How to Publish a Squarespace Website In 2026: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
Building a Squarespace website is exciting, but it stays invisible until you actually publish it. Publishing your Squarespace website means upgrading to a paid plan, removing site-wide passwords, and making your pages publicly visible so visitors and search engines can find you. The good news? It takes just a few clicks once you know where to look.
You don't need to be tech-savvy to get your site live. Squarespace makes the publishing process simple, but there are a few important steps you need to complete first—like choosing the right plan, connecting your domain, and double-checking that everything looks the way you want it to. Skipping even one step can leave your site hidden or hard to find.
This guide walks you through exactly how to publish your Squarespace website from start to finish. You'll learn what to do before you hit publish, how to remove the password protection, and what to check after your site goes live.
Key Takeaways
Publishing your Squarespace website requires upgrading to a paid plan and removing password protection
You need to connect a custom domain and set your homepage before your site goes live
After publishing, check that all pages are visible and your site appears correctly in search engines
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Frequently Asked Questions
Before you hit publish, you'll want to make sure you have a paid plan, your domain is ready, and your site settings are configured correctly. These common questions cover the technical and practical steps you need to take before your Squarespace website goes live.
What are the prerequisites before I publish my Squarespace site?
You need an active paid Squarespace subscription to publish your site. Free trials let you build and preview your site, but you can't make it public until you choose a plan and add payment information.
Your content should be complete and proofread. This includes all your pages, images, navigation menus, and contact forms.
You'll also want to check that your site looks good on mobile devices. Use Squarespace's preview mode to see how your pages appear on phones and tablets before publishing.
Can I use a custom domain with my Squarespace website, and how do I set it up?
Yes, you can use a custom domain with any paid Squarespace plan. Most annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year.
You can either buy a new domain directly through Squarespace or connect a domain you already own from another registrar. To set it up, go to Settings, then Domains, and follow the prompts to add your domain.
If you're connecting an existing domain, you'll need to update your DNS settings at your current registrar. Squarespace provides step-by-step instructions for common domain providers like GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Google Domains.
What steps should I follow to get my Squarespace site live on the internet?
First, make sure you're on a paid plan and have added your billing information. Then review all your pages to confirm everything looks right.
Go to Settings in your Squarespace dashboard. Click on Site Availability and select "Public" instead of "Private" or "Password Protected."
Click Save, and your site is now live. Anyone with your URL can visit it.
You should also set up your social media links, confirm your contact information is correct, and test all forms and buttons to make sure they work properly.
How can I optimize my Squarespace website for search engines before publishing?
Start by adding descriptive page titles and meta descriptions for each page. Go to Pages, click the gear icon next to each page, and fill in the SEO section.
Use clear, descriptive headings throughout your content. Break up text into short paragraphs and include relevant keywords naturally in your writing.
Add alt text to all your images. This helps search engines understand your images and improves accessibility for visitors using screen readers.
Connect your site to Google Search Console after publishing. This lets Google know your site exists and helps you track how it performs in search results.
What Squarespace plan do I need in order to publish my website?
You need at least a Personal plan to publish a basic website. This plan costs $16 per month when billed annually and includes a free custom domain for one year.
If you're selling products or services, you'll need a Business plan ($23/month annually) or higher. The Business plan lets you accept payments and removes Squarespace branding from your site.
For full e-commerce features like abandoned cart recovery and subscriptions, you'll need a Basic Commerce ($27/month annually) or Advanced Commerce plan ($49/month annually).
Are there any Squarespace-specific settings I need to configure before my website goes live?
Check your cookie banner settings if you have visitors from Europe or California. Go to Settings, then Cookies & Visitor Data, and enable the banner if needed.
Set up your SSL certificate to make sure your site uses HTTPS. Squarespace enables this automatically for most sites, but you should verify it's active in Settings under SSL.
Configure your site availability settings properly. Under Settings and Site Availability, make sure you've selected "Public" and not left any password protection enabled.
Add your social media accounts and email address in Settings under Business Information. This information appears in your footer and helps visitors connect with you.
Review your permission settings if you have multiple contributors. Make sure only trusted people have access to publish or edit your site.
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