Dear Designer: Can I Really Make a Living Building Squarespace Websites?

I had the same question when I first started out! I was 28 and burnt out, so I decided to quit my six-figure job as a UX director to do something… I was passionate about? I’ll be honest—making Squarespace websites was definitely not on my vision board. (Also, I’ve never really had luck with vision boards. I’m the kind of person that reacts to what’s around me.)

This is actually what led me to Squarespace! I had made a website for a friend and then another friend (for free, gasp!), and it was fun. At that point in my journey, I needed money, and fun was “passionate” enough for me! That’s not to say you shouldn't pursue your passion; but at some point I just needed to try something. 

That was about the time that I asked the same question: Can I really make a living building Squarespace websites? I wasn’t sure if there was enough money in it because Squarespace websites are easy to make—would enough people actually pay for that? 

The part that actually worried me the most was that I didn’t know anyone. I’d spent years in a corporate office and didn’t have a freelance “network” or whatever you need to replace a six-figure income. Shoot, I didn’t even have friends who I could grab lunch with! You know you need to step out of your comfort zone if you keep going to the job you quit just to have lunch friends. 

All that to say, it’s a valid question, and I can say from my own experience and the experience of my students that yes, you can make a real living building Squarespace websites. 

First, let’s talk about why Squarespace

Most of my students didn’t set out to be Squarespace designers. They built a site for a friend, their brother, or the yoga studio where they got certified (by the way, all true stories). Just like me, it scratched an itch on their creative side and gave them complete control to design and develop a whole website. 

Let’s be real, my coding experience came from the MySpace era. We’re talking very limited HTML and CSS. The fact that I could design and develop an entire website on Squarespace at a reasonable price for a small business was freeing.

And then, you hand off this website to someone that was trying to also do something big. Whether it was starting a business, rebranding, or getting married. That part is incredibly fulfilling, especially after years of being so distant in the corporate world.

One of the first Squarespace sites I built was for my friend Andrew’s new travel company. He took a stab at making his own site but wasn’t sure what else to do. I was just starting and needed a portfolio piece, so we did a trade. His site ended up getting featured on Squarespace, and he started getting bookings. But not just from anyone, from the kind of people who get him. 

That’s the thing about Squarespace. There are millions of people who have a Squarespace website, and there are people like you and I who know what to do with it. We’re somehow creatively wired to see the potential, and we have the motivation to figure it out. So yeah, there’s a market for it. 

But what about finding paying clients?

Ok, ok, let’s get to the monies! But first, here’s my hot take: it’s fine to do a free website or a $500 website, especially at the beginning or if you want to attract different clients. Some people will tell you that’s undervaluing yourself. Maybe. But if you need portfolio work, or you need a real project to get confident in your process, that’s worth something. I still do $500 websites or a trade (shoutout to Little Ripper, where we hosted our LA Circle Meetup). I’m all about saying yes to things I’ve never done before, but also, you shouldn’t feel ashamed for working your way up either. 

One of our students, Patricia, started at $800 a site. Then $1,500. Then $2,000. After a year, she charged $3,500 to $4,000. She said, “At this point I know I have the skills… so to ask for more, I’m like, yeah, I can do that.”

When I started out, I didn’t have a content strategy or a lead funnel. I went to events, reached out to people on Instagram, and talked to people. I told them I made Squarespace websites. I tried to be helpful. 

My first year, I made $60,000 and charged from free to $5,000 for websites. About 50% of my revenue came from people I’d met in person or contacted directly. The next year, I made $100,000, and 50% came from referrals from those same people. Here’s the formula: show up, be helpful, repeat.

What I’ve noticed after years of watching designers build their businesses: if people think of you as someone who solves problems, they will tell you all of their problems. That’s really what freelancing is!

And for all of those folks that are introverts: you are the best listeners and the most detail-oriented, but you do need to say hi to strangers. Or partner up with a more extroverted person or more business-minded person. That’s what a lot of our students have done!  

How do you build a scalable, low-stress workflow?

Once clients are coming in, the things that burn out a lot of designers are the admin and the scope creep. 

It’s not really the admin as much as it’s the daily annoyance that just emotionally drains the life out of you… not to be dramatic. Contracts, emails, file organization, scheduling. You gotta do it! 

The fix is systems. If I’ve done something twice, I’m already thinking about how to systematize it: a spreadsheet that estimates timelines and budgets; email templates for every awkward client conversation; a Figma file with pre-built Squarespace components and title pages for each round of designs. A lot of people say, “When I have time, I’ll organize everything.” I’m all about building the system while you’re in it. It might take an extra hour now, but it’ll save you real mental energy later.

The other thing that will quietly burn you out is not scoping projects thoroughly—and I mean every task, including the internal reviews. The client doesn’t need to see all the details, but you need to account for every task that contributes to their project: the contract, kickoff, content collection review, revisions, connecting the domain, training the client on the editor, and sending the final invoice. Many designers will say, “This is a four-week project,” and then find themselves scrambling at the end. It’s not because they’re bad at their job. It’s because they didn’t write down every single step.

I keep a spreadsheet with estimated hours for each task type and update it after every project. It’s a lifesaver, especially when you’re juggling two to four clients at a time. That level of tracking is part of how I got to $100,000 in revenue from Squarespace clients alone working about 15 hours a week. 

So, can you really make a living as a web designer?

Yes! I did. My students did. But not by “hustling” or posting more. By earning confidence, getting organized, and being the kind of person who shows up and helps people.

You probably already know someone who needs a website. I say, start there! Build your process as you go and raise your prices when you’re ready. You got this!