Setting Up an Author Website on Squarespace

Authors: You know that having a website is crucial to not only getting the word out about your work, but having an authoritative online presence that people can visit. Consider yourself a business, and any business that doesn’t have a web presence in 2020 will be left behind.

If you’re not sure how to get started, or the whole idea of website stuff makes you want to curl up in a ball — no fear. I’ve got you covered. Read on for a quick and easy way to set up an author site on Squarespace.

First, Why I Like Squarespace

Squarespace is just easy. Things just work, and you don’t have to worry about them.

I just hopped on WordPress.org to see if I could set up a website quickly, just to see what it was like. Their “Install” downloaded files. And then I had to add code to a .config file. But apparently I wasn’t running PHP (what?). Oh, the website builder is free, but you have to pay for hosting – PHP or MySQL. (I’m sure you know code.) I’m a pretty technical person, and I couldn’t even get past the .readme on their “really easy five minute installation.”

With Squarespace, you choose a template and you go. Hosting is all done behind-the-scenes, and there are no downloads or .config files — just getting up and running. A real easy five minute installation!

Note that it’s free to build a website with Squarespace and play around with it for two weeks, at which point you’ll have to commit to either paying for a subscription or losing it.

Head to Squarespace

Go to www.squarespace.com and click on “Get Started.” You’ll be able to get a free two week trial to see how you like it. Squarespace will ask you some questions about what you want your site to be, and will guide you through to a templates page.

 Templates

Squarespace will bring you a templates page. Templates are the foundation of Squarespace sites: You can start with one and edit within, or begin to customize as you’d like. There’s no need to start from the ground up. “Personal & CV” templates are a great place to start, as they feature templates centered around a personal homepage, with some options for other menu pages like a blog, or an About page. It’s up to you which template you choose! You can always customize the whole thing later.

A Quick Note on What to Have on Your Author Site

Think about what you want the world to know about you as an author. They should be able to find out about your work, and get to know a little bit about you. That means having a Works page, and a Bio page, in addition to your homepage. Eventually, you can branch out into having a blog, or have a calendar of events, or a contact page.

Creating Your Account

Fill out your details (you don’t need a payment right now), and continue.

Welcome to Your Site

Squarespace will ask you what you want to call your site – you can always change it later! And it’ll go through some brief animations to show you what to do (they’re super simplified, so might not help you). Once you’re done, you’ll be directed to your new site’s dashboard.

 Getting to Know the Dashboard

The biggest section you need to be focused on right now is Pages. When you click on Pages, you’ll find a list of the sections of your website. Usually your template will start with “Home,” which is your homepage. Clicking on the gear/settings button next to the page’s name (you need to hover over to see it) will allow you to change the page name, and the URL name. But to actually edit page text, double click on the “live” site to the right and make your edits within. When you click “Save,” they’ll go live to your site.

We’ll go into some more detailed editing tips in another post. Also, note that you’ll see the countdown for your two week trial on the bottom, and you can subscribe at any time.

Setting Up Your Own Domain

The other important thing you need to have is your own domain name, i.e., yourname.com. Squarespace will generate a random URL for you, but you want to have something more professional. Make sure that your author site URL includes your name. If your name isn’t available, have your name and “writer” after it. You want something readily recognizable.

Go back to the main dashboard, and click on Settings > Domains. One of the great things is that Squarespace will set up a domain name for you. Just follow the directions under “Get a Domain” and choose what you’d like. If you already have a domain purchased through another side like GoDaddy, just click “Use a domain I own,” and it will lead you through the set-up. (GoDaddy is my go-to, and it’s really easy to snatch up domain names if you have an idea, and then use them when you need them!)

Getting a Domain-Specific Email

Another tip is to have a professional email where people can contact you, and through which you can contact others. Squarespace will also set that up for you, too! Go to Settings > Email & G Suite, and follow the directions. It essentially sets up a Gmail account, but at ____@yourname.com.

That should be enough to get you started! Look for more tips and tricks in other posts, coming soon.