How to Publish a Website on Squarespace

Learn how to publish your Squarespace website with this step-by-step guide, including domains, plans, settings and going live.

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in Local SEO Services and offer a step-by-step guide on how to publish a website on squarespace, making the launch process smooth and stress-free.

Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder that allows users to design, host, and publish websites without coding. Every site you create begins in an unpublished state, visible only to you while you’re building it. Once you’re happy with the design and content, you can make the site live by connecting a domain and enabling public access.

Publishing involves a few key steps:

  1. Subscribing to a paid Squarespace plan.

  2. Connecting or purchasing a domain name.

  3. Updating SEO and site settings.

  4. Making the site live by removing the site-wide password.

Once published, your site becomes accessible to everyone through your chosen domain name.

Step 1: Choose and confirm your plan

Squarespace offers different pricing plans depending on the type of website you’re creating. You’ll need to select a plan before you can publish. Options include:

  • Personal – Best for simple portfolios or informational websites.

  • Business – Adds more flexibility, custom code, and marketing tools.

  • Commerce Basic or Advanced – Ideal for online shops and product-based businesses.

If you’ve been using a free trial, you’ll be prompted to upgrade to one of these paid plans when you try to publish.

Step 2: Connect or register your domain

A domain is your website’s address   for example, yourbusiness.co.uk. You can either connect a domain you already own or register a new one directly through Squarespace.

  • To connect an existing domain:

    1. Go to Settings → Domains.

    2. Select “Use a domain I own.”

    3. Follow the guided steps to update your DNS records with your domain provider.

  • To register a new domain:

    1. Go to Settings → Domains → Get a domain.

    2. Search for your preferred name.

    3. Complete the registration and payment process.

If you purchase your domain through Squarespace, it will be configured automatically. For external domains, it can take up to 72 hours for DNS updates to fully propagate.

Step 3: Review site settings before publishing

Before launching, it’s important to review your site’s key settings to ensure everything appears correctly in search and for visitors.

  • Site title and description – Found under Settings → Site Information. Make sure these accurately describe your business.

  • Social sharing – Add your social media links to improve credibility.

  • SEO settings – Under Marketing → SEO, set your homepage title and description for search visibility.

  • Favicon and logo – Upload your brand icon for a professional finish in browser tabs and search snippets.

  • Analytics – Enable Squarespace Analytics or connect Google Analytics to track performance once your site is live.

Taking time to fine-tune these settings ensures your website makes a strong first impression.

Step 4: Remove the site-wide password

During development, Squarespace sites are protected by a password so only you or collaborators can access them. To make your website public:

  1. Go to Settings → Site Availability.

  2. Select “Public.”

  3. Remove the password and click Save.

Your site will now be visible to anyone who visits your domain.

Step 5: Test your site before launch

Before announcing your launch, test your website to ensure everything functions properly. Check the following:

  • Links and navigation menus work correctly.

  • Images load quickly and display at the right size.

  • Contact forms and checkout processes (if applicable) function as expected.

  • Mobile responsiveness looks clean and readable.

Testing across different devices ensures a consistent experience for all visitors.

Step 6: Submit your site to search engines

Once your site is live, you’ll want it indexed by Google and other search engines so it appears in results. Squarespace automatically creates a sitemap, which you can find at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml.

Submit this sitemap to Google Search Console:

  1. Go to Google Search Console and sign in.

  2. Add your domain as a property.

  3. Navigate to Sitemaps and enter your sitemap URL.

  4. Click Submit.

This step helps Google crawl and index your new site efficiently, improving your chances of appearing in search results sooner.

Step 7: Set up SSL security

Squarespace provides free SSL certificates for all sites, which encrypt data and ensure secure browsing. To verify SSL is active:

  1. Go to Settings → Advanced → SSL.

  2. Ensure “Secure (Preferred)” is selected.

A padlock symbol will appear next to your domain in browsers once SSL is enabled, giving visitors confidence that your site is safe.

Step 8: Announce your launch

Once your website is live and verified, promote it through your marketing channels. Post on social media, send an announcement email, and update your business listings to include your new web address. If you run local advertising, include your website URL on printed materials or Google Business Profile.

This early promotion helps drive traffic and gives search engines fresh signals about your website’s activity.

Common issues when publishing a Squarespace site

While Squarespace makes publishing easy, there are a few common challenges users encounter:

  • DNS errors – If you’ve connected an external domain, incorrect DNS settings may delay launch. Double-check records provided by Squarespace.

  • Propagation delays – Domain changes can take up to three days to go live worldwide.

  • Password protection still enabled – Ensure your site is switched from “Private” to “Public.”

  • Missing SSL padlock – If SSL doesn’t activate immediately, it may take a few hours after publishing.

Monitoring your site for a day or two after launch helps identify and fix any issues quickly.

Expert advice

Before going live, take time to check your site’s content, spelling, and design. Visitors will form an impression of your brand within seconds, so attention to detail matters. Also, don’t forget to connect Google Analytics and Search Console from day one to start collecting performance data.

After publishing, continue improving your site through SEO optimisation, content updates, and local business listings. Consistent effort keeps your Squarespace website visible, engaging, and competitive.

Conclusion

Publishing a website on Squarespace is a straightforward process once you’ve finalised your content and connected your domain. From selecting a plan to configuring SEO and launching securely, each step ensures your business is ready to be seen online. Once live, focus on ongoing optimisation to drive more visitors, build brand credibility, and support your marketing goals.

We have also written in depth articles on how to change font on squarespace and is squarespace good as well as our Squarespace Hub to give you further guidance.