though at least they stay synced to one preset design you assign to the website, so you don’t have duplicates to edit. Recently they just added a “button” element, meaning finally you don’t have to build buttons from scratch anymore! 🫠

While I haven’t tested this in great detail myself, Showit isn’t considered an accessible platform for our website’s visitors, with more limited options for users navigating the web with screenreaders, etc. which can pose serious problems with accessibility compliance laws.

They have a reputation for being the best fit for photographers and creatives who prioritize design (in my opinion, even over functionality), and are already pretty tech-savvy. But my overall opinion is that their websites typically look really pretty, but function poorly because they lack consistent usability structure, leaving that up to the designer or developer. I often find a lot of design issues on Showit sites, because there’s just SO much more room for error. 

Bottom Line: 

Showit is incredible for pixel-perfect design control if you’re comfortable building a lot of elements from scratch; it’s not the best choice if you need an all-in-one solution or a set-it-and-forget it website.

✅ Pros

• Almost limitless code-free design freedom

• Design Canvas feels fairly intuitive to use for most basic design elements

• Genuinely beautiful template marketplace with both free & paid options

• Has a strong creative community that champions the platform

• Better Asset Library management to organize all the images, graphics, & logos you add to the site

• Great chat support on all plans

• Hosting the blog on WordPress adds power to the blog, with caveats

• A free 2-week trial

❌ Cons

• Not an all-in-one, extra features require more tools & subscriptions

• Design freedom does actually have limits, & adding code to further customize things isn’t what they’re known for

• No domain hosting, or built-in analytics dashboard

• Desktop & Mobile are designed separately from each other

• There’s no Tablet version of the website, & the websites are not responsive (don’t resize fluidly based on the visitor’s screen size)

• Hosting the blog on WordPress adds complexity in general, hikes the pricing, and adds confusion during setup

• Premium, well-designed templates are very expensive, typically upwards of $500 to $1,000/each

• There’s no AI builder or AI SEO tools

• Prices climb when you factor in all the extra tools & higher tier plans you’ll need for the features you want

Best for:

Showit’s marketed for photographers, brand designers, and other visual or design-forward creatives that prioritize the design over everything else. Typically these folks are already using additional tools they love & want to keep for the extras Showit doesn’t manage, and are also tech-savvy enough to set them up without issue.

Pricing:

Plans start affordably around $22/mo (billed annually), but when you factor in adding a blog they bump up to $27/mo or $39/mo respectively (both billed annually), and that doesn’t include the additional subscriptions for email marketing, forms, Instagram feed widgets, and more. Check Showit.com/pricing for the current rates, and make sure to budget for the additional tools you may need to work alongside your website there.

4. Wix – Best for Tech-Savvy Beginners, or Developers Prioritizing Design Flexibility

ALL-IN-ONE • MODERATE • AFFORDABLE

💡My experience: I’ve migrated clients away from Wix, and I’ve also edited, or tinkered on the backend of a few websites on Wix. I find it frustratingly granular, and not at all beginner-friendly, making it hard to recommend for my clients.

Wix is harder to pin down because the editing experience is much different, depending on which editor you’re using. Their app marketplace is massive, but whether it will work well for you will depend on your attention to details, how tech-savvy you are, and even which editor you choose.

Wix is often compared to Squarespace, but I don’t think that’s really an apples-to-apples comparison. It has a limited free plan, which makes it an affordable option, and a massive app market at your fingertips to help expand functionality of the website as you grow. They also have built-in AI with Astro, but I can’t speak much to that myself as I haven’t used it. And they have a huge library of available design templates to help you get started quickly. 

They also have two totally different editing experiences: one drag-and-drop editor for DIYers which is easy to use but also easy to create a mess, and a different one called Wix Studio (previously called Editor X) for developers that requires building elements from scratch like you would on Framer or Webflow.

When people refer to Wix being easy to use, they’re probably referring to the original drag-and-drop editor. They’re probably not referring to Wix Studio, which is aimed at designers and agencies, and feels closer to using Framer or Webflow. Wix Studio is not at all beginner-friendly, so don’t get them mixed up!

It’s a legitimate option for someone who wants more design control than most user-friendly builders, or a built-in app library that rivals Shopify’s, the power of an all-in-one, and an affordable starting point.

✅ Pros

• Massive template library

• Free plans are available

• Large app market for additional functionality

• AI tools like Astro are built in

• Good for simpler sites that need to launch fairly quickly

• Good for developers that want a Webflow-like editing experience with Wix Studio

• 24/7 support

❌ Cons

• Two very different editing experiences, often confusing for new users to understand or decide between

• Freeform editor can create a mess very quickly & horrific mobile experiences

• Ceiling for design quality is lower for the DIY-friendly editor than Squarespace or Showit 

• Building common elements (like buttons) from scratch is time-consuming

• Can’t switch templates after publishing, without rebuilding the site on the new template

• Free plans show Wix ads and their subdomain

• Gets pricier as you add apps & functionality to the site

Best for:

Wix seems best for tech-savvy beginners who want a simpler website quickly with more design control, don’t mind starting from a template, and like having the app marketplace available to help them add functionality later as the business grows. It’s also great for developers, since Wix Studio is aimed specifically at the Webflow and Framer fans. 

Pricing:

With their available (limited) free plan, it’s a great option if you want to test the waters for free before you commit to a platform. Paid plans start around $17/mo (billed annually), close to Squarespace’s starting price, and apps may cost extra. Check Wix.com/upgrade/website for current pricing.

5. Framer – Best for Designers Who Prioritize Speed & Performance

DEVELOPERS • ADVANCED • PRICY

💡My experience: I’ve signed up for a free trial to tinker with Framer, and that’s it. I’m intrigued, but have never built a site with it myself.

Framer has been getting some serious traction among the Webflow community of designers and developers, because it’s known for being exceptionally fast, but it’s truly NOT beginner-friendly and like Showit, it doesn’t include much of anything beyond the website itself.

Framer started as a prototyping tool, but evolved into a fully-fledged website building platform. Framer is one of the newer platforms on this list, so it still has some proving to do! But it’s already building a fanbase and good reputation among Webflow users, to the point that many are switching over or adding it into their specialty so they can design on either, depending on the project. 

Speed is often touted as its best selling point; the websites built with Framer are noticeably faster-loading, which is one of the many ranking factors considered for SEO and user experience design.

They offer a built-in AI tool to get up and running more quickly, which generates layouts and helps build the site faster. This is most useful for designers who want the foundation established quickly, and then the ability to further customize it themselves, rather than building from a blank canvas.

The learning curve isn’t as steep as Webflow, but it’s also not as beginner-friendly as a typical drag-and-drop builder, assuming their users have design literacy.

Like Showit, it’s a website publishing tool, so it doesn’t offer any built-in extras. You’ll need third-party tools for additional features you want to add to the website itself, including ecommerce, scheduling, email marketing, robust inquiry forms, etc.

There’s no 24/7 support, and the support that is available is provided via chat on paid plans only.

No free plan is listed in the table on their pricing page, yet there are buttons which say to start free. The language on their pricing page can be confusing. So, do they, or don’t they, have a free plan? It seems like they really don’t want you to realize they have one, or stay there if you do. 🤭

✅ Pros

• Exceptionally fast website performance out of the box

• Design-focused interface that will feel intuitive to designers & developers

• AI layout engine to create a faster starting point to build on

• A growing community of super-fans & a template marketplace

• In-house analytics

• Multiple hosting options to improve site speed

• Includes a built-in site search option

❌ Cons

• Confusing ‘free plan’ language

• Not beginner-friendly at all

• The number of included CMS collections & items in those collections are limited on all plans

• Bandwidth usage limits on all plans

• No built-in ecommerce, scheduling, or email marketing options, requiring extra subscriptions for additional features

• No 24/7 support & chat support is only available on paid plans

• Custom domains require a paid plan (so your free plan won’t take ya very far)

• It's a newer, untested, platform so the surrounding design community & ecosystem is smaller than competitors

• Still maturing as a platform

• Less proven at scale than other big competitors

Best for:

Framer is best for tech-savvy designers and developers who prioritize exceptionally fast site performance, a design-focused editing experience with a more intuitive interface to create impressive marketing sites.

Pricing:

Domains are currently free on any plan for the first year, but check the current terms. Paid plans start affordably at just $10/mo (billed annually), but grow quickly based on the scale of the website’s functionality, requiring add-ons for more robust features like A/B testing, relational content management systems, more users (for larger teams), and more. Check framer.com/pricing for current details.

6. Webflow – Best for Designers & Developers That Understand Basic HTML & CSS

DEVELOPERS •  ADVANCED •   PREMIUM

💡My experience: I’ve used Webflow, took a course on the finer points of using the platform, making it the third-most familiar platform I’ve used over the last decade. Ultimately, I find that it’s not a great fit for my ideal clients, and the builds take longer.

Webflow is technically a no-code website builder with drag-and-drop capability, but you really do need to have a foundational understanding of at least HTML & CSS code languages in order to get the most out of it. That gives designers developer-level control without writing code themselves, but it does assume you understand how the code works and that makes it unsuitable for most beginners.

What Webflow can do both from a design and development standpoint is genuinely impressive! I have taken a detailed course on learning to use and make the most out of the platform, and I really like the concept. It speaks well to my Type-A, highly organized brain that likes tedious details on some level, and building cool things.

That said, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” There’s more to watch out for, more risk of breaking something, and it takes a lot more time to create from scratch too. Webflow is NOT for everyone. 😬

The learning curve is arguably as high as WordPress, but for different reasons. It actually sits in an unexpected middle ground, offering way more design flexibility than traditional drag-and-drop editors, but it’s also still much less complicated than coding from scratch and you can preview the changes while you’re working. It’s very purposefully and obviously aimed at designers or developers who already have or are willing to learn foundational code languages like HTML and CSS, otherwise you will be confused and make a mess!

Let’s see if I can explain it! The way Webflow works is by essentially allowing you to write the code as you build by layering the right elements in the right order, on the page. Only, you’re not actually writing any code at all. The reason it’s smart to be well versed in HTML and CSS basics is because the interface references a lot of those terms for div containers, classes, and style properties that are written into the code. So, if you don’t know the terms you’re looking at, you won’t know how to put those pieces together in a functional way.

I’ve heard that they’re also retiring their legacy editor in August 2026, so related workflows are about to change. If you’re just getting started, you might want to wait until that dust settles.

People often get confused on what the client’s editing experience is like when the project is done and handed off, and how it works to host & manage the sites in Webflow as an agency or designer. So be prepared for those things, because the client-facing editor is drastically different from the developer’s editor; that’s not a bad thing, but something to be aware of. There’s also a bit of a weird pricing situation too, which I’ll mention below.

✅ Pros

• Truly exceptional design flexibility & gobs of creative control 

• Build visually engaging & interactive animations, most other builders can’t reproduce

• A powerful built-in CMS for more complex websites with a lot of content

• No-code, but uses developer frameworks, building blocks & systems

• SEO capabilities are strong 7 built-in

• An active, but small, community of designers & developers

❌ Cons

• Very steep learning curve; not beginner friendly

• Pricing is confusing to navigate with a minimum of 2 subscription rates between workspace & website hosting plans

• Ecommerce adds yet another subscription cost & there are added transaction fees on entry-level plans

• Legacy Editor is retiring in August 2026, so existing users have some work to do or new workflows to learn

• No native built-in scheduling, invoicing, or other commonly used tools for service-based businesses

• Totally overkill for most small business owners

• Support isn’t available 24/7

Best for:

So with the builds taking a lot more time, and the need for code language foundations, it’s not great for quick website launches or DIYers, and it’s definitely overkill for simple websites. 

Pricing:

Webflow has a weird dual billing system: you pay separately for your Workspace (your account’s design environment) and your website’s plan (the hosting for the actual website you built), and those are two different subscriptions. 

Website plans have a limited free option; paid plans begin around $14/mo (billed annually), while Workspace plans start free or cost an additional $16/mo (billed annually) for freelancers and they go up from there.

If you decide to add ecommerce on top of that, which you can do on Webflow, that’s yet another layer of subscription fees. While site plans start very affordably for basic websites, most websites will want the option to add a CMS for blogging and that pricing is closer to competitors like Squarespace, but that’s before you tack on the Workspace plan, and any other add-ons like ecommerce features. Check out Webflow.com/pricing for their current rates and read it very carefully!

7. WordPress – Best for Serious Bloggers, Developers, and Maximum Flexibility

SELF-HOSTED • ADVANCED •  PRICY

💡My experience: I’ve tinkered with a few WordPress sites on the backend, only in the settings & shop or blog pages, and have migrated a lot of clients away from it (moving them to another platform). 

WordPress powers more websites than any other platform on this list for a good reason! Its flexibility and extensibility are pretty much unmatched, BUT all that power comes with a bunch of caveats, a steep learning curve, a lot of ongoing maintenance responsibilities, and a total cost that’s not as cheap as you might think.

Ahhhh, WordPress. It’s been around almost as long as the internet. 😂 And yet, I’ve always heard major complaints about it from everyone that uses it! So I’ve purposefully stayed away from it myself, because I think there’s better options for my ideal clients.

That said, you still really can’t have a roundup of relevant website builders without including WordPress, and for a good reason. It still powers about 43% of websites on the internet as recently as 2025, according to W3Techs. Though, I suspect that number includes a large portion of people who just don’t know there are simpler options out there. 🤭

The biggest thing to note here is that WordPress is either hosted or self-hosted.

WordPress.com is hosted, more beginner-friendly; it allows you to sign up, pick a plan, and let them handle the maintenance for it, including updates, security, backups, plugins, etc. This is likely the version that most people refer to when they mention WordPress.

WordPress.org is self-hosted. It’s considered so overwhelming, it’s extremely flexible, and infinitely extensible. Basically, the software is free but you source everything else: hosting, domains, themes & templates, plugins, security, maintenance & bug fixes, updates, etc. There are tens of thousands of plugins for virtually anything you could think of, but adding too many can easily break your website when/if some of them inevitably clash.

With both options, the extreme level of flexibility comes at a cost, and I’m not just referring to your subscription payments. Every update you skip for any of those installed plugins, the theme you chose, etc., provides a potential security vulnerability as well as the possibility that the whole site goes down temporarily when parts of it conflict with each other. 

This platform always repelled me because of these things: the cost (and time) required to maintain them, and the Frankenstein'd way it all feels when piecing together all these individual parts, which are all important. The learning curve never felt worth it to me for what either my clients or I needed on our websites. But for someone else who’s entire business model depends on revenue generated from content creation, blogging, and other stuff like that, then the time and effort would likely be worthwhile for that type of project.  

✅ Pros

• Powers ~43% of websites on the internet

• Virtually unlimited design & feature flexibility via plugins & themes

• Has a massive community & tons of documentation

• Best-in-class blogging features & content management options

• .org is free to use and self-hosted (hosting costs extra, elsewhere)

• Scales well from a simple blog to a complex or even enterprise website

• There’s a huge pool of developers to choose from if you need help

❌ Cons

• .com is hosted (hosting is managed internally with WP), which confuses a lot of people

• .org requires separate hosting, setup, & ongoing maintenance from a third-party platform

• Plugins are overwhelming to find, install, & manage; add too many & you can break things

• Security & tech updates are your responsibility on the self-hosted .org version

• The learning curve is the most steep, compared to other platform options on this list

• Design quality relies on the theme you choose, & that theme’s developer, so websites aren’t consistent out of the box

• Can get pretty expensive after factoring in all the added costs

• I’ve found that the WP community is generally more gate-kept & protective.

Best for:

WordPress (either self-hosted or hosted) is best for serious or full-time bloggers and content creators that create A LOT of content, and other business models that require a lot of highly customized website features. It’s also great for developers, and tech-savvy users who also want maximum flexibility while also prepared to spend the money or time to learn and manage things properly.

Pricing:

WordPress.org software is free, but you pay for other necessities including hosting, domains, security, plugins, themes, etc., and that can rack up really quickly. Look into WordPress.org for current details on self-hosted websites.

WordPress.com plans start more affordably at around $4/mo (billed annually), and include that stuff in your plan. Check WordPress.com/pricing for their current subscription rates.

Website Builder Comparison Chart: Pricing, Ease, Built-In Tools, SEO + AIO, & more!

Chart Icon Key:

• ✅ Yes / included, works well

• 🚫 No / not included

• 👍 Has it / works okay

• 👎 Has it / doesn't work well

• ⚠️ Caution / add-ons or extra cost

• 💲 Price / pricing note

• 🏆 Best in class

Why I’ve Recommended Squarespace For Most People For 10 Years

Regardless of whether this post is sponsored by Squarespace or not, it has genuinely been my favorite website builder for a decade! I’ll admit to having a wandering eye at times. But I’ve never left it for my own website, because I genuinely can’t find anything that works quite as well for me.

I switched over to Squarespace from Weebly around late 2016, looooong before this sponsorship was ever even dreamed of. Throughout most of that year, I spent nights and weekends on that stupid Weebly site and could never get it to look like it didn’t belong to a 50 year old man. 😂 Later that year and several complete redesigns later, while I was still trying to find my footing, I stumbled onto Squarespace from one of its pro users. I was desperate for it to feel easier and less time consuming, because I didn’t have the free time outside of my full-time job to spend on my website, I needed client work to fill that time! After using Squarespace for less than a week, I realized it was a game-changer for me, and quickly built out an entirely new website that I was much happier with!

The price difference is noticeable

For about five years, I had a single website subscription that cost less than $25/mo, which covers hosting, SSL (security certificate for my domain), blogging, forms, SEO, analytics, and scheduling. My domain is paid separately, but still through Squarespace, and only costs $20/year. A few years ago, I left Acuity Scheduling (now Squarespace Scheduling) for a third-party platform that offered the same features with a better user interface, so that’s now a second subscription, but I decided to do that on my own, as my business grew and I could afford the added expense and setup time.

With that price, I don’t have to wear 15 different hats, I don’t have to build any elements from scratch including buttons or popups or header navigation menus, and I can have multiple forms, blog collection pages, portfolios, galleries, and unlimited website pages, among many other features. I can edit quickly, and walk away knowing it’ll be intact, updated & secure while I’m gone, too.

One of the most common arguments WordPress diehards always love to make is that self-hosting is free and Squarespace is ‘so expensive.’ 🙄 But WordPress.org is free in the same way a puppy or kitten can be free to adopt or take home: because that doesn’t necessarily also include the collar, the food, the vet bills, the spaying or neutering, the toys, and the treats. The hidden fees to adopt a free pet are like the hidden fees in using self-hosted WordPress; yes, the base software is free, but most of the rest isn’t & you need the whole package to have a decent working website. Multiple former-WordPress designers (who have all moved to exclusively use Squarespace) have all agreed that this price-related myth isn’t wholly true, regardless of how often the excuse is used.

Who owns the content

Another popular favorite (myth) among WP diehards is that we don’t own our content if it’s not on self-hosted WordPress, and that’s not true either. We pay Squarespace for hosting our content just like they pay Bluehost or whoever for hosting theirs on WordPress. It’s no different, except that we get to design & edit in the same place the content is hosted, with Squarespace. Squarespace has the right to ‘use’ our content on our website, in order to display it in their website building platform, but we own it and we can take it elsewhere if we choose.

What Squarespace does best

Squarespace absolutely EXCELS at building easily maintainable websites for service-based businesses, smaller businesses, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, freelancers, artists, musicians, and other creative industries, in addition to bloggers & content creators, course creators & educators, and small shops. Basically anyone that doesn’t want to spend 10-20+ hours regularly updating, maintaining, or securing the website, and needs to feel confident that it’ll still look good on every device, have solid SEO, and doesn’t actually need an ongoing pro for help.

It scales much better than people tend to think, and there are a lot of users making $50k and $100k, even $500k or more a year; they’re ranking highly on Google and running those websites on Squarespace. 

Want to see some examples of what Squarespace websites look like across different industries and businesses ‘out in the wild?’ My Club members & I keep a running database: browse real-world examples of Squarespace websites.

The built-in AI, Blueprint, is a great starting point for newbies and delivers a mostly finished product in minutes without stripping creative control from the user when it delivers the final draft.

And with both SEO and AIO optimization options throughout the platform, you have all the opportunities to optimize your website for both search engines and AI platforms like Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and more. 

Though I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in this area, not specializing in it myself, Squarespace does seem to be one of the most accessible platforms out there, too, and generally feels more accessible than other design-first builders. 😬

What Squarespace isn’t as great at

I’ll be honest & share my own frustrations with Squarespace, and the disadvantages I see for certain types of users, which admittedly are few & far between, considering.

Their platform itself is widely known for slower site performance than competitors, but since this ranking factor is NOT one of the most important things Google’s looking for when deciding who to put on page one, this doesn’t affect websites unless they’re noticeably slow to load, even to human eyes. So this is a true disadvantage, but thankfully one that doesn’t actually negatively impact us unless it’s genuinely bad. Like, so slow that you have time to get up and refill your coffee before it finishes loading. ☕😆

The most left-behind feature of Squarespace is definitely the blog collections. While they’re still powerful enough to work okay, there are a few features users like myself have been waiting to get back that were removed on the newer 7.1 version, and a litany of new features we desperately need, including but not limited to: 

• sidebars, 

• banner images, 

• table of contents, 

• progress bars, 

• template layouts for different post types, 

• built-in tags & category filters on the blog page, 

• numbered pagination for the blog feed, 

• built-in recent posts at the bottom of articles, 

• social sharing options from post items, 

• breadcrumb navigation on post item pages, 

• multiple authors, 

• reading time, 

• customizable author profile layouts, 

• customizable footer blocks on post items, 

• more efficient management of featured & pinned posts, 

• advanced post sorting for blog items in the main feed, 

• and an analytics dashboard for the blog to see which posts are doing well, need updates, and more. 

👆 In my mind, those necessary blog updates should take priority OVER ecommerce updates, simply for the fact that the blog is one part of a marketing strategy that can attract an audience; without an audience, no one is buying services OR products, rendering the rest of the list totally irrelevant.

Squarespace has been putting a lot of effort into their ecommerce features the last few years, and while that’s certainly appreciated by many, it’s still not up to snuff with platforms like Shopify, which can process high-volume ecommerce really well. Squarespace was built for ease of use and with a design-first approach, whereas Shopify was quite literally built specifically for managing product-based businesses and ecommerce, first and foremost.

In recent years, Squarespace has also put a lot of time and effort into extending its features to include Courses, Membership content (Members Areas), and Digital Products, but again, while that’s appreciated and helpful for many, the features themselves are relatively basic and users that choose to start with them are likely to reach a growth ceiling and need to move those parts to a specialty platform like ThriveCart (courses & checkouts), or Circle or Skool for communities and memberships since Members Areas can only contain gated content without the forum and interactivity between members. Basically, these features still lack a lot of options that specialty platforms offer in these areas, but that’s to be expected AND not everyone will need those higher-level features anyway.

Pixel-perfect design control is also not a strong point of Squarespace, because its newer editor, Fluid Engine, is designed with responsive behavior in mind as the primary goal. It’s more important to Squarespace that user’s websites look good on most devices easily, than it is for users to be able to put whatever they want, wherever they want, and damn the consequences. 😂 I actually think this is a solid choice, and for pro users that know custom code, you can get that pixel perfect control by adding custom CSS, HTML, javascript and more. In fact, there’s a whole segment of the Squarespace community that thrives on finding new ways to make Squarespace sites unique in new, fun, and interesting ways! They’re quite the inspiration to the rest of us! 

Historically, the extensibility of Squarespace has been severely lacking, but more and more that’s changing now too, with built-in integrations for external tools like Kit*, Flodesk*, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and more. With more extension options slated for release soon, I expect this to get better in the coming months & years. In the interim, many tools decided to figure out how to work within Squarespace’s ecosystem regardless, like SquareKicker*, SEOSpace*, Squarewebsites Tools Pro* (Chrome extension), and Will Myers’ Toolkit* (Chrome extension), —so we’re not without options, despite the closed system.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a “website builder?”

Website builders are usually web-based applications that allow you to create and publish a website without needing to write the code from scratch. Most platforms have some sort of drag-and-drop design editor, or are template based, and they tend to handle the hosting of the content you add to your design (text, images, etc), security (to prevent unwanted hackers from breaking your website, etc), and software updates to their system to keep up with updated interfaces, best practices and stuff like that. 

The tradeoff is that you get to work within the platform’s user interface, rather than a code document, and that allows you to customize it enough without needing to be a ‘developer’ that writes the code which creates the website as visitors see and use it. 

Generally this approach makes it significantly faster to create and publish a website, than the older method of only writing code to build it.

How much does a website builder actually cost per month?

All of these platforms clearly list their pricing on their websites. That said, the listed monthly rate is usually higher than the monthly rate when paid annually, giving you a discount on the monthly payment when you pay for a year upfront. The lowest tier plans usually also offer the least features available.

Once you factor in your domain which is typically at/under about $20/year at most domain companies, and any additional add-ons you want, the real number can climb a bit higher. 

Here are some additional costs you might want to budget for, or expect with most of these platforms:

• Domain = about $20/year, give or take(example: www.yourbusiness.com)

• Custom Business Email Address = about $85/year & up (example: Google Workspace)

• Website Legal Policies = good templates range from double digits to triple digits, or you can get a service like Termageddon which will help you keep those policies updated as laws change(example: Website Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookies Policy & Consent Management, Disclaimers, End User License Agreement, etc)

• Email Marketing add-on = range from free plans to $30+/mo depending on the platform(example: Flodesk*, Kit*, Squarespace Email Campaigns, etc)

• Online Schedulers = range from free to $20+/mo, depending on the platform(example: Squarespace Scheduling, Calendly, Cal, TidyCal, Breely*, etc)

• Virtual or Physical PO Box = usually about $10/mo & up(example: a public mailing address you can share on your Contact page, in your legal policies, on your marketing emails, etc. ––without sharing your home address, if you work from home)

• & more, depending on what else you want your website to do!

Can I build my own website without design experience?

Yes, absolutely! Depending on your natural design instincts, and whether you’ve also studied up on best practices for SEO, user-interface and user-experience, accessibility, website legal compliance, copywriting, and even sales strategies, you may end up wanting some help though. 

That said, especially on beginner-friendly website builders like Squarespace, DIY-ing your own website is definitely do-able, and starting from a template will take a lot of that heavy-lifting off your shoulders, making the process easier and faster for you. Of course, beginner-friendly doesn’t necessarily also mean “impossible to mess up”, so I still encourage you to look into those things I mentioned above (SEO, UI/UX, accessibility, legal compliances, copywriting, sales strategy, etc) to give you a leg up on other DIY websites in your niche. 

Which website builder is best for small businesses?

For most small businesses, freelancers, entrepreneurs & solopreneurs, creatives, artists, coaches, and service providers who don’t have an in-house developer or designer, Squarespace is the obvious choice. Even if you have a small shop for digital or physical products, sell a course, offer gated content to members on a recurring subscription, need to start email marketing, scheduling, or invoicing, Squarespace will also be one of the cheapest options, even if you add-on those extra features to your hosting plan.

Is Squarespace or Wix better?

For most people, I’d argue that Squarespace is better, with more modern templates out of the box, more cohesive styling sitewide with less effort, and it’s just an easier to use all-in-one tool than Wix’s DIY-friendly option. 

However, if you’re a developer, you may lean more toward Wix Studio, which is more of a pixel-perfect Webflow or Framer-like editing experience, and get frustrated with Squarespace’s editor which is simplistic by comparison.

Which one you choose will depend on what you need your website to do, and how you want to use it, edit it, and maintain it long-term.

Is WordPress actually free?

For self-hosted WordPress.org, yes; their software itself is free. However, the software doesn’t include hosting, security, plugins, paid themes or WordPress-specific builders you can install to build your own theme.

For hosted WordPress.com, not really; they do have a limited use free plan, but paid plans start very low making them very affordable, and they cover hosting, security, support, access to plugins, premium themes, and more, depending on the plan you choose.

What’s the best website builder for ecommerce?

Shopify is absolutely the best option for ecommerce! Its non-product page builders and blogging features will feel clunky, but the shop-related features provide detailed inventory management, bulk actions, and customized shop pages that make running a large or high-volume online store much easier! They were built specifically from the ground up to manage ecommerce, so it’s not a bolt-on or afterthought, and it does a great job from small shops to enterprise solutions.

Is Squarespace bad for SEO?

No! This is an old and long outdated myth that perhaps used to be true more than 10 years ago. Squarespace not only provides ample opportunities for optimizing your website with SEO, but now it also offers AIO (or Artificial Intelligence Optimization) so you can also be found in external AI platforms like Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and ChatGPT. Websites regularly rank on page 1 of Google for keywords they’ve optimized their websites for, and they get customers & clients as a result. Even with my historically poor SEO attempts, my own website has grown along with me, almost despite that lack of purposeful optimization. (We never have time to do these things on our own sites, right?!) For the last two years, I’ve been showing up in more AI platforms, and getting inquiries from some of that traffic too, so I can tell you firsthand that even half-assed SEO works well on Squarespace.

Which website builder is best for SEO?

All of these seven main reviewed platforms include everything you need to rank well. In 2026, it’s much less about the platform’s capabilities, and more about how YOU implement and maintain SEO best practices using what’s available to you in that platform.

Squarespace in particular has historically gotten a bad rap for its SEO capability, but that has been largely based on very outdated information. If you see that kind of information in your search for the right builder, you can safely ignore those warnings now. Websites built on Squarespace can easily rank very well with current SEO structure and features that are built into their platform. 

The platforms to be cautious about are the AI-generated or AI-Powered website builders I mentioned earlier in this post, such as Lovable, where the SEO structure is often an afterthought… or worse, could be missing entirely!

Can I switch website builders if I change my mind?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: yes, but most platforms don’t provide easy ways for you to migrate your content. Most of the time it does require a totally new rebuild on the new platform. However, that’s typically not a bad thing, because by the time you’re ready to move, the site itself is likely due for an upgrade, update, or serious changes anyway. There’s no time like the present to do both a migration and a redesign when the time is right and the need is there!

That said, the one exception to this is WordPress, which does give users an .xml file that Squarespace can import. That import process can actually bring in pages, on-page content, entire blog collections & the comments on those posts, images, etc. However, this is the only platform I’m aware of that works with the Import feature in Squarespace.

Which website builder is easiest to use?

Squarespace. Period. 

One of my favorite things is to see my client’s face as I teach them how to use their newly finished & launched website at the end of a project, especially if they’ve just migrated over from WordPress! To see their jaws drop when they realize how easy it is to rearrange or edit the navigation links in the header, or upload images, etc., it makes all the effort of migrating them away from WP worth every second! Because I know they’re walking away feeling empowered, more confident, and have something they can manage themselves for as long as they want, at a potentially cheaper rate than before, while enjoying an easier overall experience.

Do website builders use artificial intelligence?

At this point, most of them do use it in some form or another. That may mean an AI chat bot users can use to ask questions as they build, or AI-powered actions to create a starter template (like Squarespace’s Blueprint AI), or set SEO elements like creating Alt Text for images used on the website (which some users may need in order to ‘see’ what’s in those images, if they have visual disabilities). That said, the quality of those AI integrations will vary across platforms, so I wouldn’t choose a website builder based on its AI features just yet! Instead, choose it for what it’s known for & does really well, and treat any AI features as bonuses.

Are website builders secure?

I’m by no means a security expert, but my opinion is that:

The hosted platforms (like Squarespace, Shopify, Wix, Showit, Framer, etc) handle security for you, and provide SSL certificates, platform updates, and infrastructure maintenance regularly in order to keep your account and content as safe as possible. Those features are also included in the recurring fee you pay to use their platform, which is nice. 

While the self-hosted platforms like WordPress.org, leave that completely up to you, making security largely the users responsibility to setup and manage long-term. Since you manage it yourself, it could either be very secure, or…very NOT secure. 😬Skipping any updates across all of your plugins, your design theme, and more, could be the reason your website gets hacked.

Do I need a developer to use a website builder?

For most of the featured platforms on this list, no. In fact, that’s literally the point of why many of these were created, so that building websites didn’t require writing the code to build them. Since it can vary though, between platforms, I’d choose wisely, and budget for asking for help if you need it.

Platforms like Squarespace, Shopify, Showit, and Wix’s more basic editing experience (not Wix Studio), were built specifically with non-developers in mind so that business owners could create and maintain their site without needing developers. 

Platforms like Webflow, Framer, and Wix Studio’s editor, are definitely built more for developers than standard business owners with no website-related education or background.

How do I pick a design template in my website builder?

If your platform of choice offers an included free-use library of templates to start with, that could be a great starting point! My suggestion is to pick the template design that has the closest structure & features to what you’re looking for: (examples) the top & bottom navigation have elements where you want them, the contact page has a form you can use, there’s already a blog page set up if you need it, etc. Most platforms will let you further customize your template choice by setting colors & fonts, changing out images, uploading your logo, and adjusting the text & links throughout.

On Squarespace specifically, all of the templates in the current (v7.1) template library for new websites are capable of the same exact set of features. So which one you choose is really just dependent on which one is closest to the end result you want. If you can’t decide between several options, know that whatever option A has that option B doesn’t, you can add to the one you pick. So choosing one of these doesn’t dictate what you’ll be able to set up or add, feature-wise; it just gives you a potentially closer starting point to your preferred end result. All of these templates are also free to use, but you can’t switch to a different ‘template’ (from Squarespace’s library) after you choose, because again, all templates are using the same set of design options, features, and settings.

There are definitely also tons of third-party template shops for website builders, so if you can’t find a template you like, it may also be possible to buy one from a designer or developer, for a smaller fee than hiring a professional to build a custom website for you. Squarespace and Showit templates are very popular options. WordPress also famously has a massive library of themes (templates) to choose from too, with both free or paid options.

Web design is my thing. It's what I love most in the design world, it's what I chose, and it's the creative work I find the most joy in doing.

I'm not a brand designer, and I don't want to be.

I think it's important to note that, as web designers, we don't also have to be brand designers. We don't also have to be copywriters. We don't also have to be graphic designers, etc.

We can be, if those things genuinely light us up. But if they don't, there are other ways to handle those pieces without forcing yourself into a lane that was never mandatory for you.

That said, brand strategy still shows up in my work every single time I build a website. Not because I'm running full brand discovery sessions or sending clients deep-dive questionnaires (more on that in a minute), but because the design principles behind brand strategy are woven into every decision I make for a website. The colors, the fonts, the logo, the imagery — none of that is arbitrary when you know what you're doing.

Here's what that actually looks like in practice: what I think about, why it matters, and where my lane ends, and someone else's can begin!

How my web design background shapes my brand strategy approach

I studied art & design in college. In my graphics classes, we learned brand strategy, conceptual design, design elements and principles... That was all part of the curriculum, so I do have the real foundation.

But capable of something ≠ wanting to build a business around it. 🤭 I pivoted into web design in 2017, went full-time freelance in 2020, and that's where I've been ever since. Brand strategy has always been a supporting skill for the web design work in my business, but not the main event.

What I actually offer clients is brand styling — and I didn't even really have a useful name for it until Kadie Smith, of Drop Cap Design used that phrase to describe it during one of her workshops in my membership. 😂

Brand styling is essentially a curation of the visual assets a brand needs: sourcing fonts, building out a color palette, curating stock photography, and creating a typeset logo (usually in Canva, Affinity, Adobe, Figma, or even directly in the web builder while setting up the header navigation). It's not a full branding identity package. But it's also not nothing — because even within that scope, I'm applying real strategy to every decision and it takes a MINIMUM of 10 hours to gather & curate all the pieces.

Brand colors: a real client example

I'll give you a real example, you can get an idea of how this comes together in real world projects.

A client came to me with a color palette she already had & felt established with. It was a vibrant, monochromatic set of fuchsia with various tints and shades of the same hot pink. She even had brand photography where she appeared in clothing that matched those colors!

But the problem was that the palette was loud. Too loud. Too high-energy. And too monochromatic. For the type of service-based business she was running, that energy wasn't doing her any favors, and it felt misaligned for the subject-matter.

Here's one of the thought-provoking questions I asked her: if you built a physical lobby for your clients to walk into, and it was painted mostly that color — how would they feel in that room while getting ready to work with you?

Then she got it. That's not the feeling she wanted her clients to have.

So we made some changes:

• Softened the fuchsia — we kept the pink-and-purple direction but pulled it into dustier, more neutral territory. Still her, and feminine, just way less intense & aggressive, pulling the energy level way down.

• Added a soft black — we needed dark text on the site, and pure black felt harsh. A soft black (basically a dark warm grey) grounded the palette without overpowering it.

• Brought in gold — warm, slightly luxurious, and it opened up a whole world of stock photography with gold accents that matched the vibe of client she wanted to attract.

The result was a brand that felt much more approachable, elevated, and aligned with what her business was actually trying to communicate —but without erasing the color theme she loved.

If I hadn't had that brand strategy foundation, I probably would've just built the site in fuchsia, and neither of us would've been able to put our finger on why it felt off the whole time. That kind of misalignment between intention & appearance is almost always a brand or foundational strategy issue. The web design can be technically flawless and still feel like something's not right if the brand foundation & strategy underneath it is shaky.

How brand strategy helps in web design work

So what does brand strategy look like when used in web design work? Here are the three things I think about most.

❶ Color psychology in web design

Color communicates whether you want it to or not. This isn't woo-woo or assumptions, it's actually studied and documented, and it affects how people feel when they land on a page in the first few seconds before they've read a single word. It also affects our buying decisions, and even our trust with companies, products & service providers.

For example:

One study in 2020 surveyed nearly 4,600 people across 30 different countries, finding commonly associated feelings with certain colors & specific emotions, suggesting that color-emotion has universally recognizable qualities. The results found the following:

• Black: 51% of respondents associated black with sadness

• ‍‍White: 43% of people associated white with relief

• ‍‍Red: 68% associated red with love

• ‍‍Blue: 35% linked blue to feelings of relief

• ‍‍Green: 39% linked green to contentment

• ‍‍Yellow: 52% felt that yellow means joy

• ‍‍Purple: 25% reported they associated purple with pleasure

• ‍‍Brown: 36% linked brown to disgust

• ‍‍Orange: 44% associated orange with joy

• ‍‍Pink: 50% linked pink with love

So, fuchsia basically says LOOK AT ME!! — which is great for some businesses, but completely wrong for others. 🫣🤭

The question I'm always asking: what does this site need to make someone feel in the first three seconds? Not "what colors does the client like" (though that matters too), but what emotion needs to be triggered immediately for this site to work & build trust with its audience?

To dive deeper into how this ties into web design, check out these blog posts (with videos) next:

• Color Palettes …& Brand Personality?

• How I create a color palette for client website projects
  
  

❷ Typography and brand personality: choosing the right fonts

Fonts have a vibe. Full stop. A high-contrast serif reads as editorial, or even elegant. A chunky, slab-serif reads as athletic and bold, while a rounded sans-serif font reads as friendly & approachable. A thin geometric sans-serif font reads as modern and minimalistic, sometimes casual & happy or simple. Those vibes either support what the brand is trying to say, or they can work against it.

I think about font selection the way a casting director thinks about filling a role for a movie or a tv show. It's not just "is this a good font?" It's "does this font fit this story?" That's a different question, and it usually takes longer to find the right 'actor' among the tens of thousands of available fonts in places like Canva, Adobe, Google, Affinity, Creative Market, or even built into Squarespace.

Your heading font sets the personality tone because it's the biggest, most prominent text on the page, so it does the heavy lifting. Your body font's job (for paragraphs) is to support the heading's personality and stay out of the way. You want one of them to have personality. Not both, and preferably not the body font or it'll be harder to read in smaller letters.

Remember & think of it like this: two strong personalities in the same room creates tension, and tension is not a vibe you're going for on a service provider's website.

To learn more about how to use headings properly on websites, check out this post next:

• Are you using headings arbitrarily on your website?
  
  

❸ Logo design for web designers: why context matters

A logo doesn't exist in a vacuum. It lives in the header navigation area, it shows up on an Instagram profile, in an email signature, or even potentially on printed materials or embroidered on merchandise someday. Designing for the whole brand ecosystem —not just the single asset— is something I'm always thinking about as I create & curate the brand assets & styles for my clients.

This is where my print production background actually comes in handy, because it informs one of the most common mistakes I see newer brand designers make: using way too many colors in a logo.

The general rule is 2 to 3 colors max, and here's the real reason why. In digital, color is free and made with light on the screen. You can use 47 colors in a logo and it costs you nothing to display it on a screen. But the second that logo needs to be printed, embroidered, screen printed, or produced in any physical medium —in many cases, every color costs money. Some print production processes charge by ink color in addition to the quantity ordered & the product's base rate before your design is added to it. Embroidery charges by thread color, instead of ink colors. So, a logo with 8 colors could be significantly more expensive to produce than one with 1 or 2, and some production methods literally can't replicate certain color combinations accurately.

So when a brand designer loads up a logo with a bunch of colors because it looks cool on screen, they've unknowingly made their client's life harder and more expensive every time that logo shows up in the physical world. It's one of those things you only really learn if you've worked in production, I know, —but it's a pet peeve of mine for good reason. 🥴

Even if a client swears they'll never print anything: keep it simple anyway. Businesses evolve. Merch happens. Plans change. And a logo that looks great in isolation can still fall apart & look terrible in certain circumstances. Context is everything.

Brand Styling vs. Brand Strategy (knowing the differencE)

Here's the distinction you need to know: what I just described is brand styling with intention. It is not the same thing as a deep brand strategy process and it has much fewer assets and pieces to deliver.

Deep brand strategy involves figuring out the brand story, establishing the positioning, identifying archetypes, creating brand systems —basically, the research and methodology behind figuring out not just what the brand looks like, but what it means and how it communicates across every single touchpoint with the audience & ideal clients/customers. That work has real, significant value beyond just styles & aesthetics. Offering Brand Identity services is a specific skill set of its own, and one I have the foundation for, but zero desire to specialize in. 😂

And I say all of this not to undersell what I do, but because I think it's actually really important for web designers to know the difference — and to know when a project needs more than what you're currently offering. Because some projects do. I've worked on websites where the brand was the whole problem. No amount of beautiful web design was going to fix it. And knowing enough to identify that, pause, and course correct, saying "we need to deal with this first" is genuinely valuable — even if doing the brand work yourself isn't your thing.

Where to learn Branding for Web Designers

The person I recommend wholeheartedly is Kadie Smith of Drop Cap Design® —whether you're a designer who wants to learn how to offer branding as a service, or you're a business owner who just needs to finally nail your own brand without paying agency rates.

Kadie has been doing this for 12+ years (as of posting) and has worked on 200+ brands through her agency, to date. More importantly, she's a genuinely excellent teacher. She even has students who are not designers —completely different industries, zero design background — who have gone through her program(s) and come out with brands they're actually proud of that they did on their own. Teaching creatives & non-creatives alike, to make good visual identity decisions is legitimately harder, and the fact that she pulls it off consistently with successful students is exactly why I trust her. Not to mention, she's a super likable gal and I think you'll like her too!

She has two options worth knowing about:

*Yes, I'm an affiliate for Kadie’s programs, but I also have The Brand Edit® myself, and I've even brought Kadie into my community to teach because I trust her expertise that much. — She is an incredible educator, and I'd be happy to share her with you regardless of my affiliation!

STEP 1

THE BRAND EDIT®

The Brand Edit® is a self-paced course for anyone who wants to build or refine their own brand identity — designers, non-designers, business owners who want a properly done brand without hiring an agency. If your brand has always felt a little DIY in a bad way, this is the fix.

Learn more about The Brand Edit®*

STEP 2

THE BRAND BUSINESS

The Brand Business* is a self-paced course for designers who want to offer branding as a service to clients. It covers the full methodology, client process, pricing strategy, and the creative direction conversations that are honestly the hardest part. If you're already doing brand styling decisions and you want real strategy behind them —and to charge accordingly— this is where I'd start. This one is only available with the bundle, or to past/current Brand Edit® students!

Learn more about The Brand Business*

Brand Strategy: basics web designers should know

You don't have to become a brand strategist to be a great web designer. But you do need enough of the foundation to make smart decisions — and to recognize when a project needs more than you're able to provide, whether that means learning a new skill from someone like Kadie, or finding someone else to refer your client to for that part of the service.

My fuchsia-client didn't need a full brand strategist. She needed a web designer who knew enough to course-correct before we started building the site with her old branding. But I've definitely had projects where the brand was the whole problem, and the website would have been a mess no matter what I built on top of it or with it.

Know your lane. Know who to call when something's outside of it. And if you want to expand that lane — Kadie's your brand-guru.

If you want to dig further into the brand personality side of things first, check out the free workshops from Kadie in my community's free events (linked below). And when you're ready to go deeper with someone who actually teaches this for a living, that's where Kadie comes in.

Free Workshops Available in the Club:

• Add $1,000 to your web projects with Brand Styling
  

• Why does branding cost so much? (see the screenshot)

If you've ever asked a new client if they have brand assets ready to share: logo files, hex codes, brand fonts, maybe some photography, and they say things like: "I have a Pinterest board." Or, they send you some small, pixelated logo files with a white background behind it. Or sometimes worse, "Just pick whatever you think looks good — you're the designer! I trust you."

This is a real thing that happens all the time. But here's the thing — as frustrating as those moments can be, it's actually a symptom of a root problem, which starts a lot earlier than when a client shows up to a project empty-handed. A big chunk of that problem lives on your website, in your copy, and in how you're currently talking about what you do.

I know, I know. 🫠 Stay with me!

I've done a few website audits for Club members recently, and I keep seeing the same patterns come up over and over. So instead of just flagging it privately one-on-one, I wanted to lay it all out here — because this stuff affects every service you offer, not just your branding.

It's (Probably)Not Your Portfolio

The first place most designers go to fix when clients aren't converting is their portfolio. They usually think, "My work isn't good enough. I need more case studies. I need better mockups."

And while there's always room to improve your displayed work & the work that we produce, that's rarely the actual issue.

Clients don't say no —or ghost your proposals, or come back asking if you can "just do the logo"— because your design work isn't up to par. They do it because they can't feel the value of what you're offering before they've experienced it.

That's a totally different problem.

Think about it like this: you know exactly what 30+ hours of strategic brand and web work can do for a business. You've seen the before and after. You've watched clients go from looking like a Craigslist ad to looking like a company that proudly serves real (happy) clients! But your potential client hasn't seen that yet — and more importantly, they haven't felt what that result would mean for their business specifically.

Bridging that gap is on us. And most of us were never taught how to do it.

You're Already Doing Brand Work  for free

How many times have you had a client show up to a web project without any real brand assets — and instead of stopping the project or upselling them into a proper brand package, you just... made it work? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Me too. I think we've ALL been there at least once, because we WANT to help!

If that's you too, you probably took one look at their existing logo (if they had one), pulled a few complementary colors, found some stock photography that "fit the vibe," chose fonts that actually looked good together — and quickly made a whole brand direction happen in the background while you built their site.

That is brand styling. That is a real, skilled, billable service.

You just called it "making it work" and gave it away for free, though.

And when you do it that way —unspoken, uncharged, not framed as the service it is— the client doesn't value it. Why would they? You didn't tell them it was a thing. You didn't present it as part of what they were getting. So from their perspective, the website just... came together. Like magic! No big deal. 🤷‍♀️

This is where undercharging starts. Not with bad pricing decisions necessarily, but with invisible work that never gets positioned as valuable in the first place.

What I Keep Seeing in Website Audits for Newer Web Designers

Getting more specific here, because I do see this most frequently on newer business owners' websites.

After looking at a bunch of newer designer's websites, I keep seeing the same issues. And none of them are about design quality. The work is good. The problem is everything around the work.

❶ Your positioning isn't clear, because YOU aren't clear yet either

Jumping right to this part of the video

This one is the hardest to hear, and the hardest to nail before you have figured out who you want to work with, ––but it also shows up everywhere on your website & in your general online presence, whether it's done well or badly...

If your niche is too broad, or you haven't committed to a specialty yet, that confusion doesn't stay in your head — it bleeds into your copy, your packages, your proposals, your client conversations. Everything! 😬

A potential client lands on your website and reads... something vague. Something that sounds like it could apply to literally anyone. And because nothing speaks specifically to them or their specific struggles, they may click away feeling like you're probably fine, but not the obvious right fit.

Here's the thing about niching down: your niche is not a cage. It's a magnet.

Choosing a direction —a type of client, an industry, a specific problem you solve better than anyone— doesn't mean you're blocking everyone else out. It means the right people feel like you're reading their mind. It means you stop competing on price alone, because you're not trying to be everything to everyone. It means the people who do reach out are already 80% sold before they even fill out your contact form because they KNOW they only want to work with you!

Staying broad because you're afraid to lose people is the thing that's actually pushing potential clients away.

Next, I'll give you an example to show ya what I mean.

❷ Your copy is talking about yourself, NOT your client

Jumping right to this part of the video

This is the second thing I see a lot, and it's such an easy trap to fall into because you know your services really well, but probably not your ideal clients yet.

A lot of designer websites talk about the processes —the discovery call, the mood board, the revision rounds, the deliverables, the approach, the methods, etc. And that stuff matters (to us)! But clients don't buy our processes. They buy outcomes.

There's a big difference between:

"I design custom Squarespace websites with a streamlined X-week process."

and

"I help wellness coaches stop losing clients to their competition and start booking out their calendars."

The first one describes what you do. The second one describes what changes for your client if they work with you.

Read your homepage right now and ask yourself honestly: is this copy about what I do, or about what happens for my client when they work with me? If it's about 'me' as the designer, that's a conversion problem — and no amount of fixing your branding pitch is going to solve it until the underlying copy is reframed to highlight the outcomes & benefits the client will receive instead.

Your client doesn't care that much about your processes. They care about whether you understand their problems & can fix them while you work. Show them you do!

❸ Your pricing is anchored to the bottom & it's attracting price hagglers

Jumping right to this part of the video with visual examples

This one is straight-up pricing psychology, and once you understand it, you can't unsee it!

If your pricing page leads with your lowest package, you've just handed every visitor an anchor. They now have a number in their head —let's say it's $1,200 for your day-rate package— and every other price they see gets compared to that. So your $3,500 package doesn't read as "the full-service option with everything included." It reads as "almost three times the cheap one." 😬🫠

You've accidentally made your own premium offer sound too expensive.

Flip the order. Lead with your best, most complete offering. Let it set the standard! When someone sees that first, they're comparing everything down from there — which makes your mid-tier feel like a smart, reasonable choice instead of a big step up from the bottom, and your cheapest option becomes budget-friendly, not a negotiation tactic.

Here's a real-world example of price anchoring

Jumping right to this part of the video with visual examples

Say you walk onto a car lot with a $50,000 budget and you spot a car you love — the price tag is $30,000. Amazing! It's under budget! You test drive it, you're sold, it's got everything you want. Then the salesman comes back and says, "Okay, with all fees, we're looking at $45,000 out the door." Suddenly you're bummed. Even though $45k is still well within your original budget, you're anchoring to that $30k sticker you saw first. It feels too expensive now — even though it's not out of your prepared budget.

Flip it: Now let's pretend you walk onto the lot with a $50k budget and found the $45k car, test drove it, loved it, and the salesman said, "That'll cost ya $47,000 driving out the door, fees & all." You're excited because it's pretty much what you expected, and it's still under your original budget by $3k.

Flip it again: If you'd walked on that lot, seen a $45,000 car first, fallen in love, and the salesman came back and said "actually this one's $30,000" — you'd be elated because it's $20k under budget! Same car. Same price. Completely different emotional experience.

That's basically what's happening on your pricing page every single time someone lands on it and sees your lowest package first. They anchor (compare) what comes next to that lowest number, and everything else above it feels expensive by comparison —even if your rates are completely reasonable for what you deliver!

A few more quick fixes while we're here:

• Don't set your price in the biggest font size on the pricing section. The value should be the most prominent thing, not the number.

• If one of your packages says "includes everything in Package B" — make that line visually more distinct than everything else that's in the included list. It shouldn't look like a shorter bullet list than the cheaper packages around it on the same page. People skim. They do not read details anymore, so make it impossible to miss!

• Call out your most popular package, or the best value, if known. That helps draw attention to the right one that will work well for most people.

• Make sure your calls to action start with a verb. "Book now." "Inquire here." "Get started." And please, for the love of all things holy — stop using "Learn More" in 90% of the places you're using it. Always. Forever. Clients don't want to learn more, they want to do something more (& for us to do it for them). That's how we run businesses, when they take action & pay us for our services. 🤭

These are small, but mighty, tweaks. The order alone can shift the type of inquiries you get — because anchoring to the bottom consistently attracts clients who anchor their expectations there too.

Why You Can't See These Problems On Your Own Website

We can spot all of these problems on a client's website in about ten minutes. We can read their copy and go, "oh, this isn't speaking to the right person." We can look at their pricing page and immediately see that it's backwards. We can feel when a niche is too fuzzy.

But on our own sites? Total blind spot. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 😂

It's like trying to read the label from inside the jar. You're too close to it. You wrote that copy, you made those package decisions, you've been staring at that homepage for so long you can't even see it anymore. You just see what you intended it to say — not what it's actually communicating to someone landing on it cold, and with no context or trust built with you yet.

This is not a skill problem, it's is a proximity problem.

Forest? Trees.

Can't see 'em if you're standing in the forest.

The point is: getting outside eyes on your own stuff is not a luxury or something you do when you're struggling. It's a regular part of running a healthy business. A mentor, a coach, a community of peers who'll tell you the truth — these things are really helpful! They're how you stop flying blind on your own positioning while you're helping everyone else nail theirs. 🤭

What Changes When You Fix This Stuff

When you get your positioning clear —when your copy speaks to the right person, when your pricing is anchored correctly, when you know exactly who you're helping and you're saying it confidently & clearly— everything else shifts.

Better clients reach out. Not because you got lucky, but because your website is now doing the appropriate filtering for you. The people who reach out already understand what you do and why it costs what it costs. The "can you just do a logo?" inquiries drop off. The people who are serious about investing in their business find you and think, 'finally, someone who gets it!'

Your proposals land differently too. When the value is clear before the proposal ever arrives, you're not in a battle to justify your rates, to negotiate, or convince anyone of the value. You're really just confirming what they already expected.

And for those of you who want to add branding to your services —or who are already offering it but struggling to get clients to bite— fixing this upstream stuff is what makes that possible. You can't successfully pitch a premium service if the foundation it's sitting on is secretly working against you. 🫣

Nobody Likes to Admit This

A lot of the time, the "clients don't want to pay my rates" problem isn't really about that client or the prices.

There's just a fear underneath it that doesn't get named, which is, "What if I position myself more confidently, they say yes, and then I have to actually deliver something that matches what I just promised?"

That fear makes sense. Totally valid. Especially if you've been doing this solo, figuring it out as you go, without anyone looking at your work and giving you honest, specific feedback.

Most designers are further along than they give themselves credit for. But without someone who can actually look at your situation and tell you where you're killing it and where there's room to grow —that gap just kind of ...sits there. Actively keeping you from pricing where you belong, and preventing you from helping the people you'd love working with most.

Get A Second Opinion

I'm hosting a free live session with Kadie Smith of Drop Cap Design® on April 14, 2026, and I'd love for you to come join us!

Kadie has built and launched 200+ brands since 2014. She works with designers on exactly this stuff —the pricing, the positioning, the client conversations, the confidence gaps, and more.

She runs monthly group coaching calls for her Brand Business® students, and she's offering us a live coaching session as a direct follow-up to her previous event on adding $1k to Web Projects with Brand Styling (watch the replay here to catch up)!

This is not a webinar, not really a 'workshop' in the normal sense either.

It's more like an actual group coaching call!

So bring your real situations —a client scenario you're stuck on, a pricing question, whatever you're currently trying to figure out on your own— and get real input from Kadie & I, who've been doing this for over a decade & have probably been in your shoes before.

It's free. It's live.
And yes there's a replay; if you're reading this afterward, you can still watch it.

One hour of specific feedback on real attendee’s businesses is worth more than three months of consuming content about generalities.

If you've been battling with some version of "I know I need to fix my copy, but I haven't gotten around to it yet" — this is your sign. Come hang out with us in the Club!

Why does branding cost so much?
A live coaching experience on positioning the value of brand design for our clients.

If you've recently looked at your monthly software subscriptions and thought "...what is all of this even doing for me" — same. 😂

I've been building and running my web design business since 2015, and in that time I've tried what feels like every tool, app, and platform that's ever been marketed to a solo creative! Some of them changed my business, some of them collected dust until I cancelled them feeling guilty that I wasted the time/money on it, and some are sitting in a "still testing" pile while I figure out if they're worth the hype or the cost.

So I decided to just... lay it all out here for ya. Every category of tool I can think of that I use (or have used) in my business, with my honest verdict on each one.

This is not a "top 10 tools for designers" listicle though. This is a full, unfiltered tech stack journey of someone who's been in the trenches long enough to know what's actually worth paying for, to do which specific tasks, and when it’s time to pass/leave it & move on.

So I did what Hilary Farr and David Visentin have been doing to stressed-out homeowners on HGTV for years — I made a list of all the tools I could think of, that I use or have used/tested, and rated them on a scale ––mostly whether I Love it, or Left It? Except in my version, nobody cries about the kitchen island, and the budget is entirely my problem. 😂

Every category of tool I use (or have used) in my business, here’s a list of possibilities you can literally use (there’s a checklist at the end!) to tally up what you want, see how much that’ll cost, and then decide what you’ll Love, or Leave, behind for 2026. 👏🏻 🙌

A quick note/disclaimer:

Some of these links are affiliate links & all will be marked with an asterisk (*) — meaning I may earn a small commission if you make purchase from one of them, at no extra cost to you. A handful of tools were gifted to me in exchange for an honest review, and those are marked clearly too. As always: I don't recommend anything I wouldn't use myself, and I'll tell you when something didn't work for me just as readily as when it did. Okay, grab a cup of coffee/tea & let's dig in! ☕

🏷️ Rating System:

Each tool gets one of three verdicts:

• 🧡 Love It — using, or loved when I did

• 🔴 Left It — tried it, moved on

• 💙 Use/d it — good, but not my fav

• ⚪️ Passed/Untested — researched only; haven’t tried it

• 🧪 Tested/Testing — tested at some point, or testing now

🛑 Wait! —
Before you spiral!

I see you looking at this list thinking, "OMG I need ALL of this… ?? 😳" NOPE.

It took me 10+ years to build this tech stack. Ten years of trying things, cancelling things, switching things, regretting things, and occasionally impulse-buying an AppSumo deal because it seemed like a great idea at the time. 😂 I would bet money that I could be using most of these tools significantly more efficiently than I currently do —and I built this damn list.

This is not a "must-have tools" post. This is a "here are options for which categories of tools are worth paying for in your business after a decade of trial and error" post. Your business is different, your workflow is different, and your budget is different than mine. Where you are right now is different from where I am, too.

So please — don't go adding 26 new apps this week, because that’s NOT the point of this resource. But do pick one category where you feel the most friction or the most disorganization, look through the options, then find a tool in that section that fits your budget and your situation, and try that one thing. See if it helps! Then come back for the next one if you hit another struggle.

My goal was never to have the most tools. The goal is to have the right ones — and to actually use them to free up my time, because that's the hardest thing to manage these days. Everything else is just an expensive distraction. 😄

Client-Facing Business Tools

CRM‍ ‍‍ ‍(Client Relationship Management)

If you're a service-based designer, your CRM is the backbone of your client processes. It's where leads come in, projects get booked, contracts get signed, invoices go out, and the whole client journey lives. Getting this right matters more than almost any other tool on this list. While you don't "have" to use a CRM, as you grow/scale, most people prefer to pay a software to help them manage these processes, vs hiring a person to do these things because it's much MUCH cheaper.

Dubsado* — 🧡 Love It

I've been on Dubsado since 2017 and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. It's the most customizable CRM I've found for solo service providers — robust forms, contracts, proposals, invoicing with payment plans, automations, and a client portal all under one roof. It's not perfect, and the learning curve is real, but once it's set up it runs like a machine.

One thing worth noting: not every inquiry that comes into my business is a client inquiry. Software review requests, general questions, digital product questions, partnership opportunities — those don't belong in a CRM built for 1:1 client projects. I'm currently moving my lead capture system out of Dubsado for exactly that reason, but not because of a flaw in their software. It's definitely best for managing leads that will become clients for 1:1 services, not necessarily for managing sales leads of all kinds.

Assembly* — 🧪 Tested

I started testing Assembly because I wanted to know what the competition was up to, and I was gifted an account to test it out. Honestly, it's impressive in a few specific areas. It handles multiple contacts per company way better than Dubsado, has a genuinely strong built-in client portal, and offers features like a storefront for optional services. It even provides a way to send 1 message to all clients, or a group of clients, and each recipient can respond privately without seeing the communications from everyone else. (Dubsado just added this ability in Q1 of 2026, but it's so new as of posting that I haven't even tried it yet!)

Where Assembly falls short: it's much less customizable overall, the contract editor is upload-only (no edits inside the platform, so placeholders have to be built in as blanks or spaces in the original before you upload it), and invoicing options are much more limited compared to Dubsado. It also gets very expensive, very quickly, especially on mid-tier plans and above, which you'll need if you have more than 50 clients to manage & want some of the white-label features.

My take: Dubsado still wins for solo designers or smaller agencies who want full customization and control for an affordable price. Assembly could be a better fit for agencies that want a simpler, straightforward CRM with a strong built-in portal and don't mind paying significantly more for the full white-label feature set.

Bonsai* — 💙 Used It

Bonsai is primarily a CRM, but has other useful features built-in like light task management, scheduling & a portal. If you can’t use or don’t like Honeybook, found Dubsado to be confusing or overly complicated, Bonsai might be a great fit for you. It’s still a fairly robust tool, but feels simpler to use, and while it lacks much of the extra features Dubsado offers, it will probably be easier to start with for newer businesses that don’t mind migrating to a different option later on, if business growth requires more features. I started my freelance journey with Bonsai in 2016 and used it for about a year before moving to Dubsado. That said, it’s come a long way since then, and is much more comparable with both Honeybook & Dubsado now.

Tezzera — 🧪 Tested

This is a brand new CRM option, but as of posting, it’s so new that it still has a waitlist for new signups. I got the chance to play around with it when the Beta round first opened and was really impressed with how good it is this early in the game. It feels like a Flodesk-style user interface, and is more brandable than competitors, but in simplistic ways that really outshine the competition. It’ll be open to international users (avoiding the locale issues that Honeybook has), and it’s designed by a web designer who’s been unhappy with the existing pool of similar softwares. It did have limitations while testing, but I’m sure those will be eliminated as it grows. I’m keeping my eye on this one!

Other popular options

Of course the competitors with the best reputation are: Honeybook* which I've not tried/tested in earnest since ~2016, and Bonsai* which I've tested on/off over the years & used in 2016-2017 before switching to Dubsado for more features. (Bonsai has come a long way since then & offers a much more competitive product now!)

I'd say Moxie follows closely behind, based on its reputation, but I've never tried it myself. Then there's also some newer options like Tezzera, Bloom, and Indy.

You can see a breakdown in this post of the ones that also include a client portal (except Tezzera, because their Beta launched after I made that video, but they do have a portal & I've tested it lightly during Beta).

Client Portals

This one is close to my heart —I mean, my entire Ultimate Client Portal System course is built around the idea that your client's experience of working with you matters just as much as the work itself. A good portal isn't a nice-to-have. It can also be the difference between a client who ghosts midway through the project, and one who sends you referrals.

That said — not every designer needs a dedicated portal tool. If you're just starting out, Dubsado's client view or even a well-organized Google Drive folder can get the job done. But if you want something that feels genuinely professional and polished, these are the two I'd point you toward.

Kitchen* — 🧡 Love It

Kitchen is a dedicated client portal app with a lifetime payment, and it is genuinely one of my favorite tools in my entire tech stack. It's fully white-labelable, super customizable in general, and easy for clients to navigate without hand-holding or gifting them with 5,000 notifications by accident. I use it strictly for post-booking project collaboration during the active service I'm providing: client communication, file sharing, client-facing task checklists, and deliverable downloads when the project wraps up. It has basic invoicing built in, but I keep that in Dubsado where it fits into my existing CRM processes. If you want a dedicated portal that feels & looks like you built it yourself, Kitchen is the one.

Assembly* — 🧪 Tested

Assembly's client portal is genuinely its strongest feature, and in a few specific ways it edges out Kitchen — the conditional visibility rules for showing/hiding things to specific clients, and the built-in storefront for optional services, are both things Kitchen can't do natively. But the portal doesn't exist in a vacuum — it's bundled into a CRM subscription that gets expensive fast, and the white-label features your clients would actually notice aren't fully unlocked until the Advanced plan. For solo designers on tight budgets who are already using Kitchen + their CRM of choice (or no CRM at all, if that’s your jam), the price jump is impossible to justify for what you're getting at each tier. Kitchen's lifetime payment wins this one for most of you.

Bonsai* — 💙 Used It

Bonsai is primarily a CRM, but it also has a really good portal feature built-in. If you already use Bonsai, you may not need or want an additional tool to have a portal you can use with clients. It’s not customizable like Assembly’s or Kitchen’s, but it’s very functional & efficient, and already exists in a tool you already pay for.

Dubsado* — 🔴 Left It

Dubsado has a client portal feature, yes, but is it actually useful? Not really. In this older post’s video, ⏯️ you can see Dubsado’s portal & its featuresbetween timestamps 4:53 and 8:17, while the rest of the video shows a Notion-built portal system that I no longer use, in favor of Kitchen’s dedicated portal which works wildly better for everyone.

Tezzera — 🧪 Tested

I covered this one in more detail in the CRM section, but this is primarily a brand new CRM tool that also includes a built-in client portal. As of posting, it’s so new that it still has a waitlist for new signups. I got the chance to play around with it when the Beta round first opened and was really impressed overall. It did have limitations while testing, but I’m sure those will be addressed as it grows. I’m keeping my eye on this one!

Calendar & Scheduling

I have been through basically every scheduling tool on the market since 2016 (including some that aren't around anymore but could've been really cool), so consider this section hard-won wisdom. 😂 The short version: most of them are totally fine, a couple of them are great, and one of them is so good at such a low price point that I'm still shocked it's real.

Acuity* — 🔴 Left It

I used Acuity from ~2016 to 2021. At the time it felt a bit clunky on the backend and the client-facing experience was genuinely ugly, ––in my humble opinion. Squarespace has since acquired it and improved it significantly — so if you're already deep in the Squarespace ecosystem, it's worth a second look. Just not where I landed personally, and it's also one of the more expensive options, especially if you need it to be HIPAA compliant (a US privacy law).

Calendly — 🔴 Left It

I switched from Acuity to Calendly in 2021, and LOVED it for a while. Then I watched it slowly add new features until the backend started feeling cluttered and complicated. Classic feature bloat? 🤷‍♀️ It still offers a great client-facing scheduling experience, and it has a decent but limited free plan, along with affordable payment plans — so if stability & simplicity on the client side are your priority, it's worth considering. It's also a good bit cheaper than Acuity; not sure if it's HIPAA compliant though.

Cal — 🔴 Left It

I switched from Calendly to Cal in 2024 because I loved their generous free plan — until they changed it, of course. And their pricing crept up close to what I'd been paying on Calendly, which made the switch feel pointless, though it definitely feels simpler & easier to use, and does basically all the same things with a cleaner interface. The generous free plan was great while it lasted, their service is genuinely good, and the open-source angle is interesting if that matters to you.

Breely* — 🧡 Love It

Here's the shocking one I was talking about in this section's intro! Around the same time Cal put new limits on the free plan I'd been using, Breely was recommended to me by Christy Price, and it was created by the founder of Acuity. So the scheduling DNA is pretty solid, but the execution is completely different and genuinely impressive.

Breely integrates automations, payments, and basic signatures directly into the scheduling flow. Forms can be separate from scheduling appointments & do lots of different things, being super flexible! It handles 1:1 appointments, classes, group events, and more. It's HIPAA compliant, which matters if any of your clients are in healthcare or regulated industries. Plus, the team is deeply invested in making the product better and it shows — because it's constantly improving.

Oh, and the price is just $7 USD/month. I know. 🙌 You heard me! $7/month is the ONLY paid plan they even offer. I've been using it since mid-2025 and I keep waiting for the catch. So far there isn't one, and Gavin (the Co-Founder, and former Founder of Acuity Scheduling) is genuinely a lovely human!

Dubsado* — 🔴 Left It

While Dubsado does have an internal scheduling feature, and it has improved in version 3.0, it still sucks, to be frank. It can’t compare to available features in dedicated scheduling tools like Acuity, Calendly, Cal, TidyCal, and Breely. Also, as my business grew, I found it cumbersome to have scheduling only in Dubsado, when not all of my appointments are with “clients”, because some of my appointments are meeting people in my network, friends, companies to discuss collaboration opportunities, etc. Basically, many of my appointments are NOT with clients these days, so I wanted an external tool that I could use, which wouldn’t ‘make’ them one in my CRM.

TidyCal* — 🧡 Love It

With AppSumo's lifetime deal, it's a one-time payment under $100 for access to every possible feature, it looks and feels a lot like Calendly, covers most features service-based businesses actually need, —just without the recurring cost. I'm testing it just so I know what's up (because people mention it all the time), and I may migrate some lower-stakes appointments over, but Breely is still my home base. TidyCal is a great option if you want a Calendly/Cal-like experience without the subscription.

Artful Agenda* — 🧡 Love It

I've been using Artful Agenda since 2018 or 2019 and have never once paused my subscription. 😄 It's a digital planner that's designed to look and feel like a paper planner — including stylus doodling on touchscreens, digital stickers, custom cover art, a habit tracker, lists, and lite task and goal tracking. It connects to both Google and Apple Calendars so ALL of your real events show up in a single pretty-to-look-at calendar that's also useful & fun to use. The widgets on iPhone, iPad, and Mac are genuinely beautiful & fun to see on home screens or desktops too. It costs about the same as a yearly paper planner, but with push notifications and events that sync across all your devices. Check out the old reviews & posts about it here, if ya want!

Artful Agenda is NOT a scheduling tool in the Calendly/Acuity sense — it's just a personal calendar management & planning app. But for the designer who wants their planner to actually spark joy, it's worth every penny. 

Other options to consider:

Now that Google Calendar includes basic scheduling options, you don’t have to pay for simple appointment scheduling if it’s not in the budget yet. Superhuman also includes some scheduling features as well, as do many CRMs. You may not need a dedicated scheduling tool like I did, if you can get by with the features included in tools you already have/pay for!

Forms

Forms show up everywhere in a web design business — lead capture, client onboarding, surveys, internal requests, feedback collection. The mistake most designers make is trying to use one form tool for all of those jobs. Different contexts sometimes call for different tools, and here's how I think about it.

Tally* — 🧡 Love It

This is a standalone form builder that’s not just one feature among other types of things ––Tally only builds & shares forms. I’m still on the free plan myself, which is genuinely the strongest endorsement I can give. Tally's free tier is robust enough that I haven't felt the need to upgrade — it includes conditional logic, payments (I think?), signatures, embeds, and connects to both Notion and Airtable. The builder feels a lot like Notion if you're already comfortable there. It’s a great platform for most designers.

Fillout — 🧡 Love It

Similar functionality to Tally but trades a bit of their ease of use for more flexible styling options, but still have a decent (usable) free plan. If you want beautiful, fully styled Airtable-connected forms and don't want to use Airtable's built-in forms (which can't be styled at all), Fillout is the answer. Slightly steeper learning curve, but the design flexibility is worth it for the right use case, and they have a few extra 'question' types that Tally doesn't.

Dubsado* — 🧡 Love It

Dubsado's forms are great for most things that happens inside a client project — lead inquiry forms, proposals, contracts, questionnaires. Where they fall short is creating & providing general public forms for non-clients, long multi-page forms with progress bars, complex conditional logic, or forms that need multiple thank you pages based on responses. Know what they're built for and use them accordingly!

FormFlows — 🧪 Tested

Really interesting concept — it's a whiteboard and mind-map style form builder with highly customizable visuals. But the question type library was too limited, integrations for where submission data could go was weak when I tested it in 2025, and emails sent from FormFlows weren't white-labeled or customizable in any way that mattered to me. Tried it so you don't have to, but it's a really interesting option so I'll keep my eye on it as it grows.

Squarespace –  💙 Use it

I can't not mention these here, because they're free (included with your Squarespace website, that is) and do have actually pretty decent features including file uploads and follow-up questions based on a pre-selected answer, as well as a custom success-message, and storage options for where the submission goes after someone submits their information (Google Sheets, only emailed to the admin, connect to Zapier, etc). It's a decent option to get started with, and eventually you may want/need more features that it doesn't offer; that's when it's time to 'upgrade' to something else.

Airtable* – 🧡 Love It

Airtable forms all look the same, practically. They're not very style-able, but they are very robust. Every form field is related to a database property for the record created when someone submits the form, so essentially, all form submissions are added to a specific database automatically, without any 'automations' or integrations needed. Their forms also include conditional logic to hide/show form fields based on how the person is filling out the form, and a lot of other stuff too. So they're not brand-able, and pretty obviously built by Airtable, but super functional. If you want more styling options, build a Fillout form and connect it to an Airtable database with Fillout's built-in integration options, to 'style' the form the way ya want, but still have the form builder dump submission data into your database.

Invoicing & Payments

Short section because most of this is covered elsewhere, but worth acknowledging as its own category since it comes up constantly.

Dubsado* — 🧡 Love It

My invoicing lives inside Dubsado (my CRM) for client projects, including payment plans, auto-pay charges (recurring payments on payment plans for large invoices), early & late payment reminders, ––the works. I've already covered the other details in the CRM section, so cross-reference these two.

Quickbooks Online* — 💙 Used It

Don’t mis-hear or misread my intent here: I still use Quickbooks for accounting, but I no longer use it to send invoicing & take payments. I could use it for that if needed, but I prefer Dubsado’s system for invoicing because it also handles customized payment options for auto-pay, customized reminders, and more. Quickbooks has ‘estimates’ that look exactly like invoices, as far as most people can tell, and those you can break up into multiple individual invoices to split a large invoice into multiple payments, but it takes longer to do, it’s repetitive to set up, and it’s generally more annoying to do it that way. Especially if you’re also using a CRM to send your contract/service agreement, and other things. So it worked well for me, but it put pauses & annoyances in my workflows, adding more time to the booking process, so I ultimately quit using QBO.

Also, I think it may be important to note that Intuit may/may not be putting the onus on us to be/have/use ‘secure’ systems in place in order to take those payments from our clients via their invoices, as a merchant through Quickbooks… ––even though we (as Merchants) never see our client’s card numbers or actual monies and rely on Quickbooks’ system to manage those things. Dubsado seems to manage this internally for us with Stripe, so it seems that by just switching my invoicing system back to Dubsado, this problem was resolved. 🤷‍♀️

Stripe & PayPal — 💙 Use It

These are the two most common payment processors behind almost anything that takes payments online, in most softwares. They're not necessarily invoicing tools themselves, but they can also send invoices if you want them to; they're just not 'known' for that feature. You need at least one of these connected to whatever invoicing tool you use though, in order for that software (Dubsado, Breely, Kitchen, etc) to actually take the payment. Both are industry standard 'evils'. Stripe is my preference because most of the software I use process through Stripe, just making transaction categorization & financial reporting easier to manage, but PayPal is there because some customers/clients still use it to buy stuff at checkout. PayPal is notorious for siding with customers on disputes though, and Stripe has its own horror stories, but thankfully they do seem rare by comparison to the massive amount of payment processing they manage on the daily.

Framing for early-stage designers: invoicing should lives inside your CRM, your accounting software, or your online shop/checkout software. I don't generally recommend sending invoices through Stripe or PayPal because it's just a disjointed process, and you'll get more additional functionality elsewhere anyway. 

A quick note before we get into this one: I'm not an attorney and I can't give legal advice — take anything I share here as a fellow designer's perspective, not legal guidance. When it actually counts, run it by a lawyer. 😊

Legal

Please, for the love of everything, do not use free, I-found-it-in-the-wild, legal templates you scrounged off of Google &/or the interwebs. It's not worth the risks! 😬

Now that we’ve cleared that up, these are the tools I love for providing the actual legalese (contract terms), and some bonus options for sending contracts if you’re not sure how to share the agreement(s) you have & are ready to use.

Termageddon* — 🧡 Love It

Termageddon is my go-to for all website-related legal pages: terms and conditions, privacy policy, cookie consent tool, disclaimers, and more. The reason I use it over static template-style legal pages is simple: privacy laws change constantly, and Termageddon's policies update almost entirely automatically as they do. You're not manually chasing legislation every time a new privacy law passes somewhere, or waiting on your template shop to release an updated template so you can download it & customize it all over again with the same details. That alone is absolutely worth the subscription cost, because they watch for updates, implement as much as they can without bothering you, and let you know when you are required to edit something yourself; even when your input is required, the edits are fast & easy, and the results get pushed/synced to your website. It makes website legalese a breeze... (I wish that hadn't rhymed... but I'm leavin' it in!)

Creative Law Shop* — 🧡 Love It

My go-to for service agreements and contract templates for creative service providers. Their templates are a one-time purchase per template — you buy it, it's yours & you get updates for free, when your template is replaced with a new version. I bought all of my contracts here before The Foundry® existed (more on that next) and I'd buy them from CLS again. The templates are written by an actual US-based attorney who understands the creative business industry, and they're also peer reviewed by professionals in each industry, which means they helped the attorney draft the contracts to cover the kind of details that are specific to your industry.

The Foundry®* — 🧡 Love It

The Foundry® is built by the same team as Creative Law Shop (& their developers) and offers a more guided, hand-held experience for drafting and customizing your contract templates. It's a recurring fee instead of a one-time purchase, which makes it a different kind of investment — but if you want support and guidance through the process rather than just the template itself, it's worth it. I invested when it first launched in 2024/2025 and still use it. It's really helpful and makes the contract template customization process a bit easier.

Other affordable options to consider (for sending contracts)

Use your CRM:

If you already have a CRM (something like Dubsado, Honeybook, Bonsai, Moxie, Bloom, Indy, ––whatever) then it likely already includes a feature for uploading/pasting/editing/sending your service agreements to clients. Since it’s already built into your existing CRM tool, it makes sense to start with that & use it until you have a situation that doesn’t quite fit using the CRM to send an agreement (examples below).

Affordable dedicated contract-sending tools:

• eSignatures* (Tested) or BreezeDoc(Untested) both have unique feature sets (each), and are great options if:

  • you don’t have a CRM yet that can handle sending e-signable contracts, or

  • if you occasionally need to send a contract agreement to someone that’s not a client, such as an independent contractor, a podcast guest, etc.

• How eSignatures Billing Works:

  • eSignatures works based on flat-rate credits you can buy in chunks and use until you run out. It’s $0.49 to send each contract, the fee is charged or deducted from your balance when the contract is sent, you can have up to 10 signers per contract at no extra cost, resending contracts and reminders are free, your purchased credits never expire, and there are no monthly subscriptions or hidden fees.

  • So for example, if you use my eSignatures affiliate link* to sign up, and you buy $50 worth of credits (the minimum amount) to use with 1 contract sent representing about .49 cents/each, you’ll be able to send about 100 contracts with that initial payment, AND as a bonus, you’ll also get an additional $25 added to your account balance (which adds about another 50-contracts worth of credit)!

• How BreezeDoc Billing Works:

  • With BreezeDoc, it’s one of AppSumo’s lifetime deals, similar to TidyCal. So you can use it for free with limitations, or pay once & use it without a recurring subscription. With two lifetime payment tiers to choose between, you can pick the one you want and both options are under $100. You’ll need the higher ‘Agency’ tier to remove their branding, but their service also includes basic invoicing as well.

Communication

Slack — 💙 Use It

It's great for team communication, basic group chat spaces, and anywhere you need threaded, organized conversations that aren't email. I use it when other people do for their groups or support spaces, but don't need it for myself, so my account is free.

Telegram — 💙 Use It

I rarely use it, and only when someone else requires it to communicate with their team. It's not a recommendation, just an acknowledgment that it exists, and it's free to use.

Voxer — 🔴 Left It

I actually do (I assume) still have an account from 5 or 10 years ago, but I'm not actively using it & haven’t in many years. It's a voice messaging app that had a moment in the online business world, and may still because it's super cheap & has a decent free plan. If someone specific in your circle uses it, it's fine, or if you like the idea of voice message-style communication, kinda like a walkie-talkie (am I dating myself with that reference?) but without voice talking at you unceremoniously, and only when you hit play. Otherwise don't go out of your way; it's cool that it exists and it's super useful for specific situations, but for me I don't need it.

Content & Marketing

Email Service Provider‍ ‍(ESP)

Your ESP is how you stay in touch with your audience, deliver freebies, run launches, and nurture leads over time. If you don't have one yet — this is a high-priority category that will help you build an audience that you control without algorithms dictating what they do/don't see in their 'feed' (unlike social media).

Kit* (formerly ConvertKit)* — 🧡 Love It

Switched to Kit in 2021 and haven't looked back. Its functionality kicks ass. It's built for content creators who want robust automations, sequences, tagging, and segmentation easily. The interface is modern but the editor isn't as pretty as Flodesk (though it's come a long way since Flodesk became competition). It's genuinely powerful, and once you understand how it works it's hard to imagine going back to something simpler.

Flodesk* — 🧡 Love It

I used Flodesk for a couple of years before switching to Kit, and I want to be clear: I didn't leave because it was bad. I left because I outgrew its feature set at the time. Flodesk has since added a lot of what was missing back then, and it remains one of the most design-forward ESPs on the market. If beautiful emails and an easy-to-use editor matter more to you than robust features & efficient functionality, Flodesk is a genuinely great choice. Use my code DAAAMN* for a discount on your first year!

MailerLite — 🔴 Left It

Used the free plan for about two years, then paid for their lowest tier for another year before switching to Flodesk out of annoyance with design limitations & clunky UI updates. It was fine at the time — perfectly functional, affordable, and did the job. Just not where I ended up long-term, and since then they've gotten clunkier & harder to use. I wouldn't bother with it; it's cheap for a reason. 😬

Squarespace Email Campaigns — ⚪️ Passed

Tried it briefly when it first launched out of curiosity & for a client project. Not the move, at least not for my needs. Fine for very occasional sends if you're already on Squarespace and want basic functionality, but not a replacement for a dedicated ESP, and cost most while offering fewer features & less functionality than competitors.

My take:

Kit vs. Flodesk isn't really a competition — they serve different priorities. Kit is for the designer who wants power and flexibility. Flodesk is for the designer who wants beautiful and easy. Both are genuinely good. Pick based on what matters most to you right now, knowing you can always switch later (yes, it's a pain, but it's survivable — I've done it A LOT 😂).

Lead Magnets, Pop-ups & Internal Ads

Lead magnets, pop-ups, and opt-in forms aren't necessarily just one tool's job — sometimes they're a layered system, depending on what you're doing & your goals. The tool that displays the pop-up may be different from the tool that delivers the freebie, which may be different from the tool that nurtures the lead afterward. Once you understand that and the possible options, picking the right tools for each layer gets a lot easier!

ConvertBox* — 🧡 Love It

ConvertBox is from the ThriveCart family, which means it plays nicely with the rest of my tech stack out of the box. It handles pop-ups, inline ads, lead magnets, and simple 1-2 question quiz-style opt-ins with a lot of customization options. Their functionality includes countdown timers, video embeds, conditional display rules, and more. It was a lifetime payment, which sealed the deal for me. Best for static or time-sensitive ads and pop-ups where you want control over who sees what and when, and deciding what happens if someone engages with it. I don't use it all year long, but I do use it for sales, promotional stuff, announcements, and more because it's really easy to set up, or even schedule to start/stop on a predetermined timeline automatically.

Kit* (ConvertKit) & Flodesk* — 🧡 Love It

Both of these also offer lead magnet forms too — but their real strengths is what happens after the person opts in (subscribes). The form, the automation, the delivery, the nurture sequence — all in one place. If you want someone to get a freebie AND receive a thoughtful follow-up sequence of emails, you'll want to do that in your ESP (Kit, Flodesk, etc). Cross-reference with the ESP section for the full breakdown on these!

Interact* — 🧪 Tested

Interact is one of the most reputable dedicated quiz builders on the market, and I've been gifted an account to test it out this year. Quiz funnels are a genuinely powerful list-building tool for a lot of people; they're interactive, they feel personalized, and they attract a more engaged subscriber than a static freebie (that may never be used) often does. Full honest review coming soon! 👀

The layered breakdown if using more than one of these:

1. ConvertBox = the pop-up advertising your thing (quiz, freebie, product, service, sale, etc)

2. Interact = hosts the lead magnet quiz & results page, if you want to use it

3. Kit/Flodesk = connects to either option above to deliver or direct the person to the thing & nurture them afterward if they share their email address.

They're not really competing tools — they're different parts of the same acquisition funnel for established businesses that are focusing on growth. For newer businesses, JUST using your ESP (Kit of Flodesk) is totally fine for a while, and just using what's available there.

Social Media Scheduling

Full transparency: social media is not my primary marketing channel and it never will be. My content lives on the blog and YouTube, and social is an occasional or organic thing — mostly because I find it genuinely exhausting to do or maintain, and I'd rather publish one useful blog post than ten Instagram captions that disappear in 48 hours (each). 😄

That said — when I do schedule social content, here's what I've been using most recently:

Viraly.io* — 🧡 Love It

I've been gifted an account to test it out this year. It handles scheduling to LinkedIn, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and more when batch scheduling makes sense. It's really simple and easy to pick up & learn how to use, and does the job well. It's not a tool I'm in daily (because I don’t do social media marketing unless I ‘have’ to for something specific), but it’s super useful when I need to batch schedule a bunch of posts to different platforms!

YouTube Studio — 🧡 Love It

My videos are uploaded & scheduled to publish directly through YouTube, without a third-party tool being required or necessary. Totally free, and easy to use.

Squarespace — 💙 Use It

Blog posts scheduled to publish directly through Squarespace, which is really easy to do & I love that functionality for blog posts! It does also have some very limited options for ‘pushing’ (publishing/posting) new content from the site to any social media profiles that are linked, but I find this functionality to be so limiting it borders on totally useless, so I don’t do this. I only use Squarespace’s system to publish or schedule internal blog posts or pages, and to ‘push’ (or send) new blog posts to Google Search Console to be indexed (crawled) by Google.

For designers who feel guilty about not being on every platform all the time, you don't have to be! Pick the channels that actually reach your people, you enjoy using, and show up there consistently. Everything else is optional.

• Watch this interview with Paige Brunton to find out how to get clients via content creation & without social media

• Watch this pep talk about doing #allthethings and get some relief.

URL Shorteners & Link Management

With as many affiliate links, freebies, and resources as I share, having a clean link management system isn't optional — it's how I stay sane. 😄

Dub* — 🧡 Love It

Dub is a simple free option to create short links using their free "links" feature which handles everything I need without a recurring fee, and the dashboard is clean and easy to navigate.

Squarespace URL Mappings — 🧡 Love It

This functionality is actually built into Squarespace and criminally underused. You can create branded short links (like launchthedamnthing.com/seospace) directly through URL mappings without any third-party tool or added subscription. It's great for affiliate links, freebies, and anything else you want to be memorable and on-brand. If you're on Squarespace and didn't know this existed, go find it immediately! Or watch this tutorial to see how it works. 👀

Bitly — 🔴 Left It

Used it in the past, moved on when better options came along. Fine for basic link shortening, just not where I landed long-term. I'm sure there are many other options now too, but I haven't kept up with what they are.

Content Creation

Video Recording & Editing

Tella* — 🧡 Love It

Currently using Tella for recording course lessons, video replies for Insider members in the Club, and some YouTube content. I'm in the process of potentially migrating my entire Loom account over to it (1,500+ videos). The editor is already more powerful than Loom's, the support team is more responsive, and the overall experience just feels more intentional. There are a couple of features Loom has that Tella hasn't built yet (like Meeting recordings) — but I'm betting on Tella's trajectory.

Descript* — 🧡 Love It

My go-to for simple edits. If you've never used Descript, the concept is wild: you can edit your video by editing the transcript, like a Word doc, or on the timeline like a normal editor; both options work really well! In the transcript editor, if you delete a sentence from the transcript, it's trimmed from the video too. It's not for complex editing like Davinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, or Premier Pro, etc, ––but for DIY video editing it's genuinely fast and easier to use than professionally competitive software options.

eCamm Live — 🧡 Love It

Using this for live streaming directly to YouTube. It's not browser-based like most streaming tools, which means significantly more control over your stream setup, scenes, overlays, and more — at a much more reasonable price than the competition. However, it is a Mac-only app, so if you're on PC, look at Riverside or possibly Streamyard instead (closest equivalent, but both are browser-based).

Loom — 🔴 Left It

I've used Loom since around 2019 and it's been a reliable workhorse. This isn't a bad breakup — Loom is genuinely good. Tella is just winning on features and support right now, and I don’t want to pay for both tools since they do practically the same things. For me, the switch makes sense for where my content is going. So…it's not you, Loom. It's me. 😄

ScreenStudio* – 🧡 Love It

This is a fabulous tool, and I used it for years after Omari from SQSP Themes shared it with his audience once. It's super easy to learn, but creates beautifully simple and engaging video recordings with any combo of screen-share-only, screen + camera, or camera-only videos. When I first started using it, it was a one-time payment for a year of software updates, and then eventually it turned into a subscription service like everything else. That said, their annual plan is still very affordable, as of posting, so it’s a great option if you want automatic (but editable) zooms where you click with the mouse, or blurred areas to hide sensitive details during a tutorial, or to switch between face & camera while recording the same clip, ––and easy edits & exports when you’re ready to publish. After several years, I’m moving to Tella for more editing control without needing Descript or Final Cut Pro (which I also have), or Davinci Resolve, or Premiere Pro, etc. It’s still a great software, but I needed a little more functionality at my stage.

Screen Recording & Screenshots

Separate from video recording for YouTube, this category is about the everyday captures — quick screen recordings, annotated screenshots, and anything you need to show someone without jumping on a call, or "asynchronous" communication as it's been termed by people cooler than me.

CleanShot X— 🧡 Love It

CleanShot X is the screenshot and screen recording tool I use pretty much every single day without thinking about it. It replaces Mac's native screenshot tool and adds annotation, scrolling captures, video recording, and a built-in cloud for sharing captures instantly via a link if you can't/don't want to upload & send a file. If you're on a Mac and still using Command+Shift+4 for everything, you're leaving a lot of functionality on the table. It's ridiculously easy to use and install, and it's really cheap too.

Tella* — 🧡 Love It

I've already covered this one in the Video Recording section, so cross-reference there for the full take. The short version here: Tella handles both YouTube-style recording & intermediate-but-simple editing, along with quick screen recordings, so it's pulling double duty in my tech stack.

Loom – 🔴 Left It

Again, I've already covered my thoughts on Loom, but the short version is that it's a great simple screen recording tool, like Tella, with or without camera on, and it has calendar meeting options to record calls & take notes which is great––but I wanted Tella's editing features more, and I don't want to pay for both, so I'm testing a possible migration from Loom. It's not bad, by any stretch, but in this season of my business, Tella is most useful for me.

ScreenStudio* – 🧡 Love It

Again, this is a really great tool. I covered most of it in the video recording section, so I won’t hash that out again here. That said, it’s great at recording camera-only, screen-only, or both, and basic cuts & trims, adding blurs or highlights, automatic transitions between camera vs screen vs whatever combo, and even blurring sensitive areas on screen to hide private details in tutorials. Where it fell short, was adding multiple blur areas to a single scene so I could cover up less but still keep certain information private, and there was no AI editing help. Otherwise, it’s a great software that feels very simple & easy to use.

Descript* 🧡 Love It

Descript is a text-based editor, but you can also edit on the timeline, import videos to edit, and even record video content too. It’s very versatile, works with AI on internal tasks to help with editing, and has more layout options, animations, and general video editing. It’s a fabulous tool for anyone that does NOT want to learn more professional video editing tools (like Final Cut Pro, Premier Pro, Davinci Resolve, etc) but still wants high-quality video content that’s easier to edit. While there is definitely a learning curve, it’s still way easier to pick up than the ‘pro’ softwares out there!

eCamm Live — 🧡 Love It

I’m very new to this one, so I don’t have much to add here yet –but I do think it’s a great software for the price. That said, I don’t think it’s a great fit for just screen recording. I think it’s a better fit for creating & streaming video content on published channels, like YouTube.

Copywriting Tools

When I say "copywriting tools," I don't mean "tools that write publish-ready content for you." I mean tools that help you get what's already in your head out faster, cleaner, and in a format your audience can actually use, but that you most certainly have to edit yourself before publishing. There's a big difference, and how you use these tools matters more than which ones you pick.

Claude — 🧡 Love It

Claude earns a honorable mention here for good reason: it’s my favorite copywriting tool because it works like a thought-partner, not my ghostwriter or copywriting contractor. I first heard Christy Price use that phrasing "thought partner" and it perfectly describes how I prefer to use it, too. My ideas, my opinions, my voice, my edits. Claude often helps me structure, draft, and refine faster than I could do it alone, with my perfectionistic tendencies.

Then, their Cowork feature takes it one step further because it can help me organize files, rename folders, and handle behind-the-scenes computer tasks I'd otherwise do manually, like ⏯️ clean up my downloads folder (by organizing & renaming generic file names to be descriptive). The Claude in Chrome browser extension allows it to scan my website pages in real time, helping me prioritize which posts to update and then checking my edits for typos and outdated information as I go.

And yes, this post is a real-world example of that workflow. I came to Claude with 25+ categories worth of tools, opinions, and it helped me work through them category by category. It was just re-organized, reformatted, and written faster than I could've done it alone––and then I went through & did a few passes of editing afterward, because hey– it’s a LONG post. 😂

VoiceDash — 🧡 Love It

VoiceDash is a simple voice dictation tool that listens to what you say aloud when prompted, then it transcribes, cleans it up & writes it out for you. Sometimes it's genuinely faster to talk through an idea than to type it — especially for longer content like blog posts, email drafts, explanatory comments, or social captions. For me, it was a lifetime payment through AppSumo, which makes it a no-brainer alternative to recurring tools like WisprFlow or Willow that do the same thing. If you're a verbal processor who finds writing/typing slow and painful, this might be the most underrated tool on this entire list. Before VoiceDash, I was using WisprFlow and I really liked everything about it, except for the recurring cost, which prompted me to switch to VoiceDash.

RightBlogger* — 🔴 Left It

I used RightBlogger for about a year while I needed a content reset and a faster way to turn video transcriptions into blog posts. It's genuinely useful for newer content creators & business owners that know they need to post content but aren't 'good' at it yet. There are lots of AI-powered features for content creation, SEO, social media, and more! I left it when Claude became the better fit for my workflows, but that's not really a knock on RightBlogger at all; it's a solid tool, especially for getting started with content creation when you're not sure where to begin. Just know it takes some work to dial in your brand voice & ya might still want to run it through ChatGPT or Claude to get it to sound more like you.

AI & LLMs

Let's talk about the elephant in the room. 🐘

I know AI is a loaded topic for a lot of designers. There's a real fear of sounding robotic, of losing your voice, of your clients or customers noticing. I get it. But the way I use these tools has nothing to do with doing publishable work FOR me. Think of it less like outsourcing your jobs and more like having a really smart thought-partner who just thinks & types faster than you do.

Speaking of which — full transparency: this post was written with Claude's help based on my experiences, ideas, verdicts, my voice, and 20 years of my opinions. Claude helped me structure it, shorten it (if you can believe it!), draft it, and get it out of my head and onto the page. Claude also helped me create the kick-ass table at the bottom of this post (but don't look at that yet! 😂).

ChatGPT — 🔴 Left It

Used it SOLIDLY for about a year, and forgot how much I love Claude. Left it in March 2026, for now, with no hard feelings. We had a good run! Just had other tools I wanted to pay for more than Chat. Plus, as a user ––I don’t want to see ads on something I pay $20/mo for.

Claude — 🧡 Love It

I cancelled ChatGPT in 2026, because a few things stopped sitting right with me: no annual billing option in Chat, some business-level decisions I didn't agree with, and the news that they'd be introducing ads to their platform was the final 'well, do I really need both?' nail in the coffin. Anthropic actually ran a pretty funny ad campaign about exactly that (ads on Chat), which caught my attention — and here we are.

Claude is genuinely better at writing long-form content in my brand voice, compared to everything else I've tried.

With the Cowork feature, it even goes beyond writing, because it can help me organize blog post graphics/files, and rename them, and even clean up my Downloads folder periodically to get rid of the mess that accumulates.

The browser extension (Claude in Chrome) can scan blog pages on my website and help me prioritize which blog posts to update, then check my edits for typos or details I’ve missed, and outdated info, based on guidelines I've given it in each circumstance. It's a legitimate workflow tool, not literally a "write me a caption" button.

ClickUp* Brain — 🧪 Testing

Testing it alongside ClickUp's new version. Interesting so far! Verdict TBD alongside the overall ClickUp verdict. May report back, or may not. 🤭

Galaxy AI* — 🧪 Testing

I used the lifetime payment deal, and have just started playing around with it. It's really cool, but way too early to have a real verdict yet. May report back.

Midjourney — 🧡 Love It

I use it for image generation, and only when a client project genuinely calls for more customized stock photography than I can find elsewhere. It’s not a daily tool — more of a "pull it out when I need it" situation, so even though I’ve paid for the annual plan in the past, I’ve turned off auto-renew and will only use it month-to-month when I need it going forward. I know other designers use it a lot, and that's definitely a real-world scenario, but for me I don't need it that often since I take fewer custom projects each year & don't tend to use it for myself. A great tool, but you may not need it all the time, depending on you & your business.

Perplexity — 🧡 Love It

When I need to research something and I want actual sources instead of an AI confidently making things up, Perplexity is where I go. I use their free plan only; I've never paid for it. It presents results in a clean, readable format with citations, tables & bullet points in a way that neither Claude nor Chat ever did as consistently well. Think of it as AI-powered search rather than AI-powered writing. Very different use case, but still very useful.

Poppy AI* — 🧡 Love It

Poppy gives me access to multiple LLM models —including ChatGPT's— for a lifetime payment I made last year, with monthly rollover credits, without a recurring subscription. The interface is completely different from a standard chat & I LOVE that: it uses a whiteboard-style layout with nodes you can connect or disconnect to the chat, so you can control exactly what the AI "sees" at any given moment. Great for 'watching' videos, 'reading' web pages, and working with multiple files, images, and other assets all at once. Not my primary AI tool, but a smart addition to the stack that genuinely provides a unique way to use AI in my workflows. It is currently, as of posting, still browser based though (no app yet).

Website & Design

Design Tools

Yes, I saved design tools for near the end of a post about tools for web designers. 😂 The honest reason is that most of you already have opinions about design software, so this section is more about my specific choices than it is about introducing you to something new.

Canva — 🧡 Love It

Canva needs no introduction. I use it often for graphics, social content, presentations, sharable templates & resources, slides, printable graphics, and anything that needs to look polished without a lot of production time. If you're not using Canva yet, I genuinely don't know what to tell you. 🤭

Affinity — 🧡 Love It

I switched from Adobe to Affinity in 2024 and haven't looked back yet — though I'll be honest, the transition hasn't been fast. I'm still getting comfortable with it, after literally 20 years of Adobe muscle memory. Affinity does practically everything Adobe does, but in a FREE-no-gimmicks software, instead of a recurring subscription. The learning curve is real though if you're coming from Adobe, but the financial relief is equally real and eventually it really does become more intuitive to use than Adobe ever was. Worth the transition! ––Oh, and it works great with Canva, because Canva actually OWNS it now.

Adobe Suite — 🔴 Left It

After years of paying for software I wasn't using heavily anymore, I finally made the switch to Affinity. No regrets — though I do occasionally miss the familiarity. If you're heavily reliant on Adobe and use it daily, there's no shame in staying. Just know Affinity exists as an alternative when you're ready to reevaluate.

Website Tools

This is my wheelhouse, so buckle up. 😄 Beyond Squarespace itself, there's a whole ecosystem of tools I use to build, optimize, and maintain websites — both mine and my clients'. Most of these your audience has probably never heard of, and some of them are genuinely game-changing, while others are just great additions depending on your goals & skills.

Squarespace — 🧡 Love It

Obviously. If you're here, you probably already know my stance. Squarespace is my platform of choice for smaller, service-based businesses that want a beautiful, functional website without wrestling with code or hiring a developer every time something breaks or needs updating. I've been building on it since 2016 and I'd still choose it today. A full platform comparison post is coming soon — so if you're on the fence about Squarespace vs. everything else, stay tuned. 👀

SEOSpace* — 🧡 Love It

Think of SEOSpace like Yoast, but built specifically for Squarespace. It audits your pages, scans for SEO issues, and gives you actionable feedback so you know exactly what to fix and whether your changes are actually working or following current best practices. I use it on my own site and on client sites during builds and after launches. If you're serious about SEO on Squarespace, this is the only tool.

SquareKicker* — 🧡 Love It

Been using SquareKicker for design customizations since 2020. It's a CSS and design enhancement tool for Squarespace that lets you do things the native editor simply can't — custom layouts, typography, spacing, animations, and more. I recently scaled back to their Solo plan since I'm doing fewer heavily custom builds these days, but it's still a core part of my own website. If you're doing custom Squarespace work, this is worth knowing about! They also have their own Squarespace template shop, which is a totally different experience than competitors can offer.

SquareWebsites* — 🧡 Love It

Multiple plugins I'm actively using from them including Universal Filter* which includes access to Portfolio collection filters, blog pagination, and more. These fill the gaps Squarespace leaves for designers who need more control over how content is displayed and filtered. I'm also using their pro tools Chrome extension & have for years now; it's a must-have for serious & professional Squarespace designers.

Will Myers* — 🧡 Love It

Will Myers offers multiple plugins with business licenses — meaning you can use them on client sites, not just your own. I'm also a Curious Coder* member, which gives me access to Robo-Will, which is an incredible tool worth every penny! If you build on Squarespace professionally, Will's plugins are excellent, reliable, and worth exploring. Their support team is amazing too!

Fathom Analytics* — 🧡 Love It

Fathom offers privacy-first analytics that I switched to from Google Analytics last year. Google Analytics is still free and ubiquitous — but Google's approach to user privacy became something I wasn't comfortable with anymore, and Fathom offers a clean, simple alternative that doesn't track your visitors in ways they haven't consented to. Yes, it costs money. For me, the privacy trade-off was worth it.

Google Analytics — 🔴 Left it

Still the default for most people, and I get it — it's free and powerful. Just not where I landed when I thought about what I actually wanted to support. Mentioned here for context, not as a recommendation.

Elfsight* — 🧡 Love It

Powers the embedded YouTube video library on my website. Simple, does exactly what it's supposed to do, free plan has been enough for my needs for a couple of years now. They also have widgets for a ton of other use-cases, and affordable plans to use them.

Senja* — 🧡 Love It

Senja is one of my favorite finds by a mile. I had no idea how much I needed it in my life, until I found it ––and I don’t even remember how I discovered it now. It’s an absolutely genius & creative way to collect, organize, and display testimonials and reviews from my digital product customers. It has a submission form to collect, but it can also pull reviews from third-party platforms like Facebook or Google (among others) or manually add or import them, and generates embed widgets you can place anywhere on your site — so your testimonials stay organized & searchable in a SINGLE place, while syncing everywhere you need them, without duplicating or copying/pasting them manually. It’s more expensive than the alternative below, but significantly more powerful & worth every penny.

Shoutout* — 💙 Use it

Similar concept to Senja — testimonial collection and display — but much simpler, a little clunky, and has way fewer features overall. The upside: it was a lifetime payment, so there’s no ongoing subscription cost. If you're budget-conscious and just need basic review collection and display without all of Senja's bells and whistles, it's not a bad option. Just know what you're getting. It also doesn't currently (as of posting) sync with Google Reviews, yet, so that’s a pretty big disadvantage, compared to Senja.

BugSmash — 🧡 Love It

Visual website feedback tool — clients click directly on the site to leave annotated comments, which means not spending time trying to decode "the button on the left... no the other left" emails. 😂 Used it on my first client project of 2026 and it went really well. Check whether their AppSumo lifetime deal still available; it was as of posting. It's worth saying that it's new enough that there are occasional bugs, but the team is responsive and fixes things fast. Full honest review coming soon!

Pastel — 🧡 Love It

Similar concept to BugSmash and has been around longer, so it's more stable (less buggy). The free plan gives you unlimited canvases (projects) but has a 72-hour comment window on each of them — after that window closes, no new comments can be added to that canvas, but you can still view it & use it. Workaround: create a new canvas for each revision round. Works fine if that timeline works for your projects. Paid plan removes that time-limitation entirely if the workaround feels like too much friction, but it starts at around ~$30/mo. Used it with my last client of 2025 and it worked really well.

Business Operations & Admin

Project Management

Oh boy. This is the category where I have to just... own my shit. 😂

I have tried, at various points in my business life over the last decade+, the following project management tools: ClickUp, Asana, Notion, Airtable, Trello, SmartSuite, TickTick, Quire, Milanote, Blitzit, Coda, Basecamp, Griply, Akiflow, Motion, Apple Notes, Apple Reminders, AnyDo, Artful Agenda's lite tasks, Full Focus Planner, Google Tasks, Reclaim, ToDoist, Wrike, and Zenkit. ––And I'm sure I'm forgetting some. 😭

The ones I always come back to are Notion, Asana, and ClickUp. Those three are the finalists after years of rotating through everything else.

ClickUp* — 🧡 Love It

I'm in ClickUp's newest version right now with ClickUp Brain (their built-in AI) and so far, so good. I hesitate to even say that out loud because my track record in this category is... not exactly consistent. 🤭 But I'm cautiously optimistic. Full verdict TBD — ask me in 6-12 months.

Why do I keep leaving? Shiny-object syndrome, ––hello. 😂 But also, ClickUp can be incredibly granular and so it's easy to make it messy + cleanup feels overwhelming. Also, they add & update features regularly (like, every 2 weeks they post release notes), so it can be buggy sometimes, which can be annoying.

Why do I keep coming back? Don't make me say it again... ––fine: shiny-object syndrome! While I love Asana, I keep turning it into a ClickUp experience, and it frankly just doesn't work as well. So if you want simplicity, get the free plan of Asana & stay on it, but if you want custom properties & better automations, ClickUp is probably a more practical fit for the money, and their AI is definitely better, too.

Asana — 🧡 Love It

Used it last year and genuinely liked it. Clean, pretty intuitive, felt simple & easy to pick up. Left it when ClickUp's new version caught my attention literally by accident. Would absolutely consider going back — it's a solid and very stable tool.

Why do I keep leaving? Two reasons.

• 1) I hate their pricing model for solopreneurs. 😂 There, I said it. 🫣 It sounds stupid, but their pricing plans are ridiculous, in that to be on a paid plan as a solo business owner (with no team) you HAVE to pay for 2 users (seats), because that's the minimum, yet they continue to advertise as $10-ish/mo and they've done this for years, even though they actually mean $10-ish/mo x2 people/users = $20+/mo. Like... just say you want to charge us more than everyone else & be done with it. 😂 They know this is a problem (I've reported it to their support team at least two separate times in frustration), and each time they've said there are no plans to change this & they are aware. It's a known disconnect with their users.

• 2) Like I said in ClickUp's section above, I keep trying to turn it into ClickUp with all these custom properties, etc. and it just doesn't work as well. It's meant to be used more simply, and runs better that way. I on the other hand, like to fuck things up sometimes and have a tendency to make things more complicated than is necessary after I've had time to tinker in these tools, so Asana quickly becomes a Frankenstein that should've been built in ClickUp (or even in Airtable instead, if it turns into a database, god forbid).

Why do I keep coming back? When I'm craving simplicity, because it feels so simple and easy with a clean account. It's so tempting with its fresh & empty lists & projects, just waiting in horror to inherit the mess from whatever tool I used last. 😂 And they've also updated some things that were limitations before, so they are trying to be more competitive, feature-wise, but the changes/updates are slow by comparison to both ClickUp and Notion.

Notion* — 💙 Use It

I love it, but Notion is not a good ‘project management’ tool, despite what they advertise & how many free/paid templates that say otherwise. —It's a beautifully simple, yet flexibly customizable note-taker, database and wiki builder that can technically also manage basic tasks IF you build the system yourself, or know where to start with the right template system which sets it up for you (& always requires further customization). I just use it as a Google Docs replacement (because it’s faster for me to use with the keyboard shortcuts) to make internal notes, and externally shareable resources that I can embed in various places… But not for task tracking. More on Notion in the Databases section.

Other popular options — 🔴 Left It

Re: Airtable, Trello, SmartSuite, TickTick, Quire, Milanote, Blitzit, Coda, Basecamp, Griply, Akiflow, Motion, Apple Notes, Apple Reminders, AnyDo, Artful Agenda's lite tasks, Full Focus Planner, Google Tasks, Reclaim, ToDoist, Wrike, and Zenkit.

For the rest of the list, I've tried &/or actually used 98% of those, and for 1 or 2 they work great, just not as a PM tool specifically. For the rest of those, I just researched or created an account & quickly realized it wasn't the right fit for me personally, so I didn't actually do anything with it but poke around long enough to make a decision for myself.

Some were great. None of them stuck, as a PM tool, for me.

The honest truth about PM tools is that picking the "right" one is deeply personal — what works for me might drive you absolutely insane, and vice versa. The best PM tool is the one you'll actually open every day. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, including me. 🤭

Check this post next if you want to see my thoughts on how to choose the right PM tool FOR YOU, based on how you prefer to manage tasks offline with paper & pencil/pen. It might help you step outside the shiny-object stuff, and focus on how your brain works first, then which tool is the closest digital match to that.

Automations

Saving the most advanced category for later in this post, because automations are the connective tissue layer for my tech stack that makes everything else run while I sleep. But they're also the category most people want to skip entirely because they feel complicated or like something you need an IT background to pull off. ––But you don't. You just need to start small.

Airtable* Automations — 🧡 Love It

Where Zapier drops data off, Airtable often takes over within the database there. Example: after Zapier zaps a template purchase into my template management hub, Airtable delivers that person's template access link to the customer immediately, and will also follow up with a reminder to access it if they don't accept the invitation. It also alerts me when my template inventory gets low, and sends me internal reminders to create more copies (that sit waiting to be purchased). It can also change field values, connect records, and fire off emails to myself or whoever, — all without touching Zapier. The two tools work together as a system, really well, and don't have to exist separately as competitors.

ClickUp* Automations — 💙 Use It

These are smaller scale than Zapier or Airtable, and are historically less reliable too. But they're genuinely helpful for internal task management. Example: when a blog post status is set to Scheduled and the publish date arrives, ClickUp can automatically change the 'task' status to Published and it can even leave a comment reminding me to add the post or video link to the task — and again to check analytics on the post & video later. They're smaller, internal things, but they remove a surprising amount of manual labor, and miscellaneous admin over time.

Where to start if automations feel overwhelming: pick one repetitive task you do manually every single week and ask yourself if a tool already in your stack could handle it by itself, with the right set up. Most of the time the answer is yes — you just haven't set it up yet. Start there, with one automation. Then build from there as you get more comfortable!

Dubsado* Automations — 🧡 Love It

Dubsado's internal automations handle the entire client workflow once a project is in the in the initial stages of my booking process, all the way through their support period & when the project officially ends. It adds all the right forms and email templates to projects, gives me time to adjust/edit/customize them before approving them to send, then later sending templated review request emails, support term reminders, final project completion emails, launch checklists for my clients, and payment reminders for invoice payment plans (even on auto-pay). Lead follow-up automation is currently here too, though that's moving out of Dubsado soon for the reasons covered in the CRM section earlier in this post.

Zapier — 🧡 Love It

Zapier is what makes the tools that don't natively (lacking built-in integrations) talk to each other & actually work together. Current Zaps running in my business include: sending ThriveCart sales data into a sales hub in Airtable, managing Squarespace template delivery and inventory tracking from purchases, auto-sending follow-up messages when clients submit support tickets in Kitchen, and triggering member-specific tasks in ClickUp when Club members request website audits through an Airtable form. If two tools in your stack don't integrate natively, Zapier is almost always the answer. (Or Make, or Pabbly, etc.; I'm just used to Zapier.)

Time Tracking

Two very different problems live in this category: figuring out where your time is actually going, and tracking billable hours for clients. They may sound similar, but they call for completely different tools — and confusing them is how you end up with software that doesn't solve either problem well. 🥴

Rize* — 🔴 Left It

I used Rize for about a year and let it go before it auto-renewed, but that was the plan all along. Rize tracks your time automatically in the background without any manual input, so you get a clear picture of where your hours are actually going versus where you think they're going. (Hint: those two things are rarely the same. 😂) It wasn't a forever tool from the get-go, but it was a useful one for the season I needed it. If you've never audited your own time before, a few months with Rize (or something like it) is genuinely eye-opening.

Timing App — 🧡 Love It

This is a Mac-only automatic time tracking app, similar to Rize, but feels more native to the Mac ecosystem. I downloaded it & did the free trial, so it's next to try 'for real' (on a paid plan) when I want that kind of data again. I can't fully review it yet since I haven't used it in depth, but it's the one I'll reach for next.

Toggl — 💙 Used It

I've used Toggl on and off for about 10 years. It's built for billable time tracking, ie: the kind you can send invoices for. It's simple, clean, easy to use, and makes timesheets shareable and (I believe) even payable through their system. A free plan exists but most of the genuinely useful features are on paid plans for heavier uses. I don't offer time-tracked services anymore so I don't have an active need for it currently, but when I did, it worked really really well. Especially worth considering if you don't have a CRM yet and need a simple way to track and invoice for time worked; only mentioning because Dubsado includes time tracking which can be applied to invoices, so you don't really 'need' Toggl if you already have Dubsado.

Dubsado* – 💙 Use It

Dubsado's features include basic time-tracking, and that makes it super easy to apply tracked time to a client's invoice. It's less useful though, as a contractor that's asked to provide more traditional timesheets (a log of time tracked).

ClickUp* – 💙 Use It

ClickUp also includes basic time-tracking, but it doesn't have any invoicing features so this presumably works best for internal time-tracking, either for your own knowledge of your time, for your team's workload management (see who has too much vs too little work on their plate), or just for your own tracking with the knowledge that you have to create & send the invoice elsewhere. The cool thing about ClickUp's time-tracking is that this can be built into the tasks themselves, and that task list can be shared easily with anyone.

The distinction worth making:

Rize and Timing are best for self-auditing — understanding your own patterns. Toggl is great for service-work, client billing or contract work where you're tracking billable time that you intend to collect a check for. ClickUp is task-oriented, but easily sharable, however it can't actually send an invoice. Dubsado is project-oriented, but can be easily applied to an invoice to collect payment. Pick based on which problem you're actually trying to solve! (You don't need all of these!)

Finance

Nobody got into web design because they love bookkeeping. But ignoring this category is how you end up handing your accountant a shoebox of receipts every April, crossing all your fingers & toes, and hoping for the best. 😂 Here's what I actually use to keep my financial house in order now.

QuickBooks Online* — 🧡 Love It

Been using QBO for years and it's my primary accounting software — tracking all debits and deposits, generating reports, and making sure I'm never caught off guard at tax time. I do a quarterly check-in with a bookkeeper too, so April is never a surprise. It's not 'fun', but it works well, and my bookkeeper is there to help with it when needed. That last part matters to me, more than any feature list. 😄

Novo* — 🧡 Love It

Novo is my business checking account and I've been using it for years with zero complaints. It's fee-free, ridiculously Profit First-friendly (you can create multiple "reserves" inside one account to group your money), and connects seamlessly to Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, Kick, and everything else in my tech stack. If you're still using a traditional bank for your business and paying monthly fees for the privilege — please look into Novo. It literally costs you nothing to use.

Kick* — 🧪 Tested

Kick is an AI-driven accounting tool with a genuinely impressive free plan (as of posting, free for up to $25,000 USD in expense transactions) — it connects to your accounts, auto-categorizes transactions, and keeps your P&L updated without you touching it. That's legitimately cool!! And it does a really good job. For anything that needs editing/adjusting, you can manually adjust it too. The reason I haven't switched from QBO is that the paid plan (where you get custom categories and reports) runs more expensive than my QBO plan, and the free plan's limitations aren't worth the switch for where my business is right now, without access to custom transaction categories. Worth keeping an eye on as they grow though. If you're just starting out and need something free to get your books in order, the free plan seems like a really solid starting point.

Xero — 🔴 Left It

Fast. One month. My bookkeeper only uses QBO and that settled it immediately, because I hated their 2020-era UI (hideous & outdated). 😂 By comparison, QBO felt a lot more modern & user-friendly.

Freshbooks, Wave, QuickBooks Self-Employed— ⚪️ Passed

Researched all three, never pulled the trigger on most of them. I tried Wave for a while, back when it was totally free, but found it hard to learn (not user-friendly) and then H&R Block bought it (I think?) and then the free plan got less & less functionally useful for me. None of them were the right fit for where my business was headed. Mentioned only because they come up constantly in designer circles and I want to be honest that I looked and chose to move on.

Dubsado* — 💙 Used it

I did use Dubsado's internal (very basic) accounting tools for the first few years of my business and it worked okay — but it was all manual entry, and tax season was always stressful as a result. Graduate to dedicated accounting software when you're ready! It makes tax season easier & less stressful, for sure.

Online Storage

Not the most exciting category on this list, but "I can't find that file" is a special kind of annoyance that costs you time every single day. Not to mention these are automatically a back-up system, so if your hardware (ie: your physical computer) dies or your cat spills water on it (🙋🏻‍♀️ hey, that's actually happened to me before!), your files are okay because they also live 'in the cloud.' So, pick a system, commit to it, and actually feel safer using it.

Dropbox* — 🧡 Love It

Dropbox has been my primary file storage for well over a decade ––maybe even 20 years now–– and I don't see that changing. The experience in Mac's file manager, Finder, feels completely native to my Mac OS. It's just there, like it's part of the operating system, which makes it easy to actually use consistently & hard to forget it exists.

Pro tip worth knowing: if you share a lot of files as downloads (lead magnets, deliverables, freebies) you can change the =0 at the end of a Dropbox share link to =1 and it'll prompt an automatic download instead of opening the file in the browser where the viewer has to manually select a 'Download' button. It's a small thing, but genuinely useful. 🙌

Google Drive — 💙 Use It

I have Google Drive through my Google Workspace account and have since 2016, but I use Google Drive’s storage so little that I was on the same 30GB limit for 10 years, because I keep everything in Dropbox. 🤭

That said, Google Drive does have its own useful bag o' tricks and it's own office suite of 'free' (included) business software, like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.

Plus, if you swap /edit at the end of a file link to /copy it will prompt recipients to make their own copy of the file before they even see it, which is great for sharing templates or resources you don't want people editing directly, or that aren't that tech savvy & can't figure out how to make a copy as easily from the standard share link.

If you're choosing between the two:

Neither is objectively better than the other. It really comes down to personal preference and which devices you live on. Pick one, commit, and stop splitting your files between both.

Password Management

I'm putting this one bluntly: if you don't have a password manager, get one before you finish reading this post. Not tomorrow. Today. The number of designers running their entire business on recycled passwords, passwords saved in their browser, or in a notes app full of login credentials is genuinely concerning. 😬 "In today's day and age," we have way too many accounts to keep track of, so in my not-so-humble opinion, these have kind of become a necessary part of life.

1Password — 🧡 Love It

It's cheap at about $30-60/year for single or family users, last I checked, but it feels completely native on a Mac, and works seamlessly across all my devices. It's the password manager I'd recommend to basically anyone in my audience without hesitation. It can help generate new passwords, it can also manage the two-factor authentication codes so you don't need a separate authentication app, and more.

One thing worth knowing if you share access with clients or contractors: sharing a password through 1Password is super easy, but it does reveal the actual password to the recipient, which means they can save & use it directly without needing to be added to your 1Password account if you don't change it afterward. Useful to know depending on how you manage shared access.

Other options:

A few of note are LastPass, Dashlane, and ProtonPass, etc. If I could no longer use 1Password for any reason, ProtonPass would be my next stop — it's more privacy-focused and worth knowing about as an alternative. It's also never had a data leak.... *cough* like-LastPass-did! *cough*😬🤭

Email Inbox Management

Nobody talks about this category and so many people need help with it. Your inbox is either a tool that works for you or a source of high-grade anxiety that lives in a browser tab that you're afraid to click/open. These tools exist to fix that second thing.

Canary Mail — 💙 Use It

Canary Mail is a unified inbox app that pulls all your email accounts into one place — great in theory, and genuinely good in practice for personal accounts. It has a lifetime payment option, basic features like GIF access, snooze, reminders, and email sharing, and it's a solid alternative to Apple Mail if you find Apple Mail as annoying as I do. 😂 It's very similar to Spark, by Readdle, which I used for ~10 years until the price became higher than the value (my opinion).

The caveat: I tried using it for business email as a sub for something like Missive or Front (shared inboxes for teams), but since I don't have a team I just tried this instead. For me, it wasn't a good fit for business purposes. It also forces some weird standardized styling on marketing-style emails & newsletters, so some things look weird or are hard to read & it SUCKS in dark mode (luckily I rarely use that myself, preferring light mode). Some tools are personal tools, and this is one of them. Use it for that, and find something else for your business inbox.

Superhuman* — 🧡 Love It

Expensive, but worth every fucking penny! I don't say that lightly about an email tool. 😄

Superhuman is not a unified inbox — it's intentionally the opposite. It keeps each email account completely separate so you can focus on one at a time instead of drowning in everything all at once. I honestly thought I'd hate that, because I've been using a unified inbox system for YEARS (Apple Mail, Spark, Canary, etc) and Gmail's browser mail is annoying because it separates my inboxes from each other. ––BUT, I didn't hate it. I actually love it. 😂

It can (optionally) be used almost entirely on keyboard shortcuts, which sounds intimidating until you realize it means you can process emails at a genuinely alarming speed. The built-in AI tools make triage, drafting, and follow-ups significantly faster, generating email responses on command, auto-drafting replies that are ready to go when you open it & are ready to edit & send, and the built-in calendar features are WICKED SMART, pulling up the day you reference while writing any email so you can see the day you're talking about without doing anything to pull it up. They also include some scheduling features and booking pages, and even AI personalization options to make those drafts sound more like you & learn about your business. The ask AI features are incredibly useful too, for when you need to 'look for an email' or find something specific but aren't sure what you're looking for and search isn’t working because you’re using the wrong keywords.

I can't gush about it enough, frankly!

That said, yes, it's expensive. I know. But Superhuman was recently acquired by Grammarly, which means one subscription now also comes bundled with Superhuman, Grammarly, and a few other tools together for the same price — which can change the value calculation considerably.

If your inbox(es) genuinely stresses you out and you use Gmail for your business email, this is the tool I'd try first. You'll feel a bit confused at first, and then promptly realize how effective it is, fall in love, and never look back!

Streak — 💙 Used It

Streak is actually just a Chrome extension that overlays Gmail in the browser with CRM-lite features, like leads management, automations, basic bulk email sending, pipeline tracking, and more. It's great if your inbox feels completely unmanageable and you actually use (& enjoy using) Gmail in a web browser. I'm not one of those people, so Superhuman is the better fit for me, — but back when I did use Gmail in the browser, Streak helped organize my inbox a lot. Worth a try if browser-based Gmail is your preferred world. 

Databases

This category confuses people because it overlaps with both project management AND forms, depending on how you use them. So let me clear it up upfront: databases are for storing, organizing, and managing information. Think of them as the filing cabinet in your office, or even your brain.

Notion* — 🧡 Love It

Notion is beautifully & visually simple, very flexible, and great for anything where the visual layout of information matters. I use it to house internal resources, external-facing resource pages (sharable with students & members, etc), and anything that needs a custom page layout or embedded content. It's not a great spreadsheet replacement — think of it as a pretty, flexible wiki. Fair warning: Notion starts with a blank page, and that blank page syndrome is real. If you're not someone who enjoys building systems from scratch, the setup process might actually break you. 😂 But for nerds who love tinkering with data & systems, it's super fun to use for the right reasons.

Airtable* — 🧡 Love It

If Notion is the pretty one, Airtable is the more powerful one. Numbers, formulas, dates, automations, linked records — it does things Notion simply can't do at all, or can't do as well. I use it to manage Club member data, monthly call schedules, onboarding forms, support and audit requests, surveys, and more. It'll eventually house my lead inquiry management system too, which I'm actively building out. Airtable beats Notion at almost everything except visual page design. Both have a place in my stack, but for different reasons.

My honest comparison:

Neither Notion nor Airtable is a great dedicated project management tool — you can technically do task management in both, but you'd be building the system for it yourself and it won't feel as intuitive as a dedicated PM tool. Use ClickUp, Asana, or Trello, etc. for tasks. Use these for data management. Don't understand the difference? Airtable guru, Ashley from Systems Over Stress builds something in both, side by side, in this video, to show you the differences! She's not a fan of Notion, obviously, but it's a side-by-side comparison for data management.

Digital Products

Courses, Memberships, & Checkout

If you sell digital products — courses, templates, workshops, anything downloadable — you need a way to handle checkout, delivery, and access. Here's what I've tried, used, chosen, and why.

ThriveCart* — 🧡 Love It

I purchased ThriveCart with a one-time payment in 2021 and it handles all of my digital product checkouts and course delivery for shop templates. It's significantly more powerful than anything Squarespace offers natively for this purpose, and the one-time payment model made it an easy decision at the time. It houses my courses, tutorials for software templates I sell in the shop, and manages the actual product listing, and processes the payments with both Stripe & PayPal, but doesn't take their own cut of the payment (only Stripe or PayPal take their cut).

Important caveat worth knowing: ThriveCart has since introduced recurring payment options for some of their features, so whether it remains a lifetime payment for new customers depends on the plan and features you choose. Verify current pricing before assuming it's still a one-time deal.

Circle* — 🧡 Love It

My community —the Club— is hosted on Circle, and has been since it launched in 2023. I love it because it feels most like Facebook, which means members adapt to it quickly without a super steep learning curve. That matters more than most platform features when you're trying to build an active community. It's pricey though, and the plan I started on no longer appears to be available to new members, so factor current pricing into your decision & whatever you charge for your members. It's totally worth a higher price for the right community builder, just go in with eyes open on your own expenses to manage it.

ThriveAcademy — 🤫 Coming Soon!

ThriveCart's upcoming community & (new) course hosting platform (launching later in 2026), will compete directly with Circle, Skool, Podia, Thinkific, and other community + courses tools. When I get access to it, I'll test it before making a decision; definitely keeping an eye on it — especially given the existing ThriveCart integration in my stack, but I honestly don't expect it to 'feel' like Circle does, and that ease-of-use goes a long way.

Other options I researched or tried:

MightyNetworks (tried it, didn't love it), Skool, Podia, Kajabi, Thinkific, Heartbeat (researched heavily, almost pulled the trigger, but decided on Circle). I only mention these because because they come up a lot and I want to be transparent that I looked at the landscape before committing, but haven't tried them all myself. Some are more expensive than others, and all of them have slightly different features, and wildly different UIs, so check them out & decide for yourself!

Of course, Squarespace now also has built-in features for these things too! The reason I don’t use Squarespace for Digital Product delivery, Members Areas, or Courses, is partly because I needed these features before they existed in Squarespace’s ecosystem, so I didn’t have that as an option to choose at the time. It’s also because these features in Squarespace are still new & pretty basic; by the time Squarespace released these features, I already needed more options than Squarespace provided in their versions, so I just stayed where I was. They’re a great starting point, but not something that can scale with most business needs, and the cost to add video hosting & get a cheaper per-transaction processing fee may not be worth the cost for you, depending on the plan you choose.

Checklist: Create Your Full Tech Stack

If you made it this far —first of all–– hi 👋🏻 you're my people. 😄

Below is a list of all of these tools covered in this post, organized by category and rated. You can expand any category to browse, or "Expand all" if you want to see everything at once.

You can save a shortlist of tools you're considering! To do that, check the box next to any tool and it'll get added to the selection panel at the bottom. From there you can write in the current plan rate for each one to see a running total of what it'd cost, and copy that whole list to your clipboard to paste & save it somewhere —in your notes app, ClickUp task, Google Doc, wherever you plan your business stuff!

A couple of things worth knowing before you dig in:

• Links marked "Affiliate link" may earn me a small commission if you sign up after clicking there, — but at no extra cost to you, it just helps me fund these long-ass deep dives! Tools marked "Gifted" were provided free in exchange for an honest review, with zero editorial input from the company. And anything marked "Coming soon" means I'm actively testing it and a full review is likely on the way.

• This tool does NOT save your input, and there’s no analytics or anything, so results are private to you, and no email is required to get your results.

So… hi. It's been a minute. 🤭

I'm not going to act like this was a planned sabbatical. I didn't send a "see you in spring" email and peace out gracefully. I just… went nearly radio silent — well, not entirely, but mostly.

This blog went dark after September 2025, and my YouTube channel along with it. The only thing I managed to squeak out since then was a phishing scam warning in February 2026, which, not exactly the triumphant return content I had in mind. 😂

And if you noticed the silence & wondered where I've been —hi. I see you! Thank you for still being here!

Here's what happened

Last fall burned me out; I felt it coming, and I was still caught off guard when it happened. 😂 🤦🏻‍♀️ Back-to-back things from August to December, including re-recording my entire Ultimate Client Portal System course right before Black Friday sales usually happen, and then planning for a 2-week vacation over Christmas where we were traveling and I'd be totally out of the office... It was a lot.

After we got back from Christmas vacation & visiting our families, I was sick as a dog for weeks. At the same time, we quickly realized Luna needed a vet checkup, after finding a few new lumps & bumps that made me nervous.

Within a week of that checkup, Luna was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lymphoma. If you've seen my YouTube videos or hung out with me on our monthly Club calls, or Paige Brunton's monthly student Q&A calls (she's a fellow Squarespace educator & I co-lead those with her every month), you already know Luna — she's usually somewhere in the background, sleeping or doing her thing, completely unbothered by whatever I'm trying to record. 🐾

We caught it fairly quickly, so we have a lot of different treatment options and we jumped on them. She's been doing chemo since February, which sounds scarier than it actually is for dogs — the side effects are minimal compared to what humans go through, thankfully. The hard part is that the nearest oncology specialist for doggos isn't exactly around the corner, so treatment days basically eat the whole day by the time we make the trip there and back. It's been... a lot of very full weeks. 🥴

So you don't have to ask, in case you're wondering: the realistic prognosis is what it is. Unfortunately the chances of permanent remission are extremely low — somewhere around 5% of dogs stay in remission for the rest of their lives — so we're not pretending otherwise. We're just taking it day by day and soaking up every extra minute we get with her while we can keep her healthy & happy as long as possible, and hoping for the best outcome, given the situation.

Most of my energy these past few months has gone into the Club — keeping that space running well and being present for the wonderful people inside it — which meant the blog and YouTube took a backseat. Not forever. Just for a while!

Here's the thing about disappearing when you run a one-person show:

• there's no team member to alert people, ie: "Hey, Katelyn's taking an unexpected break from content!" on your behalf.

• there's no out-of-office message on a YouTube channel, either.

• you just kinda… vanish, maybe unexpectedly, if you're unprepared for it (ie: content is not scheduled out further than the next week, lol ––which, it wasn't.)

And then it feels weird… And then it feels weirder the longer it goes. And then at some point you're like "how do I even start again?" because you're no longer in that old schedule/habit — and THAT becomes its own little trap.

So I'm not over-explaining it. I'm not hoping to tickle your guilt-strings. 🤭 I'm just showing back up as a human, with a life outside of my business, that suddenly got partially in the way. Like I said I would, but with honesty about the 'why' and sharing what I can so that maybe it'll help someone else to know this shit (burnout, overwhelm, life, etc) can truly happen to anyone/everyone sometimes.

By the time November hit, I was running on fumes I didn't even realize were fumes until the tank was already empty.

Burnout is such a sneaky thing! It's usually not a dramatic collapse. Sometimes it's just… the frog in the slowly boiling water suddenly going, "Oh! Oh noooo.... This is bad." And by then, you're already cooked. 😂 🐸

I spent most of January doing what I probably should've been doing in December: actually resting. Taking care of my husband while he was sick, after I finally got better. Watching Luna for signs of anything serious while we waited for her appointment to arrive. Catching up on the literal mountain of notifications that had piled up while I was in survival mode & then away on vacay. Basically, being a person, not a content machine.

Not exactly the "new year, new me" energy. 🤭

My takeaway from all of this

A long-time client —someone I've worked with since 2020— mentioned in January that a friend of hers does all her annual planning in January instead of December. On purpose.

• Because December is for the holidays, the family stuff, the chaos of travel, gift-giving if you participate in that, holiday sales, and rest when/where you can get it.

• January is when you actually have the headspace to think clearly again.

I almost laughed out loud because it sounded so obvious to me that I needed that strategy for myself now, and yet I'd never once considered doing that! My clients already know I take December off from client work, and as she told me this strategy of her friend’s, I realized that now January is going on that list for me too — each “off-time” scheduled for very different reasons, because I’d just experienced what life can be like without scheduled breaks (even when you LOVE your work).

The clarity I kept chasing in January didn't show up until February, and then Luna got smacked with the cancer diagnosis, plus I was also summoned for jury duty (with multiple draw dates over Q1 this year), and oh––did I mention I got RIDICULOUSLY sick while we were on vacation? I coughed for WEEKS and could barely get through a sentence or two without coughing. 🫠

The fog of burnout, overwhelm, and life’s general BS doesn't lift on anyone's schedule but its own. So, no New Year's resolutions this time, no annual review or word of the year, and no "here are my goals for 2026" accountability post. But I'm genuinely okay with that. 😂

The in-between isn't wasted time. For me, it's been a welcomed pause before things slowly clicked back into place as I pivot and adapt to my new schedule and focus-levels.

What's coming this year 👀

Okay. The fun part —because a LOT has actually been happening behind the scenes— and even more is coming! So let me catch you up. 😃

First, what's already done that you may have missed:

• I've been updating old blog posts that needed a serious overhaul — a whole category of them just got fully edited and refreshed, and they're so much better now. If you've ever searched my blog for email marketing content, go take another look. 😏

• I've also re-recorded about 80% of my Ultimate Client Portal System course in November, and have added 10+ new updates this month alone! 😮‍💨 If you're already a student, you can see exactly what's been updated right here. It's getting better & better with time, thanks to your feedback! And heads up, the price is going up this summer. So if it's been on your radar, keep your eyes open for a sale before that happens. 👀

• I've also been slowly doing a deep dive, optimizing the SEO on important pages of my website — working through the updates that are already making a difference! Thanks to SEOSpace*!

• And I've been showing up every single week inside the Club with fresh Monday Mindset posts for my members.

So yeah. A lot has been going on in the background, even when it didn't look like it from the outside! I've still been here, replying to blog post & YouTube comments, and hanging out in my inbox and in the Club too.

Next: what's coming up

New blog posts and videos are back on a regular schedule — starting with this one, obviously. 😄 Topics on the horizon include website platform comparisons, client feedback tools, quiz funnels for your design business, and more. Stuff that's actually useful!

Speaking of what's coming soon — on April 14th, I'm co-hosting a free workshop with my friend and fellow designer Kadie Smith that you're not going to want to miss! More details on that soon, but mark your calendar now, and join Freeloaders in the Club so you don't miss that announcement where you can add the event to your calendar!

And later this spring, Diane Whiddon and I will be releasing our annual web design financial trends report — compiled from survey submissions we're collecting right now (more on that here). That report is genuinely useful data for solo designers trying to figure out what everyone else is charging, spending, and struggling with. Keep an eye out for when it drops.

I'm not trying to flood you with everything at once. My goal is one solid, useful thing at a time — not a panic-posting firehose just to prove I'm back. 🤣 I'm just excited to dig back in & get back to work!

Thanks for sticking around

Whether you've been here for years & watching from the sidelines, or you stumbled across this post hunting for Squarespace tips — hi, welcome, I'm glad you're here & I hope ya stick around for the fun!

This space is coming back to life after a much-needed break, and I'm doing this at a pace that's more sustainable, with content that's actually worth our time. 😊

See you in the next one! 💙

I need a favor!
Pretty please, take our survey! 🙏

We need your responses!

It's a small one, I promise — and honestly, it's for all of us. Inquiring minds want to know what's actually happening in the web design world right now, and I'm just as curious as you are.

My friend and fellow designer Diane Whiddon, of Sway Rise Creative, and I are running our annual web design financial trends survey, and we need more responses!

Last year we hit 151 submissions, which gave us enough data to actually say something meaningful about what designers are charging, what tools they're using, what's working. This year we wanted more — because more data means a better, more useful report for everyone in the community.

It's anonymous. It takes about 5-7 minutes, and we're not using it as a marketing tactic to build our lists. Anonymous means you can submit without us knowing who you are, if you choose!

The results help web designers understand the bigger picture of what's actually happening out there — the stuff you'd normally only know if you had a very chatty designer friend group with no filter. LOL

If you've got a few minutes and a willingness to help your fellow designers —or a curiosity to see what's happening in other people's businesses since last year— seriously, please take this survey!

Thanks! We appreciate your time!

Permalink

]]>2026 Web Design Financial Trends Survey Business & StrategySquarespaceKatelyn DekleWed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://launchthedamnthing.com/blog/phishing-scam-targeting-clients5f7cd69ca445a016c48eecdc:5fa6b525d40a8a1cf748199f:698c8e30d0ac5945001aedc8 What's inside this post: Hide

If you're reading this, you may have received a suspicious email claiming to be from me or my business, Launch the Damn Thing®.

Or, if you're a fellow designer, your clients might be getting similar emails pretending to be from you.

I'm writing this post to:

1. Warn my clients about ongoing phishing attempts

2. Help fellow designers protect their own clients

3. Create a central place to track updates and share information

What's happening in this scam?

Starting in late November 2025, for me, multiple clients began forwarding me suspicious emails that appeared to come from my business. These emails claimed their Squarespace websites needed urgent "compliance audits," "security reviews," or updates to meet new accessibility standards.

Here's the problem: I never sent those emails.

Since then, I've received reports from multiple clients about these phishing attempts, and the scammers have changed their tactics several times, using different email addresses, languages, and messaging strategies.

But this isn't just happening to me.

Squarespace has confirmed that scammers are impersonating legitimate web design professionals across their Circle partner program, targeting clients who have previously worked with designers. Squarespace's security team has investigated and found no evidence of a security breach affecting Squarespace or its partners. These scammers are likely just using bots to find publicly available information contact clients.

It’s not just Squarespace users & designers being targeted.

Meaning, it’s platform-agnostic. These scammers are impersonating web designers who use basically any website platform, including WordPress and Showit, too.

For my awesome clients: how to spot a fake email

Basic red-flags:

• I never send an invoice that doesn't also have a service agreement attached to the initial invoice payment.

• We'll almost always meet face-to-face on video first to discuss the work prior to working together, OR you've reached out to me directly on your own, OR you've booked a service package directly through the options in this official client portal (which I began using in late 2024).

❌ It's NOT from me if:

• The email address doesn't end in @launchthedamnthing.com — These scammers have used Gmail addresses like info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com or katelyn.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com (note the Gmail domain)

• The email asks you to reply "YES" to proceed — I would never ask you to respond this way for services.

• It mentions urgent compliance deadlines or threats — Squarespace is not conducting mandatory audits that could suspend your website, and if there’s an issue that involves suspension they’d contact the website owner directly from @squarespace.com

• Sending an Upwork or Fiverr link – I don’t use freelancer platforms, so these & other platforms like them will never be part of our booking process.

• It involves a phone call of any kind – I haven’t contacted my clients via phone in almost 10 years, and have no plans to start again.

• It looks/sounds/feels like a form letter – Only in very rare circumstances do I send the same email to a mass group of clients & when I do, it won’t look like the examples shared below.

• It's missing my identifiably charm & personality — If it doesn't sound like me, uses too few emojis/GIFs, or lacks exclamation points... it's probably not me! 😂

✅ It IS from me if:

• The email comes from an official @launchthedamnthing.com address, AND 👇🏼

• We've discussed the project via video call first — I almost always speak with clients via video before any money is exchanged, or you’ve booked the service yourself from emails to me, requesting help, or from my client portal, AND 👇🏼

• It sounds like me — Hopefully you know my voice and style by now! 🤞🏻

Can scammers fake my email address?

Short answer: Yes, they can, but your email provider will usually catch it.

While it's technically possible for scammers to make an email appear to come from my real @launchthedamnthing.com address, most email providers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) have security measures that flag these fake emails.

If you receive an email that looks like it's from me:

1. Check for warning banners — Gmail and Outlook usually show warnings like "This message may not be from who it claims to be" if something's suspicious

2. Look closely at the sender — Click on my name/email to see the full details and any security warnings

3. Trust your gut — If something feels off or urgent, it probably is

4. Verify through another channel you’ve used with me in the past — Message me through the client portal, DM me on social media, or email me directly from an old thread to verify it before taking any action

The golden rule: If you receive ANY email from me requesting payment, urgent action, or asking you to reply "YES" to proceed—even if it looks legitimate—please reach out to me through a separate channel (message, DM, or an email you initiate) to verify before doing anything.

Your email provider is working to protect you, but a quick double-check never hurts! 💛

Examples of real phishing emails reported to me

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The content from those screenshots is pasted below into this dropdown accordion:

• SUBJECT: Action Required: Prevent Store Downtime & Compliance Issues

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: Katelyn Dekle <katelyn.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com>
  Date: Thu, Mar 12, 2026 at 3:08 PM
  Subject: Action Required: Prevent Store Downtime & Compliance Issues
  To: <CLIENT EMAIL>

  
  Hi CLIENT NAME,

  This is Katelyn, I hope you’re doing well.

  I wanted to reach out as there have been recent Squarespace platform updates that are impacting many site owners. As part of these changes, a number of websites have been flagged or temporarily gone offline due to misaligned technical settings, outdated configurations, or missing SEO and compliance elements.

  Because we’ve collaborated before, I’d like to offer you a complimentary website audit. It’s a straightforward review to ensure your site is technically sound and fully aligned with current platform and SEO best practices, helping to prevent any potential visibility or performance issues.

  If everything is already in good shape, you’ll have peace of mind knowing the site is fully aligned. If anything needs attention, I’ll clearly outline the findings so you can decide how you’d like to proceed.

  There’s no cost or obligation. If you’d like me to go ahead, simply reply “YES”, and I’ll get started.

  Kind regards,
  Katelyn Dekle
  Founder, Launch the Damn Thing

  https://launchthedamnthing.com/https://launchthedamnthing.com/

• SUBJECT – Urgent Update Squarespace EAA/AAA/AAT Compliance Required by 2026

  From: Launch Damnthing <info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com>
  Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 11:36 AM
  Subject: Urgent Update Squarespace EAA/AAA/AAT Compliance Required by 2026

  Hello,

  This is Launch the DamnThing we previously collaborated on your Squarespace website, and I'm reaching out to ensure your site stays compliant and secure.

  Squarespace has recently begun conducting compliance reviews across all hosted websites. These reviews include checks on security configurations and license verifications. Sites that do not meet the updated standards risk restricted access or even temporary suspension.

  Squarespace is aligning with the European Accessibility Act (EAA), American Accessibility Act (AAA), and Australian Accessibility Terms (AAT). These standards must be met by February 12, 2026, with existing content updated by June 20, 2026.

  Squarespace may now require additional updates.To help you stay protected, I can perform a quick compliance audit to verify that your site meets all current requirements.

  If you'd like me to proceed, simply reply "YES," and I'll start the audit right away.

  Warm regards,
  Launch the Damn Thing
  Squarespace Partner | Website Security Specialist

• SUBJECT – Oggetto: From Launch the damn thing: Important update for your Squarespace site

  Inizio messaggio inoltrato (using Italian this time):

  Da: Katelyn Dekle <hello.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com>
  Data: 4 dicembre 2025 alle ore 23:53:30 CET
  Oggetto: From Launch the damn thing: Important update for your Squarespace site

  Hi,

  This is Katelyn. We worked together on your Squarespace site. I want to help you stay ahead of a new platform check that now includes your robots.txt file.

  Squarespace is reviewing every site for security settings, license validation, and robots.txt accuracy.

  Sites that fail these checks can face restrictions or removal without notice.

  Your current robots.txt file shows all paths blocked. This hurts your site performance because search engines cannot index your pages. Robots.txt guides crawlers, protects sensitive paths, and supports healthy traffic. When the file blocks everything, your visibility drops.

  Your previous setup may no longer match the latest requirements. Squarespace also added new rules that affect how robots.txt should work.

  I can run a fast robots.txt and security audit. This confirms your file is valid, your site is verified, and your settings match current standards. This reduces the chance of downtime and keeps your site accessible.

  Reply YES and I will begin the audit.

  Best,
  Katelyn
  Squarespace Partner | Website Security Specialist

• SUBJECT – Oggetto: Re: Important: Review Needed to Keep Your Squarespace Site

  Inizio messaggio inoltrato (using Italian this time):

  Da: Launch Damnthing <info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com>
  Data: 2 dicembre 2025 alle ore 02:37:01 CET
  Oggetto: Re: Important: Review Needed to Keep Your Squarespace Site Secure

  Hi,

  i Just followed up about your squarespace site recent platform updates are affecting older sites, and I've seen cases where pages or features start breaking if updates aren't done in time.To prevent any issues, I recommend completing your site audit and updates before Dec 5. This keeps everything compliant, secure, and running smoothly with the latest squarespace standards.Would you like me to get started today so we can have everything ready before the deadline?

  If you'd like me to proceed, simply reply "YES," and I'll start the audit right away.

  Warm regards,
  Launch the Damn Thing
  Squarespace Partner | Website Security Specialist

  –––––

  On Sun, Nov 30,2025 at 4:54 AM Launch Damnthing <info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com> wrote:

  Hello,

  This is Launch the Damn Thing we previously collaborated on your Squarespace website, and I'm reaching out to ensure your site stays compliant and secure.

  Squarespace has recently begun conducting compliance reviews across all hosted websites. These reviews include checks on security configurations and license verifications. Sites that do not meet the updated standards risk restricted access or even temporary suspension.

  Since our last project, some settings may have changed, or Squarespace may now require additional updates. To help you stay protected, I can perform a quick compliance audit to verify that your site meets all current requirements.

  If you'd like me to proceed, simply reply "YES," and I'll start the audit right away.

  Warm regards,
  Launch the Damn Thing
  Squarespace Partner | Website Security Specialist

• SUBJECT – Re: Important: Review Needed to Keep Your Squarespace Site Secure

  From: Launch Damnthing <info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com>
  Date: Mon, Dec 1, 2025 at 8:40 PM
  Subject: Re: Important: Review Needed to Keep Your Squarespace Site Secure

  Hi,

  i Just followed up about your squarespace site recent platform updates are affecting older sites, and I've seen cases where pages or features start breaking if updates aren't done in time.To prevent any issues, I recommend completing your site audit and updates before Dec 5. This keeps everything compliant, secure, and running smoothly with the latest squarespace standards.Would you like me to get started today so we can have everything ready before the deadline?

  If you'd like me to proceed, simply reply "YES," and I'll start the audit right away.

  Warm regards,
  Launch the Damn Thing
  Squarespace Partner | Website Security Specialist

  –––––

  On Sun, Nov 30, 2025 at 4:53 AM Launch Damnthing <info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com> wrote:

  Hello,

  This is Launch the Damn Thing we previously collaborated on your Squarespace website, and I'm reaching out to ensure your site stays compliant and secure.

  Squarespace has recently begun conducting compliance reviews across all hosted websites. These reviews include checks on security configurations and license verifications. Sites that do not meet the updated standards risk restricted access or even temporary suspension.

  Since our last project, some settings may have changed, or Squarespace may now require additional updates. To help you stay protected, I can perform a quick compliance audit to verify that your site meets all current requirements.

  If you'd like me to proceed, simply reply "YES," and I'II start the audit right away.

  Warm regards,
  Launch the Damn Thing
  Squarespace Partner | Website Security Specialist

• SUBJECT – Important: Review Needed to Keep Your Squarespace Site Secure

  From: Launch Damnthing < info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com>
  Date: Sun, Nov 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
  Subject: Important: Review Needed to Keep Your Squarespace Site Secure

  Hello,

  This is Launch the Damn Thing we previously collaborated on your Squarespace website, and I'm reaching out to ensure your site stays compliant and secure.

  Squarespace has recently begun conducting compliance reviews across all hosted websites. These reviews clude checks on security configurations and license verifications. Sites that do not meet the updated standards risk restricted access or even temporary suspension.

  Since our last project, some settings may have changed, or Squarespace may now require additional updates. To help you stay protected, I can perform a quick compliance audit to verify that your site meets all current requirements.

  If you'd like me to proceed, simply reply "YES," and I'II start the audit right away.

  Warm regards,
  Launch the Damn Thing
  Squarespace Partner | Website Security Specialist

Email addresses used by scammers mimicking me:

• info.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com

• hello.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com

• katelyn.launchthedamnthing@gmail.com

Common subject lines:

• “Action Required: Prevent Store Downtime & Compliance Issues”

• "Urgent Update Squarespace EAA/AAA/AAT Compliance Required by 2026"

• “Important: Review Needed to Keep Your Squarespace Site”

• “From Launch the damn thing: Important update for your Squarespace site”

Common claims made:

• "We previously collaborated on your Squarespace website"

• "Squarespace has recently begun conducting compliance reviews"

• "Sites that do not meet the updated standards risk restricted access or temporary suspension"

• References to European Accessibility Act (EAA), American Accessibility Act (AAA), and Australian Accessibility Terms (AAT)

• Deadlines like "February 12, 2026" or "June 20, 2026"

• "Simply reply 'YES' and I'll start the audit right away"

• Claims about being a "Squarespace Partner" or "Website Security Specialist"

What should you do if you receive one?

If you're my client:

1. Don't panic — Your website is fine. Nothing is wrong, and no action is required.

2. Don't reply, click links, or agree to any services — These are scams designed to steal money or access to your accounts

3. Report it as phishing/spam — Use your email provider's reporting feature:

   • For Gmail addresses: Report as phishing through Google

   • For other providers: Use your email client's spam/phishing report feature

4. Report it to Squarespace — Forward phishing emails to reportphishing@squarespace-security.com

5. Forward it to me — Send it to hi@launchthedamnthing.com so I can track patterns and add updates to this post

6. Delete it — Once reported, trash it

If you're unsure whether an email is legitimate:

Please reach out to me directly!

Send me a message in our client portal, DM on social media, a DM in my community if you’re a member, or forward the email to me. I'd much rather you double-check with me than fall for a scam. Even if you're not currently a client, please always feel free to verify!

Protect your account going forward:

While this scam does NOT involve a Squarespace breach, it's always a good time to review your security practices:

• Use strong, unique passwords — Squarespace's password security tips

• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) — How to set up 2FA on Squarespace

• Review security best practices — Squarespace's complete security guide

• Learn to identify legitimate Squarespace emails — How to verify if an email is really from Squarespace

For my fellow designers: this could affect you too!

If you're a website designer reading this (this scam is expanding to other platforms like Showit, WordPress, etc), you may be targeted next.

ℹ️ What we know:

• Squarespace confirmed no breach — Their security team investigated and found no evidence of platform or vendor breaches

• Scammers are impersonating Circle partners & web designers in general — They're offering "critical website updates" for a fee and posing as designers who previously worked with the clients

• Scammers are likely using public information — They're probably going through designer portfolios and reaching out to clients they find via basic Google searches

• It's not just Squarespace anymore — Reports suggest Showit & WordPress designers, as well as other platform specialists, are being targeted too

• A LOT of other designers (& our clients) have already been affected — You're not alone if this is happening to you

• Squarespace & Showit are both taking action — Squarespace specifically is sending notifications to users with admin permissions, posting in their public forums, and discussing internal product changes to improve security. I know Showit is also aware & asking you to let them know if you know this is happening to your clients.

✅ What you can do:

1. Warn your clients proactively — Don't wait until they get an email. Send a heads-up now.

2. Use my template — I've shared an email template below that you can adapt for your own clients

3. Document everything — Keep records of phishing attempts and report them to your platform's security team

4. Reporting to Squarespace — Forward any phishing emails to reportphishing@squarespace-security.com

   • Or your whatever platform you build websites on

5. Share this post — Help spread awareness in your designer communities

6. Report attempts in the UK to: reportfraud.police.uk

7. Monitor the official forums — Keep an eye on Squarespace’s Circle Forum thread announcements & updates:

   • this Squarespace's Circle Forum thread, Phishing email impersonating me

   • this official announcement thread in the forum: Update on ongoing scam affecting Circle Partner Clients

❌ What you shouldn’t do: (my opinion)

1. Don’t email the phisher/scammer directly by sending a cease & desist, etc request, because this gifts them:

   • your email address,

   • your real email signature,

   • your tone of voice used in emails,

   • how you sign off / typical salutation, and

   • any other meta data you may not realize hides inside your emails, that they can use to further replicate you & pretend to be you

Email template for your clients

Feel free to copy, edit or adapt, and send this to your own clients. Let's protect each other!

Hi everyone!

I'm popping into your inbox with a quick but important heads-up.

This week, several web designers (including myself) have had clients receive phishing emails impersonating us. These messages pretend to be from [YOUR BUSINESS NAME] and claim your [PLATFORM] website needs a "compliance audit," "urgent update," or "security review." Even if the scammer's wording doesn't perfectly match the kind of work we did together, I want you to know what's going on.

📣 I want to be crystal clear:

Those emails are not from me. They're scams, spam, or phishing attempts.

They're currently sending from Gmail addresses or other fake domains that I don't own or manage, and the senders are not associated with my business in any way.

If the email feels off or doesn't sound like me... it's definitely not from me!

[PLATFORM] is already aware of this impersonation issue — several designers have had their clients contacted with emails like these. [Platform]'s security team has investigated and confirmed that there is no evidence of any breach on their platform or with any third-party vendors or partners. These scammers are likely just going through portfolios and reaching out to whoever they can find online via public information.

✅ What you should do if you get an email like this:

• Please report the sender's email address as phishing/spam inside your Gmail/Outlook/etc.

• Please ignore and delete any email claiming to be from me that is not sent from an address ending in @[YOURDOMAIN].com

• Do not reply, click links, or agree to any audits/fees/updates

• Forward it to me at [YOUR EMAIL] so I can track and report it
  

💬 Those scam emails typically claim things like:

• I "worked on your website previously" (true for many of you, which is why the scammer is using that angle)

• [Platform] is doing "mandatory compliance reviews" (they are not)

• Your site could lose access unless you respond (you will not)

• You should reply "YES" so I can "start the audit" (I would never do this)
  

⛔️ None of that is real or legitimate.

[Platform] does not run audits like that, and I don't offer surprise compliance checks. If your site ever actually needs updates, I would contact you directly using my official email address: [YOUR EMAIL] . [Add your own communication preferences here.]

🛡️ You're safe — no action is needed.

Nothing is wrong with your website and nothing is required from you. This is someone trying to sound technical and urgent just to scare people into responding.

If you ever receive something suspicious (or just… weird), please feel free to forward it to me anytime. Better safe than sorry, and I'd much rather confirm something is fake than have you second-guess it!

Thanks so much for taking a moment to read this — and for being one of the people I enjoy hearing from in my inbox! 💛

[YOUR NAME]

🔄 Updates & new reports

I'll be updating this post as new phishing attempts are reported. If you receive a suspicious email you want to share, please:

• Comment below with details (you can share the sender's email address, subject line, or general content, but PLEASE do not include the recipient’s email address)

• Email or DM me directly at hi@launchthedamnthing.com

• Report it to Squarespace at reportphishing@squarespace-security.com (or other platforms, where applicable)

• Report it to your email provider as phishing/spam

Timeline of known phishing attempts for LTDT:

(oldest to newest)

• October 10, 2025 — Squarespace sent official announcement to Circle partners about the scam

• November 30, 2025 — First report received from one of my clients

• Early December 2025 — Three more clients reported four separate emails & scammers began using client’s language in subject lines for my international clients

• December 2025 — Squarespace sent broader phishing warning to all customers

• February 11, 2026 — New attempt using references to Acts/laws in new scare tactics

• March 12, 2026 –– new attempt using ‘Squarespace platform updates’ claiming it’ll impact ‘down time’

• March 16, 2026 –– new attempt using ‘Squarespace platform updates’ claiming it’ll impact ‘down time’

🔗 Official Resources & Links

Report phishing:

• Squarespace Security Team: reportphishing@squarespace-security.com

• Report Gmail phishing: Google's phishing report guide

Squarespace official announcements:

• Circle Forum Discussion: Phishing email impersonating Circle partners

• Official Squarespace Update: Update on ongoing scam affecting Circle partner clients

Squarespace security resources:

• Security Best Practices: Squarespace security tips

• Strong Passwords Guide: Password security

• Two-Factor Authentication: How to enable 2FA

• Verify Squarespace Emails: Is this email really from Squarespace?

💬 Questions or concerns?

If you have ANY questions about whether an email is legitimate, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm here to help, and I'd rather answer a hundred "Is this real?" messages than have one person fall for a scam.

💬 Comments & reports

Have you received a phishing email?
Share details in a comment below to help others spot the scam!

Your website is gorgeous. Your content is on point. But if your images are bloated megabyte monsters, you're basically asking visitors to go out & grab a coffee while they wait for your pages to load.

And spoiler alert: they won't wait around.

I see this a lot with both DIY sites, editing templates, or even business owners updating custom websites after the site launches during maintenance.

Y'all will spend hours perfecting the site design or edits, then you upload massive 5+MB images straight from Unsplash (or worse –your originals from Lightroom or Photoshop!) without a second thought. 😬

But I'm not here to shame you. 😂

I'm here to help you understand why this matters and teach you how to fix this shit once and for all!

Part 1: How to Optimize Images BEFORE Uploading to Your Website (easy!)

PART 1

Part 2: How to Optimize Images AFTER Uploading to Your Website (hard)

PART 2

Why large images actually hurt your website traffic

Let's talk numbers. I'll make it quick ––promise!

ℹ️ Helpful reference tip:
Mbps = megabits per second, which is how internet speed is measured
Megabits ≠ megabytes → there are 8 megabits in 1 megabyte, so internet speeds are actually slower than they sound!

According to Speedtest.net's Global Index, the average global internet speed is around 90 Mbps for broadband and 48 Mbps for mobile. But let's get geeky for a second—fiber users might see 200+ Mbps, cable typically runs 50-100 Mbps, DSL maxes out around 25 Mbps, and standard Dish or DirectTV satellite internet? Often just 12-25 Mbps. Mobile varies wildly from 10 Mbps (3G areas) to 100+ Mbps (5G).

So here's the ugly truth: when someone visits your website, their browser has to download every single image & piece of content on that page. If you've got 20 images at 5MB each, that's 100MB (or 100,000 KB) of data their device needs to process—and that's just the images, not counting all your other content on the page!

To put this into perspective, here's exactly how long those massive images will take to load on different connection types:

Loading times are for images only—doesn't include other page content like text, CSS, or scripts.

But here's the kicker: according to StatCounter, about 59% of all web browsing happens on mobile devices. That means the majority of your visitors are experiencing those slower mobile speeds, making that 17+ second load time a reality for way too many people hitting your site ––if it has those larger images!

The result is pages that may load slower than dial-up internet circa 1999. 😬 And we all know how patient people are these days—so they're not gonna stick around for that. 🫠

Google's been pretty clear about this too—page speed is a ranking factor that's considered when they decide where in search results your site ranks for your keywords and slower sites get buried in search results.

SOURCES:

• https://www.speedtest.net/global-index

• https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet

Those chunky images aren't just annoying your visitors; they're also actively hurting your SEO.

Doesn’t Squarespace convert these images for us?

This is a great question ––and the answer is NO. Not yet. I asked Squarespace Support about this exact thing because I was under the same impression you are if you’re asking this question, that their new conversion process released this summer (2025) intended to help us convert images from JPG or PNG to WebP would do the job for us... but that is not the case.

As of fall 2025, the conversion is still new & Squarespace Support told me specifically on August 26, 2025:

I asked: "Can you tell me whether the new WebP feature released might help with this? (ie: is Sqsp resizing &/or converting existing images for us now that WebP is available?)

They said: "So the WebP format helps to reduce loading time within Squarespace sites, and it may help out, but it doesn't adjust the file size of it, it just converts it. I'll share our guide for reference: https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206542517-Formatting-images-for-display-on-the-web#h_01JZQN7QNZ54XGKX62402VC846"

And the Help Center article they shared, says:

“When you upload an image to Squarespace, we convert it to the WebP format and display that version in your site content. The original file remains in your asset library, and any edits made to the file will apply to any WebP versions on your site. You can also upload WebP files directly to your site.”

So at least for now (until that changes) they ARE NOT also resizing or optimizing the image files, only converting them.

As a result, the converted WebP file size may still be too large (larger than recommended to use on websites) if the original file size was huge to start with, because some file size reduction may occur during the conversion, but it won't change the dimensions of the image itself, which is part of what reduces the file size for the image. So if the image was already too large to start with, then this process is still a must!! 🫠

Example: Converted vs Optimized Images

• I downloaded a random horizontal/landscape image from Unsplash which downloaded at 3358 pixels wide by  2239 pixels high.

• I tried 3 different methods to optimize it, to see which produced the best result:

  • 1️⃣ converted it from JPG to WebP with PixResize, without changing the dimensions, and keeping the quality at 100% = resulting file was LARGER than the original

  • 2️⃣ converted it from JPG to WebP with PixResize, without changing the dimensions, and adjusting the quality to 80% = resulting file was SMALLER than the original, but still above recommended file size

  • 3️⃣ converted it from JPG to WebP with PixResize, changed the width to 2000px, and adjusted the quality to 80% = resulting file was under recommended file size limit for web

Key takeaway: Converting to WebP alone isn't enough—you need to optimize quality AND dimensions for the best results.
Source: Images in this example were processed with PixResize.

Thankfully…

Squarespace Now Supports WebP Images (finally!)

This probably flew under the radar for a lot of people: Squarespace recently updated their asset library to support WebP files. This is actually a huge deal, but most people are still uploading JPEGs and PNGs like it's 2015, but the internet has better file formats now that are optimized specifically for web-use to help deal with this quality vs speed issue I just mentioned. 👆🏼

Before this update, you were stuck with using:

1. JPEGs (decent compression, no transparency)

2. PNGs (great quality, but often larger file sizes)

3. GIFs (fine for animations, terrible for everything else)

⚡️ Squarespace Circle Members:

Please go upvote this feature request to make it easier for us to manage our asset library efficiently, and replace oversized images without creating broken or missing images throughout our sites!

Now you can upload WebP files, which are basically the Swiss Army knife of image formats. They're smaller than JPEGs, support transparency like PNGs, and can even handle animation like GIFs. It gives you all the benefits with none of the drawbacks.

Where it gets tricky, is for anyone with an existing website, because you may be sitting on a library full of oversized images that need some serious intervention ––and unfortunately (at least not on Squarespace) the process of replacing the offenders isn’t simple.

Understanding image file sizes

Kb vs Mb

Okay, so now you understand the digital-gravity of why image sizes matter, but now you need to know what sizes to aim for. Right? What’s good vs bad.

So let’s break it down:

• Kilobytes (KB): 0 - 1,000 KB

• Megabytes (MB): 1,000+ KB

But first, let's get our bearings on the full spectrum of file size terminology, so you understand where website images should fall in the grand scheme of digital storage:

Now that you can see the full picture, here's the tiny sweet spot where website images should live —it's way smaller than you think!

Your goal is to keep every single image under 500KB, but ideally under 250KB.

Squarespace recommends staying under 500KB per image. SEO experts like Henry from SEO Space say 250KB max. I'm team 250KB, especially if you're running an image-heavy site or a larger site like mine with lots of content across the whole thing.

Think about it this way: if you're trying to stay under 250KB but your images on average are 5MB/ea (that's 5,000KB), you're literally 20 times over the recommended limit. It's like showing up to a big dinner with family/friends and bringing along 20 different desserts for just 10 people. 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

And just like when you leave that party after taste-testing all of that after eating your meal, you’re gonna pass out from the sugar overload ––and your site’s going to pass out too when it tries to load all that. 🤭

How to check your current image file sizes

On Mac, this is ridiculously easy. Open your image folder, click the view options icon, and turn on "Show item info." You'll see the pixel dimensions right under each image thumbnail.

Want the full details? Right-click any image and select "Get Info" (or press Command+I on your keyboard). This shows you the exact file size & dimensions, etc. If you see anything measured in megabytes, we've got work to do!

Pro tip: when you download stock photos from Unsplash—even through Squarespace's built-in stock library—you're getting large but high-resolution files by default. They're beautiful, sure, but they're also website speed killers.

WebP vs JPEG vs PNG (which format to use & when)

Here’s a quick & easy breakdown of common file formats, and what each of them are good or bad at, for the purposes of your website:

Need more details? Here's a deeper dive into each format:

WebP (new champion)

1. Smallest file sizes while maintaining quality

2. Supports transparent backgrounds

3. Can handle animation

4. Perfect for literally everything

5. Squarespace compatible (finally!)

JPEG (old reliable)

1. Smaller than PNG usually

2. No transparency support

3. Good compression

4. Fine for photos, not great for logos with transparent backgrounds

PNG (quality queen)

1. Excellent quality

2. Supports transparency

3. Often larger file sizes

4. Great for logos and graphics

GIF (animation specialist)

1. almost always huge (2-20mb typically)

2. supports animation and transparency

3. quality is usually terrible

4. only use when you absolutely need animation

THE BOTTOM LINE FOR WEB USE:

Source:

https://caniuse.com/webp

Use WebP whenever possible. It's basically better than everything else, in almost every situation, and with 95% global browser support, you don't need to worry about compatibility.

Optimal image dimensions and file sizes for websites

Here's my current formula for web-optimized images in 2025:

1. Maximum dimension: 2,000 pixels (width OR height, not both)

2. File size: Under 250KB

3. Format: WebP when possible

4. Quality: 80% (the sweet spot for compression vs. quality)

Why 2,000 pixels? It's large enough to look crisp on high-resolution screens but small enough to keep file sizes reasonable, if using WebP file formats.

Going bigger than that is possibly overkill for web use, though background graphics (images used as a background in sections) can be up to 3,000 pixels max (wide or high).

How to bulk optimize images, step-by-step

Manually resizing images one by one is about as fun as watching paint dry, or waiting for water to boil, or your coffee to brew if you have a bad hangover. That's why I'm kind of obsessed with PixResize by Square Stylist—it's free, works in your browser, and can batch process dozens of images in seconds. No account needed to use it.

Skip straight to 15:57 to see the step-by-step process!

How to optimize new images for your website

Step 1: Sort/select images by orientation

Separate your landscape (wider than tall) and portrait (taller than wide) images.

This matters because you'll set different dimensions for the largest edge in each batch.

Step 2: Process landscape images (batch 1)

1. Drag all of your landscape images into PixResize

2. Leave 'Filename Prefix' blank unless you want to rename all your images using whatever you type there

3. Set the width to 2,000 pixels (leave the height blank!)

4. Leave quality at 80% —unless you feel comfortable adjusting

5. Format: choose WebP from the dropdown

6. Keep "maintain aspect ratio" toggled ON

7. Click Process

8. Wait for the green 'success' notification at the bottom (center) of the page

9. Then click Download

Step 3: Process portrait images (batch 2)

1. Drag all of your portrait images into PixResize

2. Set the height to 2,000 pixels (leave the width blank!)

3. Repeat steps 5-9 from above

Step 4: Uncompress the files

1. On a Mac, you can just double-click the .zip file to uncompress it

2. Delete the .zip file once you have the folder with visible files inside (should only take 1-2 seconds after double-clicking the .zip file in step 1!)

3. You'll have 1 .zip file per batch, so repeat for the other .zip file you haven't uncompressed

Step 5: Clean up file names

PixResize adds "processed_" to the beginning of each filename if you left "Filename Prefix" blank. But on a Mac you can bulk rename your files in one go by:

1. Select all the files you want to rename or make changes to

2. Right-click somewhere on that selection

3. Choose "Rename" from the dropdown on the left side of that rename popup

4. Then use the "Replace Text" input field to type "processed_"

5. And in the "Replace with:" input field make sure nothing is there

That fast process will literally 'replace' "processed_" with nothing, removing the addition to the file names all at once.

How to optimize existing oversized images for your website

Already have images uploaded to your website that need fixing?
This process helps you identify and replace oversized images without having to guess which ones are problems:

Step 1: Scan your website with SEOSpace*

1. Use the SEOSpace Chrome extension on the page you want to check (or, if your plan allows, run an audit on the entire site)

2. Go to the page you want to work on, then click the SEOSpace extension icon in your browser

3. Select "Scan without keyword" for a faster general scan, or “Scan with a keyword” for a more in-depth result

4. Wait for the scan to complete and review your suggestions

Step 2: Identify oversized images

1. Click on the "Images" tab in the SEOSpace results

2. Look for images with file sizes over 250 Kb to 500 Kb (anything showing MB or over 1,000 Kb is too big)

3. Note which images show concerning file sizes (like the 2,318KB example from my demo)

Step 3: Download & optimize problem images

1. Select the oversized images you want to fix

2. Click the "Compress and download" button at the bottom of the list of oversized images, or selectively download individually from the “Compress & download” icon on each image

3. SEOSpace will automatically optimize and download those images for you

4. Wait for the download to complete - they will download individually, one at a time, no matter which option you chose (bulk or individual selection)

Step 4: Review optimized files

1. Sort the files by size and review the new file sizes; they should be significantly smaller (like 250 Kb vs 2,318Kb)

2. ⚠️ Notes:

   • SEOSpace downloads these images as a JPEG format during optimization.

   • Since SEOSpace isn’t also converting the images to WebP, any PNGs will lose their transparent backgrounds in this process when converted to JPGs, and will need to be optimized from the original file not in Squarespace or downloaded from SEOSpace, to avoid ‘filling’ in that background color with white or black.

   • If you need transparent backgrounds preserved, use the PixResize method above instead.

Step 5: Replace images in Squarespace

1. Navigate to the specific website page or asset library location where the oversized image lives

2. Remove the old oversized image from its current location on the website page

3. Upload the newly optimized image(s) in its place, to replace the old oversized version(s)

4. Remove the old oversized image from the Asset Library too, so you won’t accidentally re-use it

5. Save your changes and refresh the page to verify the replacement worked

Step 6: Clean up your asset library

1. Search for any original oversized files in your asset library by filename (if you know it)

2. Delete the old versions to prevent accidental reuse

3. Check that deleting them doesn't break other instances where that image was re-used

4. If you find any broken images that you know you’ve fixed, clear your browser’s cache & cookies for the past 24 hours & refresh the page or visit that page in a private/incognito window to double check whether the replacement worked

⭐️ Pro tips:

1. Start with your most important pages (homepage, services, contact) rather than feeling overwhelmed by trying to fix everything as fast as possible.

2. Once you’ve worked through those pages, then check your most high-trafficked pages (pages with the most views or visits)

3. Once you’ve worked through those popular pages, then use your site-audit scan with SEOSpace to check the pages with high or low scores & fix them one page at a time.

4. Remember: this process is more time-consuming than optimizing before upload because you have to go track them down to replace them one-by-one, so use the PixResize method above for all future images to avoid this extra work!
   
   
   

Real Results: 5MB Images Reduced to 180KB

Here’s what this process actually accomplishes:

• Before: 4.9MB image (that's 4,900KB)

• After: 180KB WebP image at 2,000px wide

Same visual quality. Same crisp appearance on your website. But the optimized version loads literally 27 times faster.

Multiply that across every image on your site, and you're talking about the difference between a site that loads in 2 seconds versus 30+ seconds. That's not just a better user experience—that's the difference between keeping visitors and losing them to your competitors.🤯

Best practices for uploading images to Squarespace

Once your images are optimized, uploading them to Squarespace is straightforward, but I do have a few extra tips:

1. Create folders in your asset library to organize your images into related groups (backgrounds, stock photos, blog post images, logos, headshots of me, etc)

2. Drag and drop multiple files at once onto the asset library or use the ‘Upload’ button

3. Don't panic if you see an exclamation mark on the progress icon—refresh the page and your missing images will probably appear, despite the ‘warning’

4. Check the count by selecting one image, then clicking "Select All" to see if the entire group includes everything you just uploaded

Pro tip:
If you want to see file sizes in Squarespace (which are annoyingly hidden), click the three dots next to any image and select "File Details" or double-click on any image in the Asset Library. You'll see dimensions and file size—perfect for confirming your optimization worked, and for getting a larger peek at the image anytime ya want.

Step-by-step guide to optimize your website images

For those of you with an existing library of images that need fixing, here's exactly what you need to do right now:

• Start with SEOSpace* (free or paid plans):
  Scan any page on your Squarespace site with this Chrome extension and it'll show you exactly which images are oversized on that page and where they are to quickly swap them out. Even better? It can compress and download optimized versions for you, so you can replace them manually without guessing which images need help.

• Upgrade to SEOSpace’s* DIY plan for site-wide audits:
  Instead of checking pages one by one, for larger sites you can get a complete overview of your entire website's SEO optimization & health score. You'll see specific recommendations for your actual site instead of generic advice.

• Grab my free cheatsheet:
  It has all the technical specs, recommended tools, and even pre-sized Canva templates to help!

• Start with your homepage:
  Use SEOSpace* to scan your most important &/or most high-traffic pages first—it'll show you exactly which images are slowing things down and help you fix them.

• Replace strategically:
  You don't have to fix everything at once. Use SEOSpace's* features to tackle one section at a time, focusing on your highest-traffic pages first.

• Batch process new uploads:
  For future images, use PixResize to convert and resize in bulk before uploading to prevent the problem from happening again.

• Re-submit your sitemap:
  After you make a bunch of changes, resubmit your sitemap to Google Search Console so it knows how to change your site’s ranking in search engines!
  

SEOSpace* tutorials to help with this process:

At 15:06 I show you how I use SEOSpace to find, download & optimize oversized images

How to use SEOSpace* to find & fix images on your Squarespace website

Skip to 1:16 to see how to submit your Squarespace sitemap to Google Search Console

Sweet Brown said it well:
nobody has time for slow websites!

How image optimization improves SEO & user experience

Fast-loading websites aren't just nice to have—they're actually essential for things like:

1. SEO rankings: Google prioritizes faster websites

2. User experience: Nobody waits for slow pages anymore

3. Conversion rates: Faster sites convert better (less people bailing; more people staying!)

4. Mobile performance: Especially crucial for mobile users

5. Bandwidth costs: Smaller images = lower hosting costs + keeps our website platform’s pricing reasonable

Having a website that loads instantly feels professional, intentional, and best of all ––unnoticed. 😂 In other words, it loads so quickly no one notices the speed & they can focus on your content instead.

It’s like you actually know what you're doing. 😉

5 most common image optimization mistakes

I see these same mistakes over and over:

• Mistake #1: Uploading images straight from the camera or stock sites without any edits, changes, or optimization

• Mistake #2: Thinking "bigger is always better" for image quality ––nope!

• Mistake #3: Using PNG for everything because "it's higher quality"

• Mistake #4: Ignoring file sizes completely and wondering why the site is slow

• Mistake #5: Not taking advantage of WebP format when it’s available

The truth is, most people just don't know this stuff matters.
They focus on design and content (which are important!) but ignore the technical foundation that makes your online-home a fun & useful experience for your audience.

Best free & paid tools for image optimization and resizing

Beyond PixResize, here are the tools that make image optimization painless:

1. SEOSpace*: a Squarespace-specific SEO tool by Henry Purchase, SEO expert

2. PixResize: Free bulk resizing and format conversion

3. Squarespace Asset Library: Now supports WebP (finally!)

4. Canva: it doesn’t have WebP export options yet, but it does have JPG and PNG options (with transparent backgrounds on PNG or GIF), which you can then convert to WebP with PixResize!

5. Mac Preview: Built-in tools for basic resizing and renaming files

The key is to find a tool or workflow process that doesn't make you want to throw your laptop out the window and pull out all your hair. Bulk or batch processing is your friend here ––and getting into the habit of optimizing images before ya put ‘em on your site.

Start optimizing your images:
grab this free resource!

The crazy thing is, the entire process of optimizing & renaming your images for web takes maybe 2-5 minutes total once you know what you're doing and get the hang of it.

It’ll take a bit longer if you’re also finding existing ‘offenders’ (too-large images on your site) but it’s important to do, despite the time it takes, in order to dramatically improve your website's performance, user experience, and search rankings. So it’s always faster to do this before you add images to your site, not after.

But you don't have to figure it out alone. You can grab a copy of the comprehensive cheatsheet that covers everything we talked about today, plus a bunch of stuff we didn't have time for in this post—like specific dimension recommendations for different types of content, pre-sized Canva templates, and a complete resource list of tools.

Grab the free Image & Video Best Practices cheatsheet here
and stop letting oversized images hold your website back.

Now stop reading and go optimize some images! Your website’s better SEO health score is waiting. 🚀😉

Want more website optimization tips?
Check out this post next for a walkthrough of the cheatsheet info!

I get it. The $20-40 monthly rate for software like Dubsado or HoneyBook, or whatever CRM you've been eyeing, can make your wallet cry a little.

When your business is new, spending $20, $40, maybe even $80+ per month for software feels absurd when income is low and your time feels somewhat expansive without leads or clients coming in yet.

I know, because I've been there.
That sticker shock is real & I’ve felt it too.

What nobody tells you is, when you're comparing that software’s price to your current budget of exactly zero dollars: you're already paying way more than any CRM costs, if you DIY everything. You're just paying with your time, your sanity, and your sleep.

It's time we did the math on what "free" is actually costing you so you can learn this lesson much sooner than I did!

Why "Free" Client Management Systems Cost New Designers THOUSANDS

Right now, you're probably duct-taping your client management together with Google Docs, email templates you copy-paste into Gmail every damn time (or, like me, ya forget you even have email templates if they’re not easily accessible 😬), sending invoices via PayPal one at a time, and if you're fancy maybe you’re using software for sending contracts but you’re on the free plan.

It’s free though, right? Nope.

CRM costs vs. DIY time (real numbers for web designers)

I'm about to hit you with some hard math, so ya might need to sit down first.
Phew. Okay. Are ya ready?

Option 1: Hire a VA

Decide to outsource the basic admin work to someone else? Great. Here’s what that could look like:

1. 10 hours per month at a starting rate of $25/hour (or higher; that's on the lower end)

2. 10 hours x 12 months, x $25/hr = $3,000+ per year

Option 2: Keep doing it all yourself

Oof, that was more than you thought it’d be, wasn’t it. Okay, so back to square one?
If you decide to DIY these admin tasks and just “make time” to do them, here’s that might look like:

1. The same 10 hours per month of admin work

2. If you charge $40/hour for your design work (again, a very low, entry-level rate here!)

3. That's 120 hours per year × $40 = $4,800 in billable time

Billable time, is time you could be spending on actual client work that PAYS YOU rather than essentially paying yourself to do this work. (ie: not working on paid services for a client, but you still gotta pay yourself in the meantime)

Option 3: Get a decent CRM

That math was brutal, right? If you’re thinking, “Shit. 😒” Then a CRM is looking pretty damn cheap now, ain’t it. 🤭
So, let’s pick that software tool based on needs + your actual budget.

1. Dubsado*, HoneyBook*, Bonsai*, Moxie, Bloom, Indy ––whatever software you choose

2. A CRM will set ya back roughly $200-$500 per year and less than $50/month, on average.

3. And it’ll do 60-75% of that admin work automatically with the right set up, saving you a metric-ton worth of time to spend on paid work instead of unpaid admin work.

You're VERY likely spending at least $5k a year on tasks that a $500-or-less/yr software could help you manage. And that's just the time you're actively working on this stuff.

Where Web Design Admin Hours Actually Go

These are the kinds of tasks where your time is bleeding out:

• Payment Wrangling: Manually sending invoices, following up on or chasing late payments, sending those awkward "hey, you forgot to pay me" emails that make you want to hide under your desk, and breaking up total invoice amounts into multiple separate invoices, each of which you’re sending manually… 🫠

• Contract Mess: Creating ‘new’ contracts for every client, sending them through Adobe Sign, Google Workspace’s new document sign feature, Dropbox Sign, DocuSign, PaperSign, ––etc, keeping track of who signed what and when in a different place than your invoices or lead forms live, figuring out when to send the contract email manually if they pay overnight but you’re not at your desk to quickly send the contract while you have their attention, and having mini heart attacks when you can't remember if the contract was signed before you started the work... 😬

• File Management Hell: Manually creating new project folders for every new client project, organizing project files in those folders, trying to remember where you put that logo variation from three weeks ago, spending 20 minutes looking for one damn file, fixing permissions issues if you forgot to send an ‘anyone with the link’ shareable folder. 🤦🏼‍♀️

• Email Archaeological Digs: Sifting through your inbox trying to find that one conversation with your client about specific project details, scrolling back through day/weeks/months of emails because you don't have a central place for client communication about that project, and getting distracted by other shit (emails) you’ve forgotten to deal with while you scroll… 😒

• Lead Response Limbo: Getting inquiry forms on your website but only responding when you get back to your desk & see the inquiry form submission email notification, manually booking consultation calls with back-and-forth availability questions over several emails, –or worse –playing phone tag until you catch them at the right time & now they *gasp* have your phone number to text you at will… 🫩

• Template Copy-Paste Inconsistency: Writing the same emails over and over again while thinking “what did I say the last time I wrote this”, tweaking them slightly for each client even though they're basically identical, maintaining different versions of the same template across various platforms, and of course manually sending them each time… 😳

Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.
I’ve done ALL of those things over the earlier years in my business, and it sucked up way more time than I ever thought, –until it didn’t.

Hidden Business Costs Web Designers Ignore

Just wait—because it actually gets worse. #sorrynotsorry

That $4,800 calculation is just for the time you're actively working on these tasks.

It doesn't include:

• The Mental Load:
  The constant low-level stress of keeping track of everything in your head instead of having systems that help you handle it efficiently.

• The Mistakes:
  Forgotten follow-ups that cost you clients &/or miss deadlines. Double-booked calls. Lost files. The professional embarrassment of asking a client to re-send something you should have organized properly in the first place.

• The Opportunity Cost:
  Every hour you spend on admin is an hour you're not spending on marketing, skill development, or high-value client work –which PAYS YOUR BILLS.

• The Scale Problem:
  As your business grows, this manual do-everything-myself approach becomes exponentially more time-consuming. You're building a house of cards that will eventually collapse at a predictably inconvenient moment ––because no time is convenient when you’re overwhelmed &/or practically in burnout.

• The Burnout Factor:
  When you're doing the job of 5+ different people (marketer, salesperson, designer, project manager, accountant, etc), something's gotta give. Usually, it's your sanity & your personal life. #hellopeoplepleasers

How Dubsado* (Any CRM) Changed My Design Business

I started my business in 2015, and by 2017, I was drowning in my own DIY "free" system. I'd tried 17 Hats (haaaaaaated it), moved to Bonsai (loved it!), and was researching Dubsado because Bonsai didn't have all the features I needed at that time (like breaking up larger invoices & allowing multiple payments, etc).

The idea of paying $200+ a year for software made my bootstrapping DIY-heart (& my very new business bank account too, –let’s be honest!) cry.

What made me pull the trigger, was realizing how much time it took me to do all these "free" admin tasks and the literal opportunity cost of not being able to quickly respond to potential clients while I was at my full time day-job. If I got 1 or 2 new leads per month, I damn sure didn’t want to miss them when they reached out asking to work with me –just because I was “at work” and couldn’t respond until my lunch break or when I got home that evening!

To be honest, with manual processes, I was spending more time managing my business than actually doing the work I wanted to leave my full-time job for. And worse? It felt unprofessional to send an email with a new ‘thing’ each time I sent an invoice, a contract, project details, scheduling a meeting/call, etc. Forgetting things, dropping balls, not being able to help clients with ‘how to sign’ their PDF contract, and overall just looking unprofessional because my systems weren’t systems, and they weren’t efficient for anyone involved.

That's when I realized I wasn't comparing apples to apples.
I was comparing the cost of a tool to the fantasy of everything being free, when the reality for me was that "free" systems are the most expensive option of all.

The Reframe That Changed Everything

Here's the mindset shift that changed how I thought about business expenses forever:

Stop comparing the cost of tools to zero.
Start comparing them to the alternatives.

When your brain says "this software is too expensive," pause and ask: compared to what, exactly?

Because your real options aren't "pay for software" or "pay nothing."

Your real alternatives are:

1. Pay a VA to help you out by outsourcing some of the workload
   Even if you only pay them for 2-5 hours/month, a few months a year at $25+/hr, that’s still $300-750/year & for a busy service-based business. Eventually, even that won’t be enough time to help you manage each project so you’ll still end up doing some things yourself, in addition to that.
   
   

2. Keep paying yourself and do it all ‘for free’
   You probably have to pay yourself more than $40/hour though and all of that time adds up fast! If you charge $50-100/hr, that entry-level DIY cost of $4,800+ per year turns quickly turns into $6,000-$12,000 in lost billable time for work you’re DIY-ing for ‘free’, instead of letting a software help you manage it.
   
   

3. Use software that handles the admin work way more efficiently
   Paying $200-500 for a tool that helps you wrangle clients, silo your project emails/communications, keeps all your templates in place, sends automatic email replies, sends forms or reminders at ‘the right’ times, and lets you see which stage of the process each active client is in, etc ––is literally worth every penny of the other options, and yet it cost SIGNIFICANTLY less. 15-30x less, to be exact.
   
   

You Don't Need to Use Automations Right Away

I know the idea of setting up complex automation workflows can feel overwhelming when you're already stretched thin, or just unfamiliar with the tool, and setting up automations when you’re not confident can mean mistakes happen (trust me, I know from experience). But the good news is: you don't have to start there.

The beauty of tools like Dubsado isn't just the fancy automation options (though those workflows are perfection, once you're ready for them). Again, the most important part is that they give you a central place to store:

1. All your contract templates for various services, that include auto-fill fields for important information like the client’s name, the total invoice amount, project/service start dates, and more.

2. Every invoice you've ever sent, to any client, AND all the payment schedules, due dates, reminders, etc.

3. Your complete client list and project history, in one place, and OUT of your email inbox; look back & easily see what Jane hired you for & when, or if Joe ghosted you when you sent the last proposal.

4. Email templates for all of your client communications, so you stop rewriting the same damn messages over and over and over again, while still making them FEEL personalized with those auto-fill fields.

   • I know you think every client email needs to be completely customized, but it doesn't! It really doesn't. The core information is the same each time you send an email for a specific action (send proposal, etc) —you're just adding their name and project details.

5. Professional & customized form templates that makes you look like you actually have your shit together, and know what the hell you’re doing without spending hours reinventing the wheel for each client.

Obviously, you can send everything manually at first and just automate the basics, like a standard ‘hey, I got your inquiry; thanks for reaching out’ automated reply when someone fills out your ‘lead capture’ or CRM’s inquiry form. The main starting value of a CRM is in having everything you need in one place instead of scattered across 8 or more different platforms or locations:

1. basic Squarespace forms,

2. GDrive folders & docs,

3. form builders for questionnaires,

4. invoicing platforms for payments,

5. contract platforms for legalese,

6. Gmail & saved email snippets,

7. contacts list / address book,

8. scheduler platforms, etc…

Decide on your process. Set it up in a tool, and let it scale WITH you.

This Applies to More Than Just CRMs

This "real cost vs. sticker price" math works for pretty much every business tool you're on the fence about:

• Scheduling software instead of the back-and-forth email dance to find a meeting time.

  • Breely, Cal, Acuity, Calendly, TidyCal, etc

• Project & task management tools instead of trying to track everything in your head and random notebooks.

  • Project management → Kitchen, or portal features within CRM tools like Honeybook, Bonsai, Dubsado, Moxie, etc

  • Task management → Asana, ClickUp, Trello, Notion, Monday, ToDoist, etc

• Accounting software instead of the annual panic attack at tax time when you realize you have no idea where your receipts are.

  • Quickbooks, Freshbooks, Wave, Kick, etc

• Professional design software instead of trying to make Canva do things it was never meant to do.

  • Adobe Creative Cloud, Serif’s Affinity suite, Figma, Canva’s Pro plan, etc

The pattern is always the same: the monthly cost looks scary until you calculate what the alternative is actually costing you in time, missed opportunities, and professional credibility.

How to Calculate Your Real Web Design Business Costs

If you want hard data on this for yourself (and you absolutely should), here's what to do:

Track your own time (temporarily)

Track your time for 2-4 weeks. Here’s a few options I can happily recommend:

• Toggl (free, or $108/yr web or desktop/mobile app),

• Daily Time Tracking (a $30/yr Mac OS app),

• use Toggl’s free Timecard calculator here temporarily, or

• Rize (free, or ~$110/yr desktop app) to automatically track time with the help of AI.

• Timing ($108/yr desktop or web/mobile app) privacy friendly automatic time-tracker with the help of AI.

Organize the time tracked

Set up categories for different types of work so you can see where your time is actually being spent, if you decide to use a time-tracking app (versus the manual calculator):

1. Billable client work

2. Admin/systems stuff

3. Marketing

4. Business development

5. The random rabbit holes you fall down

At the end of few weeks of you tracking your time, you'll have real numbers on what realistically sucks up your time, and you can prioritize looking for a tool that will specifically help you mange that thing better.

Service Package Fee Calculator

Calculate your hourly rate

Next, figure out what your real hourly rate is. Not what you think you want to charge, but what you actually need based on your expenses, and your experience, and the value of what you offer. Take your monthly revenue and divide it by the total hours you worked. Not just your "billable" hours—all of them. This is your actual hourly rate, and it's probably lower than you think.

Now do the math. How many hours per month are you spending on tasks a CRM could handle? Multiply that by your real hourly rate. Compare that number to the cost of the software.

The results might shock you into action.

CRM Investment vs. Expense for New Designers

You're actually already paying for a CRM, even if you aren’t paying for a tool.
YOU ARE the Client Relationship Manager. You're just paying with your time instead of your credit card. 😬

Your time is your most limited resource. It’s the only thing you can’t ever get back. You can make more money, but you can't make more hours in the day.

When you buy back your time with the right tools, you're not just saving money—you're buying yourself more freedom. Freedom to take on better clients, work on more interesting projects, charge higher rates, actually have a weekend, maybe even take a vacation without your phone buzzing every five minutes or feeling obligated to bring your laptop “just in case” a client needs you...

That CRM isn't an expense – it's an investment in your sanity, your professionalism, and your ability to scale beyond the chaos of DIY everything.

Small business systems actually matter

I know all of this might sting a little. Nobody likes realizing they've been making expensive mistakes, or being "scrappy" or "bootstrapping" when it makes you feel less professional for DIY-ing everything.

But here's the thing: you're playing small by convincing yourself you can't afford them yet.

Every month you avoid organizing your processes and systems, is another month of bleeding time, looking unprofessional, and limiting your growth ––and therefore, your income. 🙃

Your business deserves better than duct taped shit and good intentions. And so do you!

The entrepreneurs who scale past the chaos phase aren't necessarily smarter or more talented than you. They just stopped trying to do everything manually and started investing in systems that let them focus on what they're actually great at.

Your future self —the one running a smooth, profitable business while working reasonable hours— is counting on you to make this shift, so what are you waiting for??

Ready to stop hemorrhaging time on admin tasks? Level up your client project management game and check out my Ultimate Client Portal System course where I break down exactly how I use dedicated tools and processes to create a premium client experience that has people sharing their praise left & right, –including my own clients!

Stop manually creating project folders in your client portal every time a client signs on the dotted line. 🤭

You've got a CRM that handles your contracts and payments like a boss, but you're absolutely obsessed with Kitchen's client portal (because honestly, who isn't?). The problem is, you're wishing it integrated with your CRM so you're not doing manual tasks every time someone becomes an official client—jumping between apps, copying names, creating folders, setting up templates...

Been there. Done that. Might soon have the carpal tunnel to prove it. 🫠

That said, now there's finally a way to automate that part of the process, so that when a client signs their contract in your CRM, a brand new templated project folder appears in Kitchen with all your templates, tasks, and folders ready to go!

And even better, ...what if I told you this automation even works on Zapier's free plan?

Yeah, I thought that might get your attention! 👏🏻

This Automation Is a Game-Changer for Solo Creative Business Owners

I've been in the design industry for about 20 years now, and I've watched solopreneurs burn themselves out doing repetitive admin shit that could easily be automated. Creating project folders manually might only take 5-10 minutes, but when you're booking multiple clients a month (hello, growth!), those minutes add up fast.

Plus, there's the mental load of doing that step manually when other parts are automated, so you are either not sure WHEN to make the folder, or you might actually forget to make it until you're trying to hit a deadline that matches up with the workflows in your CRM. Oops.

And by "mental load," you probably know what I'm talking about—that nagging feeling that you still need to "set up Jane's project folder", so the task is intermittently sitting in the back of your brain while you're trying to focus on the rest of your work.

This simple zap automation eliminates that completely. Contract signed → folder created & waiting for you to invite the client when it's ready (though actually, on paid plans of Zapier you could automate adding them to the portal also!).

Using Zapier to integrate your CRM with Kitchen, is kinda like having a really efficient assistant who almost never takes sick days or forgets to do stuff. #worthit

What You'll Need to Set This Up

Before we dive into the step-by-step setup, let's talk about what you actually need in order to follow along with this tutorial:

1. A CRM of some kind. I use Dubsado*, but this should work with pretty much any CRM that plays nice with Zapier, including HoneyBook, Bonsai, Bloom, Indy, Moxie—whatever you're using to manage your client relationships & booking services.

2. A Kitchen* account. Free or paid doesn't matter for this automation. (If you haven't tried Kitchen yet and you're managing client projects manually with PayPal or Square and... *gasp* emails + Adobe Sign... you're missing out. Their client portal is stellar, their project management features actually make sense for client service collaboration, AND their software is available with an affordable lifetime payment. ie: pay once, use it forever!)

3. A Zapier account. You can do this simple automation on Zapier's free plan. The free plan lets you create basic "if this, then that" automations, which is exactly what we need here.

That's it! Three tools you probably already have accounts in, and if you don't then you'll thank me after you do.

Dubsado’s* Plan Options

CRM: Client Relationship Management software

Dubsado’s plans are affordable and their free trial is VERY generous! BUT you can SAVE 20% OFF your first payment (month or year) with my affiliate code DAMN, or use this link to save when you sign up.

• On the free trial, you get access to all the features with no time limit and you can use all of that for your first 3 clients. After that, you won’t be forced to upgrade to a paid plan, but can pick one when/if you’re ready.

• On the lower paid plan at $20/mo (or $200/year), you get access to:

  • Unlimited projects & clients

  • Invoicing & payment plans

  • Form & email templates

• On the higher paid plan at $40/mo (or $400/year), you get access to everything in the Starter plan, plus:

  • Scheduling

  • Automated workflows

  • Public proposals

  • Multiple lead captures at once

  • Zapier integration

Kitchen's* Lifetime Pricing

Client Portal: "pay once, use it forever!"

I can't speak for you, but I hate monthly subscriptions and prefer paying annually if I have to pay recurring fees at all. So it was an incredible bonus to realize Kitchen does not charge recurring subscription fees, and offers a lifetime price at an affordable rate.

This summer, they're running a 20% OFF deal on top of that, with code SUMMER20, so you can save even more IF you sign up with that code at checkout (offer valid during summer of 2025).

For solopreneurs and small creative businesses, this is HUGE. It means you can factor the cost into a single project or two, and then it's pure profit after that, with each additional client you use Kitchen's portal.

Plus, their free plan is actually pretty useful (unlike other tools that tend to give you just enough features to get frustrated, and force you to upgrade). So you can actually just start with the free version, test out how it works & how to set it up, and upgrade to a paid plan later if you need more features. The main limitations on the free plan are file upload size limits and lack of customization in your account (custom domain, custom email address to send notifications from, etc).

Zapier's Plan Options

Automation Tool

Zapier's free plan does have limitations, as most free plans do, but for this particular automation they're not deal-breakers.

On the free plan, you get:

1. Unlimited zaps

2. 2-step zaps only (no filters, other steps, or conditional logic, etc)

   • One trigger (the thing that's being watched, which, when it happens, starts the automation)

   • One action (the thing that happens after the watched item happens)

What this means is whatever you choose as your trigger is going to create a folder in Kitchen every single time it happens. There's no "only do this if the project type is X" or "skip this if the client already has a folder." But if you choose your trigger smartly, this isn't actually a problem, and if the zap does accidentally create folders you don't want you can just delete them in Kitchen. Not the end of the world! Since it doesn't also invite the client to the folder, no one will know that extra/unnecessary folder was created but you.

If you want the fancy multi-step automation with filters and other steps in the automated workflow, you'll need a paid Zapier plan. But honestly? Start with the free version, see how you like it, and upgrade later if you decide you want the extra bells and whistles.

On the paid plans, you get everything in the free plan PLUS unlimited multi-step zaps, access to premium zaps (connect to apps like Quickbooks which requires more security, etc), plus email & live chat support.

Choosing the Right Trigger

This is probably the most important decision you'll make in this whole setup, so let's talk strategy.

You want to pick a trigger that happens only one time per client's booked service/project. Most of the time, that's going to be a contract signature. Why?

1. It doesn't matter if you're doing quick two-week projects or year-long retainers. A client typically only signs one contract per project or service agreement. They might make payments every month, but they only sign that contract once.

2. It happens at the exact right moment in your process. By the time someone's signing a contract, they're almost officially a client. (Officially, once they've signed AND paid, but you get my meaning.) Not a lead, not a prospect—a real, serious client who needs a project folder.

3. The 'contract signature' trigger is available in pretty much every CRM I checked. Whether you're using Dubsado, HoneyBook, or something else, contract signatures are a standard trigger option with Zapier.

What you probably don't want to use as triggers, are steps like:

1. Form submissions or inquiries (these happen way too early in the process)

2. Proposal views or completions (proposals don't always turn into actual paying projects)

3. Payments received (these can happen multiple times per project, but you only need 1 project folder to be created)

Trust me on this— the contract signature is your best bet for most creative businesses!

Not sure what trigger to choose?

Go to Zapier.com/apps and search for the software you’d like to use, then scroll down & look through their triggers list to see if it offers the one that will work best with your processes.

Here’s the Zapier info for the CRMs mentioned: Dubsado, Honeybook, Bonsai, Moxie, Indy, and Bloom.

Available CRM Options and Their Zapier Triggers

Since I know not everyone uses Dubsado, let's also take a quick peek at the triggers available for other popular CRMs:

1. HoneyBook* – Their "New Project Booked" trigger is probably perfect for this. It fires when an agreement is signed or a retainer is paid, which is exactly what we want.

2. Bonsai* – You've got options here—"Contract Signature" or "Proposal Accepted" if you don't use contracts. Skip the "Invoice Paid" trigger for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

3. Moxie – Moxie has a shit-ton of Zapier integrations! There's "Agreement Signed" plus about fifty other options. If you're using Moxie, you're spoiled for choice.

4. Bloom – "Contract Countersigned" (when you co-sign the agreement after the client) or "Contract Signed" (when the client signs the agreement) —take your pick based on your workflow.

5. Indy – a simple and straightforward option of when "Contract Signed."

Whatever CRM you're using probably has the trigger you need, so just look for something related to contracts, agreements, or the final step of your booking process.

Kitchen's Action Options in Zapier

On the Kitchen side of things, in Zapier’s Kitchen z/app info, you're looking for the "Create Folder" action. As of summer 2025, Kitchen has added about 40 new Zapier actions. The automation possibilities are getting pre-tty wild, which means you could add more steps to this zap IF you want!

For this particular setup though, we're focused on just creating a folder from our account's template, which means all your project structure, tasks, and content will be automatically set up exactly how you want it, –or close to it. If each project is a little different, it's easier to delete parts of the templated new folder than to create them from scratch when needed, so just delete whatever isn't relevant to that client before you send them their invite.

Now you don't 'need' to manually create folders anymore! No more forgetting to add steps in your own project tasks, no more "oh shit, I forgot to set up their upload folder!" moments. 🫠

Step-by-Step Zap Setup

Now it's time to build this automation (or edit mine, together). I'm going to walk you through this using Dubsado as the example, but the process is basically identical for other CRMs.

Step 1: Access the Template

I've created a free Zap template that you can start with, and copy directly to your Zapier account. When you click the template link, you'll see a "Try this Zap" button. Click that, and it'll open in edit mode.

Step 2: Set Up Your Trigger

If you're using something other than Dubsado, click on the trigger step, then choose "Change" under Setup. Search for your CRM and select it.

For Dubsado users, "Contract Signed" will already be selected in the Setup tab here, but if you swap Dubsado for something else, you may need to select a different trigger if it's worded differently.

Then you'll just need to connect your Dubsado (or other CRM) account to Zapier by logging in and giving Zapier permissions access to that account.

Step 3: Test Your Trigger

Hit the "Test" button to make sure everything's connected properly. You're looking for that little green checkmark next to the name of your CRM in step 1.

When Zapier tests the trigger, it may pull in a few recent contract signatures from your account, if there are any. Pick one to use as your test data.

ℹ️ Pro tip: you can actually edit the info in each test record Zapier pulls in from the test data, including the email address; you can edit any of those record details before you test the action in the second step, in case you're nervous about accidentally sending something to the client during testing! I like to swap out the email address and other basic business info just be certain ––though, the zap template is NOT setup to contact your client so they should never get anything from you as part of this automation.

Step 4: Set Up the Kitchen Action

The "Kitchen" app will already be selected in the second step.

Now, choose "Create Folder" as your action.

After that, make sure you're using the latest version of Kitchen's API (it's v3 as of when I'm publishing this tutorial). If you're not sure, you can disconnect your Kitchen account & connect a newer one, from your Zapier account settings.

Once you're sure you've connected the latest version of their API, then connect your Kitchen account to this zap, the same way you did with your CRM.

Step 5: Configure the Folder Settings

This is the fun part! 🤓 The fields with the red asterisk* are required to fill in, but at least as of publishing, the Template field isn't required (optional).

To set it up:

1. Check your Kitchen account: make sure you already have a project/folder template ready to use in your Kitchen account. If you don't have one yet, my course gives you step-by-step, copy/paste EVERYTHING to create it fast! Including onboarding steps, website specific tasks, project folder subfolder structure, and a lot more!

2. Template: Pick which Kitchen template you want to use for new folders created with this zap. If you've got different templates for different types of projects, you might want to set up multiple Zaps with filters so each one will only run when it needs to. If you're not sure where to start with that, those templates are in my Ultimate Client Portal System course.

3. Folder Name: You can get creative with the data from your CRM in this step, if ya want. You can use the project name, the client's name, their company name, or any combination of that.

4. For example, if you want folders named after the client's business, use the variable field type (from Dubsado's first step) labeled "Client Company Name." If you prefer first and last names, use "Client First Name" + a space + "Client Last Name."

5. The backslash (/) is your friend here, —it lets you open a menu that shows all the dynamic information pulled in from the trigger step's data. Using that variable data will mean each time the zap runs, the project folder's name will match the unique project in your CRM.

Step 6: Test the Action

Hit "Continue" from that part of Step 2, and then "Test" to actually test-create a folder in Kitchen using your test data. If everything's set up correctly, you'll get another green checkmark on Step 2 in the visual preview of the zap (center of the page).

Step 7: Check Your Work

Now it's time to hop over to Kitchen and see if your new folder has appeared. It should already be there, and should also have all the template's original content in it, including tasks, and folder structure, etc.

Step 8: Publish the Zap

When the zap test fires successfully, it can see the trigger in your CRM, and the folder gets created in Kitchen. If both things worked successfully, now you PUBLISH that zap! After it’s published, it’ll perform this magic trick for you for each new project starting now. (It’s not retroactive, so it won’t run for all the past contracts that have been signed, FYI. 🤭)

What Happens After the Automation Runs?

Now what? You'll probably get or see notifications in Kitchen about new tasks being assigned to you (if your template includes tasks with assignments for yourself). Great!

The next step is to check the template for anything that needs to be edited before you invite your client, ...and then actually inviting your client to the project. In Kitchen, go to the top-level folder in their project, then click "Share," and add your client's email.

From there you've got a few permission options for Folders in Kitchen:

1. Viewer: They can see & open everything but can't interact/engage.

2. Commenter: They can see, open, and comment on stuff in the folder.

3. Uploader: They can see, open, comment on, and upload new files (this is what I usually go with)

4. Creator: They can create and manage their own content in the folder (probably overkill for most projects)

Set Up Task Board Permissions (Don't Skip This Extra Step!)

Something that could trip people up are folder permissions vs task board permissions, because they are separate things in Kitchen since you may want to give clients different levels of collab access in each area.

1. If you want your client to be able to create their own tasks (like support tickets during a maintenance period), make sure they have Creator status on the task board specifically.

2. If you'd rather they just comment on existing tasks without creating new ones, give them Commenter status in the task board.

Most of the time, I go with Uploader for the overall project and Creator for tasks. It gives them enough access to be useful without letting them go wild with changes & causing confusion.

The Onboarding Process

Creating the folder is just the beginning. When you invite your client to the folder, you can include a custom message & decide whether or not to notify them (send them an invitation email to 'View Folder').

After I add the client permissions to the folder (and check the box to notify the client so they will get that emailed invite), I open their project's Messenger page (called "Conversations" in the menu) and use my saved reply template to write them a welcome message that's more specific than the plain-text one they'll see in the invite email. This lets me send a personalized onboarding message that includes direct links to their specific task board, project folder, and any other important areas that need their attention.

This way, you can essentially give them a guided tour instead of just throwing them into the deep end of your project portal & hoping they'll do things the way you want them to.

The message you send through that 'Conversations' page stays in the thread permanently until the page (or message inside it) is deleted, so you both can reference it later if needed. And if they reply to that emailed message notification, their reply shows up right in Kitchen's messenger. Pretty slick; it's one of my favorite features in Kitchen!!

Why This Beats Manual Folder Creation Every Time

I get it. Setting up automations may feel like work upfront, or confusing if your process isn't nailed down yet (ie: "so, when do I do what now? 🤔"), and maybe creating folders manually doesn't seem like that big of a deal, because honestly it's not!

But let's do some math:

Manual folder creation takes about 5-10 minutes per project (if you're fast and don't get distracted, and you use a template to create it with minimal edits each time). If you book 5 clients a month, that's 50 minutes. Over a year, that's

1. 10 hours of your life spent on repetitive admin work that could easily be completely automated.

2. 10 hours you could spend on actual client work, business development, or—crazy thought—taking a damn break.

Plus, automation is consistent in a way humans generally can't be. It never forgets to add the content guide folder. It never accidentally skips the task template setup. It doesn't have off days or get distracted by Instagram. And if there's an error, Zapier will email you & let you know about it!

Your clients get the same seamless experience every single time, you save hours on menial admin BS, and all of that makes you look more professional and organized than you probably actually are. (No judgment—we're all winging something!)

Get the Free Zap Template

I've created a complete Zap template that connects Dubsado to Kitchen, but you can easily modify it for your CRM of choice! It includes all the settings I walked through in this post, so you don't have to build it from scratch.

This template is part of my thank-you for reading this far. (Seriously, this post is long and on a maybe-boring topic, but you stuck with it—so, mad respect! 😂)

And if you want to dive even deeper into Kitchen automation and get my full multi-step Zap templates with filters pre-installed, that's included in my Ultimate Client Portal System course. Kitchen is doing some seriously cool stuff with their integrations and automation options, and with all their triggers & actions, this Dubsado connection could be just the beginning of what's possible when you start thinking about your business systems as a connected ecosystem versus of a bunch of separate tools.

Give it a try, break some stuff if ya need to, figure out what works for your specific workflow. And if you love it as much as I do, tell other creative business owners about it! We're all just trying to build sustainable businesses without losing our minds in the process.

⚡️ Grab the free template here 👇🏼

Automation Troubleshooting Tips

Automation is super useful, and if used correctly it can feel like hiring employees to help you do the work (at much cheaper rates!), ––but it's not magic. Sometimes shit breaks, and when or if it does, here are some tips to help you troubleshoot:

1. The Zap isn't triggering:
   Double-check that your trigger event is actually happening in your CRM. If you set it up to trigger on contract signatures, but your test client hasn't actually signed anything yet, nothing's going to happen. Zapier won’t run the action unless the trigger has happened first.

2. Folders are getting created but they're empty:
   This usually means there's either an issue with your template selection in Kitchen, or in your zap’s action step (part 2 of the zap). Make sure the template you chose actually exists in Kitchen and it actually does have content in it. If your internal Kitchen template does have content, then contact Kitchen’s support team to find out why the template contents aren’t applying when using the template to make new folders in Kitchen; let them know this is triggered by their API in Zapier so they can look at the correct details on the backend.

3. Client information isn't pulling through correctly:
   Check your field mapping (those variable fields) in the Zap. If your CRM has changed their field names or data structure recently, it could break the connection. You may also try selecting a different field in those variables, to see if you get different results.

4. Too many folders are being created:
   This happens if you chose a trigger that fires more often than you expected. Switch to a more specific trigger (like contract signature instead of payment received), or upgrade your Zapier account to a paid plan so you can add a filter step, in between the trigger & action steps, to reduce how frequently the action is run (ex: only create new folders for specific project types).

5. Seeing error messages in Zapier:
   Ask ChatGPT or Zapier support for help to troubleshoot. ChatGPT has actually been very helpful when I run into errors or have questions about Zapier. You can even take a screenshot & upload it to ChatGPT, describe what’s happening vs the goal, and it can understand the context. Definitely worth using to help double check your set up & more!

With a simple two-step zap, most issues are pretty easy to fix once you figure out what's actually going wrong, and errors are unlikely to happen. The more steps you add, the more complex the automation becomes, though. Don't be afraid to test things and break stuff while you’re testing, —that's how you learn!

Advanced Tips for Power Users

Once you've got the basic automation running smoothly, there are some next-level tricks you can try:

1. Multiple Zaps for different project types:
   If you offer different services with different Kitchen templates, set up separate Zaps for each and add a filter step in between the trigger & the action, asking Zapier to look at the Dubsado/CRM project it found, and check whether it matches a specific criteria before performing the action step. (This requires a paid Zapier plan.)

2. Next step automations:
   If you're feeling super comfortable with Zapier and with Kitchen, you can add steps to the zap for whatever happens after the folder is created, such as inviting the client to the folder, sending the onboarding message, etc.

The Impact of Automations in Your Business

Here's what actually happens when you implement this kind of basic automation:

1. You onboard booked clients a little faster. There's less friction between "yes, I want to work with you" and "here's your project portal where everything lives." Clients can get started immediately instead of waiting for you to manually set things up.

2. You look more professional. Clients can get their project access within minutes of signing their contract, depending on your setup. It feels seamless and organized, which reflects well on your business & reassures them that you are going to do what you said you would, building trust.

3. You reduce mental load. No more sticky notes reminding you to set up project folders. No more "oh shit, I forgot to create Jane's workspace" moments at 11 PM while you're laying in bed.

4. You could scale your workload more easily. When you're ready to take on more client work, your systems can handle it without you necessarily working more hours on the admin side.

5. You make fewer mistakes during onboarding & projects are more repeatable. Automation is consistent. You won't accidentally forget to include important folders or templates, because the template + automated zap is doing that part for you. Make it once, reuse it over and over, in exactly the same way.

This isn't just about saving time (though that's nice), it's more about creating systems that let your business grow without burning you out or building a desire to burn down the whole business.

Common Questions & Concerns

"What if I need different setups for different types of clients?"

Set up multiple Zaps with different triggers AND filters for each action. Or start with one general Kitchen template and customize the contents of the project folder per client after the folder is created in Kitchen.

"What if my client signs multiple contracts for different projects?"

Each contract signature will create a new folder, which is probably what you want anyway. If not, you might need to adjust your trigger or use a paid Zapier plan with filters before the action step. However, if each project needs its own folder, remember that folders in Kitchen are drag and droppable just like they are on your computer, so you can always create a new top-level folder for that client, and nest all their project folders inside that, to keep them organized together ––vs loose in the sidebar of your Kitchen account & becoming a messy string of project-named folders.

"What if I want to review projects before clients get access?"

Then this zap will work perfectly for you, because the free template I'm helping you set up does NOT also invite your client to the folder, which means you have a chance to review & edit before they gain access when you decide it's ready.

"What happens if I change CRMs later?"

You'll need to update your Zap, but the process is basically the same. Most CRMs have similar trigger options too, as we covered earlier!

Building systems that actually serve you

Here's what I want you to remember: automation isn't about being lazy or cutting corners or buying yet another software subscription. It's actually about creating a trusted group of tools & systems that free you up to do your best work while they HELP you with the backend admin stuff ––the busywork.

Every minute you spend on repetitive admin tasks is a minute you're not spending on strategy, creativity, or actually serving your clients (& making money in that process). This automation gives those minutes back to you.

Your future self—the one who's booking more clients and sleeping better at night because your systems just work—is going to thank you for setting this up along with me today!

Now stop reading blog posts and go set this up, if ya haven't already! 😉

Want more automation ideas and business systems that actually work for creative entrepreneurs? Save this post and follow along for more practical tips that'll help you build a business that runs itself.

This post might ruffle some feathers. 🤭

Here's the thing 'everybody' says, but nobody wants to admit about being "everywhere" online: it's complete bullshit. #sorrynotsorry

For years, we've been fed this lie that successful entrepreneurs are omnipresent time-traveling wizards —like Marvel's Dr. Strange— posting on Instagram, creating TikToks, pinning on Pinterest, tweeting on X, networking on LinkedIn, ...sewing posts? on Threads 😂 and SOMEhow still running their actual businesses too.

Here's what they aren't telling you: those big names you're trying to emulate, who gave you that advice? They have teams. Plural. Humans with specialized skills. AND expensive software, and systems you probably can't even replicate, let alone afford yet.

Meanwhile, you don't realize that they have so much help & support to do all of that, and you're over here wearing 75,000 different hats, trying to be Gary V., Marie Forleo, Steven Bartlett, Oprah Winfrey, and Mel Robbins simultaneously, all while wondering why you feel like a hot-mess-express that's about to explode and completely derail.

You're not failing. This outdated & unrealistic advice is failing YOU.

This multi-platform marketing myth is destroying solo businesses

I learned this the hard way. Between 2015 and 2019, I was everywhere—and I mean everywhere. Pinterest with 50+ pins a week (because apparently that was a magic number), Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and probably some other platforms I've blocked from my memory due to traumatic response. 😂🫣

With the 70/30 or 80/20 rule popular at the time for Pinterest specifically, I was trying to read every single piece of content before pinning/sharing it—70-80% curated content, 20-30% original. That PLUS creating posts & graphics for all the different platforms & keeping up with algorithm updates & changes in platform-specific best practices, etc. You can imagine how exhausting it was to vet and create and schedule, then engage with that much information while also trying to build AND RUN a business?

It felt like trying to cook a seven-course meal while simultaneously hosting a dinner party, cleaning the house, and doing your taxes. Something's gonna burn or blow up, and it's usually us.

🔥 The Bonfire Analogy

Here's what really happens when you spread yourself so thin across multiple platforms: You're trying to build seven different bonfires all at once.

You get the first one crackling, then move to the second & get that one going strong; by the time you're lighting the third, the first one may be dying out, so you rush back frantically adding kindling, —but now the second fire is barely flickering, and the third is roaring out of control.

Round and round you go, never getting any of them to the safe but roaring bonfire you were hoping for, because you're constantly in damage control mode and unable to focus on any one of them before one or more of the others pull your focus.

Even with all those fancy scheduling tools—Tailwind, Later, Planoly, Plann, Metricool, Creator Studio, whatever the 'cool kids' are using now—you still have to create the content. You still have to source it, write it, design it, and schedule it.

AI can't do all of the creative heavy lifting (yet). Plus, let's be real: do you even want to consume tons of content that's entirely AI-generated & published without a human? Because I sure as hell don't. And neither do your potential customers. Content created exclusively (only) from a robot is not helpful or relatable for humans.

Why the “Be Everywhere” Strategy FAILS Solopreneurs

We'll label these like Seinfeld episodes —and if you don't know what I'm talking about then we can't be friends. 🤭 (JK!)

1. The Notifications 🔔

Every time I tried to be active across multiple platforms, I'd quickly become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of notifications or things to check. DMs, comments, likes, shares, mentions, analytics, hash tag strategies, comment/dm automations, —it's like having seven different jobs that all demand immediate attention & I don't like/enjoy ANY of them! 😂

When you're constantly checking notifications, you stop doing the work that actually makes you money. You become a full-time social media manager for your own business, which is probably not what you signed up for when you decided to become an entrepreneur. Yes, it'll probably help get your name out there and attract an audience, BUT WHY DOES THAT MATTER IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS, ANSWERS or HELP for those people you're attracting?! (ie: "the work" —meaning: content, services or products for your audience)

2. The Attention Deficit 😵‍💫

When you're spread thin across platforms, none of them get your best work or effort either. You're creating mediocre content for 7+ different places, instead of exceptional content for just one or two.

It'd be the same if you were in seven different relationships all at once, —somebody isn't getting the attention they want or deserve, and you're always exhausted trying to keep everyone happy. (Tell me you watch TLC's Sister Wives without telling me you watch Sister Wives. 😂)

3. The Burnout 🫩

This is arguably the main one. When you overextend yourself trying to maintain a presence everywhere by yourself, you WILL burn out. It's not an 'IF' situation. YOU WILL; it's just a matter of time.

The problem is, when you're a solo entrepreneur, burnout doesn't just affect your marketing—it affects your entire business. Without a team to help you, or tons of software to support & run a lot of these processes...as long as you're the only person in your business and if you crash, everything STOPS.

No systems? No backup software running in the background? No work, and maybe no safety net. Just you rocking back & forth in the corner, wrapped in a blanky, muttering to yourself with whatever energy you have left, which probably isn't much. 🫣

The Solution: pick ONE thing & get good at it

Revolutionary concept: Focus matters.

Instead of trying to be everywhere, pick one platform that you actually enjoy using and get really, really good at it. I know, it sounds too simple. But simple doesn't mean easy, and it doesn't mean ineffective either.

The one-platform strategy

For me, that platform started with blogging about 10 years ago. I added all the social media channels because I thought I had to, but I've been blogging for nearly 10 years, as of posting.

In 2022, I started adding YouTube videos to my blog posts as a companion piece that went WITH the article—7 years after my first blog post.

Here's how it works for me now:

1. I create one piece of long-form video content (the video in this blog post)

2. I turn that video's transcript into a blog post (repurposing the original content to a different medium)

3. That one piece of content shows up in multiple places: YouTube, my blog/website, search engine results (like Google), and now even AI chat responses (like ChatGPT and Perplexity).

One piece of content works across multiple touchpoints.

So it's not about being everywhere—it's about being findable with quality content that actually helps your audience, on a platform/medium you enjoy & can do consistently without overwhelm.

Why this strategy works for solopreneurs

1. It's way more sustainable.
   You're not trying to feed seven hungry platforms on a kid's allowance-sized budget. You're creating one really good piece of content and maximizing its reach, purposefully avoiding unnecessary work for yourself.

2. It builds authority.
   When you consistently show up in one place with valuable content, people start to see you as the go-to person for that topic. You become known for something specific instead of being forgettable everywhere. This is the ultimate goal, AFTER you master the sustainable marketing method you choose.

3. It's manageable for one person.
   You can actually do this by yourself without 3 different softwares, systems & automations, without burning out or hiring a team. 😏🤷‍♀️

“But Katelyn, How Do I Choose Which Platform?”

Great question. Here are my suggestions:

1. What do you actually enjoy?

This isn't a trick question, —promise! If you hate being on video, don't choose YouTube or TikTok or Instagram Reels. If writing makes you want to stab yourself in the eyes, maybe skip the blog-first approach. You're going to be showing up consistently on this platform for months (years, even), so pick something that doesn't make you want to fake your own death by 1,000 paper cuts. 🔪🩸

2. What are you naturally good at?

Are you a natural storyteller? Maybe podcasting or YouTube could be your thing. Do you love taking photos and have an eye for design? Instagram might be a better fit, especially now that posts will start showing up in Google searches soon (if they haven't already by the time you're reading this). Are you a word nerd who can explain complex topics simply? Blogging could be your superpower. Do you love live/in-person events? Maybe workshops or networking would work really well for you! — Play to your strengths, not against them.

3. Where does your audience actually hang out?

This one requires a bit of research, but it's crucial. If you're targeting busy executives, they're probably not scrolling TikTok during their lunch break. If you're trying to reach creative millennials, they might not be actively engaging on LinkedIn.

Don't guess—ask your current customers or ideal clients where they spend their time online.

The Timeline: Why 3 Months Isn't Enough

Here's where most people screw up: They pick a platform, try it for a few days or weeks, don't see immediate results, and either quit or add another platform to the mix.

Stop. doing. this!

If your business is new and your existing online presence is closer to nil/zero, you need to stick with your one platform for at least six months before you decide whether or not it's actually working or not. Preferably longer. Give yourself time to get good at this strategy, to get comfortable with it, to reach a point where it feels easy. And while you practice this strategy, CHECK YOUR ANALYTICS. Not to find out what your effort is worth (yet), but to get better at making decisions based on facts –not feelings.

When we are doing something uncomfortable, our brain tells us to stop and we can create any number of totally fake reasons to support that decision.

Meaning, excuses like:

1. Eat this cookie or piece of cake, it won't mess up today's diet if no one knows I ate it. 🤤

2. Speed just a bit more than usual; cops usually aren't on this stretch of highway & I probably won't get a speeding ticket. 🚔👮

3. I'll finish the course modules next month when I have more time; it can wait and I can make time later. 😏

4. Just one more episode before I go to bed... I know I have to wake up early, but that's tomorrow-me's problem. 📺

5. I have bills to pay, but those shoes are TOO cute to pass up! I can pay something late if I need to. 🤔

We all do this. We tell ourselves little half-truths or create justifications that feel good in the moment but sabotage our long-term goals. Our brains are absolute pros at manufacturing convenient stories that help us avoid discomfort.

And that’s where we get into dangerous territory. Because when those feelings start masquerading as facts, or when we confuse temporary emotions with logical conclusions… we start making decisions that don’t serve us or our business.

That brings me to one of the biggest mindset shifts you need to make if you’re in this for the long haul:

FEELINGS are not FACTS.
CORRELATION does not equal CAUSATION.

Just because you want something to be true, or feel like something is/should be true, doesn't mean it actually is.

This is something we all do. It’s human nature. Humans feel a lot of things. And the older I get, the more I notice how often this can show up, —even when I think I’m being rational and logical.

But if we’re at least a little self-aware, we can (hopefully) catch ourselves before we act on emotions alone and make decisions that aren’t grounded in reality.

Feelings vs actions

Today’s societal norms like to tell us “your feelings are valid” — and yes, that’s absolutely true. But that message has quietly mutated into a cultural belief that our actions based on those feelings are valid too. And that’s… not true. Whatever FEELING you feel in a given situation is valid, but how you ACT based on those feelings may not be.

Life example:
You come home from work angry. Totally fair — your feelings are real. But snapping at your partner or roommate who had nothing to do with it? Not fair. The anger is valid. The reaction isn’t. If you take that feeling and turn it into a behavior, you’re offloading your emotional baggage onto someone who didn’t pack it. That’s not emotional regulation, it’s misdirected fire.

Correlation vs Causation

Just because two things happen at the same time, or near each other, doesn’t mean one caused the other.

Life example:

Let’s say every time you grab your keys, your dog spins in circles like a caffeinated raccoon in a bounce house. You might think, “Grabbing my keys makes my dog do the Zoomies.” But keys don’t cause Zoomies. What’s really happening is that your dog has learned to associate the sound of keys with something exciting — a walk, your departure, or maybe snack time. So: grabbing your keys correlates with the chaos, but it doesn’t cause it. If you pick up your keys at 2 a.m. and go back to bed? Dog’s still spinning. Because their little dog-brain thinks it means something.

When we confuse correlation with causation in our own lives, we start doing the human version of barking at keys:

• 🌀 “They didn’t reply = they must be mad.”

• 🌀 “My launch didn’t work = Mercury is in retrograde.”

Coincidence is not causality. And “vibes” or feelings are not data.

Making better business decisions

Business is rife with this kind of faulty thinking.

• 💡 “My product isn’t selling — it must not be good.”

• 💡 “Leads aren’t moving forward — my pricing must be too high.”

Let’s pump the brakes, because those are feelings, not facts. Data is what actually helps us make better decisions, so let’s suss it out!

Example:

• Your product isn’t selling. But did the sales page get enough eyeballs? If only 50 people saw it, and the standard conversion rate is 1–2%… that’s one sale. Not a failure. Not a bad product. Just not enough traffic.

  • 🧠 No sales yet + low traffic ≠ bad product

• A lead doesn’t book right away after a discovery call. Do they tell you your price is too high? No? Then maybe it’s a timing mismatch, a decision-making delay, a convo with their biz partner that hasn’t happened yet.

  • 🧠 Lead not booked yet + positive discovery call ≠ your services are too expensive

When our feelings LIE

Here are some examples of how this shows up in daily business decisions:

• You feel like no one’s buying your product — but maybe your sale notifications are off. If you don’t check the dashboard, you might pull a product that’s quietly performing well.

• You feel like no one’s watching — but if inquiries are up, the content is working. You’re just measuring the wrong thing.

• You feel like your email list is full of bots because no one replies — but if they click your links or buy your stuff, they’re real. Just quiet.

Since adding YouTube to my long-game strategy in 2022, I’ve been learning with every upload. And while I’m not exactly swimming in subscribers (2.5 years in, still under 2.5K), the data shows it’s helping my business regardless of the growth speed.

Every video is practice. Every blog post is a rep. But if I judged success on feelings alone? I’d have given up long before now!

So: check your data. Pay attention to your thoughts & feelings, but don’t rely on them alone. Don’t bark at the keys. 😉🔑 🐕

Questions to ask yourself after 6 months of consistency

1. Is there a return on the time/money I'm investing in this?

2. Am I enjoying the process (most of the time)?

3. Are people finding and engaging with my content?

4. Is this bringing qualified leads/customers to my business?

5. Do I feel like I'm getting better at this?

If the answer to most of these is yes, then keep going. If not, it might be time to try a different platform—but stick with just that one. If that means changing platforms, post something that says 'I'm moving over to [platform name], so find me over there!' to let people know you didn't just disappear/quit/give up.

When (& How) to Add a Second Platform

Eventually, you might want to or feel ready to expand your reach by adding another medium for your marketing strategy. But here are my rules:

1. Wait until you're actually pretty good at the first one and seeing results

"Good" means you've been consistently creating content for at least 6-12 months, you have systems in place, it feels easy, and you're seeing some kind of return on your investment (whether that's leads, sales, or just people finding your stuff).

2. Choose something complementary

If you're killing it on YouTube, maybe add a blog. If you're a blogging machine, consider starting a podcast or YouTube channel. If you're on Instagram, maybe add Pinterest. If you're on Twitter, think about trying Threads. If you're doing in-person marketing, pick up more live events or start some live workshops. Pick something that works with/alongside your existing strategy, not against it. If they are too different from each other, and you're still a one-person show, then it will quickly feel overwhelming & you'll stop/give up before you see results.

3. Have a plan for repurposing

Don't just add more work to your plate. Figure out how to turn your existing content into something that works for the new platform too. One piece of content, multiple formats. This might mean buying subscriptions or software (the most cost-effective solution, honestly), vs hiring a contractor to help.

4. Set boundaries

Decide upfront how much time you'll spend on the new platform and stick to it. Don't let it cannibalize the energy you're putting into your main strategy or they could both explode/collapse!

Permission to Stop Doing What You Hate

Here's your official permission slip: You don't have to be everywhere; by itself, "should" is not a valid reason.

You don't have to be on Instagram if you hate/suck at taking photos. You don't have to be on TikTok if dancing/singing makes you cringe. You don't have to start a podcast if the sound of your own voice makes you want to crawl into a hole. You don't have to blog if it stresses you out. You don't have to go to/host live events if crowds make your heart race in all the worst ways & public speaking is your worst fear.

Other people don't run your business. They don't pay your bills. They don't know your strengths, your capacity, your income or expenses, and your goals. So why are you letting their "shoulds" dictate your strategy? 🤔

The “but everyone else is doing it” trap

Every time someone tells me they "should" start posting on social media, I'm always asking them why: "Have you successfully run your business using social media before now?"

The answer is usually some version of no, and is usually related to some version of FOMO and "should".

So why start now?

• Because you feel pressured?

• Because some marketing expert told you it's the only way?

• Because you're comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reels?

Let's be real: none of those are good reasons to add more to your already full plate.

Pick one. Get good at it. Build an audience there. Then, if you want to and have the capacity, consider adding something else.

But please, for the love of all that’s holy, stop trying to do everything at once.

The secret of success

Ready for it?
Consistency beats omnipresence every single time.

I'd rather see you show up reliably in one place for a year than sporadically across seven platforms for three months before burning out and disappearing entirely.

Your audience needs to know where to find you, and so do the algorithms in these platforms. They need to trust that you'll be there when you say you will. They need to see that you're committed to providing value in that space. If you need to change your consistency, that's fine –but be consistent with the change too.

Going from every other week to 1x month? Fine, do what you need to do. Switch from weekly to 2x monthly? Okay, do what you need to do. But DON'T post when you feel like it with no recognizable schedule, because that's the best way to become invisible.

You can't build trust when you're scattered across the internet like digital confetti. 🫤

No BS: A Quick Recap

1. Stop trying to be everywhere.

2. Pick one thing.

3. Get good at it.

4. Build something meaningful there.

Your future self—the one who isn't burned out from trying to manage seventeen different social media accounts—will thank you.

Your business—the one that gets your full attention instead of your scattered energy—will thank you.

Your sanity—what's left of it after years of platform-hopping & shiny object syndrome—will definitely thank you.

You don't need to be everywhere to be successful.
You just need to be consistently valuable somewhere.

Your people are waiting for you there—not scattered across the entire internet, but in that one place where you show up as your best, most focused self!

What platform are you going to focus on?

Drop a comment and let me know—I'd love to cheer you on as you stop doing #allthethings and start doing the right thing for you, instead.

I see this question a lot: "How do I use Kit with Squarespace when Squarespace already has email campaigns?"

I get why people are confused & why this trips everyone up, because Kit works completely differently than platforms like MailerLite or FloDesk. With those systems, you need a separate automation for every. Single. Freebie. delivery.

But Kit has a genius-level built-in feature where you can deliver your opt-in gift directly from the form's settings. No need for multiple automations to deliver all your freebies. And no complex workflows that make you feel like you need a computer science degree to manage your freebie funnels.

One form does all the heavy lifting for you so you can focus on using automations to do things that truly matter.

I've been using Kit (previously called, ConvertKit) for years, and I'm gonna walk you through exactly how to set this up from start to finish. We're talking form selection, design, settings, embedding on Squarespace (or any website builder for that matter), and testing the whole damn thing to make sure it works.

Because nothing's worse than thinking you've got it all set up correctly, only to realize your subscribers aren't getting their freebies. 😬 Oopsie.

Why Use Kit Email Marketing with Squarespace

Before we dive into the step-by-step stuff, let me explain why this combo works so well.

Squarespace is brilliant for building beautiful websites. Like, stupidly good at it. But their email marketing? It's... fine. Basic. Gets the job done if you're just sending newsletters and other very basic use-cases, but if you want to build real email automations, segment your audience, or create funnels that actually convert subscribers to buyers ––or at least convert them to fans, you're gonna hit walls pretty fast. And at first glance, it might look like Squarespace users are limited to the built-in Email Campaigns feature (an add-on subscription cost) or MailChimp which has a direct integration with the 'Newsletter' block, but that's actually NOT your only option! Squarespace works with any email marketing platform, Kit included!

Kit, on the other hand, was built specifically for content creators & small business owners who want to grow their email lists (and hopefully also make money with them). The free Newsletter Plan gives you up to 10,000 subscribers (which is honestly utterly bananas) and one automation, before needing to upgrade to a paid plan.

Compare that to MailerLite's measly 1,000 subscribers limit on their free plan, or FloDesk's 30-day trial for all features or their free plan which limits you to JUST collecting subscribers but not contacting (emailing) them, and Kit suddenly becomes a no-brainer.

Plus, as I said, Kit plays nice with any website builder, not just with Squarespace. You're not locked into using their landing pages (though they're decent if you want them). You can embed the subscribe forms anywhere on your Squarespace site and they'll pull in your site's fonts automatically to match your branding.

It's the best of both worlds—Squarespace's gorgeous design capabilities and Kit's robust email marketing features ––aaaaand you can do all of that for free until you've grown to 10,000 subscribers, if you're just getting started & only need the basics.

Kit Form Types: Inline vs Modal vs Landing Pages, etc

Inside your Kit account, from the top navigation bar, click on Grow, then select Landing Pages & Forms. From there, you'll be able to set up all your forms AND deliver whatever freebies or opt-ins, per form.

From the Landing Pages & Forms page, click + Create New. Then you'll see two main options:

1. Forms - These are embeddable forms that you can add anywhere on your site, in one or more areas (per form).

2. Landing Pages - These come with their own design and their own URL because they work as standalone pages, linked from any linkable thing on your site (buttons, text, images, etc).

For Squarespace users & people who are newer to email marketing, you'll probably prefer the Forms option since you'll be embedding it on your existing website page(s).

Once you decide on the style of form, then you get to pick what type of form behavior you want:

1. Inline - Sits right inside your content (blog posts, homepage, footer, wherever you want)

2. Modal - Pop-up that covers the entire page when triggered

3. Slide-in - Slides in from a corner (less intrusive than a Modal, but still sort of a pop-up)

4. Sticky bar - Sticks to the top or bottom of the screen (less intrusive than Modals or Slide-Ins, but customizably visible)

For this tutorial, we're going to use an Inline Form because it's the most popular, and potentially least annoying for our visitors.

Choose a Form Template Design

Once you've picked "Inline," you'll see a bunch of design template options. They all do basically the same things, so pick whatever gets you closest to what you want it to look like visually.

The one exception is the Claire template (which may or may not still be named 'Claire' when you set this up at a later date), which gives you just the form fields with minimal styling & no other elements (images, titles, etc). This is perfect if you want maximum control over how it looks on your site, because you design whatever goes around/with it and just embed the form fields + subscribe button by themselves, if ya want.

For this example though, I'm picking the Charlotte template because it's simple, uses an expected/familiar design, and it has a nice image + form combo that works well for most freebies.

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How to Design Kit Forms for Squarespace

Swapping the Background Image

First, let's change out that generic stock photo. Click on the image in the design, then look at the righthand sidebar to see what it's settings are. From there, you should see a background section and with a button labeled "Edit" or "Replace." Kit has an Unsplash integration built-in, so you can search for something that actually relates to your freebie ––or you can upload a photo (JPG or PNG) of your freebie if you have one ready.

Pro tip: If using a stock photo, pick an image that matches your brand colors or at least doesn't clash horribly with your website, if you don't have a mockup of your freebie yet. If you want to make a mockup, use Canva!

Writing Copy That Actually Converts

This is where most people mess up. The default text is usually something bland like "Get our guide!" Nope. Not gonna cut it. 🫣

Your headline needs to be specific. Instead of "Get our free checklist," try "Get the 47-point checklist for moving without losing your mind!" or "Download the exact website launch checklist I used to get my first 1000 website visits." See the difference? Specificity works!

Kit Form Field Setup: Name & Email Best Practices

By default, you'll probably just see an email field in these form templates, but I recommend adding a name field too because addressing people by their actual name in emails makes a huge difference in open rates, engagement, click rates, and even conversion rates if you plan to sell things. Wouldn't you rather interact with an email that said, "I'd love to help you with that, Katelyn! Buy X here." vs "I'd love to help you with that! Buy X here." Better with the name, right?! Yep. 🙂‍↕️😃

Here's how to add it:

1. Click the circled plus sign ⊕ icon to add another input field

2. Select "Custom field" in the righthand sidebar

3. Choose "First name" from the second dropdown setting

4. Make it required (trust me on this) so people will actually fill it out

5. Drag it above the Email field, in the preview area to reorder them (& move the Name field to the top, above the email field)

Why first name only? Because asking for someone's full name is unnecessary for this situation so it may feel invasive. You don't actually need their last name to send good emails before they've bought anything from you.

Important: Make sure the Name field comes FIRST, then Email. People are impatient & creatures of habit. They expect these fields to show up in that order. If you flip it, they'll much more likely to accidentally put their email in the Name field and vice versa, then get frustrated when the form won't let them submit it, and maybe give up & abandon the form entirely.

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How to Customize Kit Form Button Text and Colors

Change that button text from the generic "Subscribe" to something that matches your freebie. "Subscribe & get the checklist" or "Download the guide + Subscribe" works way better. Using both "subscribe" and some form of CTA works great for transparency, so they know they'll be joining your email list when sign up to get their freebie & the people who confirm are happier to get emails from you.

Also, if pink isn't your vibe (it's definitely not mine, despite my cute headband in this post's video), you can change the button color & shape to match your brand. To change the shape from sharp rectangular corners, to rounded, to pill shaped, play with the border radius in the button's settings. The higher the number, the more pill-shaped, the lower the number, the more rectangular.

Standard px (pixel) values for that Border Radius setting are:

1. 0px (sharp corners, rectangle shaped)

2. 5px (soft rounded corners)

3. 30px (large rounded corners, pill shaped)

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Remove Kit Branding from Forms (paid plans only)

If you're on a paid plan, you can turn off the "Built with Kit" text by clicking on those words in the form editor/preview side, then unchecking the box to show that in the righthand settings area.

Free plan users are stuck with it, but honestly, it's not the end of the world if you can't get rid of it for a while.

Adding Custom CSS to Kit form styles

Change the ‘ugly’ neon green success message color with Custom CSS

In the form’s General Styles panel, there is a CSS area where you can add the following code snippet:

.formkit-alert-success {
    background-color: #fff !important;
    border-color: #000 !important;
    border: 3px solid;
    color: #000000 !important;
}

Improve the layout of the input fields + subscribe button with Custom CSS

In the same CSS area of the General Styles panel, add the following code snippet:

.formkit-field {display: flex !important;}
.formkit-field:first-child { display: flex !important;}
.formkit-field:last-child {display: flex !important; }
.formkit-input { display: flex !important; }
@media screen and (min-width: 800px) {
.formkit-field {
margin: 0 5px 15px 0 !important;
flex: 1 0 20% !important;
}
}

Kit Form Settings: How to Deliver Lead Magnets Without Automations

This is the part that makes Kit different from every other email platform, so pay CLOSE attention!

After editing your form's design template, click on Settings from the upper righthand menu, and you'll see a few tabs within a popup. Let's walk through each one.

General Settings

Under the success message, change the default text to something more helpful for your potential subscriber. Instead of just "Thanks for subscribing!" try something like: "You're in! Check your email to access your [name or type of specific freebie]." This tells them exactly what to do next and sets the expectation that they need to check their email to get it.

Kit Incentive Email Setup:

Auto Confirming Subscribers (aka: Double Opt-in is OFF)

I’m gonna go against the grain here & tell you why I think you should leave my double opt-in ON in Kit, instead of telling you how to turn it off. 😂

1. you don’t pay for unconfirmed subscribers bc you can’t contact them until they confirm from the incentive email you're sending via the form's settings

2. confirmed subscribers have better engagement because they literally CONFIRMed they want to be there; they give you better open rates & click rates, which is better for deliverability long term & for your sales conversion rate if you sell in any of your emails

3. Double opt-in is HIGHLY recommended for compliance with anti-spam laws; Kit even tells you why they don't recommend you auto-confirm subscriber if you try turning Double Opt-in off in the form settings

4. the incentive email ALSO confirms the subscribers while delivering the freebie they are opting in for, which is relatively unique as most other platforms I’ve used make double opt-in a literal double (2 step) process; Kit’s form settings give you an option to deliver the opt-in when they click the button in that email, AND ALSO confirms them if auto confirm is OFF, & the URL for the button in the incentive email is the variable code for confirmation: {{confirm_url}}

See Kit's help desk article for more information on the incentive email, or this article about why you should NOT use the auto-confirm features.

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Double Opt-in Freebie Delivery

Double Opt-in ON by default in Kit, but it's the way they handle the double opt-in process that made this not-hidden secret a small-but-mighty part of the reason Kit quickly became my favorite email marketing platform. Instead of sending your subscribers 2 emails each time they subscribe AND creating a separate automation to deliver a freebie if someone fills out a particular form, you actually set it all up right here in the form's settings.

Click Edit email contents and you'll see Kit's most basic email editor (they use an older editor for this), but it gets the job done.

Here's what you need to edit in your incentive email:

Subject Line:
Make it clear their freebie is inside. Something like "🎁 DELIVERY: Your checklist is inside!" or "Here's your free guide!"

Email Body:

1. Start with a friendly generic greeting (you can't use their name here because they haven't confirmed they want to be on your list yet)

2. Thank them for being here

3. Tell them what to do next: "Click the button below to confirm your email and access your checklist"

On The Button:
Change the text to something like "Confirm and get my checklist" or "Get my checklist & Confirm"

Here's the key thing to understand—this one email does TWO jobs:

1. It confirms their email subscription (the double opt-in requirement)

2. It delivers their freebie

When they click that button, Kit both confirms they want to be on your list AND redirects them to whatever you're giving them. Two birds, one stone. 👏🏻

How to Upload Files vs Link to External Content in Kit

After you've written the email, you need to exit the email editor & go back to the form's settings panel, to tell Kit where to send people when they click that confirmation button.

• You DO NOT add the link to the button itself in the incentive email!!

• DO NOT remove the default link value which should look something like this: {{confirm_url}} ––or your subscribers will have trouble actually confirming their email subscriber status when they click to get their freebie.

You have two options to deliver the opt-in/freebie:

1. Upload a file: If you've got a PDF, a docx, csv, jpg, or any other file, just upload it directly to Kit. When people click the confirmation button, they'll be taken to a download page where they can preview & download the file.

2. Link to something: If your freebie lives somewhere else (Google Docs, a Canva template, a page on your website, access to a Custom GPT, etc), just paste the URL here. Again, when they click the confirmation button in the incentive email, they'll be taken to this link to access their freebie.

Kit Advanced Form Settings: Repeat Subscriber Behavior

Under the Advanced tab, you can control what happens when someone who's already subscribed sees the form again.

The default is "Continue to show the form," and I recommend leaving it that way. Why? Because people sometimes forget what freebies they've downloaded. If you hide the form after they've subscribed once, they can't get access to that stuff again if they lose it, or if they've unsubscribed and want to subscribe & download that freebie again ––they can't do that if they can't see the form.

Letting them re-download or re-subscribe is way better (for both of us) than getting emails asking where to download that freebie again.

How to Embed Kit Forms in Squarespace (Step-by-Step)

Now your form is set up and ready to go. Next, let's get it on your website!

First, make sure you Publish the form in Kit by clicking on the Publish button in the top righthand corner of the form editor. You can't embed it until after you click that button & it's published by Kit, even though the embed button shows up before/to the left of the Publish button, which might suggest you embed then publish. No. Publish first, then embed. You can try it the other way around, but it won't work (trust me; I've made that mistake too!) 🤭

Once it's published:

1. Then you click Embed

2. Copy the JavaScript code to your clipboard (it'll be the first option, though, any of the option will work if you know what to do with them)

3. Head over to your Squarespace website

4. Open the page where you want the form to go, then go into Edit mode for that page

5. Add a Code Block (or an embed block, either should work)

6. FYI: Squarespace's new pricing plans handle Code & Embed blocks differently as of 2025; Basic Squarespace plans will need to use Kit's HTML option to embed the forms, Core Squarespace plans & higher can use any option to embed the forms. Learn more about this from Squarespace's current pricing breakdown &/or this Help Center article on Code Blocks.)

7. Paste in the code

8. Save and you're done

The form will pull in your site's default fonts automatically, which is why you don't see font options in Kit's form builder. Pretty nifty! 😊

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How to Test Kit Forms Before Going Live

Before you announce your new freebie to the world, make sure ya test it to make sure it works the way you expect & the incentive email looks good. Use your own email address (or junk address), fill out the form, and make sure:

1. The success message appears correctly

2. You get the confirmation/incentive email

3. The confirmation button actually works

4. Your freebie downloads or the link goes to the right place

I've seen too many people skip testing and then realize their automation was broken after 50 people tried to sign up. Don't be that person! 😬

Pro tip for testing:

A lot of people do a couple rounds of testing and then 'run out of email addresses' to test. With more industry-standard tools like Kit, reusing email addresses might mean that the tests don't work if you're already subscribed. If this happens, and if you have a Gmail or Google Workspace email address, you can format your email with +test between your prefix (what comes before the @ symbol) and the domain.com (what comes after the @ symbol). This will give you any number of unique email addresses to test, each of which are 'fake' temporary alias email addresses that will still come to your inbox so you can test the whole process from start to finish. Just make sure that each time you use one, it's different than the ones you've used before, otherwise Kit may think this is an existing subscriber trying to resubscribe.

Some examples:

1. if my email address is hi@launchthedamnthing.com → then the fake test emails could look like: hi+test@launchthedamnthing.com or hi+test58@launchthedamnthing.com

2. if my email address is katelyn@katelyndoeswebsites.com → then the fake test emails could be: katelyn+test@katelyndoeswebsites.com or katelyn+omgnotanothertest@katelyndoeswebsites.com

3. if your email address is yourname@yourdomain.com → then your fake test emails could be: yourname+testanything@yourdomain.com

Kit + Squarespace Integration Examples

Now, let's look at how this actually looks in practice.

Example 1: Kit Inline Form with Custom Squarespace Design

On my blog's home page, I have a freebie for a cheat sheet. Instead of using Kit's pre-designed form template, I used the Claire template (remember that one is just the form fields) and built my own design around it.

I've got a couple of image blocks above the form that shows what the cheat sheet looks like + some text describing what they'd be signing up for, then the Kit form below it. The form could work by itself, but having that visual makes it way more compelling & I got to set it up however I wanted without designing that bit in Kit.

Example 2: Kit Landing Page for General Newsletter Signup

I also have a general newsletter signup form that lives on its own page & has its own link. This one doesn't have a specific freebie though; it's just for people who want to join my list for regular updates & to hear more from me.

Since there's no incentive here, the messaging is different on that one. Instead of promising a download, I'm telling them what kind of emails they'll get and why they're worth reading.

The form also includes checkboxes where people can tell me what they're most interested in. These are set up as tags in Kit, which lets me send more targeted content later when applicable.

Because this form has its own URL, I can't (don't want to) embed it onto my website, but I can link to it from anywhere on my site! So I have a link to it in my Footer and sometimes I have a link to it in 'ads' like this one:

Kit Free Plan vs Paid Plans: Features Comparison for 2025

Here's whatcha get on Kit's free Newsletter plan:

1. up to 10,000 subscribers (most competitors give you 1,000 or less)

2. 1 automation (perfect for a welcome sequence for new subscribers)

3. Forms

4. Basic segmentation

5. Decent email editor

6. Better email deliverability

The only real limitation is that you can't remove the Kit branding or opt-out of the Creator Network, but honestly, if you're just starting out and trying to grow your first 10,000 subscribers, those 2 things are a pretty small price to pay, IMHO.

Once you outgrow the free plan, their paid plans are competitive with other robust platforms and you get access to advanced automations, better reporting, and all the bells and whistles you might expect.

Comparing MailerLite’s vs FloDesk’s Free Plans in 2025

MailerLite:

1. up to 1,000 subscribers

2. up to 12,000 monthly emails

3. basic automations

4. organize your audience (segmentation)

5. no email design templates

6. chat & email support for 14 days

7. paid plans start at $9/mo and increases with the size of your audience

FloDesk:

1. Forms

2. organize your audience (segmentation)

3. access to all usage, brand settings, and form types

4. can't contact your subscribers until/unless you're on a free trial or a paid plan

5. free trial of paid features lasts 30-days

6. paid plans start at $38/mo for email marketing, or $59/mo for all features, including checkouts

7. or get 50% OFF your first year with my code DAMN50

Check out these posts next to learn more about email marketing platforms:

1. find out which of these 5 platforms might fit you best (newbie comparison)

2. get a comparison between FloDesk & Kit (deep dive comparison)

3. FloDesk vs Kit: subscriber preferences & link actions (advanced tutorial)

Common Kit + Squarespace Setup Mistakes to Avoid

Don't Overcomplicate the Confirmation Process

I see people trying to set up complex automation sequences for freebie delivery when Kit's built-in incentive feature does exactly what they need. Keep it simple! You can use those automation features later for better things. 😉

Don't Skip the Double Opt-In

Yes, turning off double opt-in means people get their freebies faster. But it also means you're not complying with GDPR and other privacy laws, plus you'll potentially get worse deliverability & your subscribers tend to be less engaged (because they weren't there "for you" in the first place; just there for the free shit). The extra step is worth it & Kit makes it easy for everyone.

Don't Use Generic Copy

"Get our free guide" doesn't make anyone excited. Be specific about what you're offering and why someone should care enough to subscribe to get it, download/open it, and actually use it.

Don't Forget to Test

Seriously, test your forms before you promote them! Nothing kills momentum like a broken signup process. Whomp, whomp. 🫤

Keep it simple

Email marketing doesn't have to be complicated. Kit + Squarespace is honestly one of the best combinations out there for creators who want beautiful websites AND powerful email marketing.

The key is understanding that Kit works differently than other platforms & has purposefully made this process simpler. Once you understand that the freebie delivery happens in the form settings (not in a separate automation), everything else becomes much easier & faster.

Now stop overthinking it and go set up your first form! You've got freebies to deliver and an audience to build. 💪

Want to see more tutorials like this? Let me know in the comments what else you're struggling with in either of my favorite platforms: Kit or FloDesk!

💁🏻‍♀️ Quick Legal Disclaimer (because I have to)

Before we dive into all this analytics talk—I need to throw in the standard "I'm not a lawyer" disclaimer because, well, I'm definitely not a lawyer! 😅 Everything I'm sharing here is based on my research and experience as a web designer, but it's not legal advice.

Privacy laws, international regulations, and compliance requirements are complex, constantly changing, and honestly pretty confusing even for the experts. Your situation is unique—your business, your audience, your platform setup, and where you're located all matter. What works for me might not be the right fit for you. So please, do your own research, consult with an actual attorney if you're unsure about compliance stuff, and make decisions that feel right for your specific circumstances. I'm just here sharing what I've learned along the way, not telling you what you legally must or must not do. Cool? Cool.

This post combines my hands-on experience using Squarespace, Google, Fathom, and Termageddon for myself or with clients, and includes some AI research (using both Perplexity and Claude) to make sure I wasn't missing any recent (published) legal developments. However, it was edited by me prior to posting. All sources are cited at the end of this post.

Now, let's talk analytics! 🎯

Squarespace Analytics vs Google Analytics vs privacy laws + GDPR might be boring, but this is something I've been paying attention to here & there for a while now because this whole analytics situation is way more complicated than it ought to be.

Or… maybe it just feels that way to me (but I doubt it).

When you're making a new website, for years & years, everyone said to install Google Analytics to “really understand” how visitors use it, even if your website platform includes their own built-in analytics, like Squarespace does.

But recently, you might’ve been hearing whispers about privacy laws and cookie banners and suddenly you're spiraling down a rabbit hole at 2 AM wondering if you're accidentally breaking international privacy laws?

Yeah. That's where we're going today. It’s not a fun or sexy topic, and I’ll happily also admit up front that I’m NOT an expert here, but I will share what I’ve learned so far & feel fairly confident about.

After diving deep into this mess (because apparently I enjoy deep dives & research), I've got the full breakdown on Squarespace Analytics vs. Google Analytics vs. those privacy-first tools you might’ve seen/heard someone else talking about.

Plus, we're gonna talk about what happens when you throw legal compliance into the mix—because surprise! That shit actually matters, and now even Google is paying attention.

Why Analytics Compliance Matters on Squarespace & GA4

Nobody tells you this when you making a website in 2024 & beyond… but your analytics choice isn't just about seeing how many people visited your site. Now it’s also about legal compliance, data ownership, user experience, and whether you'll be able to take your data with you if you ever leave your current platform.

And if you're thinking "but I'm just a small business owner with like 50 visitors a month"—stop right there.

The law doesn't care about your traffic volume. If you have EU visitors (and you probably do, but if you don’t now you likely will soon), you're playing by GDPR rules whether you know it or not.

Comparing Squarespace vs GA4 vs Fathom vs Plausible

First, let’s look at the details of 4 popular website analytics options.

Squarespace Analytics:
An Easy Option

Squarespace Analytics comes built into your dashboard—no setup, no fuss, no additional code to install. It tracks your basic traffic, where people come from, what pages they're looking at, and if you're running an online store, it'll show you sales data too.

The interface is clean, visual, and designed for people who just want to see "am I getting visitors?" without needing a PhD in data analysis.

✅ Pros

• Zero setup required — it's already there, tracking from the start

• Super beginner-friendly — if you can read a graph, you can understand these reports

• Integrated with everything else — your analytics match up perfectly with your Squarespace commerce data

• No additional monthly fees — it's included in whatever you're already paying Squarespace

❌ Cons

But here's where things get interesting (and by interesting, I mean potentially problematic):

Limited depth. Squarespace Analytics shows you the basics, but if you want to dig deeper—like understanding user behavior patterns, setting up conversion funnels, or tracking custom events—you're out of luck because it can’t do that.

Data export limitations. If you ever decide to leave Squarespace, you lose your entire analytics history because it’s not exportable. All those months or years of data? Gone. It stays in Squarespace, just like your Netflix watch history stays in Netflix if you cancel.

Accuracy issues. The numbers can be inflated or inconsistent compared to other tools. I've seen sites where Squarespace Analytics showed dramatically different visitor counts than Google Analytics running on the same site.

Legal compliance concerns. By default, Squarespace Analytics uses cookies and collects visitor data (IP addresses, device info, location) that could be considered personal data under GDPR and other privacy laws.

⚠️ The Legal Reality Check

Even if you're just starting out with minimal traffic, if you have website visitors from anyone in the EU, you're technically required to comply with GDPR. That means getting explicit consent to collect their data before any data is collected.

The good news? You can adjust Squarespace's settings to be more privacy-friendly:

• Disable analytics cookies until someone consents via your cookie banner

• Turn off the activity log to stop collecting IP addresses and location data

• Restrict non-essential cookies in your advanced privacy settings

The bad news? Making these changes will make your analytics data less accurate and reliable. The other bad news? This helps, but still does not currently comply with foreign privacy laws. (More on that in a minute!)

⭐️ Best For

Total beginners who want simple stats and aren't planning to leave Squarespace anytime soon. If you're just starting out and want to see basic traffic patterns without any technical setup, this works, but be warned that it’s not completely legally compliant.

Google Analytics (GA4):
A Powerhouse

Google Analytics is the industry standard for a reason—it's incredibly powerful, free for most use cases, and integrates with basically every marketing tool you've ever heard of.

GA4 (the current version) tracks detailed user behavior, supports custom events, offers advanced segmentation, and can handle multiple websites and apps from one dashboard. It's kinda like having a data analyst living in your browser, if you know how to use it.

✅ Pros

• Incredibly powerful — you can track almost anything and create custom reports for any scenario

• Free for most features — unless you're processing massive amounts of data, you won't have to pay Google a dime

• Integrates with everything — Google Ads, Search Console, YouTube, email marketing tools, you name it

• Data export options — you can export raw data via CSV files & import wherever you want/need to (taking your data with you)

• Future-proof — Google probably isn't going anywhere & they keep adding features

❌ Cons

The learning curve is brutal. GA4's interface is confusing as hell, and the terminology feels like it was designed by robots for robots. I've been using Google Analytics for years, and in GA4 I stare at the dashboard like "what am I even looking at?" 😂

Privacy concerns are real. Google Analytics collects a lot of user data, and there are ongoing legal challenges in the EU about whether it's fully compliant with GDPR.

It can be overkill. If you just want to see basic traffic stats, GA4 is like driving a Ferrari to check your mailbox. I mean… it'll get you there, but do you really need to drive a car a few feet/meters, or could you just… I dunno… walk? 🤭

⚠️ The EU Legal Situation (Important)

Here's the complication: several EU countries (Austria, France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden) have ruled that Google Analytics violates GDPR because it transfers EU user data to US servers (where it’s stored), where it could potentially be accessed by US government surveillance.

Google Analytics doesn't appear to be technically "illegal" EU-wide, but the legal risk is real. If you're using GA4 and get hit with a compliance issue, you're liable, not Google. 🤦🏼‍♀️

The core problem isn't really about GA4's privacy controls (though they've improved). It's about the fundamental issue of transferring EU data to the US, and that's not something you can fix with settings, because it’s not up to us –that’s up to Google.

⭐️ Best For

Advanced users who need deep analytics, custom reporting, and don't mind investing time to learn the platform. If you're running multiple sites, need detailed conversion tracking, or want to integrate with advertising platforms, GA4 is probably worth the complexity. BUT use it at your own (potential legal) risk!

Fathom* Analytics:
A Privacy-First Favorite

Fathom* is built specifically for people who want useful analytics without the privacy nightmare. It tracks the essential metrics (visits, referrers, pages, conversions) without using cookies or collecting personal data.

The dashboard is clean, fast-loading, and designed to give you actionable insights without overwhelming you with options.

✅ Pros

• Privacy-first by design — no cookies, no personal data collection, GDPR-compliant out of the box

• Actually easy to use — the interface makes sense to humans, not just data scientists

• Fast and lightweight — doesn't slow down your site like other third-party analytics scripts

• Data export supported — you can take your data with you if you switch platforms

• Transparent pricing — no hidden fees or confusing tiers

❌ Cons

It costs money. Plans start at $14/month for up to 100,000 monthly pageviews, which isn't huge but it's not free.

Less granular than GA4. You won't get advanced segmentation, custom events, or the deep behavioral tracking that power users want.

May not integrate with every marketing or business tool you're using (though they're adding integrations regularly).

⚠️ Legal & Privacy Benefits

Fathom* offers EU data residency, meaning data from EU visitors stays stored on servers in the EU. They're designed to avoid triggering GDPR consent requirements for analytics, and they're widely considered one of the most legally compliant options available.

⭐️ Best For

Most designers and small business owners. If you want clear, actionable insights without legal headaches or complex setup, Fathom* hits the sweet spot. It's especially good if you value privacy and don't want to deal with cookie banners just for your analytics.

Plausible Analytics:
An Open-Source Alternative

Plausible is similar to Fathom*—privacy-focused, cookie-free, and GDPR-compliant by design. It tracks basic metrics without personal data collection and offers a clean, simple dashboard.

The big difference is that Plausible is open-source, so you can self-host it if you want complete control over your data.

✅ Pros

• Privacy-friendly — no cookies, no personal data collection

• Open-source — you can self-host for complete control, or use their hosted service

• Simple and clear — easy-to-understand dashboard

• Transparent pricing — straightforward monthly fees based on traffic

❌ Cons

• Paid for hosted version — starts at $9/month for up to 10,000 monthly pageviews

• Similar limitations to Fathom* — less advanced features compared to Google Analytics

• Self-hosting requires technical knowledge — if you want the free version, you need to manage your own server & the location of that server will matter if you want to remain compliant

⭐️ Best For

Privacy-conscious users who want simple analytics and either don't mind paying for hosted service or have the technical skills to self-host.

Analytics Options by Experience Level

⭐️ Just Starting Out – (0-6 months, low traffic)

Squarespace Analytics + proper privacy settings for simplicity.

Fathom*/Plausible if privacy is more important to you.

If you're brand new and just want to see if anyone's visiting your site, Squarespace Analytics works fine—just make sure you configure the privacy settings properly and add a cookie consent banner.

If you're privacy-conscious or have EU visitors, Fathom* or Plausible are worth the small monthly fee for peace of mind.

⭐️⭐️ Growing Business – (6+ months, increasing traffic)

Fathom* or Plausible are ideal for actionable insights without the complexity of Google’s.

Google Analytics (GA4) offers more features, if you want to invest time learning how to use its deeper insights and advertising integrations.

At this stage, you’ll want analytics that will grow with your business. Fathom* and Plausible offer great insights without the legal headaches, while GA4 gives you more power if you're willing to climb the possibly-hellacious learning curve & risk noncompliance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Established Business – (2-5+ years, higher traffic, complex needs)

Google Analytics is still king for depth of data collected, which is why its compliance is called into question, because that data is potentially surveilled in a country that isn’t the user’s.

To my knowledge, neither Fathom* or Plausible can compete with Google Analytics feature-for-feature. That said, if privacy is important to you, reach out to Fathom*/Plausible to find out what’s possible with their platform (ie: event tracking, etc) on higher level use-cases before deciding to use Google instead.

Termageddon* + GA4: GDPR/CCPA Compliance for Squarespace

If you decide to stick with Squarespace Analytics or Google Analytics, you absolutely need proper privacy policies and cookie consent management. This is where Termageddon* comes in, because –in my humble opinion– Squarespace’s built-in tools aren’t enough yet because technically their analytics data is stored on US servers, just like Google’s.

What is Termageddon*?

Termageddon* is a SAAS company (software as a service) which generates & updates a Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy (among other policies) tailored to your specific site and what you’ve put on it. They also offer an included Cookie Consent Tool (powered by Usercentrics) that lets visitors accept or decline cookies before they use the website (ie: before data is collected).

What makes services like Termageddon* special, is that they have an active legal team looking for privacy law updates & pushing updated policies to your website (once the policies are installed successfully) wherever possible. If they can’t auto-update the policy for you, they’ll notify you of changes that require new information (answering a few new questions) so you can make the changes yourself.

Their support team is TRULY INCREDIBLE, and after years of using them myself I still can’t stop talking about them. If you ever need support, get confused, while using their services, –just ask! They’re always happy to help, and tend to go above & beyond wherever possible.

For Squarespace sites, you’ll add Termageddon’s* consent tool installation code (a quick copy/paste) to your site, and it automatically helps your website visitors manage cookie consent for analytics and other tracking tools, which includes third-party embedded items that often have tracking, like:

• YouTube videos (Google owns YouTube & each video has analytics)

• Other video embeds (Vimeo, Wistia, Loom, etc)

• Posts from basically any social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X/Twitter)

• Forms, (email subscribe forms, contact forms, checkout forms, scheduling forms, etc)

• Reviews from third-party apps (such as Elfsight’s popular Google Reviews widget, or Yotpo, etc)

But,  I’m not  “collecting data”

As you can see, it’s much easier than you might think, to be collecting “data” on your website’s visitors without even realizing that’s what you’re doing. That’s because “Data” on the web can mean a LOT of different things, from credit card info, to names & email addresses, to the user’s IP address (their internet address, in non-geek terms), to the user’s activity on the page.

Of course, for most of us, this data is not collected maliciously; it’s literally just part of doing business, to do things like:

• Take payments for services or products, because we must collect basic information to process the payment.

• Schedule calls, because we must embed a form with a calendar & let visitors use it.

• Accept inquiries, because it’s easiest to use a form so we can request specific information before we respond, but often forms have some sort of reporting features.

• Understand how well/not well our website is working, because we have to analyze how our visitors use it in order to make sure it keeps working & remains helpful to the public.

Inevitably, that data is collected & stored somewhere. Right now, according to the EU’s new laws, data on non-US citizens (ie: EU residents, for example) can’t be stored in the US.

But if it’s true that Google isn’t technically responsible for managing where it stores this data for its users & their website visitors, and somehow it’s actually considered legally OUR responsibility not to use Google Analytics… then WE are the ones at risk.

My opinion is that Google should be responsible here. As their users, we can’t dictate where Google stores their user’s data, but they are the largest analytics provider in the world, with regard to websites. Google is also the most robust analytics option, which means a huge portion of online business operations are using &/or reliant on Google (GA4) & can’t switch to a less robust platform because their business operations still need those analytics to make decisions & nothing else is quite up to the task in a compliant way.

Google should ultimately be responsible to figure out how to store user data on the correct servers, as that’s literally their business –not ours; we’re just using their tool. They have too many existing users reliant on them to get their shit together, a large portion of which may not even be aware of the legal risks they’re up against.

Termageddon’s* Legal Protection

• Informed consent — analytics only run for visitors who've given explicit permission, via the Consent Tool

• Transparency — your policies explain exactly what data is collected, how it's used & how it’s shared, for anyone that cares too look/know

• User control — visitors can opt out of non-essential cookies anytime (ie: data collected or cookies that aren’t necessary in order for the site to function)

The Squarespace-Specific Tip

Termageddon’s* Co-Founder, Hal, shared a quick tip that could save you a headache later:

Even if your Squarespace site is still in staging [draft; not published yet] and you haven't activated reCaptcha [on any forms] yet, go into your Cookie Policy and Consent Tool in Termageddon*, click 'Add Service' → 'reCaptcha' and change the category from Functional to Essential.

This prevents form issues once you do add reCaptcha to your site. Since reCaptcha is technically third-party, the consent tool turns it off by default—but by marking it as Essential ahead of time, your forms will work properly for all visitors.

The Reality of Compliance

Using Termageddon’s* tools brings you into strong compliance with major privacy laws, but here's the thing: as long as you're using US-based analytics (Squarespace or Google), there's still some unresolved legal risk for EU visitors due to cross-border data transfers.

It's not a failure of your consent process in that case, it's a limitation of using US-based platforms when serving EU visitors.

At this point, you might be wondering if you can just stop showing your website to EU visitors, rather than figure out compliance. Believe me, I get it! This shit is annoying, and confusing as hell, ––and FFS–– we’re just trying to run a damn small business, not become the next Amazon. 😂 I hear you! I have two thoughts on this:

• It’s not logistically easy to do. In fact, it’s much more difficult to prevent EU citizens from accessing your site at all, in a failsafe way, than it would be to just become compliant. 🙃

• It’s not fair to exclude people from your business just because of where they’re located, especially not when the intention of the law is to PROTECT its citizens from undue surveillance. 🫤 Were I them, I’d want that protection my damn self.

How 2025 Changed Analytics Privacy Laws (GA4 + Squarespace)

Some legal stuff has happened recently that have completely flipped the analytics world upside down. I'm talking about changes that make choosing privacy-first analytics less of a "nice to have" and more of a "holy shit, we actually need this now" situation.

*Source information is linked throughout this section!

The Legal Foundation Just Cracked Wide Open

In January 2025, some major changes happened to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB)—basically the US watchdog that the EU was counting on to keep American companies in check. Three members got removed from the board, leaving it completely non-functional.

Here's why this matters for literally anyone using Google Analytics or Squarespace Analytics: The EU-US Data Privacy Framework is what allows companies like Google to legally move your visitors' data from EU servers to US servers. The European Commission specifically pointed to PCLOB's oversight as a key protection for EU citizens.

With that oversight now gone, European Parliament members are asking hard questions about whether those data transfers are still legal.

Privacy groups are gearing up for challenges that could potentially invalidate parts of the framework, though the timeline and scope are uncertain.

• Translation for my designer friends:
  That legal foundation your Google Analytics setup relies on for EU compliance? Yeah, it just became significantly less certain.

• Translation for business owners:
  If you have any EU visitors (and you probably do), this adds another layer of legal uncertainty to using US-based analytics tools.
  

Courts Started Actually Enforcing This Stuff

In May 2025, a Brussels court basically said "nope" to the Transparency & Consent Framework —the system that Google, Microsoft, and Amazon use on what court documents indicate is about 80% of websites to manage user consent.

The court found multiple GDPR violations, including sketchy data security, improper consent requests, and basically lying about what they were doing with user data. Since Google Analytics relies heavily on this system, this ruling suggests potential compliance challenges for businesses using the platform, though the full implementation timeline is still developing.

• For my Squarespace designers:
  This is why that Termageddon* setup I mentioned becomes even more critical. The consent frameworks everyone's been relying on just got legally challenged.
  

The Enforcement Numbers Are Actually Scary

Remember when GDPR (back in 2018) felt like this abstract thing that would never really affect small businesses? Well, GDPR fines hit €1.2 billion across Europe in 2024, with total penalties since GDPR started now exceeding €5.88 billion. France's data protection authority doubled their enforcement actions to 87 in 2024. They're not messing around anymore.

This isn't a future threat, unfortunately. This is happening to real businesses right now, and it's only getting more aggressive. 🫣

Squarespace Had to Level Up Their Privacy Game

Speaking of real impacts, you probably noticed updates to Squarespace’s cookies management. On January 31, 2025, Squarespace updated their entire privacy policy, implementing way more comprehensive GDPR compliance requirements. They now require enhanced data protection obligations for EU/UK users and provide better cookie banner customization tools.

• For my Squarespace users:
  This means your website platform is taking this seriously, but it also means you need to be more intentional about how you set up your privacy settings and cookie management.
  

Microsoft Just Made Things More Complicated

Oh, and Microsoft Advertising now requires mandatory consent signals for all EU/UK/Swiss visitors starting May 5, 2025. This extends way beyond GDPR—they're responding to US privacy litigation too.

If you're running any kind of advertising (which many businesses are), this adds yet another layer of consent management complexity to your tech stack. 🫠

Privacy-First Tools Are In The Spotlight

All this legal chaos is driving massive adoption of privacy-focused analytics. Plausible Analytics now serves over 15,000 paying subscribers and recently added AI traffic tracking for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms—features that traditional analytics struggle to match while maintaining compliance.

The pricing is getting competitive too:

• Fathom* starts at about $15/month for up to 100k monthly pageviews

• Plausible starts at $9/month for up to 10k pageviews

• Simple Analytics (not evaluated in this post, but is a similar option) positions itself as the budget option starting with a free limited plan, or $15/month for up to 20k monthly pageviews

According to market research, the privacy analytics market is projected to grow from $5.37 billion in 2025 to $45.13 billion by 2032—reflecting industry expectations of increased demand driven largely by these evolving compliance requirements.

More Legal Complexity Is Coming

New Standard Contractual Clauses are expected in Q2 2025, which means even more documentation requirements for data transfers. Over 16 comprehensive US state privacy laws are expected to be in effect by the end of 2025, creating this patchwork of compliance requirements that's honestly giving ALL OF US a headache just thinking about it. 😐

What This Actually Means for You

• If you're a web designer:
  Start suggesting privacy-first analytics as a compliance-first option. Your clients are going to need guidance to wade through this BS, and being in-the-know puts you in a position to offer real value and peace of mind by choosing tools & platforms that proactively try to protect their users from legal risks like this.

• If you're a business owner:
  The legal landscape appears to be shifting toward favoring tools that don't require complex consent management or cross-border data transfers. Do your own due diligence, talk with privacy law experts & figure out which of the available options will work best for your specific situation.

• For everyone: The "just use Google Analytics because everyone else does" advice has just become seriously outdated for anyone that’s risk-averse and has the budget for peace of mind while our governments & giant tech corporations battle it out.

The bottom line? Privacy-first analytics tools like Fathom* and Plausible eliminate most of these legal headaches by design. They don't collect personal data, anonymizing everything for us in real time, while not requiring complex consent frameworks, and they don't transfer data to jurisdictions with uncertain legal protections.

While this legal situation continues to evolve (and honestly, who knows what's going to happen next), choosing analytics tools that are compliant by design, rather than compliant by configuration is looking like the smart long-term play.

Your future self will thank you for making the privacy-conscious choice now, rather than scrambling to fix compliance issues while under threat, when you're also trying to focus on growing your business. 🎯

Fathom vs Plausible vs GA4 vs Squarespace: Analytics Pricing

Let's talk numbers, because we’re all experiencing the “not another subscription” vibe these days:

• Squarespace Analytics: "Free" with your Squarespace hosting plan (but you're locked into their ecosystem)

• Google Analytics: Free for most users (enterprise-level users pays significantly more than on other platforms)

• Fathom* Analytics: $14/month for 100k pageviews, price scales up with traffic

• Plausible Analytics: $9/month for 10k pageviews, $19/month for 100k pageviews

• Simple Analytics: free for basic users, $15/mo for 20k pageviews, $20/mo for 100k pageviews

• Termageddon* (for legal compliance): Around $10-15/month for privacy policies and cookie consent, comes with automatic updates & notifications when automatic updates require your attention

Best Analytics for Squarespace + Legal Compliance Advice

For most new designers and small business owners:

• Start with Fathom* Analytics + Termageddon* for legal compliance.

• Yes, it costs about $25-30/month total, but you get clean analytics, privacy-first solutions for legal compliance where it matters, and tools that will grow with your business. The peace of mind alone is worth it.

If budget is super tight and you're just getting started:

• Squarespace Analytics with proper privacy settings + Termageddon*.

• This will cost about $120/year or $12/mo.

• Just know you'll probably want to upgrade to something more robust as you grow, and you won’t be able to export your historical traffic data from Squarespace when you want to begin tracking analytics in another platform.

If you're technically savvy and need advanced features:

• Google Analytics + Termageddon*

• Many established businesses that “need” GA4 to track ads, and funnels, etc, may have no choice in which analytics tool will work best for that business, but if that’s the case then those businesses would find the most benefit in beefing up their Privacy & Cookies policies, and getting adequate consent tools to let visitors manage their privacy as much as possible.

• Now that you know the risks, I’d strongly advise these businesses to talk with a privacy law expert &/or privacy law attorney to find the best solution for your business and your unique situation.

Picking the Best Privacy-Compliant Analytics for Your Squarespace Website

Your analytics choice isn't just about pretty charts anymore. Instead, it's about legal compliance, data ownership, and building a sustainable business foundation around protecting our visitors.

Privacy laws aren't going away. In fact, they're getting more strict. Client expectations around data protection are rising, not falling. And honestly? Most of us don't need the complexity of Google Analytics for day-to-day decision making.

Again, the idea that all websites should be using Google Analytics is becoming quickly outdated. Privacy-first analytics tools like Fathom* and Plausible offer a better experience for most small businesses, without the legal headaches or learning curve of robust & complex tools like Google’s GA4.

Whatever you choose, make sure you're covering your legal bases with proper privacy policies and cookie consent. The $10-15/month for Termageddon* is way cheaper than dealing with compliance issues later, when you’ve been found noncompliant.

Your future self will thank you for making the privacy-conscious choice now, rather than scrambling to fix legal issues when you're trying to grow your business.

Pick something and stick with it long enough to actually use the data, too. The best analytics tool is the one you'll actually check and make decisions from—not the one that just looks pretty or sounds good, but you ignore it into perpetuity because you don’t understand how it works. 😅🤭

Want to Dive Deeper?
Here's Everything I Used for This Research 🤓

Click below to see the full list of sources referenced while writing this post, if you're the type who loves to fact-check everything (respect!) or just wants to go down your own research rabbit hole...

• See sources referenced in this post

  Fair warning: If you start clicking through these, you might end up in the same research rabbit hole I fell into. 🤭

  Legal & Policy Updates:

  • Trump's Sacking of PCLOB Members Threatens Data Privacy | Lawfare

  • Parliamentary Question on Trump Administration Data Protection Consequences | European Parliament

  • What the PCLOB Firings Mean for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework | Center for Democracy and Technology

  • Threat to EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Analysis | CMS Law

  Court Rulings & Consent Framework Issues:

  • EU Ruling: Tracking-Based Advertising Has No Legal Basis | Irish Council for Civil Liberties

  • Transparency & Consent Framework Not GDPR-Compliant | Ailance

  • Brussels Court of Appeal Rules on IAB Europe and TC String | DLA Piper

  GDPR Enforcement & Fines:

  • DLA Piper GDPR Fines and Data Breach Survey: January 2025

  • Overview of CNIL's Enforcement Actions in 2024 | Hogan Lovells

  • CNIL Publishes 2025-2028 Strategic Plan | Hunton

  Google Analytics Compliance Status:

  • Is Google Analytics 4 GDPR-Compliant? | Usercentrics

  • Is Google Analytics GDPR-Compliant? | Piwik PRO

  • Google Analytics GDPR Compliance Guide | SecurePrivacy

  • Is Google Analytics 4 GDPR Compliant? | Cookiebot

  • Data Protection Authorities Say No to Google Analytics | Loyens & Loeff

  Privacy-First Analytics Platforms:

  • Plausible Analytics

  • Fathom Analytics

  • Simple Analytics

  • Matomo Analytics

  Platform-Specific Privacy Updates:

  • Squarespace Privacy Policy

  • GDPR and Squarespace Guide | Squarespace Help

  • Microsoft's New Cookie Consent Requirements | Lexology

  Technical Implementation & Consent Management:

  • GA4 & Google Consent Mode Integration Guide | SecurePrivacy

  • Does Google Analytics Require Cookie Consent? | TinyCookie

  • New Changes in 2025 with Google Analytics 4 | Whistler Billboards

  Data Transfer & Legal Framework Updates:

  • New EU Standard Contractual Clauses Analysis | Taft Privacy Insights

  • Upcoming EU Commission Consultation on Data Transfers | Loyens & Loeff

  • 10 Key Privacy Developments to Watch in 2025 | Wiley

  Market Analysis & Industry Reports:

  • Data Privacy Software Market Size & Growth Analysis | Fortune Business Insights

  • 64 Alarming Data Privacy Statistics for 2025 | Termly

  • Privacy-First Google Analytics Alternatives Guide | Zyxware

  Squarespace Privacy Policy Resources:

  • Privacy Policy for Squarespace Websites | Free Privacy Policy

  • Privacy Policy for Squarespace | Privacy Policies

  • Privacy Policy for Squarespace | TermsFeed

Dreading content collection processes? Here's the exact system I use to gather client info & content for website projects, before I turn it into website copy, ––saving my clients HOURS submitting the content, and saving me HOURS editing it while designing the website.

Let's be real: content collection used to be the bane of my existence. It used to be an awkward dance of trying to pull copy out of clients who either give you novels of information or simple three-word answers. That shit was time-consuming & often gave me more questions than answers. 😵‍💫

But I've finally begun to crack the code on a system that makes content collection actually enjoyable—for both me and for my clients.

I'm talking about a setup that gathers everything I need upfront, then uses AI to turn those responses into the first draft copy for the homepage, about page, service pages, and more!

You're not alone in ‘Content Collection Hell’

Before I explain/show you my solution, I want to validate something for you first: if content collection makes you want to hide under your desk, you're not broken. This is quite literally the biggest operational nightmare in the entire web design industry. It’s realistically a problem that’s so universal that entire businesses have been built specifically to solve it.

Content Snare, for example, is a client onboarding platform used by web designers, accounting firms, marketing agencies, and mortgage brokers to gather content, documents, and information from clients. It was founded specifically after interviewing dozens of agencies who all had identical content collection nightmares.

Another great example is my favorite Client Portal software (with a one-time payment!), Kitchen.co* which, like Content Snare, was created by a web design agency that had similar problems in-house & literally created Kitchen* to solve it for themselves. They used it internally for years before releasing it to the public, so now we can use it too!

The research is pretty sobering.
According to industry surveys and designer testimonials:

• ⏱️ Projects often reach 80% completion before grinding to a complete halt waiting for content

• 📧 Email management alone consumes about 4-5 hours per client project

• ⏳ Designers lose approximately 40-50 hours per month chasing content

Some horror stories from the trenches reportedly include clients taking "2 years to come up with content" and projects "freezed up for nearly 10 months" while designers wait for basic information. One Content Snare founder interview revealed: "Almost without fail, the biggest problem web designers face is getting content from their clients... It is the biggest pain in the ass!"

Look, I've been there because we’ve ALL been there. At my old in-house design job, during lunch breaks I used to read Clients From Hell regularly (remember that site?! Now it’s called ‘Not Always Right’), nodding along to some of the horror stories I read about clients who ––for example–– thought "freelancer" meant "free work" and was shocked he/she got an invoice from the designer even after discussing prices before doing the work. 🤭😬🫣

This is exactly the reason why I’ve been on a mission to create a system that helps me manage the project processes necessary to keep projects on time, content all in one place, and maintain both my own sanity & my clients’ during a creative process that can otherwise be quite daunting!

For years I used ‘task management’ apps like Notion, ClickUp, or Asana to do this. But in late 2024, I’d had it!! I was breaking up with using PM tools for project management with external parties (ie: our clients, who are not ‘users’ on our accounts). I decided it’d been a few years since I’d last looked for good ‘client portal’ systems so I did a deep dive (see the results of that client portal research here), looking for a solution that would NOT overlap too much with my CRM, Dubsado (or Honeybook, etc) and was reasonably priced.

Yeah, you can use Content Snare to manage projects outside of the onboarding & booking processes handled in a CRM like Dubsado or Honeybook ––for a whopping $35 - $215+ monthly extra subscription, depending on the plan you choose… but when prices of everything else are going up, an added annual expense sounded pretty shitty to me. 🤷‍♀️

But asking clients to create accounts in MY task-management-app-of-choice just to work with me? That also felt like friction neither of us needed/wanted.

When I found Kitchen*, I realized it gives me everything I loved most about my Notion system (and fixed things I didn’t love too), but with way less setup for clients and way more functionality for project management with someone who’s not on my ‘team’ (a paid user in my account). Plus, Kitchen actually wants to be a client portal. Like… it literally was designed for exactly that purpose, and ONLY that purpose. It’s not trying to be anything else too, it just is what it is. Using Notion was me trying to force a note-taking app to do something it wasn't really designed for, just because it was flexible enough to try it.

I created the Ultimate Client Portal System which includes this specific Content Guide form + AI prompt setup (which I’m about to walk you through) because I was tired of watching talented designers get bogged down in emails, while losing money on delayed projects and feeling like they were constantly chasing their clients for the information we need to get started.

My system does three critical things:

1. Lessens the workload on clients by asking smart questions instead of expecting them to create content from scratch for every little thing

2. Fills in the gaps with AI so incomplete or short responses can still become usable website draft copy

3. Relies on ONE single easy-to-use platform where both designer and client (even without a password) can go for everything project-related—no more scattered emails, lost files, or "where did you send that again?" moments

This isn't just about making my life easier (though it absolutely does)! My intention was to create a client experience that actually works for people who aren't professional copywriters and don't know what’s needed or how to write it.

And before you ask—no, this isn't a secret process. My clients know I use AI to help with copywriting because, hello, I'm not a copywriter! That's not the service I provide. But what I can do is create a system that makes their lives easier and gets me better content to work with if they don’t have a copywriter to help. (Though I do have a few copywriters I’ll recommend to my clients if they have the budget to hire help –that’s always more ideal.)

Now, let’s see how this whole thing works!

Inside My Kitchen* Client Portal

Clients can log in with or without a password, to MY Kitchen account (meaning, they don’t have their own account with Kitchen). They can log in with just their email & a magic link code, set a password on their own if they want, and even set up Two-Factor Authentication for their login if more security is important to them.

Here’s what’s inside my actual client portal, so you can see where the content guide form fits into the overall system, and peek at what my clients see every day while they’re working with me on a project.

A simple dashboard

When clients log into Kitchen, they see a clean, LTDT-branded version of their project hub. No overwhelming menus &/or confusing navigation, because they only see THEIR project(s) in the portal and their Home dashboard shows what they’ve visited recently so they can jump back in quickly.

When I log in, as the owner/designer, I see all my non-archived projects via:

• Recent folders across the top of the Home dashboard for easy access

• Quick create menu for adding new items, from the bottom of the Home dashboard

• Browse options to see/access everything in one place, from the top of the sidebar menu

• Listed projects in the sidebar for all my active projects & client-facing resources

• Inbox to easily manage notifications, updates & messages

Each client gets their own sidebar folder with a custom icon (usually their brand favicon), so I can tell which folder belongs to which client at a glance and they feel more at home in being in the space. Inside each project folder, they have access to:

Essential project tools

• Tasks (‘Boards’): Where all the “magic” (project’s task management) happens. I've got lists for:

  • Homework (their to-dos)

  • To-dos (my tasks for transparency & so I don’t forget anything!)

  • Doing (updates for work in progress)

  • Done (status updates for completed tasks)

  • Waiting (anything on hold)

• Messenger (‘Conversations’): Direct communication without email chains, but also allows each of us to reply to messages from our inbox without losing those pieces of the conversation in the portal

• Project Files: A central spot to upload brand assets, photos, videos, whatever

  • Files also have built-in approval buttons AND comment threads with pinnable comments to leave feedback on specific areas of the file preview

• Content Guide: The form they fill out to submit their website’s information (more on this in a sec!)

• Embedded Scheduler: So they can book any required or ad-hoc meetings for the project, within my availability

• ‘Extras’ Folder: A private-to-me folder for stuff they don't need to see yet, or that I need to get out of the way but am not ready to delete

The whole setup is designed around making both our lives easier. They know exactly where to find things, it’s easy to log in, it feels familiar, easy to navigate & use, ––and I know exactly where everything is.

My Content Guide Form Template

Over the past 10 years of running my business, I’ve tried extracting info from endless email chains &/or discovery calls, and I’ve tried countless different ways of using tasks or custom forms per page of the website, to collect the content & info necessary to create a unique website that fits my client’s business. At one time, I was sending 10+ form/questionnaires with Dubsado, breaking the content collection down per page of the site (1 form for Home, 1 for About, 1 for Services ––you get the idea)! In task management apps, I created massive lists of tasks organized by statuses based on the phases of the project. In the Homework phase, when using ClickUp the client filled out multi-page Google Doc workbooks, and when I switched to Notion, I recreated those workbooks in Notion pages within their template… 😳

It was a lot to manage, sift through & keep updated for me, and likely also felt daunting to clients without my reassurance & guidance along the way as they had (inevitable) questions.

Now, I use a single comprehensive Tally form that does the heavy lifting upfront, with built-in conditional logic to hide fields/questions that aren’t relevant to their business (shortening the form, wherever possible).

Why Tally?

I’m using Tally.so* for the Content Guide form because Tally feels a bit like Notion, so the interface felt familiar and easy to use.

I'm also using their free plan, because it offers more than enough features (including their conditional logic and signatures) without a subscription or even entering a credit card! I tried building something similar in other form builders, but nothing else quite came as close to what Tally lets me do without paying a dime AND also let me templatize my form to share with students so they don’t have to recreate the wheel.

A ‘generic’ form, customized for each client

Here's a little Tally secret that'll blow your mind: you can pre-populate specific fields in the form using hidden fields + variables in the share link’s URL. When I send a client their form link, I can automatically fill in their name and email address for them, like this:

• tally.so/your-form-url?name=Sarah&email=hi@sarahtakesphotos.com

Keep the ?name= then fill in the blank, keep the &email= and fill in the second blank, with your client’s info. When that client opens the form, it already feels personalized even though it's the exact same generic form I send everyone.

NOTE:
This doesn’t work unless you have the form setup to plug in those variable values using Hidden Fields in the form ––but my template already has that setup so it’ll be plug-and-play for you!

5 parts (pages) inside the form

The form is split into five main sections, and I'll walk you through what makes up each one. 👇🏼

Part 1: Brand Personality & Style

This section is all about understanding who they are and how they want to be perceived. I'm not really asking surface-level questions—I'm digging into the psychology behind their brand choices & the FEELING they want their brand & website to have, which influences my design choices.

• Car Type Exercise: I show them different types of car and ask which one they'd choose + why. This isn't about cars—it's about values & what the car represents to them. (Someone who picks a Jeep tells me they're a bit more adventurous. Luxury car? They value premium experiences. Prius? Eco-consciousness matters to them.)

• Interaction Words: I give them several lists of positive adjectives & character traits to help me narrow down what ‘personality’ their brand should have. For example, a list of words that must describe every client interaction—things like "professional," "warm," "efficient," "creative." Instead of making them think of descriptors from scratch, I'm giving them a menu to choose from.

• Never Words: Just as important—I’m also providing a list of negative descriptions and asking what should never describe their business. This helps me understand their boundaries & what they’re afraid of being perceived as. (Example: things like "manipulative," "amateur," "boring.")

• Client Feelings: Asking how they want their clients to feel gives me insights on how to talk about, show, organize, and design their content. (Example: cared for, confident, empowered, inspired—these emotional vibes can shape everything.)

• Website Inspiration: Instead of vague "make it look professional" requests, I ask for specific website examples (or for a Pinterest inspiration board) and what they like about what they shared.

• Style Personality Visuals: Are they feminine, masculine, or neutral leaning? I show custom-made visual examples of what I mean by each, so there's no confusion.

• Colors & Fonts: I ask if they already have a color palette and font styles chosen. If they say yes to having brand colors, they see detailed questions to get their color codes for the palette. If no, those sections disappear entirely. Same with fonts; no wasted time on irrelevant questions!

Part 2: Business Content

• Logo files: logo & alternate logo files, designed icons or graphics, patterns, favicon/browser icon, etc.

• Business Info: their ‘about’ page / business story, what makes them different from their competitors, etc.

• Service Info: package details for up to 3 services, process details, competitive advantages

Part 3: Essential Business Information

• Contact Info: contact preferences, business hours, average response time, social media profile links,

• Contact Form: what they want to collect in the inquiry form & which field types if they care

• Answering Questions: listing common questions & answers they say over-and-over for FAQs

• Optional Competitor Analysis: check their competitor website for weak spots or keyword inspiration to bolster my client’s website & SEO strategy

Part 4: Proof & Credibility

• Testimonials: Space for up to 3 testimonials, or the option to share/upload a document listing more than 3 they want to use on the website

• Credentials: Certifications, experience, or anything that builds trust or proves their industry authority & expertise

• Primary Goals: What do they want the website to accomplish, and in what order (listing common goals for them to choose from)

Part 5: The Legal Stuff

• Legal Policies: Here's where I educate rather than decide for them. I explain why they need privacy policies and should have terms of service, give them resources if needed (Termageddon*, or Creative Law Shop’s The Foundry™️*), and let them choose their approach. Again, conditional logic helps to simplify wherever possible.

• Website Accessibility: I explain that I'll make accessibility decisions based on my current knowledge, and they need to be okay with that approach.

• Disclaimer Notice + Signature: I make sure they understand the information I’m providing is for educational purposes only & I remind them to do their own due diligence before deciding which option works best for them, whether they follow my suggestions or not.

Writing the website copy

Once they submit their form, Tally sends me an emailed copy so I know it's been submitted/completed. My clients submit their ‘homework’ at least a week prior to starting the website design, so I don’t always need to do anything right when I receive their submission.

From form to website copy in minutes

When the project begins later, I use their form submission (what they typed, selected, etc) alongside AI to fill in the gaps and write the first draft of their website copy.

The prompts ask AI for help looking for these specific pieces of information in the form submission, then using that to determine their niche, tone, and messaging, BEFORE we draft the website copy. The personality questions help AI write with their brand’s personality/vibe, and my custom AI prompts work with the specific questions from my content guide, to bridge the gap between a general framework + the specific information submitted that’s based on each client’s unique business.

––In a matter of MINUTES. Not hours. Because fuck that! 😂

The AI prompt system

I copy all their responses and head over to Claude (my AI tool of choice for longer content writing), but you could use ChatGPT instead if that’s your preference.

Specifically my AI prompts are designed to:

1. Identify their target niche based on all the personality and business info they shared

2. Extract their unique voice from how they described themselves and their values

3. Create page-by-page, section-by-section, website copy that sounds like them, and complements their unique business

The result? Homepage hero sections, about page copy, service descriptions, team bios, FAQ content—all written in their voice using their specific information.

Using Claude vs ChatGPT

Since we're talking AI tools, I’ll share what works best for me.

First: PAY for the tool you decide to use. Sadly, ––and I say this from personal experience as an AI-skeptic myself–– the free plans are shit for customizable content. If you don’t need to achieve a specific ‘sound’ in the written content, then free plans work just fine. But if you’ve never liked anything you’ve gotten back from using AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT, I’d bet anything it’s at least partly due to using the free plan. The paid plans are DRASTICALLY better. And no, I’m not an affiliate for either tool, that’s just a fact!

Second: figure out which one you list best for this purpose. I actually do pay for both ChatGPT and Claude, but for writing website copy—like actual paragraphs of content—Claude consistently gives me better/longer results. ChatGPT is fantastic for bullet points, high-level overviews, and data analysis (too). But when I need flowing, natural-sounding copy that doesn't sound robotic & a minimum word count (vs a maximum)? Claude wins every time. Ask Chat to write a 2,000 word blog post & tell me I’m wrong. 😂 Claude can actually do that.

For this specific use case (turning form responses into website copy), I’ve found Claude almost always writes way more content and it sounds more human to me in the first draft. You’ll still need to do some editing, of course, and your experience may vary, but that's been my experience after months of testing both.

That said, if you’re just a Chat user, you can absolutely use ChatGPT for the research part first, if you want; then try writing the page copy section by section (one prompt at a time). It’ll do much better if you break it down into segments with just one thing to focus on at a time.

The Complete System: Portal → Forms → AI

Here's how it all works together:

Client onboarding flow

1. Client books project and gets forever-access to my portal in Kitchen

2. Welcome video & onboarding message explains how everything works

3. Content form link is shared in the Portal & in a ‘homework’ task with a due date

4. Client fills out comprehensive form at their own pace

5. I receive their submission and later run it through AI with my custom prompts to guide it

6. Website copy gets generated based on their specific responses

7. Content gets refined during the design phase (by me) and later by the client during revisions

Why this system actually works

• For Clients:

  • No endless content calls. No more "I don't know what to write" overwhelm. They answer questions about themselves and their business, and later website copy magically appears!

  • During the project, they have a direct line to me from the portal or from their inbox so they never feel in-the-dark about anything.

  • After the project, clients have post-project access to resources to help them manage their website and easy access to book more projects if they need my help.

• For Me:

  • No more pulling teeth to get information or follow-ups from me to chase down content. No more starting from scratch on every project because everything is templated.

  • I have one place to access EVERYTHING for the project: from files to messages & tasks. If I ever can’t find anything, I can search for it. If I need to add something else for a specific project or client, I can.

  • Kitchen’s portal features don’t negatively overlap or interfere with my other necessary tools as a business owner (my CRM: Dubsado, or my task management app: Asana)

• For the Project:

  • Easier processes lead to happier clients & simpler projects.

  • A clear structure & location to put everything, helps reinforce boundaries for everyone.

  • Better content leads to better websites. When copy actually reflects their personality and goals, the whole site comes together more cohesively.

Real Results: What my students & clients are actually saying!

The difference is night and day, even from my own client’s perspective!

Here are some of the feedback I'm getting from my own clients.
Both of these ladies are repeat clients who used my old Notion or ClickUp ‘portal’ system with me in the past! 👇🏼

And here are some rave reviews from my students who took my Ultimate Client Portal System course to set up their own portal system for their clients:

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Setting Up Your Own Version

Want to recreate this system for yourself? Here's what you'll need:

The tools

1. Kitchen* (for client portal): Yes, it's a paid tool, but the time savings and client experience improvements justify the cost

2. Tally* (for forms): Start with their free plan—it's legitimately robust

3. Claude or ChatGPT (for AI copy generation): Paid versions give better results for this use case!

4. Termageddon*: partner’s like us (designers) can use it for free on our own website, which helps familiarize us with it for use with our client’s sites & we get commission when our clients choose it.

The mindset shifts

• Stop trying to be a copywriter if that's not your service. Use AI to bridge the gap between client information and usable copy.

• Hire a copywriter if you want truly great website copy. AI doesn’t replace their expertise & experience ACTUALLY using the copy & getting results.

• Embrace transparency with clients about your processes. They likely don't care that you use AI—they care that the end result sounds like them–– but tell them if you’re using it; don’t hide it!

• Invest in repeatable, easy-to-use systems that save both you and your clients time. The upfront setup pays dividends on every. single. project. #promise!

Beyond the Basics: What's next?

This content collection system is just one piece of a bigger client management puzzle. Once you've got smooth content gathering down, you can focus on other areas like:

• Project timeline automation

• Feedback collection workflows

• Invoice & payment processing

• Post-launch support systems

The goal isn't to automate everything—it's to automate the stuff that doesn't need your creative brain, so you can focus on the parts that do. 😉

Main takeaway:

Content collection doesn't have to suck. With the right systems & tools (+ AI prompts), you can turn the most industry-dreaded part of website projects into something that actually adds value for everyone involved, including yourself.

Your clients get copy without being forced to write it themselves.
You get comprehensive information upfront.
Projects move faster & feel more professional.

And honestly? When a client says "This is the most organized process I've ever experienced," it makes all the setup work worth it!

The system I've shared here took years to hone, then months to refine, but now it runs like clockwork.
Every new client gets the same smooth experience, and I don't have to reinvent the wheel each time.

If you're tired of chasing content, tired of generic copy, and tired of helping clients who understandably don't know how to articulate what they want—this approach might just change how you work, forever.

Your future self (and clients) will thank you for making this switch.

Have follow-up questions? Drop them in the comments!

Diane Whiddon (of SwayRiseCreative.com) and I jumped on a livestream to walk through the Web Design Industry Financial Outlook for 2025 report—our survey of over 150 web designers, mostly from Q1–Q2 this year, in 2025.

If you want the full backstory you can read it here (why we decided to do the survey, etc) —but we wanted this post to stand alone.

Diane said, “Everybody was releasing trend surveys..." but they "didn’t tell me what I needed to know. So we thought—let’s ask the money questions.”

We knew the usual business survey style, but our focus was hard finances, real outcomes, and how designers are actually thinking about their revenue. Getting people to actually take the survey was... kind of an adventure. We ended up with 151 responses, which was waaaaay less than the 1,000 we were aiming for, though 150 was our minimum goal & we did hit that at least.

As Diane said, "we were so disappointed in that we really wanted to get a thousand and we were just convinced we would get a thousand but people were really reluctant to share this information even though we were like 'Look it's anonymous we're not going to collect your emails'" for marketing purposes!

Actually, Diane almost got kicked out of a couple Facebook groups for just trying to share the survey link & asking people to take it. It was very interesting to observe the different community reactions and to see the difference between sharing this in a group that was not a Squarespace designer group, versus the reactions from people in groups that were WordPress designers.

The Squarespace-centric groups really highlighted the community aspect & were really supportive of our collective effort to get & provide the information for free, while the other groups (non-Squarespace-centric) were more competition-oriented and protective, not willing to share the survey because it "might" be perceived as promotion just because on the landing page we were sharing we felt it was important to give context for who we are & why we're asking these 'hard' questions about finances in order to build enough trust with respondents to get honest answers. 🤦🏼‍♀️ That distinction seemed totally lost on the WordPress crowd! (And no, we did not add anyone's email address to our email lists or send marketing materials to them; we only used it to deliver the report when finished & send the link to this live chat about it, ––as promised!)

The Big Picture: We’re Optimistic But Anxious

Here's what surprised me most: despite everyone's fears about AI, the economy, and rising costs, web designers are still cautiously optimistic. On a scale of 1-10, the average optimism level was around 7. Two-thirds (about 63%) of respondents expected to increase their income this year, and another almost 30% felt their income would be similar this year. Only 7.3% of people reported they thought their income would decrease in 2025, which is actually much lower than I figured that assumption would be.

But here's where it gets interesting—when we asked about financial stability compared to 12 months ago, twice as many people said they felt worse than those who felt better. Diane had a great insight about this: "when you compare this question to the first question of how optimistic you are it becomes really interesting because twice as many people were like I feel worse but I'm still hoping I'm optimistic."

It's like we're afraid but hopeful at the same time, as Diane put it. She also noted that this makes sense with how things are fluctuating: "I think it's because like they probably felt slightly different at this stage in the survey than they did when at the beginning... it's like oh I've got this I am awesome I'm a badass then there's a new AI tool that drops and we're like crap all the jobs are gone... we're just all over the place right now."

The Financial Reality Check

The data point that completely shifted how I think about my business was this: over a third (35%) of respondents said they have zero months of financial runway & they're living month-to-month. Less than 10% had six months or more saved up. While about 40% have about 1-3 months of safety net, and another 16% have between 3-6 months saved up.

We both thought that was pretty interesting! Diane summed up the broader context perfectly: "I mean you know when eggs are a buck an egg [laughed] and we've got things like that, you know, it's just stressful right now and I think people are a lot more discerning when it comes to paying for expenses for their business."

This is why Markup's $79/month pricing felt so tone-deaf. Through no fault of our own, just by keeping your existing business running, your monthly expenses suddenly jumped because every software company decided to raise prices after Black Friday/New Year sales were over. You're not changing anything in your business, but you have to hustle for more clients just to break even.

What's Really Scaring Us

The top fears among web designers aren't surprising if you've been in this industry for a while:

1. Getting clients - This is the eternal struggle, honestly

2. "Why won't they pay me what I'm worth?" - The pricing battle we all fight

3. Impostor syndrome - That voice saying "I don't know what I'm doing"

What's interesting, Diane noted, is that all three of these are really mindset issues, not tactical problems. When she finally raised her prices significantly, it wasn't because she suddenly got better at design or learned some new skill, it was because she got fed up with charging lower prices and just decided to change them because she had to.

When I finally raised my prices significantly, it wasn't just because I had gotten better at design, I just started to realize that my take-home pay essentially from each project was ridiculously low which wasn't sustainable. So if I was charging $2,000, maybe my take-home pay from that would be about $1,000 of that, and that wasn't enough to feel like my business was successful. I actually discovered the issue after reading Profit First, because I didn't really know how to fix that until I read it. After that then I was like 'Oh I get it now I've been doing this wrong for like a decade.' 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

That's the thing about pricing—you may be waiting for some external validation. As Diane noted, "when you start out you're like, 'well I'm going to when I know enough, when I get the right kind of client, when I have the right experience, when my website looks a certain way...' It's always these external metrics that you're holding out there, but honestly I have found that every single time I've raised my prices... it's always been within me."

She's absolutely right! When I finally raised my prices, it wasn't because I'd suddenly learned one specific new skill—I had actually been gaining capabilities over time through both education and experience, but I hadn't been raising my prices to match that growth. Every time I've successfully raised my prices, it's been an internal shift. I just decided I wasn't going to accept less anymore, because I couldn't keep helping people and pay my bills at the old rates.

Client Sensitivity Reality

About half of respondents said their clients have become more price-sensitive in the last year. This tracks with what I've been hearing from my members in the Club too.

As Diane said, "my one-on-one clients have not been getting more price sensitive, but the people who are buying my lower ticket things were getting way more price sensitive... I was selling more custom websites so more $5,000 - $9,000 projects, but I was selling fewer design days and my lower ticket things."

It seems like people are either going all-in on big investments or being really cautious with smaller expenses.

An Education Spending Mindset Shift?

Possibly the most telling part of the survey: last year, the most popular education budget was $500 - $2,500.

This year? The most popular answer was either $0 - $500, or "I'm not buying anything this year."

If you add up the percentages of people spending $0 - $500 with those not buying anything at all, that's over half (51.3%) of respondents drastically cutting their education spending. That's a massive shift from the mindset of "I'll invest in high-ticket courses to get where I want to go" to "I'm going to bootstrap it this year."

I'm almost wondering too if part of that is a shift of, 'I've learned enough for right now,' and people are starting to pull out of that 'I don't know enough' mentality. Maybe partly because they're forced to at this moment, but also maybe they're just realizing they've taken a lot of courses, haven't implemented everything yet, and they're going to go back through what they've purchased.

So the question is, have we already learned enough for now?

As Diane pointed out, it can also "be a defense mechanism too, you know, you want to keep buying, you don't feel good enough to start on your own, so you keep buying more education."

We think this trend is going to accelerate because of AI because knowledge isn't as scarce as it used to be. When you can get detailed answers from ChatGPT about things that used to require a $2,000 course, it's changing the value proposition of traditional education.

Course & Membership Pricing Specifics

The survey showed a clear shift in what people are willing to pay for education, because the sweet spot for courses used to be $500 - $2,500 or even $3,000 - $5,000, but now it seems much lower.

1. About 67% said they'd pay less than $1,500 for a course

2. Another 13% of respondents said they weren't buying any courses at all this year.

3. For monthly memberships, most people (about 75.6%) prefer to stay under $100/month,

4. About 64% of those people are staying under $50/mo.

This doesn't mean education is less valuable—it just means we need to think differently about how we package and price it, including how we back up the cost for the investment. Maybe that means we just need to create more accessible entry points like breaking larger courses into segments and allowing students to purchase it in sections, similar to how Rache of SquareStylist broke up her signature course Standout Squarespace* into 2 parts purchasable together (bundled) or separate. Or maybe that means more people need payment plans. Or maybe it means prices are slightly inflated and some just need to cost less & deliver the same core content. 🤷‍♀️ You'll have to decide what feels right for you!

With my Ultimate Client Portal System course, which focuses on the setup & management of a dedicated Client Portal using Kitchen.co*, I purposefully chose to keep the course under $400 at launch even though I know it's likely worth more, because I wanted to make sure it remained accessible for you.

How I feel about this education shift

I actually feel very sad about the recent shifts in education, generally (not just in the online space, in grade schools, colleges & universities, etc too). I don’t have a degree (though I did nearly graduate before dropping out due to lack of funds & scheduling issues with the commute to classes & work) BUT, well-rounded educations aren’t worth much now. Even if I had a degree like my past co-workers, they got paid the same salary that I did and none of us were making more than $20/hr or had benefits packages. So of course, increasingly, whether it’s correlation or causation, we’re looking at “college” more & more like a waste of money & time because frankly, it is. As long as inflation keeps increasing, and wages can’t keep up, and university tuition (in countries that don’t provide higher level learning for free) continues to climb –– no amount of student loans can justify the cost/investment.

So we look online for unaccredited ways to learn, which is what I did, because my college program didn’t tell me how to run my own web design business anyway!

Look, I'm always glad we have access to more knowledge via the internet! I love taking courses. I’m an avid reader myself, and love a good documentary (on practically anything) because I enjoy the process of learning something new & interesting.

On the other hand, we’re already devaluing critical thinking more and more each year (as a global community, seemingly), and now we can just ask AI to think for us but we don’t always know how to vet those answers for the facts. My husband is a deep thinker who probably would've pursued a degree in philosophy if he'd thought it would've been a profitable career path, –but sadly, that just doesn't seem to be the case (even before AI).

So, I just don't see this going in a positive direction, in regard to devaluing deep thought on our own, becoming more reliant on external tools to “think”, ––and less value in learning for the sake of learning, to become more well-rounded & empathetic people.

My question is, will having access to AI strip us of our desire to be curious without it? 🤔

How This Changes Our Business Strategies

All of this data made Diane completely rethink her business model. She'd been focusing on getting more custom website clients—those $5,000-$10,000 projects—and building out her team to handle that workload. But looking at these survey results, she realized she was potentially leaving out a huge group of people who want to learn from her but can't afford a $10,000 custom website.

As Diane explained, "I think I'm leaving out a whole swath of people who would invest in me and want to learn from me, or would want to work with me in some way and want to know what I know, but don't want to pay $10,000 for a custom website for their business. Maybe they're more DIY, they want to do it on their own ,they're just starting out, or maybe it's like a side hustle."

That's what led her to create her AI Photo Factory course. She'd been seeing all these expensive brand photo shoots—$20,000-$30,000 productions with professional directors, location shoots, outfit changes, the whole deal. But as Diane said, "you can do all that now for, you know, a couple of days worth of work in an AI if you have the skills and tools... with a $10 Midjourney subscription." She priced her course at $297 for the founding member launch, and a lot of people told her it should be $800 or $1,200. But as she explained, "my list is still really small because I'm a one-to-one business" and based on the survey data, she knew fewer people were willing to spend that much on education right now. She said, "I'm just not going to worry about the price so much first; let's get people in the door, and let's make it really robust, and build it out. But all of those decisions were based on what what I saw in the survey."

What We're Prioritizing (and what that tells us)

When we asked what skills designers are most financially incentivized to develop in 2025, the top three were:

1. Design skills - Still the foundation of what we do

2. SEO - Always valuable, always in demand

3. AI - The new frontier

I am super curious to see how that breakdown changes between when we ran this survey in Q1 and Q2, and next January because I think those top three are going to be flip-flopped. I have a feeling those rankings are going to look very different by next year!

The Software Struggle Is Real

When we asked about software expenses, 31% of people budget between $500 - $2,500 annually for their business tools. But 12% are spending less than $500 per year total. That's like ChatGPT or Claude, and Squarespace, ––or just two software subscriptions, right?! Neither of us really understand how that's possible for late beginner or even intermediate businesses & older, but we have to assume they're just using the free plan on stuff wherever possible. 🤷‍♀️

At one point last year, Diane was spending about $900 a month just on apps and software, not including contractors. That's over $10,000 a year! As Diane said, "that was just, that was just terrible, and I was like, we can't ––no–– this is this is ridiculous; I cannot do this." 😂

Least justified software

Of the least justified software expenses the most common mentions were (in order from most mentions to least mentions): None/Not Sure, Adobe, Honeybook*, Weglot, and Zoom.

Zoom makes sense since so many people are switching to Google Meet these days, since it comes with your Google Workspace plan, Zoom has become rather redundant software; it just took us five years after COVID to realize, 'oh I'm already paying for this feature over there.' 😬

Most justified software

Of the most justified software expenses the most common mentions were (in order from most mentions to least mentions): Canva, Squarespace, Adobe, CRMs (in general), and SEOSpace*.

It's interesting to note that Adobe made BOTH the most justified and least justified lists, which Diane perfectly captured in this statement: "Adobe is one of those things, you either love it or you hate it. It if it's your go-to, you're a pro, you're like a magician with it, it's amazing, –but if you're not I mean there's just so many other things." She also pointed out that "the fact that Canva's listed as the most justified software expense kind of says... weaknesses" about Adobe's accessibility.

And I have to agree with Diane's assessment of the Adobe vs Canva conversation, because I finally cancelled my Adobe Creative Cloud subscription in the fall of 2024 after paying for it for about 4 or 5 years, and am actively switching over to using Affinity's apps because they're highly compatible industry-standard-level design software with a one-time fee, or pay as you decide to upgrade pay structure. Before that I had always used the Creative Suite software, which I owned outright when I purchased it. With Adobe Creative Cloud, even on the discounted plan I had over those years, by the time I cancelled it I'd paid more (about $1,900 total in ongoing subscription fees) than 'Creative Suite v6' which was the last version of it that I owned before Creative Cloud was released & you couldn't use their software without a subscription any more.

I think people are just fed up with subscription-based softwares and are dropping what they can, when they can, especially when the company doesn't seem to give a shit about its audience/customers, ––and all of Adobe's customers definitely have felt that way at some point over the years! Throw Canva's affordable plan & time-efficient design features into the mix, and Affinity's apps... and we aren't surprised that Adobe showed up in both of these least/most justified software lists. 😏

The big question on everyone’s minds:
Is AI going to take our design jobs?

We have to talk about AI. I know, I know—it's both terrifying and exciting and confusing all at once.

First, about half of survey respondents said they were likely to invest in AI-related software, but only a third were also planning to invest in AI education, which means roughly 60-70% of respondents either want/feel obligated to use AI but might not know how to do get the most out of it.

Our Thoughts on AI & the Future of Web Design

We ended the livestream talking AI impact—and I want to bring that conversation into this post, because I'm sure you've wondered or thought about it too.

My initial knee-jerk reaction is often something akin to, 'we're all screwed' when I watch the doom-and-gloom interviews with AI experts that are popping up everywhere now. But the optimist in me is mostly like 'no, I refuse to believe that; I'm capable of figuring out something to pivot to and can adapt.' I definitely find that I'm having to limit my consumption of a lot of these recent doom and gloom interviews on channels like Diary of A CEO (which I normally LOVE), because it's just not productive information for my brain to have, ––in order to be a productive business owner and do my job, continuing to help people like you, RIGHT NOW.

Diane made an valid point about the core threat too: "knowledge jobs in general are just going to be less and less valuable as AI takes off and provides more people with that kind of stuff, which is a threat to people like us, because that's our knowledge." It's "what we've spent a lifetime acquiring, but also that's what people pay us for is what we know, and if they can get the same information from ChatGPT it's going to be a threat." But then she also reminded us: this industry has always been changing! As she explained, "I've been at building websites since 2006; I can't tell you how many times I've been up against it... the economy crash in 2007... here I am trying to launch this web design business and in those days people didn't even really know what a website was for, they didn't see the benefit of it." She continued with examples that I resonated with too: "a few years later there was the whole Facebook page / 'I don't need a website anymore,' nobody's going to have websites, everybody's going to have a Facebook page... and you know... there have been tons of those! I remember when Parallax came out and it totally changed the way websites were laid out. I had spent all these years training myself to be a genius at the body, the sidebar, a header, and a background, like I know how to do that beautifully and now all of a sudden there's these big sections."

Her conclusion was perfect: "if you're new to this industry and you're terrified about AI, just be like 'oh this is web design, yay'. It's just going to change every every two three years and become something completely different, and you just got to roll with it; you know, that's tech."

As we navigate this bumpy era, something I read recently said, "we can't control our first thought, but we can control our second." I loved that! Our first thought might be panic about AI, or worry about pricing, or stress about the economy, but the second thought? That's where we can choose to focus on what we can actually control and take action from there. My own process now: read headlines when/if needed so I’m staying in-the-know with how the industry is changing, but then stop doom-scrolling (or doom-watching, in cases like those interviews from Diary of A CEO), and focus on what I can do right now.