Web Design Services and Timelines: What Circle Partners Offer Today, Based on Our Industry Report
As the web design industry continues to evolve, so do the many ways creatives support their clients.
For Squarespace Circle’s third annual State of the Web Design Industry report, we surveyed over 1,000 creative professionals in our global Circle community to learn what services they offer and how they deliver them. Here’s what we discovered.
What services web designers offer
Circle partners show up for clients in a variety of ways. Refer to this list as a source of inspiration for areas to expand into, potential niches to explore, and verticals that may already be crowded.
Building websites is still, by far, the top service Circle partners offer (86%), while brand and logo creation (64%), content creation (62%), and post-launch website maintenance (59%) follow closely behind.
In particular, content creation saw a year-over-year increase, suggesting designers are increasingly looking to support clients beyond the initial build. The ability to help create and optimize content—not just design websites—will likely be a key differentiator going forward.
Search engine optimization (SEO) remains a popular service among Circle partners, too. With AI overviews now standard across search results, designing and optimizing sites with AI search in mind is crucial.
Pro tip: AI Visibility generates prompts based on your brand and site, and runs them in ChatGPT. With it, you can quickly learn if sites rank in AI search, and even which competitors show up—all within Squarespace.
How often web designers finish work started by peers
Not every web design project needs to start from scratch. In fact, there’s real value in stepping in to help complete work started by another designer, with more than half of respondents saying they’ve done just that at least once.
While some prefer to start fresh on client projects, expanding your offerings to include final touches and tweaks can be a smart way to help clients bring projects over the finish line—and generate additional revenue.
How web designers collaborate
Many Circle partners are teaming up with other creatives, sharing both earnings and learnings along the way. Most say they collaborate with others outside their company at least occasionally, with 4% saying they always collaborate, 21% often collaborate, and 35% sometimes collaborate. Learn four tips for effective web design collaboration.
How long web designers take to build websites
The time it takes a designer to finish a site can be a crucial deciding factor for clients with specific timelines. Consistent with last year, most Circle partners take between one week and one month to build a typical website.
Project timelines are shaped by how you work and the lifestyle you want your business to support. Set clear expectations with clients about project delivery—it’s always better to under-promise and over-deliver. Get more tips for stellar client communication.
How often web designers use custom code on Squarespace
Custom code is a highly technical way to tailor sites to a client’s specifications and brand, and 76% of Circle partners use it at least some of the time.
That said, custom code isn’t the only way to deliver robust, bespoke sites with Squarespace.Squarespace for Pros is a suite of native no-code tools designed to reduce the need for professionals to learn, write, and maintain custom code. These tools, including block transforms, font uploads, the Circle dashboard, and account saved sections, help you work more efficiently so you can focus your time on design, strategy, and the client experience.
Shape your services for the year ahead
There’s no single approach to serving web design clients. Today, Circle partners make an impact in many ways, from site builds and content creation to search optimization and collaboration with other creatives.
Let this be an opportunity to reflect on what’s working, where there’s room to grow, and how you want to help clients in your business this year. For even more data and insights, read the entire report. Share your thoughts on social and the Circle Forum. Watch Christy Price and Will Myers of the Somewhat Useful podcast discuss the report on Circle Live.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers and web design agencies. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
