Squarespace just launched its biggest update ever. I asked what that means for your business

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Squarespace Refresh 2024
(Image credit: Squarespace)

Squarespace, 1 of nan best website builders connected nan market, precocious announced a big of caller devices and features for users during its Refresh arena successful September of this year. This is nan biggest announcement from nan level successful immoderate clip and highlights Squarespace’s committedness to equipping users pinch nan devices they request to build powerful websites.

Shortly aft nan launch, I had a chance to talk to Nikki Kuritsky, Head of Commerce astatine Squarespace and The Little Artists' Room. During nan question and reply Nikki helped shed immoderate ray connected what nan latest announcements really mean for users and offered immoderate proposal connected really businesses tin leverage these updates to grow. Jasmin Dwyer and Alice Himsworth from nan The Little Artists' Room besides provided a unsocial position connected really these updates are having a existent effect connected their imaginative business.

You tin study much astir nan Squarespace level pinch our Squarespace review. Or, if you already cognize Squarespace is nan correct level for you, you tin prevention pinch our Squarespace promo codes.

Interview by:

Owain Williams

Can you locomotion america done nan cardinal themes of Refresh 2024 and what it intends for Squarespace users?

Answered by:

headshot of Nikki Kuritsky is nan Head of Commerce astatine Squarespace

Refresh is Squarespace’s yearly merchandise of caller products and updates, and this year, we've introduced a wide scope of innovations and devices aimed astatine enhancing quality productivity and driving entrepreneurial success. This includes advancements successful automation, time-saving features, and seamless integration of business guidance devices for illustration branded invoices, proposals, contracts, and customer intake forms.

Screenshot of squarespace refresh updates

New automation devices could make faster than ever to motorboat and turn your business. (Image credit: Squarespace)

AI-driven advancements were a large portion of Refresh for america this year. We introduced Design Intelligence, our caller attack to web creation combining cutting-edge exertion pinch our 2 decades of industry-leading design, and launched nan improvement adjacent of Blueprint AI, our first AI-powered website builder. Together, these devices activity to unlock quality creativity, not switch it.

We besides made important strides to amended nan commerce functionality of our platform, including caller invoicing devices and expanded entree to Squarespace Payments. For service-based sellers – for illustration photographers aliases arena planners – these devices make it easier to negociate customer relationships and triumph much business.

The merchandise saw Squarespace denote 14 updates/features - that is simply a batch to digest. Which of nan updates do you deliberation will person nan biggest effect connected users building their website connected nan platform?

Answered by:

headshot of Nikki Kuritsky is nan Head of Commerce astatine Squarespace

The full was really person to 50+, and that’s only a fraction of nan unthinkable activity nan squad has accomplished this year.

While each update has worth for our customers, Blueprint AI stands retired arsenic a existent game-changer. It allows users to create visually stunning and functionally powerful websites faster than ever before, acknowledgment to AI-driven enhancements that trim nan manual activity required for creation and contented generation. Outside of Blueprint AI, nan expanded capabilities successful ecommerce, nan added expertise to monetize video paywalls, will besides person a large effect connected users looking to monetize their knowledge aliases expertise.

Further, nan preamble of branded invoices and integrated proposals and contracts will apt person a immense effect connected entrepreneurs looking to standard their businesses. It’s nary concealed that successful branding tin lead to an improved customer acquisition and, arsenic a result, much income. These devices let users to create cohesive, master documents that lucifer their website branding, further establishing customer spot and credibility. The centralized task guidance strategy besides stands out, offering an all-in-one level to way customer information, task progress, and payments, which will greatly simplify nan personification acquisition for business owners.

New ways to monetize contented is simply a standout feature. Why does Squarespace spot contented monetization arsenic truthful important? Why has nan institution chosen now to motorboat caller features supporting nan monetization of content?

Answered by:

headshot of Nikki Kuritsky is nan Head of Commerce astatine Squarespace

Screenshot of squarespace refresh updates

Squarespace Refresh saw nan announcement of caller contented monetization devices for users. (Image credit: Squarespace)

The creator system has grown significantly, and individuals are progressively looking for ways to move their passion into a career, each without sacrificing their work-life equilibrium aliases spending a luck to get there.

In fact, a caller study from Squarespace recovered that 65% of Squarespace customers started their business to prosecute a passion. Squarespace has ever empowered creators to do this, but now, pinch much precocious tools, for illustration nan paywall feature, contented creators tin straight make gross from their assemblage without needing third-party platforms. That aforesaid study recovered that 89% of Squarespace users opportunity their website is important to their business, which straight correlates pinch nan expanding request from entrepreneurs who want seamless ways to monetize their activity and a increasing inclination of consumers consenting to salary for high-quality contented to support their favourite creators.

Launching these monetization devices now straight responds to nan needs of nan creator and nan consumer, positioning Squarespace arsenic a leader successful helping creators seizure caller gross streams and build long-term, sustainable businesses.

Sign up to nan TechRadar Pro newsletter to get each nan apical news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

Firstly, tin you show america a small astir The Little Artists' Room?

The Little Artists' Room is simply a subscription-based rank which gives members entree to a ample room of video tutorials to create creation acquisition projects. The video tutorials and accompanying resources were primitively designed arsenic a school instrumentality for educators to usage arsenic portion of their instruction input for their pupils successful schools.

As knowledgeable teachers ourselves, we understand nan pressures that teachers look and wanted to create a assets that allowed them to supply high-quality creation acquisition for their pupils that is besides low-cost and straightforward to use. However, we person discovered that arsenic we person grown that galore homeschooling families, parents pinch a keen liking successful art, and adults themselves person go members to complete nan projects which has been superb to see.

Why did you prime Squarespace arsenic your website builder of choice?

Squarespace was an evident prime for america to usage to build our website because of its pleasing aesthetics and nan devices that enabled america to group up what we needed to create our rank platform. From nan outset, it was straightforward for america to create nan website we needed pinch each of nan features successful bid to waste our membership.

Squarespace has made it accessible for america to create a business level because our expertise is not successful building websites but successful school and creating high-quality creation acquisition resources. Without it, we either wouldn't person started nan business arsenic we would person put it successful nan "too difficult basket" aliases we would person a very different business exemplary which wouldn't beryllium arsenic successful arsenic nan 1 we have.

Which of nan Refresh 2024 announcements excited you nan most? Which are you already implementing wrong your business?

The caller dashboard updates and play study emails person been useful for america to spot our maturation much intelligibly which has been great. As we attack nan extremity of our first twelvemonth successful business, we will people look to update aspects of our website and heighten our member's experience. The AI creation devices look for illustration this could beryllium a awesome characteristic for america and we're willing to spot what nan Squarespace payments rollout could connection our business too.

Can you show america a small astir nan types of contented you person been monetizing astatine The Little Artists' Room? How has this caller characteristic impacted your wide attack to doing business?

screenshot of creation packages disposable connected nan small artists room

(Image credit: The Little Artists Room)

One of our individual values successful mounting up our business was to person arsenic overmuch state and elasticity successful position of clip and location and truthful this shapes nan products that we offer. As a result, each of our contented is digital.

Our main contented is our video library. Members salary a monthly interest to entree nan tutorials and resources successful bid to create our projects. We person a shop connected nan website excessively wherever we waste integer download posters and this is thing we'd for illustration to create successful nan future.

Ultimately our driving intent is to create a room for educators that is of nan highest value and is easy to entree and navigate successful bid to raise creation acquisition standards and for children and adults to bask making art.

The Little Artists’ Room is each astir helping children spot nan magic successful creation and sharing your passion for nan awesome world of creation education. Have immoderate of nan Refresh 2024 updates helped you get your task successful beforehand of much children, guardians, and parents? If so, how?

The caller trading devices and email run features are thing we would for illustration use, arsenic this is presently thing we haven't explored overmuch of. Our "shop front' is our Instagram page and this is wherever astir each of our members travel from. However, we would for illustration to grow our email trading and usage nan SEO devices to make it easier for group to find america disconnected nan Instagram level arsenic well.

Do you person immoderate tips for businesses for illustration The Little Artists’ Room that want to commencement driving caller gross streams done Squarespace?

Answered by:

headshot of Nikki Kuritsky is nan Head of Commerce astatine Squarespace

For businesses for illustration The Little Artists’ Room, I urge capitalizing connected existing exertion to streamline operations and turn revenue.

Squarespace offers a robust suite of devices that do conscionable that – simplify nan website-building acquisition while creating caller avenues to summation bottom-line rate flow. Start by creating paid contented that aligns pinch your audience’s interests—whether that’s exclusive creation tutorials, online workshops, aliases premium contented down a paywall. Use nan invoicing devices to connection branded, master invoices, and research customer intake forms to seizure imaginable leads and customer accusation much efficiently and effectively. This not only saves clip but besides allows sellers to attraction much connected doing what they emotion alternatively than spending precious clip handling administrative tasks.

Owain has been building websites and online stores for his ain and his client's businesses for complete 8 years. Having taken connected a domiciled astatine TechRadar Pro successful 2023, he now leads connected each website builder and CRM content, spending his days researching, testing, and reviewing immoderate of nan champion website building and CRM platforms connected nan market. He besides has a passion for helping group get a awesome woody connected website builders, delivering nan champion coupon and promo codes connected nan market. With an extended inheritance successful business, Owain holds a BA(Hons) successful Business and Marketing and has written for respective starring publications including MarketingProfs, Website Builder Expert, Digital Doughnut, and NealSchaffer.com.

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