Here are some things to consider when developing a system for identifying and building your client or customer base.

Defining your ideal customer

It’s important to know who your ideal customer is. One place to start is by asking who your competitors and their customers are. Or, imagine a profile of your ideal customer.

• Where would that customer be located? 

• Is this customer making purchases online? 

• Are they buying in-person? 

• What’s the problem the customer has? 

Consider how your ideal customers make purchases and what decisions feed into those transactions. Once you understand your customers’ buying decisions, you can narrow your vision and focus on specific sales channels and markets that match their preferences and habits.

This way, you can fine-tune your product, meet clients and customers where they are, and anticipate their needs to bring them to your business.

Identify customer pain points

A common theme among the most successful entrepreneurs on Squarespace is an obsession with their customers’ experience. Stay curious and engaged with your customers’ needs, what delights them, and what frustrates them.

Understanding pain points can help you infuse your marketing strategy with clear messaging, humanity, and humor, allowing you to connect more directly with your customers and set you up for long-lasting customer relationships. That’s both a money-maker and bottom-line-saver, as you can be more intentional with the resources you put into your marketing efforts.

There are a few ways to research your customers’ pain points and priorities.

• Ask questions through a survey.

• Study your competitors’ customers.

• Leverage customer relationship management (CRM) and analytics software.

Analytics can pull the curtain back on how your customer thinks and makes purchasing decisions. Use this research to help you see patterns in the kinds of purchases your ideal customers are making, as well as when, how, and in what amounts.

Start with who you know

Regardless of how long you’ve been in business, but especially if you’re newly launching your brand, a good place to find customers is with established relationships: friends, family, and colleagues. It may feel uncomfortable to tap people you know, but leveraging those who already know how capable and hard-working you are makes for a lower hurdle of buy-in and credibility. 

Try offering a friends and family discount program or a new customer rate to kick things off, and ask for honest feedback to help you iterate on your business as you go. Your network will appreciate the perk and you’ll gain valuable insight into your target customer, as well as what works and what doesn’t across your product offering.

Referrals also tend to come from your established circle, too. If you can show your immediate network how great your product is, they will likely recommend it to others in their networks. Warm introductions through friends-of-friends and word-of-mouth are the best (and not to mention free) endorsements you can cultivate.  

See how a skincare consultant tapped friends to launch her services

Build and foster a community

Face-to-face interactions with your customers can’t be beat. Show up to trade shows, markets, or classes that allow you to spend time with your target client. There’s no greater opportunity for market intel. It’s a chance to share your brand, ask questions, and most importantly, listen for insights on their needs and priorities.

You can also find your community online. Think a little about the subculture your brand lives in. Social media is a great place to get involved with conversations around that culture and your brand’s product offering. Posting and engaging often can help you build your brand’s voice and visibility, and further cement your relationship with established and potential customers. 

Create a calendar for your social media strategy and plan posts regularly. The more active your business is on social media, the more eyeballs your feed will draw. You can use engagement to point people toward your website, either through a direct link or a link in bio tool.

Start building visibility in search engines

SEO techniques are about making it easy and intuitive for customers to find your business online. Start by brainstorming phrases or words that your ideal customer might search to find your business or what you offer. It can be helpful here to go back to your research on their pain points and priorities. What would someone search to solve those problems?

You can also connect an online store to Google Shopping or create a business profile if you have a physical location, so it’s easier for people to find you in product or local searches. 

The better you can match your website content to possible search terms, the easier it will be for a potential customer to discover your business. 

Offer promotions and discounts

One way to attract first-time customers is by offering a promotional discount or special offer trial period. New customers will appreciate the opportunity to try your products at a discounted rate, while established customers will feel appreciated for being part of your business. It builds loyalty and helps customers find greater delight in their purchases.

Offers like this can take several forms. 

• Free trials over a specific period

• Referral discounts (i.e. offering an established customer a coupon or percentage off with every referral)

• Buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offers

• Free shipping for new customers

Follow your intuition on when the time is right to offer each of these promotions. Over time, you can see through the data and feedback from your customers what offers resonated most.

Don’t be afraid to experiment, as certain approaches may be more fruitful in identifying brand new customers, while others help bolster the bond you’ve already built with an established audience.

Use these 9 website examples for freelancers, food businesses, online shops, and more to inspire your website design and convert your visitors.

1. Ventura

This example website for a ceramics business does a great job of making what may be a one-person business look polished and professional. The minimal design and high-quality product photos give the products a premium feel. 

It’s easy to navigate the products available from the homepage—visitors can choose between a featured item, the core collection, or sets.

Get inspired by the Ventura template

2. Bree

When it comes to building a website for consulting or one-on-one projects, your goal should be to quickly communicate what you offer and what it’s like to work with you. Client relationships are personal—your clients need to trust you with something they care deeply about.

This site for a website designer does a great job of summarizing Bree’s services and her approach to projects and clients. Testimonials and examples from previous clients add weight to her expertise, and she makes it easy to book or get questions answered.

Get inspired by the Bree template

3. Hales

This floral business website design starts strong with its mission-oriented tagline: “Fresh flowers for any budget” before going on to share more about how they source their flowers. Before a potential customer begins to browse, the website copy has started to form a connection with them.

The rest of the website makes it easy to navigate for browsers. They can choose from best-selling bouquets, shop for a specific occasion, book for an occasion, or see more of the businesses’ floral design work. The design puts the flower arrangements at the focus, with complementary colors that help the photos stand out.

Get inspired by the Hales template

4. Clune

Here’s another website example that uses minimal design and copy to give the business a professional, boutique feel. This website for a spa is also a good example of how your website can complement your brick-and-mortar presence.

Where a physical location might only be on the radar for locals and social media is best for marketing a business, a website can both widen your reach and convert potential clients. The website copy sells visitors on the benefits of this spa: “Pamper your skin with products that are safe enough to eat.” And description of services and built-in appointment booking make it easy for someone to find what they want and get scheduled.

Get inspired by the Clune template

5. Laurie

This website layout is ideal for a project-based solo entrepreneur. The design puts the business name—and a photo of happy clients—front and center and immediately jumps into the emotional benefit of the service to her clients. “Life can be unpredictable. Planning your wedding shouldn’t be.”

You immediately understand what this business can do for you. Then you have the option to either take a closer look at the service offerings or build more confidence in their expertise by reading about the owner’s experience and former clients. Together, every piece of the page builds a story of expertise that potential clients can trust.

Get inspired by the Laurie template

6. Juniper

For a food business, your website should be designed to give visitors a taste of what it’s like to eat your food or visit your restaurant. This example restaurant website does this simply by highlighting a photo of one of their dishes at their restaurant.

From there, someone can plan their visit by browsing your menus or making a reservation with a built-in booking system. If you offer pick-up or delivery or sell other products, you can easily add separate pages to handle those orders too.

Get inspired by the Juniper template

7. Emmeline

This hair salon example packs all of the most important information into just a few pages. The homepage gives a clear overview of the salon’s approach to hair styling and the services the salon offers. Depending on which details are most important to a potential client, they can click through to learn more about the stylists or service pricing.

The services page is designed like a menu, so it’s easy to browse your options. A callout to book your appointment lives in the navigation bar, so you can start scheduling from any page on the site. The website footer design does a good job of helping visitors navigate the site and stay connected. From there you can visit extra pages, like a gift card purchase option, or find the salon’s social media accounts. 

Get inspired by the Emmeline template

8. Reseda

This is another great website example for a freelancer or solo entrepreneur. The Reseda site example functions as part portfolio, part business website. The homepage functions like a portfolio gallery, showing the different styles and types of photography this creative shoots.

The rest of the website covers the important parts of the business: information about the owner’s experience, a list of photography services and packages, and an embedded booking tool to schedule photo services.

Get inspired by the Reseda template

9. Salt + Less

With a beauty-based product, it can be easier to start your business online, but you may have to work harder to sell your product to potential customers. Unlike a brick-and-mortar store or a brand that wholesales to a beauty store, potential customers can’t try the product or ask someone about it in person. 

A small business like this one selling soaps, lotions, and supplements needs to build its website around a few goals. It needs to communicate its branding, prove its quality and trustworthiness, and sell the value and benefits of its product, all through design and copy. This site does this by highlighting learning and research, as well as listing ingredients on each product description page.

Get inspired by the Salt + Less template

Local delivery

Increase sales by letting shoppers pick the best option for them.

• Offer local delivery alongside other shipping options. Set local zones for delivery and pickup to make fulfilling orders easier for you and nearby customers.

• Eligible customers will automatically see local delivery as an option at checkout.

Link, available with Squarespace Payments

Offer more ways to pay with Squarespace Payments. We just added Link to our list of popular payment methods.

• Link auto-fills your shopper’s payment information, saving them time at checkout.

• Faster checkout helps improve your online store’s conversion rate.

Multi-year domain registration

Secure your domain name for the next decade with Multi-Year Registration.

• Multi-year registration is integrated into checkout, so you can register a domain for up to 10 years upon purchasing.

• For discounted TLDs, we’ll honor the discounted domain price for the first year of your registration period. Registration prices for years 2 through 10 will match our normal, undiscounted rates.

Learn more about these new products and more on the Squarespace Forum.

You might be wondering how to start a subscription business, and whether it’s even right for you. Depending on what you’re selling, there are multiple ways this can fit your business. Here’s a guide to understand how subscriptions can work for you, and things to consider before starting up.

What is a subscription business model?

A subscription-based business sells goods or services on a recurring basis. Customers can sign up to make a repeated purchase over time, such as monthly or weekly. 

When you sell subscriptions, the buying process works differently than a one-time purchase. Here, it’s relatively hands-off. Customers save their checkout details and your store charges them automatically. You receive the order and fulfill it and repeat that process for each renewal until a customer cancels.

Benefits of selling subscriptions

Selling subscriptions is a great way to bring in repeat and long-term revenue. Being able to forecast revenue ahead of time is useful for budgeting business expenses and planning out your income.

Subscriptions also help you build customer loyalty and are a good tactic for growing your sales. It’s much easier to retain an existing customer than convert a new one. When you sell subscriptions you avoid time-consuming steps of the marketing process, like customer acquisition. Subscriptions can also be a useful tool in upselling other products in your store.

Types of subscriptions

The subscription business model you choose depends on the type of product you’re selling. We can break this down into three different models to consider.

1. Curated items, gift boxes, and collectables

These are curated items or products that fit into niche or special interests served by your subscription. These could be:

• Gift boxes

• Surprise collectables

• Curated and themed sets of products

These serve areas of interest for buyers and tend to work well with products linked to hobbies or niche subgroups within a larger product area. This model works well for physical products rather than services.

A great example is cosmetics. Makeup, skincare, and hair care subscription boxes where items are curated by a business and sold to subscribers have become increasingly popular in recent years. Again, these can often be tailored to unique niches, such as K-beauty or Afro hair care. 

But curated subscriptions don’t just have to be used to sell a selection of products. Sometimes a store will offer a single mystery product, such as a limited collector figurine or item sold at a recurring interval. 

Pros of curated subscriptions

The main selling point of these types of subscriptions is their novelty. It gives your customers a chance to try new things without searching high and low. They can also save them money if you offer subscriptions at a competitive rate.

These types of subscriptions can also yield high profits because of their curated nature. Because these items are special, unique, and collectable, they’re not always as difficult to market to your customer base as they tend to have strong interest in and loyalty to the product niche.

Cons of curated subscriptions

These types of subscriptions can be complex to create with greater time investment needed to produce them. The curatorial nature requires time for sourcing, packaging, curating, and branding to keep product combinations and releases interesting. As the main sell of these products is their novelty, you also run the risk of earlier customer churn if the excitement wears off after initial sales.

2. Convenience items and recurring services

The second type of subscription model replenishes convenience items, offers recurring services, or services something needed regularly. These might be products that are used up at regular intervals such as:

• Food items or supplements

• Toiletries and household items

• Cosmetics

• Unique items that need specific types of replenishment, like a refillable sunscreen

These items don’t always have to be physical. They can also be client-based services performed regularly and provided on a retainer basis. Here are some examples:

• Website and social media marketing

• Accounting and bookkeeping

• Virtual coaching

This model particularly fits many freelance services. For example, a freelance marketer might charge a 6-month subscription for social media management to clients.

Pros of convenience subscriptions

The selling point of this model is the convenience aspect of your products. These items are often required long-term, so you tend to have more customer retention and lower churn. This is particularly true if you're selling a unique item like a refillable cosmetic.

Cons of convenience subscriptions

These models run the possibility of garnering low profits as pricing needs to be affordable enough that customers will subscribe rather than buying products one-off. This can lead to lower profit margins long term, especially if you offer products at a discounted rate for repeat purchases.

3. Memberships and access to knowledge

This type of subscription gives your customers access to something placed behind a paywall, usually falling into categories of knowledge or access. It tends to suit products that aren’t physical, such as:

• Online courses

• Monetized blogs or content

• A video library

• Membership to an in-person club or member site

For example, you might be a copywriter starting a course teaching email marketing. Your buyers might pay for monthly access to a video library of educational how-to’s. Similarly, you might host a member’s club for creatives in your city and manage monthly payments online.

Pros of access subscriptions

A major selling point of these subscriptions is their community and high value. If you successfully position your brand, business, or product correctly, there’s a potential for high returns because of the perceived value to the customer.

In terms of knowledge, customers need to identify you or your brand as authoritative enough to be willing to pay for your knowledge or expertise. The same can be said for a club or membership, where buyers have to value its exclusivity or services to want to access membership. 

In the case of knowledge product subscriptions, past products can continue making ongoing revenue over time. A course developed in one year can potentially generate repeat returns into the future, for example, and additionally encourage cross-selling of new courses and products your business provides.

Cons of access subscriptions

These types of subscriptions can be slower to see returns in the initial stages, and may require extensive marketing or reputation-building to convince customers of their value before use. You will additionally need to keep content fresh to discourage churn, which could require additional product tweaking over time.

Best practices for launching a subscription business

Starting a subscription business is relatively straightforward. Once you have your idea, choose your products and pricing, and set up a store to sell it, you’re most of the way there. Here are some tips to get a successful subscription off the ground.

Choose what type of subscription fits your product

An initial question is, what do you want to sell, and how does a subscription fit into your current offering? It may be useful to start a subscription with a product or service you already have in place. That way, you’ll have a better understanding of the type of subscription model needed and how profit should compare to one-off purchases.

Consider trialing a subscription as an add-on

Many businesses branch into subscriptions by offering one as an add-on to existing products. For example, you’ll see some businesses offer percentage discounts for repeat purchases or tiered pricing offers for multiple purchases of an item. 

If you’re aiming to launch a subscription for a new product, it might be useful to offer the product or service for a free or discounted rate for a short period of time. This can help with producing reviews for future customers and building out a customer base for your new subscription.

Manage your subscription and track progress over time

Keep an eye on how well your subscriptions are doing over time. It’s useful to track things like customer churn and how long buyers remain subscribed for. These can help you find purchase patterns and how you might need to tweak products for better buyer satisfaction.

An additional thing to monitor is accidental churn. Things like expired cards and buyers moving homes can often unintentionally cancel subscriptions. It’s a good idea to build in reminder mailing or extra marketing for your subscription to deter this from happening.

Decide what you want out of it

Think of the long-term goals of starting your subscription and how you will measure success. Is the aim to increase revenue? Build trust with customers? Upsell new products?

Success can often look different depending on your model. Look at a mixture of factors like profits, number of sign-ups, and feedback to understand how well you’re doing.

But SEO doesn't have to be a guessing game. In this two-part guide, we'll walk you through proven strategies to diagnose your site's SEO performance and apply targeted changes to your site.

First, we'll show you how to assess your website's SEO strengths and weaknesses. Then, we'll share simple yet effective improvements you can make to attract more visitors.

This article will focus on a non-technical approach to SEO by answering this basic question: Would I spend time and money as a visitor on my website? 

Part 1: How to analyze your SEO like a pro

Start by giving your site a thorough SEO checkup. Think of it like a visit to the doctor: You need a diagnosis before you can find the right treatment.

By understanding what's working and not working, you'll know exactly where to focus your energy for maximum impact. Your first two steps will help you get a clear picture of your SEO health so you can start making strategic improvements.

Tip 1: Unearth SEO insights from your analytics

Some of the best optimization for your website will come from your analytics. You can tap into search tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console for many of these insights. 

Your website builder may also offer analytics. For example, you can connect a Squarespace site to Google’s tools and Squarespace analytics can also help you understand and improve your site’s performance. 

Beyond checking your visitor count, assess the following.

• Top pageviews: Which pages and content is most engaging on your website? Review which pages people spend the most time on and ensure they’re easy to access, contain relevant information, and have clear calls to action.

• Exit rate: High rates may indicate issues with content relevance or user experience. Are your visitors finding what they’re searching for?

• Time on page: Low times might suggest the content isn’t engaging. Could you benefit from brushing up on copywriting skills? Is the page confusing or lacking in information?

• Acquisition sources: Where is your traffic coming from? Is it aligned with your current marketing strategies?

• Button clicks & form submissions: Review which buttons people click and which forms on your website they fill out. They can reveal a lot about how people actually use your website (versus what you assume).

After you’ve assessed the items above and done the work to improve your website content, it’s time to go a bit deeper and review your user experience.

Tip 2: Check your site’s user-friendliness

A first step to any assessment will include a walkthrough of your website’s user experience. Make sure everything is simple and working as intended. Go through your website as if you were a potential user—or recruit a friend—and check that the following is clear.

• Purpose of the website: Every website should have one main goal. To help you define the purpose, answer this question: When a visitor lands on this site, what is the one action they should take? Everything throughout the website should support this primary call-to-action.

• Main navigation: The main navigation should get someone closer to taking action on the primary call-to-action. If it isn’t intuitive, rework your layout and navigation. 

• Mobile experience: Great design is user-friendly. Use mobile preview to tweak your pages for a seamless look across all screens. Your site should be simple, intuitive, and easy to use on any device.

• Typography: The copy of your website should be easy to read so double check that the font is easy to skim. Focus on size, legibility, and contrast between the background and text color. 

• Written words: Your copy doesn’t need to be clever, it just needs to connect.. A great question to ask as you review your copy: If I was a user, what questions would I be asking and is it easy to find the answer?

• Broken links: Ensure all of your links are working throughout your website. A broken link could lead to people landing on your website and leaving because they end up on a dead page. This applies to every link on your website, from your main navigation to your call-to-actions to your footer.

See more features that impact your SEO

Part 2: Actionable SEO strategies to attract more visitors

Now that you've given your SEO a thorough checkup and taken action on those initial findings, you're ready to level up. The non-conventional SEO strategies below are easy to implement but often overlooked.

Tip 3: Leverage social platforms

When you optimize your business for search engines, don’t forget search engines built into social platforms.  

Social media platforms can extend your reach and increase engagement. With millions of users scrolling their feeds every day, each platform is a great way to reach new audiences. 

• Think like your customer. Personalize your social media presence by creating different messages targeted to specific groups. Use phrases people may search to find for your business like “Best therapist in San Diego” or “Custom Cakes in Manhattan”

• Include calls to action. Always include a clear call to action in your captions and posts. It’s your chance to encourage your followers to reach out or visit your site.. 

• Share your story. People love stories that humanize a brand. Share quick snippets from your work or life and encourage users to visit your website for more.

• Share visually appealing content: Where possible, include high-quality images, as well as short videos to attract and keep your followers’ attention. 

Optimizing your social media is less about always updating your profile. It’s more about ensuring it’s easy to find your business, what you offer, and clear ways to take action. 

Tip 4: Make engaging content

Engaging content for SEO usually revolves around blog posts; but, don’t just focus on blog posts. Focus on crafting content that your audience will actually find valuable and engaging and want to share. Here are a few tips.

• Use different formats. Optimizing your web pages is a good way to boost your SEO, but so is posting different content formats. Think about what your audience wants, whether that’s engaging blogs, instructive videos, or eye-catching infographics.

• Write for readers. Write content that your real, live readers will benefit from. Create content that’s high-quality, informative, and engaging—from their point of view. 

• Address user intent. Why did someone click on your page or blog post? What solution are they seeking? Your content needs to answer the questions your audience is asking. What’s written on your page or blog needs to reflect what the title promises. Always deliver on that promise.

Engaging content that’s relevant to your visitors’ needs will bring them to your site and keep them there longer.

Tip 5: Build your site reputation

If you visit someone else’s site and find a link back to your site, that’s called a backlink. The more backlinks to your site from reputable organizations, the better your reputation. Over time, your site’s SEO ranking can improve thanks to these backlinks because they signal the helpfulness of your content. 

How do you generate backlinks to your website? Try one of these DIY SEO tips.

• Guest posts: When you create guest content for a related site, the post should link back to your site. This is typically done alongside a short bio, but you may be able to link back to your site within the content itself.

• Interviews: Share your knowledge and insights via podcasts. This is a great way to reach a wider audience and get links back to your website. 

• Communities and forums: Engaging in online communities and forums is another way to create backlinks for your site. People are always looking for answers on forums. Address someone’s issue and link back to a place on your site that offers the solution they’re looking for.

• Shareable content: Whenever you post a guide, infographic, or other content your visitors can share, include backlinks within your shareable content. Create something that has value, attractive visuals, and a strong emotional trigger to encourage sharing.

Don’t wait for others to link back to your site. Be proactive and intentional about the process of building backlinks to improve your SEO and increase traffic. 

Tip 6: Create a lead magnet

People enjoy getting freebies, especially if it helps them solve a problem or learn something new. 

A lead magnet is a complimentary resource given in return for providing an email address. A few examples of these resources include templates, ebooks, case studies, reports, videos, guides, and checklists. 

• Offer value: Deliver valuable content you’ve compiled in a downloadable guide, checklist, or cheat sheet.

• Target a need: Address a specific challenge your audience members commonly face.

• Promote: Use social media and email marketing to promote your downloadable content and attract visitors. 

As you practice the SEO techniques you’re learning, you’ll start to gain more confidence in your ability to grow your site traffic.  

Using discounts in a strategic way will delight your customers and pay dividends for your business. Take the time to learn how to develop a discount strategy and experiment with different types of discounts to find out what works best for you and your business.

How to develop a discount strategy

Are you looking to attract new customers, increase average order value, clear out seasonal stock, or build customer loyalty? Having specific business goals will guide you toward the right discount strategy. 

Be very clear on why you’re using discounts to understand which ones best apply to your business and how to write a discount offer. Here are the most common reasons to use discounts.

• Increase sales: It’s a no-brainer that discounts are excellent for attracting new customers and increasing overall sales. 

• Boost average order value: Average order value is calculated by dividing the total revenue by the total number of orders placed over a specific period of time. Setting minimum purchase requirements to trigger discounts or bundling products can encourage customers to spend more on each purchase. 

• Build customer loyalty: Offering exclusive discounts to repeat customers or members of a loyalty program can create a sense of appreciation for your customers and encourage repeat business.

The key is to align your discount strategies with your business goals and your pricing strategy. Discounts should help you make progress on a goal without underpricing your product. 

Monitor the performance of each discount and make adjustments as needed. Some key metrics to pay attention to are:

• Sales volume

• Average order value

• Customer acquisition rates

• Profit margins 

Adjust your metrics based on the goals you’ve set. Consider creating personalized discount offers based on purchase history or demographics to make your discounts more relevant and appealing.

The different types of discounts

Discounts aren’t one-size-fits-all; there are many different types of discounts to offer your customers. Understanding each is the first step in developing a discount strategy for your business. Here’s a rundown of the most common types of discounts and when to use them.

1. Percentage discounts

We’re confronted with percentage discounts every day. Percentage discounts offer a reduction by a certain percentage of the original price, such as 10% or 20% off. This type of discount works with price-sensitive customers or first-time buyers. They can be used in seasonal sales, clearance events, or special promotions.

It’s important to make sure the percentage discount you offer is significant enough to entice shoppers without putting a dent in your profit margins. Bold messaging often works to highlight percentage discounts on your website and in marketing emails or posts.

2. Dollar amount discounts

Dollar amount discounts are a fixed reduction from the product’s original price, such as $5 off. They can be presented as a coupon or discount code, or used to encourage customers to reach a certain threshold to qualify for the discount. 

For example, if a customer spends $100, they trigger a $20 discount. Dollar amount discounts are effective for products with relatively low prices because customers can clearly recognize how significant the discount actually is.

3. Buy one, get one free (BOGO)

Buy One, Get One Free deals offer customers a free product when they buy another product at full price. BOGO deals are very effective for moving products quickly. They can work well for consumable goods, like olive oil, or fashion items and accessories. 

Use BOGO deals to clear out excess inventory or when introducing new products to encourage interest. As always, be careful that the cost of the free product doesn’t eat into your profit margins.

4. Free shipping

Free shipping is a simple-to-understand discount that can reduce dreaded cart abandonment rates. Shipping costs can be a primary reason people decide not to buy, so remove that barrier for them. 

Free shipping works for attracting first-time customers and encouraging larger orders. Sometimes businesses set a minimum order value to trigger free shipping, such as “Free shipping on orders over $50.”

Get more tips for setting shipping rates

5. Volume discounts

Volume discounts give customers a reduced price when they buy in large quantities. Obviously, this type of discount encourages customers to buy more, increasing the average order value due to volume. 

Volume discounts are useful for businesses selling products that customers are likely to buy in bulk, like office supplies, food items, or beauty products. They’re also useful for selling off excess inventory at the end of a season or before launching a new version of a product. Make sure that your discount incentivizes larger purchases without impacting profitability.

6. Seasonal and holiday discounts

Seasonal and holiday discounts are time-limited promotions tied to specific dates or events, such as Black Friday, Christmas, or back-to-school seasons. These discounts can create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to make purchases they might otherwise postpone. 

Plan your seasonal discounts well in advance and align them with your marketing calendar. Use countdown timers and limited-time offers to increase that sense of urgency.

Timing your discounts

After experimenting for a while, you will develop an intuition for what your customers want and when. But it’s also important to follow the data so your timing supports your discount strategy and goals.

Consider your business cycle

Take a look at your sales numbers to identify peak times and slow periods in your sales history. Do you notice any patterns? If you have enough sales data, certain stories begin to emerge. 

For example, if you know that sales typically dip during the late summer months, offering discounts during this period can help maintain steady revenue. 

Consider the seasons

Seasonal and holiday discounts are great because they tap into general consumer shopping habits. Consumers are obviously looking for deals around Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and major holidays. 

Consider industry-specific events or seasonal changes that impact your buyers. For example, back-to-school promotions will be beneficial if you sell educational products.

Consider market trends

What are your competitors doing? Being informed about market trends can give you invaluable insights for timing your discounts. If competitors are offering significant discount examples during a particular period, consider matching or differentiating your offers in some way to stay competitive.

Balancing discounts with cash flow

Offering discounts can attract customers, but you need to make sure that too many discounts are not eating into your profit margins. Calculate the impact of discounts on profit by considering the cost of goods sold (COGS) and the expenses associated with each unit of sale. This will help you determine the maximum discount you can offer without compromising profitability.

Maintaining a healthy cash flow is key to operating a sustainable business. Discounts drive sales, but they can also impact cash flow if not managed carefully.

Discounts should be a key piece of your sales promotion strategies. They can have a huge impact on your business. But you need to understand your goals and how to effectively time your offers to maximize sales. Experimentation is the word of the day. Try different discounts, see what works, and adjust as necessary.

The key to a great landing page is a design that makes it clear what the next step is for your visitor, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up with an email, or gathering information. Here are 7 examples of different landing pages and use cases to inspire your own.

1. Service landing page

This services page for a hair salon is simple, to the point, and easy to navigate. This makes it an ideal landing page for the salon or individual stylists to link to in social media posts and emails to potential clients.

The image helps create balance on the page, but it’s not distracting from the most important details. It’s clear how a site visitor can make a booking from here, using the “Book appointment” button in the navigation bar—the ideal next step. Or they can keep browsing if they want to see more stylists and other details.

See the full template example

2. Shop landing page

Your online store page is one of the best landing pages to send potential customers to. A well-organized store landing page can give shoppers a quick overview of your pricing and what you sell to help them quickly find something they’re interested in buying.

In this example, you can quickly browse what the floral shop offers or filter between full arrangements and vase-less bouquets. It’s easy to make a choice and purchase from there.

See the full template example 

3. Reservation landing page

The landing page you choose to link depends on context. For example, this food business might link social media followers to a reservations landing page from a post showing off their new summer menu. But when speaking to people who are newer to the restaurant, the homepage or menu page might be a better landing page to link.

The reservations page design does an effective job of pointing visitors to the most important action: clicking that Book Now button. But it also includes design choices, like an animated squiggle, bold font, and bright colors, that communicate the personality of the restaurant.

See the full template example

4. Sign-up landing page

A landing page doesn’t have to be part of a multi-page website. For community groups or bigger businesses, a landing page is a specific place to send people when marketing a specific thing. 

In this website example, an athletic community is encouraging anyone interested to get in touch with a straightforward call to action. This allows the group to build a contact list and create a space for potential members while maintaining a separate space for active members.

See the full template example

5. Wesley

For many people, the most visited landing page you have will be your website’s homepage. Your homepage will naturally have more information on it than a standalone landing page, but keep it focused to make sure you’re directing visitors to important pages or encouraging them to convert.

This example website does a good job of letting visitors know what the business sells and creating a sense of excitement around their product. The headline captures the viewer and the next section on the page highlights the product and links to shop—the top goal of the business. But if someone isn’t ready to buy, the page follows with reviews and options to stay connected via social media or email.

See the full template example

6. Salt + Less

This example of a homepage landing page focuses on a design for a store that might need to educate potential customers before they decide to buy. Whereas pet owners might have a sense of what they want out of accessories for their pets and how to identify them in a product listing, that’s harder for a body care product.

On this landing page, the business puts more products on display and highlights the benefits for each category. Instead of linking to social media on the homepage, they focus on their research and mission, to build trust with their potential customers.

See the full template example

7. Event landing page

An event is a perfect opportunity to use a landing page. The landing page gives you one central place to share information about your event and collect RSVPs. Whether it’s part of your website or a standalone site, having a dedicated page also makes it easier to discover.

You can edit the page as your event develops, first building excitement with a simple page teasing the event, then revealing more details closer to the event date. Add a custom form to collect RSVPs, food and drink preferences, or other requests from your guests. 

See the full template example

Landing page design tips

When designing your landing page, it’s helpful to keep a few things in mind.

• Have a goal in mind. Knowing what you want to get across to a visitor and what you want your site visitors to do will focus your ideas.

• Know your target audience. Understanding what matters to your site visitors will help you address those points and accomplish your goal.

• Use design to draw attention. Use bold colors and fonts or where you place elements on your landing page to ensure someone is attracted to your call to action or key details.

• Have a backup plan. While there’s one goal you have in mind for your visitors, think of where else you could send someone who’s not ready to take action yet. Make sure it’s easy for them to reach that point

See more tips for landing page design 

This is called upselling. While upselling may conjure the trope of an unfavorable salesperson trying to sell you something you don’t need, this strategy is actually useful for both business and customer—and there’s a way to do it without appearing pushy. 

There are great benefits to upselling that go beyond increasing your business’s profit margins. Ahead, we’ll unpack some of the specifics of upselling, understand the psychological aspects of why customers may want to buy more, and cover some practical upselling tips and strategies to consider when you want to upsell your products.  

What is upselling? 

Upselling is a sales technique that encourages customers to purchase a higher quality or next generation version of a product. (An easy upsell? Think of any new smartphone drop.) Upselling also includes enticing customers to spend more at a business by offering additional items at a lowered cost. 

The point of upselling is to make that customer’s order more profitable for the business. If many customers select the higher priced product option or add-on to their original cart, that’s good for the business. 

Upselling vs. cross-selling 

Often, upselling gets lumped into another tactic where a business offers similar products to add to a purchase. This is known as cross-selling. Both are effective sales techniques to get customers to spend more. Upselling, in comparison, asks the customer to spend more on an item that they plan to purchase anyway. 

What are the benefits of upselling? 

1. Higher AOV: Upselling means your customer is spending more, which has an impact on the overall order value in that single transaction. Now imagine multiple customers doing this every hour of every day. A higher average order value also leads to better customer lifetime value (CLV) because a customer that spends more (and more often) is a loyal one.

2. Better customer experience: Getting more value beyond the dollar amount they are spending is important to customers. Upselling has the added benefit of focusing on the customer and their personal shopping experience. If a customer feels valued or values the product and experience, they are likely to spend more. 

The psychology of upselling 

Upselling works so well because it’s based on a customer’s existing want or need. For example, say someone’s searching for a new sleeve for their computer and finds a customized, one-of-a-kind design at a higher price point. They’re more likely to make that purchase than at another time, since spending on that item was already in their plans. 

Psychology and consumer buying behavior nuances play a role here. The cost of missing out on the purchase altogether may be worth more than the dollar amount it's priced at. 

Consider the following concepts to understand how and why upselling might be right for your business. 

Perceived value 

An important psychological concept to understand for upselling is perceived value. There is some subjectivity in the value of a product or overall purchase. For some customers who don’t buy often and save their money to make a purchase, the perceived value of a product is going to differ from those who may have more financial means. The reverse is also true. 

Making your product appear more valuable than its actual cost has greater return benefits as customers are highly encouraged to make that purchase. 

FOMO

With the concept of supply and demand, where less supply garners more demand, comes the psychological idea of fear of missing out (FOMO). Think of low stock warnings or limited-time discounts as ways businesses activate FOMO. 

Customers don’t want to miss out on a deal or a product or an experience that everyone else is having. Upselling taps into that, and provides a pathway for the customer to make the purchase. 

Strategies and tips on how to upsell products 

Upselling is a great way to increase business profit but it’s always an incredible way to nurture and build on your relationship with your customers. Think about it: Your customers are trusting you to spend more on a higher quality version of a product you offer. If that experience goes well, they are likely to come back and spend again. 

Consider the following strategies and tips to upsell your products to your customers.

1. Engage customers help you choose items to upsell and when

Your customers can be a great indicator for which items to upsell and when. What do your customers’ buying behaviors look like? What about customer data, including AOV? 

Even performing keyword searches to understand the search terms your customers are using to find products like yours can help you understand what they are looking to purchase. 

Consider, too, how social media and marketing in general can engage your customers in the upsell. Run a poll on your social channel about specific products. Ask them about which products fill a gap or if it’s what they need.

2. Offer a limited-time only discount 

Tap into a customer’s FOMO by putting your product on a limited-time only discount. This upselling tactic is good to start out with because it puts a degree of pressure on your customer to make the purchase without any real pushiness. 

Offer a timeframe with a small discount on the product. They’ll still be making the higher-quality purchase, thus spending more. But on top of FOMO, you’ll capitalize on the perceived value if you offer a few dollars off. 

3. Consider a loyalty program and perks 

Loyalty programs and perks are a great way to engage with your customer and better their overall experience. One way to upsell to a customer is to offer points from their purchase that can go toward a future free item or significant discount on their next purchase. This gives your customer’s perceived value of the current purchase more weight: spend now to save more later (and maybe get a free sample of a product or two.)  

4. Offer free shipping 

For a customer, hitting a certain spend threshold and automatically triggering free shipping is a great feeling. Offer free shipping as a perk of the purchase, after a certain amount is reached, or as a discount code. This is a good way to incentivize the customer with the promise that they’re saving in one area of their overall purchase. 

Learn about setting your shipping rates

5. Try the rule of three

There’s something about options that customers love. This is where the rule of three can help you upsell to your customer without much pressure or lift. 

Offer three carefully selected pricing tiers or products. This doesn’t overwhelm your customer, but it does give them a sense of comparison and choice. The first option is often referred to as the baseline, what your customer would want to spend in any case. The second is a slightly pricier alternative to the first, and the third is the dream selection that costs more.

All three still work in favor of the upsell, not simply the last dream option. Would a customer select the third option if it weren’t there? The point of the rule of three is not needing to know the answer to that question.

The rule of three also works when it comes to merchandising or visually establishing a presence for your products. In-store, groupings of three products that represent the upsell can help customers choose the pricier option. Online, putting three pricing tiers in one table, or three product options with the pricing explained, is optimal so they can compare and make a selection. 

Learn more about pricing strategies

6. Offer product bundling with savings

This upselling tactic has some crossover with cross-selling techniques. Suggesting bundled products that are complementary or personalized to your specific customer and their purchase is another way to sell that product and increase profit for you (and help with inventory management.) 

7. Send a follow-up email

Sometimes customers browse for a product, put it in their cart, and then abandon it. They may do this several times before making a purchase. With the intent there, it’s reasonable to send a follow-up email to them about the product they’ve left behind. 

Email marketing is by far one of the best ways to get your customers to convert. In fact, upsell emails can have an almost 92% conversion rate. 

8. Persistence, not pushiness 

By regularly putting your products in front of shoppers, perhaps through paid ads or email marketing or even banner displays on your store, you’re making the purchase almost inevitable for the customer without actively pushing them to do it. 

Customers don’t like to be pushed into a purchase that they may immediately regret. Upselling is just as much about making a sale at a higher cost as it is about a customer’s satisfaction with making the purchase. They need to feel that they’re the one driving the decisions throughout the process. 

1. Decide where you’re going to sell

Successful businesses can start anywhere. Some people start selling in person to friends and family or informally on social media. Other people start on a marketplace website or with their own website. Whether you’ve already started selling or want to get started, choose a method that makes sense for your current needs and goals.

We recommend creating a website to sell your jewelry. A website and ecommerce platform, like Squarespace, gives you tools to run your business more efficiently and expand as your business does.

2. Pick a website design

When it’s time to build your website, you can get a quick start with a website template, a custom design supported by AI, or by working with a professional website designer. 

To help narrow down the design options and help refine your branding, consider these questions.

• Who’s the ideal customer for my shop? What’s their age group, gender, and personal style?

• What type of imagery do I want to use within my website?

• How do I want potential customers to feel when they open my website?

• What are a few words that describe my brand?

Squarespace site templates can give you a starting point or inspire your design. For a luxurious and clean design, Anise is a good starting template. If you want something fresh and fun, the modern template Galena is for you. For a friendly and welcoming template, start with Skyloop.

See more ecommerce website examples

2. Decide how you’ll source your products 

Consider if you’ll be selling jewelry you’ve made yourself or stocking products from a provider. 

When selling your own products, make a plan for how you’ll keep products in stock and reorder materials as needed. It can be helpful to have back-up suppliers in mind for materials, in case of unexpected issues.

If you’re looking for inventory to sell, Squarespace offers a couple of options to integrate directly with dropshipping and print on demand services via Squarespace Extensions. 

Get more tips for managing your inventory 

4. Set your prices

There are two common methods for pricing a product: the cost-plus pricing method and the value-based pricing method. 

With cost-plus pricing, you set prices by adding up how much it costs you to make or source something, then add a markup to earn a profit. You can consider building shipping and packaging costs into the price too.

Value-based pricing is based on the value someone perceives your product to have. For example, handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry might command a higher price than dropshipped jewelry. You can gauge this by seeing what competitors are charging for products like yours.

See our full guide to pricing your products

5. Add website pages 

There are some basic pages or pieces of information to include if you’re building a website to sell your jewelry.

• About page

• Contact page

• Store page

• Shipping and returns 

You can start a website with just one page that includes most of this information, but we recommend building out individual pages eventually. You can add design elements and copy that reflect your brand to fill out your page layouts.

6. Add your product listings

Once you have a store page, you can start adding your product listings.

On a site like Squarespace, you can add products in three ways:

1. Add them individually

2. Bulk upload via a spreadsheet

3. Add them via your dropship or print on demand service

Take product photos

If you sell your own products, you’ll need to take photos to include in listings. While it’s nice to have professional photos of your products, it’s possible to take your own product photos. 

When taking photos, make sure you have good lighting. Choose a neutral background and try to keep them consistent across products. If you can, get some photos of someone wearing your jewelry or of your jewelry alongside another item, so shoppers can see the size. 

See more tips for taking your own photos

Write product descriptions

Since online shoppers can’t see or hold your jewelry in person, your product descriptions have to fill in the gaps for them. Keep descriptions to 300 words or less and list important details like measurements, sizes, and materials. 

Your product description and title can also help you rank in search engine results. Consider common search terms that might send someone to your product listing, like “gold pendant necklace”, and add them to the product name or description.

Get more tips for writing product descriptions 

7. Set your shipping rates

As the store owner, you have the option to set any shipping rate you want. The most common methods are to charge exactly what it costs you to ship items, offer free shipping but build the cost of shipping into your product prices, or a combination of the two.

 The common shipping options for stores are:

• Flat rate shipping

• Weight-dependent shipping

• Carrier-calculated shipping

• Free shipping 

You’ll most likely have predictable box sizes, weights, and types for your jewelry. That could make flat rate, weight-dependent, or free shipping good options, since your costs will be relatively low.

If you’re selling through a dropshipping or print on demand service, you’ll need to find the shipping rates your services uses and indicate them on your website.

Learn more about setting your shipping rates

8. Set up payment options

Before you can start selling, you need to set up a way to get paid. Choose a trusted payment tool that gives your customers multiple options for how they pay. This gives them flexibility, which can ensure they make it through checkout.

Alternative payment methods take roadblocks out of checkout. If someone doesn’t have to look for a card or can pay for their purchase over time, it’s easier for them to decide to buy.

If you sell in person, such as within your store or at pop-up events, you can also connect a POS system to your store. This will sync your inventory with your website after making an in-person sale. On Squarespace, you can do this by connecting a Square card reader to the Squarespace app on your mobile device. 

Create a returns and refund policy

Returns and refunds are part of running a business, no matter how great your products are. Have a clear and easy-to-find policy on your site so that shoppers feel confident that they can get a refund if what they ordered doesn’t quite work out.

Include need-to-know details, like:

• How long someone has to make a return

• How to request a return and refund

• Accepted reasons for making a return

• Processing times for refunds

• Amount they’ll be refunded 

• Whether exchanges are possible

See tips and a sample return policy

9. Get a website domain

A website domain name is the main part of the URL you use to reach a website, like squarespace.com. Choose a unique, memorable, and on-brand domain name for your store, so people can easily find you online.

For most people, picking a domain is as simple as using their store name or their own name. If your first choice is already taken, try an abbreviation or some other variation. You could also choose a fun TLD, like .jewelry, instead of .com.

Learn how to get a domain

10. Promote your products

Once your store is live, you’ll need to put in some work to attract customers. Start by getting the word out with people you know. Don’t be shy about sharing products and your website on your personal social media and asking others to reshare. If anyone you know owns and loves jewelry from you, ask if you can add a testimonial from them on your site.

The next step is to reach potential customers. This is where SEO, social media, and in-person selling can help.

• SEO: On top of optimizing your website for search results, connect your site to Google Shopping so that your product listings can appear in searches.

• Social media: Post regularly to keep your store top-of-mind and link back to your store from posts and a link in bio page. Some platforms also let you connect your store and sell from your profile.

• In person: Foot traffic from maker’s markets and other pop-ups can help build interest in your business, even if you don’t sell to every person you meet. Have a QR code or business card on hand so people can easily follow you or find your store later.

11. Build customer relationships

Long-term success comes from hanging on to your existing customers while attracting new ones at the same time. That means staying connected. You can keep customers coming back by asking if they’d like to leave a product review or subscribe to a mailing list at checkout.

Sending an email after an order gets delivered is a simple follow-up with big potential gain. Use the email to ask for a review and encourage customers to sign up for future emails or follow you on social media. They get an opportunity to give feedback and you both get the chance to stay in touch.

With a mailing list, you can send regular updates about new products, sales, in-person markets, and other store updates. This’ll keep you top-of-mind for past customers and encourage them to come back to your site to browse.

Ready to launch your jewelry business?

Let’s go over what an About Me page can do for your website, how to write an impressive bio that puts you in the best light possible, and tips to make yours truly shine. From length and layout to customizing for your target audience, it’s best to cover it all to make your site one to bookmark. 

Here’s how you introduce yourself online—and make sure you get noticed.

Why you need an About Me page

Whether you own a business, create content or art, need to get your portfolio online, or just want people to read your personal blog, an About Me page is crucial for establishing your authority and building trust and familiarity with visitors. It allows you to share your story in an authentic way and connect on a personal level with your audience.

A captivating About Me page also gives you a perfect opportunity to talk about your mission and values. It provides the platform to dig into why you do what you do and the impact you hope to have. That helps visitors determine if you're the right fit for them and attracts people with similar values.

Your About Me page can be a powerful tool for turning visitors into loyal customers, readers, brand advocates—in short, it helps build your community. They'll see you as the go-to expert in your industry or area of interest and a person they want to work with or stay informed about.

4 elements of a strong professional bio

An effective bio is an important tool for promoting your expertise and services. Your bio is one of the most important parts of your online presence because it establishes your credibility and convinces people you're worth their time. With the right look and a good balance of professionalism, personality, and optimization for your audience, you'll make a strong impression and turn readers into clients, customers, or followers. 

1. A layout they can’t look away from

Let’s start with what your bio page looks like. A professional yet personable photo of yourself is key. Your visitors want to put a face to your name. 

Avoid thumbnail-size or low-quality images that make visitors squint to see who you are. This is all about you—give them a headshot that shows your personality or photos of you at work doing what you love. Whatever you do, your images should match the overall style and tone of your website.

As for words? Keep your bio concise, around two to three short paragraphs for easy reading. Use active language and avoid repetition.

Those are the basics. But there are a few other elements that can go a long way towards creating the effect you want.

• Font design: Think about using an attractive, legible font that jibes with your brand or personal look.

• Text and page design: Add visual interest with bold text, bulleted lists, and spacing that gives the words room to breathe.

• Accomplishments: Depending on your goals, including snapshots of key accomplishments could also be appropriate.

• Simplicity: Use plenty of white space and align everything neatly. Avoid crowding too much onto the page. If your bio is longer, use clear headings to provide structure.

Your bio should have a clean, uncluttered feel that’s easy to navigate. And maximum visibility is critical: Place your bio prominently on your website (like in the navigation menu) so your audience can’t miss it.

2. Clear experience and expertise

Your visitors need to know why they should keep coming back to your site or use your services, so it’s important to share your story in an authentic way that connects with readers. You’ll want to cover: 

• Your relevant work experience

• Relevant education or certifications

• Skills

• Interests

• Mission or business goals

• Accomplishments

• Awards or key successes

Share details about your areas of expertise and how you can help clients or customers. Relate your passion for the work you do and how you came to start your business. Your visitors want to know what motivates and inspires you and get a feel for what it's like to work with you. 

This is your chance to highlight what makes you and your business unique. Any interesting facts and details that set you apart? Including these critical pieces gives followers a reason to check out your product or service, keep reading, or sign up for your mailing list. 

While listing accomplishments and skills shows your expertise, keep things light and avoid being too self-promotional. It can be a delicate balance, but trust your instincts to find the right mix.

3. Your personality

While professional, your bio should also reflect your distinctive personality and voice. Share some personal details about your passions or interests outside of work to help readers connect with you. Do you have an unusual combination of skills or experience? Let them know about it.

The tone you use should be a reflection of your own personality or your brand personality. Should it be an enthusiastic and friendly tone, something informal and conversational to make it inviting and accessible? Or should it be more businesslike and formal, with terminology and language that underscore how versed you are in your industry? Whichever tone you settle on, be sure you’re speaking directly to your audience and what they’re most likely to respond to. 

This space is designed to share what makes you, you.

4. Optimization, optimization, optimization

Customizing your professional bio for your target audience is key to making the best impression. Think about your desired audience, who you’re trying to attract, and how you can shape your bio to have the widest appeal. This is for your website, so focus your bio on how your service, product, or content helps visitors and brings value. What type of language or tone will they respond to? What accomplishments or skills would make them trust you more?

Looking to rank in search results? Including keywords that optimize your site for search engines, even in your bio, will help people find you organically. Again, consider what your target audience might be searching when looking for someone like you. Find ways to naturally weave similar phrases into your copy.

Think about including links to your social media profiles or other websites. This gives readers an easy way to connect with you and learn more about what you do. Place links at the end of your bio paragraph or in a "Connect with Me" section at the bottom of the page.

A website bio example

Let’s say you own a food truck that specializes in natural ingredients and healthy, homemade alternatives to takeout. You’re garnering some glowing reviews and it’s time to create a website that takes your business to the next level. One of the big questions you’ll need to answer: how to write an About Me bio.

One way to introduce yourself is to share your history with the type of cuisine you prepare. That context will give visitors a relatable, authentic story they can connect with.

For example: “My friends and family loved when I cooked for them, always asking me to cater their parties or bring a dish to share. Their positive feedback fueled my motivation to keep improving my craft.” 

You could then go on to briefly describe your path to owning a food truck and living your dream. How did you turn your hobby into a thriving business, develop your recipes, and cultivate a following? What’s your goal for the future? Lessons learned along the way? 

For example: “I started to get requests from friends of friends, and found myself planning recipes on my way home from my 9-5. As word spread, I decided to invest some savings in the truck we work out of today and give it a try full-time. We’re now happily on the road six days a week, and one day, we hope to bring our recipes to a brick-and-mortar location for the community.”

Include a photo of yourself in the kitchen doing what you love or in front of your food truck, with a line of customers waiting to sample your recipes. Or consider showcasing a few flattering, professional images of your dishes.

You might even include a personal touch like sharing a recipe for one of your dishes to show how the magic is created and illustrate the quality ingredients you use. The possibilities are endless, so get creative to bring something a little different than your competitors.

With these tips on how to write a professional bio, you're on your way to crafting a website that leaves an indelible first impression and gives readers a sense of what you do and why they should do business with you. An engaging yet professional About page is one of the most important elements of any website, so take your time, consider how you want to present yourself, and show the world who you are.

Ready to create your professional bio?

The most effective affiliate marketers have their audience’s trust, which extends to your website design. Take inspiration from these 5 websites to find a layout that matches the way your affiliate marketing works.

1. Stanton

A common way to earn money with affiliate marketing is to include affiliate links as part of your blog posts. The blog posts help you reach an audience with your perspective and help improve your website’s SEO so you can get discovered in search results.

This is a helpful method because it gives you space to share more about why you like a particular product or how it fits into something you’re sharing, like the pans you recommend for a recipe. This blog website layout helps draw attention with strong visuals while making it easy for visitors to browse through your posts.

See the Stanton template 

2. Matsuya

Maybe your main goal for your affiliate website is to have somewhere to direct your audience and gather your affiliate links in one place. A portfolio website design is a good way to make your affiliate items browsable and linkable. 

Organize your product recommendations into a gallery grid and link each photo to its respective affiliate link. This way, you have one URL to send your followers to if they want to see everything you’ve recommended before. 

See the Matsuya template

3. Meridien

If you’re a content creator or have another primary way of making money, affiliate links may just be one part of your business. A website layout like the one in this example is set up to highlight everything you do and make it easy to access.

With this website design, you can offer personalized client services, like coaching, one-off projects, or group classes. But you can also create separate pages for other content, like an online course and an affiliate links gallery. In this scenario, it’s common for affiliate products to have a link to your other content so that your audience trusts your recommendations.

See the Meridien template

4. idrah

A common development for creators and bloggers who start creating affiliate marketing or sponsored content is that, as their audience grows, they need a separate page to host their affiliate links and products. 

This website example shows how you can expand your website design to match the growth of your content, separating posts into categories and featuring popular content. Create a gallery page to link to your affiliate products and feature those on your homepage, as this site does with its shop. 

See the idrah template

5. Jason Wild

If you’ve built a dedicated following on another platform, a website is an opportunity to connect directly with your audience in a space that gives you more control over how you interact and share content. This website example for a musician includes a membership site, where you can reach subscribers without worrying about algorithms.

As an affiliate marketer, you could use a member site to create a community for sharing affiliate links. Member sites are gated to members only—members can get access by sharing an email or paying—so you could use it to share exclusive affiliate links or release links earlier.

See the Jason Wild template

Tips for creating a successful affiliate website

Many affiliate marketers and content creators get their start without a website, but a strong website can support and grow an existing affiliate business. The most successful affiliate marketing websites tend to use a few common techniques.

• Personal recommendation: People typically turn to others for product recommendations because they’re looking for a second opinion. If you can give a genuine recommendation for a product or service, visitors are more likely to convert.

• SEO: Optimizing your website for search engines is one of the most cost-effective ways to market yourself. Consider search terms that might lead someone to your site, like “[brand name] review”, and naturally weave them into your copy or blog to attract more potential visitors.

• Discount offers: Whether you’re highlighting an ongoing sale or you have a sponsored coupon code, discounts can help you convert your audience and keep them coming back.

• Community-building: Building relationships is one of the best ways to create consistent income and grow your audience. Give followers a way to connect with each other and feel like part of shared experiences, like through exclusive content or a member site.

• Newsletters: Email is a powerful tool to drive interaction and bring visitors back to your site and content. A newsletter or marketing email is a chance to reach someone one-on-one and highlight content or links they may have missed.

Read our full guide to creating an affiliate website

Want to build a custom site?

Once you have that foundation, it’s time to show it off and bring in the traffic. This can feel daunting, but with the right tools and the confidence that you’ve built a solid foundation, focusing on your traffic can increase your website viewership, and boost your personal project or business—depending on your goals.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you’re thinking about bringing more traffic to your website.

1. Focus on keywords and SEO

It’s important to be intentional about the words and phrases that you use on your website. While it’s easy to just let the words and ideas flow, structure is important because it can make or break your traffic numbers. 

Focusing on search engine optimization (SEO)—the process of optimizing your website by making the content more relevant so that it ranks higher up in search engine results—is essential for bringing new visitors to your website. If you make an effort to integrate words and phrases that people are commonly searching for, your website will be ranked higher on search engines, which will ultimately result in a steady stream of increased traffic.

SEO might feel like a beast, but it’s easy to tackle it once you do your research. Look into which words and phrases are most popular for people or businesses in your industry, and don’t be afraid to check out what’s working for your competitors to inform your research. Keep in mind that popular search terms will differ depending on your industry and the project you’re working on.

Tools are essential here. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are your best friends when it comes to SEO. The Google Analytics tool can help you view and dissect which terms your previous website visitors have used to find your website in the past, which can inform your plan for moving forward. Google Search Console, on the other hand, helps you measure your own website’s search traffic and performance.

It’s also worth noting that Squarespace has built-in SEO tools that help you optimize your website for search and visitors.

See 6 techniques for driving traffic with SEO

2. Engage with your community both in person and on social media

Staying engaged with your audience—whether it’s potential clients, readers, current customers or potential customers—is essential to success. Tapping into your community will help you boost your brand and business, promote your website, bring in traffic, and create loyalty.

Every audience is different, of course. If you’re running a brick-and-mortar store, for example, engagement might mean using QR codes to share links to your websites in your store. Creatively integrating QR codes in your store—whether it’s stickers at the cash register or a QR code on a receipt—could help turn some of your foot traffic into website traffic.

If you’re focused on running a blog, make sure to engage with people who leave positive and informed comments. Dialogue can help create and foster community on your website, and it’s important to tap into relevant conversations.

Staying engaged on social media is important, too. Make sure all of your social media profiles—both personal and professional—include a link to your website, and if it feels natural, be sure to point people to your website if they comment on your posts asking for specific information, videos, or imagery that’s available on your website.

Get more tips for converting your social media followers into website traffic

3. Create unique content that brings in visitors and new customers

Get creative when it comes to content. If you’re working on a portfolio, blog, or any other kind of personal project, lean into multimedia. Share videos, photos, and interesting information that your visitors, readers, and viewers won’t be able to find anywhere else. Use your personal brand to your advantage here—let your voice and personality shine—and don’t be shy when it comes to posting. 

Perhaps consider adding a written element to your website if it’s visuals-focused and a visual element to your website if it’s word-focused. You will set yourself apart and keep people engaged and interested in visiting your website again if you lean into multimedia and keep your website updated with unique and shareable content.

If keeping up with content feels like a big task, creating a content calendar can help. 

4. Promote yourself and your website

Don’t be afraid to promote yourself in more ways than one—whether that’s through a newsletter, LinkedIn, or any other applicable social platform. Sending out emails to your readers or customers will help bring in website traffic, and the people who visit your website will share the link with others if your content is engaging and interesting.

Remember that you are your best cheerleader, and there’s no shame in sharing something you’re proud of, whether it’s your portfolio, passion project, or business that you’ve worked to build. Be open about celebrating milestones, struggles, or new developments with your followers and customers.

5. Craft clear and relevant website pages

You want people to be impressed when they visit your website, and this starts with a foundation of clear, relevant, and interesting landing pages. 

Get started by setting aside time to organize your thoughts and focus on the intention of your website. 

• Are you creating a portfolio so people can check out your work? 

• Are you trying to promote your personal project? 

• Are you looking to bring more customers to your business and increase brand awareness and sales? 

In any case, try to offer people a little more than what they’re looking for and make sure you’re clear about your intentions. This might mean adding a blog page to your visual portfolio website or making an effort to lean into and include more photo and video content for a more writing-focused project.

Every website should include an About page and Contact page, and in many cases, it makes sense to include an FAQ page. Going the extra mile with your landing pages will leave visitors feeling informed and engaged, and ultimately, it pays off and results in more traffic to your website.

Get some tips for creating a landing page

6. Make sure your personal brand or local search profile is up-to-date

If you’re working for yourself, your personal brand is incredibly important. Try out a search for your name and see what comes up. Is it an old, inactive X account? If so, delete it. It’s crucial to keep your personal brand and online profiles updated and aligned with your goals.

It’s also essential to keep your online presence updated if you’re a small business owner. This means focusing on your local search profile. Double-check that your website, hours, and other business details are available to the general public when they search for your business online.

7. Integrate multimedia that can be shared on social

While sharing the link to your website or a call out to visit your website might not feel intuitive on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, videos and photos lend themselves to social platforms. 

Add photos and videos to your website to build up a group of content pieces that you can share on social media. Or turn your static content into multimedia content: Film an informal video, highlight your favorite quotes from written content, or share some behind-the-scenes visuals. 

Lean into sharing a teaser—like a few photos but not a whole series or a snippet of a video. Then create a call-to-action to drive traffic to your website so people can fully experience the content.

Bringing in website traffic takes a lot of care and intention, and it’s a constantly-evolving process. Be sure to use this article as a checklist of sorts and refer back to it when you feel like you’re in a traffic rut.

Dropshipping has become a popular, low-stakes avenue for people to wade into the ever expansive waters of ecommerce without storing, shipping, or even buying your inventory. According to Statista, by 2026, the global dropshipping market is going to be worth over $476 billion dollars. 

Need to understand a bit more how dropshipping works and its benefits? Ahead, we’ve got you covered on all things dropshipping, including a step-by-step guide on how to get started.

What is dropshipping and how does dropshipping work?

Dropshipping is a method of online commerce where a seller sells products but doesn’t keep those products in-store or in their own warehouse. Instead, a dropshipper (the seller) works with a third-party supplier for inventory and shipping. 

When a customer places an online order, the online store forwards that order to the supplier to fulfill and ship it to the customer. This model allows for online store owners to have a business without investing funds in keeping an inventory that may or may not get sold. 

Dropshippers (you, the online store owner) essentially run the whole operation and keep the communication and information flowing between the supplier and customer. Without the dropshipper, there would be nothing connecting the customer and their order fulfilled by the supplier. 

Learn more about how print on demand and dropshipping works

Why you might want to start a dropshipping business

For new entrepreneurs, starting a dropshipping business is a good way to explore selling online. There’s a lot of pressure taken off of you and how well your business performs—as well as the finances involved in maintaining an online business—but you still get to have a solid hand in the online shopping realm.

Consider the following benefits for why you might want to start a dropshipping business. 

Cost-saving

First and foremost, the startup costs for a dropshipping business are miniscule compared to starting a fully-fledged, operational online store with your own warehouse for stock, and then managing that inventory while figuring out other costs of the business. By dropshipping products, you also don’t need to invest in a physical retail location or hire staff to help fulfill your orders. 

Scalability

Using dropshipping companies means your business can handle an influx of orders with ease versus other ecommerce models. Whomever your partner is as your supplier is the one taking on order fulfillment and shipping, so if you’re having a seasonal surge, that will be built into the partnership. You won’t need to account for additional workers to get orders out—that’ll be your supplier’s job. 

Inventory management

A key balance many retailers—in-store and online—are faced with is maintaining inventory. How much stock is too much stock? What if stock sells out? With dropshipping, a business’s concerns with maintaining a certain amount of stock is eliminated. Your dropshipping supplier will handle everything that involves inventory including tracking, re-ordering, and managing incoming shipments of product. 

Flexibility

You don’t need to be in the same place as your supplier. A neat reality of an ever-expansive, global online retail market is that sellers and suppliers, as well as customers, can be sprinkled across the world. There’ll be a way for products to get to where they need to be. 

With dropshipping, too, you can offer products that are popular right now and keep your inventory up-to-date with what buyers prefer. That allows you to change, test, and hone in on customer preferences without risking big financial losses. This isn’t as easily done in other ecommerce models. 

Start a dropshipping business online: A step-by-step guide

Now that we’ve gone through what dropshipping entails, here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to start a dropshipping business online. 

1. Choose a niche

Here is one of the most important questions you’re going to ask yourself on this online sales journey: What do I want to sell? 

Consider selling a product that piques your own interest and is something your customer is going to want. Pick a niche, which is a segment of the market that you are knowledgeable about and/or is something with market demand. 

Getting and maintaining an audience or customer base can be difficult. But the more you hone in on the things you are good at or have information about, the closer you get to the audience who will want the products you dropship. 

A good task to incorporate on this search for your niche is keyword and product research to understand what’s popular right now in your niche segment. This will lead directly to your next task on competitors. 

2. Conduct competitor research

While we all love a once-in-a-lifetime product, chances are the products you do select to sell will have competitors. How are you going to set yourself apart from them? 

Observing your competitors and gathering information on their products, and even marketing tactics, will help you better sell your products to a shared customer base. Do a thorough check of how they describe their products on product pages (including keywords you can optimize through SEO strategies to get your products to show up organically in search.)

Conduct competitor research through: 

• Google searches

• Social media searches, including browsing their business pages

• Marketplaces such as Amazon 

• Using competitor analysis tools

3. Conduct supplier research

The next crucial question you will need to ask yourself is who your dropshipping supplier is going to be. This is an important relationship because you need reliable suppliers that’ll have the products your customers are ordering and fulfill them in a timely manner, and safely. 

The reality is that you may end up needing more than one supplier to fulfill these orders, depending on what you choose to sell. Make a checklist of all the things you need your supplier(s) to have, including quality of product and service, reliability and scalability (especially if you have seasonal products), and what your own take-home profit will be. 

4. Consider business structure

Dropshipping can be your part-time gig or a full-time commitment. Before solidifying agreements with any supplier or building your online store, take a moment to really consider how you want this business to be. 

There are a couple of ways for your business to be structured: 

• Sole proprietorship: This gives you flexibility to dropship as a side-hustle as a solo entrepreneur. 

• Limited liability company (LLC): The LLC option keeps your personal finances out of the mix (unlike a sole proprietorship) and may give you tax benefits. 

There’s also a more complex corporate structure (C corporations) but that’s for bigger operations. 

In any case, consider speaking with financial and legal advisors after you’ve settled on your business path to help you select which structure is best suited for you. You can always start on one path and make a change as your business grows.

5. Build your online store

Once the specifics of your business plan have been figured out, next you’ll need to build your online store. Your online store is the central place for all of your business. Every piece of marketing will link to it. This is where your customers read about your products and make their purchases. 

If you’re a first-timer in both ecommerce and web design, consider a Squarespace website that allows you to select templates or customize the way you want to. Your online store needs to keep your customer’s attention and be easy enough to navigate so they complete their purchase.

Add different integrations or plug-ins that help you sync dropshipped inventory to your store. 

See online store website examples

6. Get your business finances in order

Working out where to put your profits is an important step in setting up your dropshipping business. There’s real merit in opening a checking account completely separate from everything else in your financial life. Get a business credit card. Think about what tax you need to collect. 

De-linking these from your personal financial accounts will simplify everything during tax time and throughout the year to understand how much you’re making on the business. 

Learn more about organizing your financials

7. Start marketing 

Getting your products out in the world with a marketing strategy is going to be your primary task once your business is up and running. 

Consider the following marketing tasks: 

• Set up social media accounts. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. 

• Create and tailor content to the social media platform. Think Reels or Toks if you have fun product videos to share.

• Have a pop-up email sign-up on your website. Email marketing helps you keep customers updated on products or business news and bring them back to your store. 

• Invest in paid ads if you have the funds. These allow your business to show up in places where potential customers might be.

• Invest time in the communities most likely to buy your products. Remember your niche? Go to those people! 

Get more tips for promoting your shop

8. Measure your progress

When your business is fully operational, take some time to set goals to measure against for your success. How fast do you want to grow year-over-year? What are your website’s traffic goals? 

Draft up some key performance indicators (KPIs) and regularly monitor and adjust them according to your overall goals.

Best practices for a dropshipping business

Dropshipping is an efficient, easy way to enter into the ecommerce world. But it can come with some challenges. Consider the following best practices to ensure you’re running a smooth and headache-free dropshipping business. 

1. Create your shipping and return policy with your supplier 

Not everyone is going to enjoy or need the product they buy. That’s why we have return policies. But for dropshipping, because you’re partnering with another party, understand their return rules, shipping times, and shipping costs before you write your policies. 

2. Keep an eye on inventory levels

Products that go out of stock with a long wait time before they can be ordered again will not make for happy customers. Keep an eye on your inventory levels and, if you can manage it, use multiple suppliers. This may make keeping tabs on stock a bit trickier, but if one supplier is running low, there’s always another to tap in. 

3. Take accountability for order mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. To avoid upset or lost customers, make sure to take accountability for the error, even if it was your supplier not sending the right item or not sending it in your allotted fulfilment time. But touch base with your supplier to understand what caused the issue.

4. Keep customer privacy and security in mind

Using a third-party may leave you wondering if your information is safe. Essential to that, will the information and privacy of your customers be safe? On top of all of that, you may have fraudulent orders placed. 

The world we live in now has a lot of security put in place to ensure credit card numbers are safely communicated and fraudulent orders won’t put you out of business. Keep tabs on any patterns (misspelled or unusual emails, increase in expedited shipping, etc.) and always have your security features on your website up to date. 

But just like an address, no two domains are exactly the same. Not only do they feature different wording, but they also have a unique ending. 

While you may have overlooked this part of the domain before, this ending is known as the domain extension, or top-level domain, and it’s an important part of determining a domain’s unique identity. 

What is a domain?

If you think of a website as a house, where content such as a blog, photo galleries, products in a store live, the domain is the address used to locate it. This is just like the street and number used to locate a house. 

We’re focusing on the top-level domain portion specifically, but for clarity, a domain is composed of a few key pieces:

• The protocol (such as “https://”)

• The subdomain (such as “www.”)

• The domain (such as Squarespace in squarespace.com)

• The domain extension (top-level domain, for example, “.com”)

More on what a domain name is 

Domain extensions or top-level domains (TLDs)

A top-level domain, or TLD, is the end of the URL, which follows the last period. These are sometimes called domain extensions.

There are many different types of domain extensions. Among the most common you may have seen are .com, .org, and .net. The extension for a domain can be up to preference, or be related to a specific service, business, or even location. 

Domain names are sold by domain registrars, which are like car rental agencies for URLs. When you get a domain, you register it for a specific period. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages much of this process, ensuring that registrars follow certain standards and enforcing the different types of TLD categories.

Register a domain through Squarespace 

Types of domain extensions

As mentioned, there are a few different types of domain extensions. While .com or .net are generally up to preference and availability, certain extensions denote a specific service, associate, or location. Some common types include:

• Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs): Like .com and .net

• Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLDs): Like .edu or .gov

• Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLDs): Like .ca, co.uk, ,jp, .de, .ru, and .us

The most popular top-level domains include easily recognizable gTLDs like .com and ccTLDs like .ca.

A site with a sTLD or ccTLD will still needs to meet certain requirements, but a gTLD is up to your preference. Most domains for public use fall under the gTLD category, though this will depend on your individual situation.

How to choose the right domain extension

While top-level domains used to have very specific purposes, many restrictions have been lifted as more have been created over time. For example, .io was originally a ccTLD for the British Indian Ocean Territory, but is now a gTLD due to popular usage.

Currently, there are a few factors that go into selecting the TLD that best fits a site’s needs. These can relate to the specific business type, branding style, or even just whichever one you think looks best. 

While many standard businesses and entities will likely use a .com, or .net domain, some things to consider when determining the extension for a site include:

• Your site’s purpose: For example is the site for a business, or primarily informational? Maybe a .info TLD could fit.

• Your brand’s style: If your brand is more serious or professional, a .com or other standard TLD is more fitting than something like .party. 

• The target audience of your site or business: Similar to your brand style, it’s important to know what your ideal visitor will respond to best.

• Whether this is a nonprofit: .org is a common TLD for nonprofits, though it’s available for anyone to use. Depending on your organization, you might qualify for a .ngo or .ong TLD, but there are restrictions.

• The type of service or product: For example, a restaurant might choose a .food or .pizza TLD.

• Your global location: Some TLDs are more common in certain locations, like .jp for Japanese websites or .ca in Canada.

• Your budget: Domains and TLDs are relatively inexpensive, but some cost more than others.

With the above in mind, if you run an eccentric shoe-making business for example, registering a .shoes domain could be memorable and simple.

Learn how to choose a domain name 

Does the TLD affect SEO?

Speaking of being able to remember or locate a site, top-level domains do not directly affect a site’s search engine optimization (SEO) ranking. However, complicated TLDs can prevent visitors from successfully searching for and finding your site. If a domain name is difficult to remember, it will likely be difficult to search for as well. 

Choosing a TLD that makes your site seem less trustworthy or legitimate can also impact your SEO. This isn’t likely to impact your site if you follow best practices, but if you choose a less common or recognizable TLD, people may be less likely to click on it, which can lower your search ranking.

When registering a domain we recommend picking something easy to pronounce and remember, such as your name, or your business name. 

Learn more about optimizing your website’s SEO 

Can you use more than one domain extension for a single site?

Yes, any site can have multiple domains pointing to it, including variations with a different TLD. This is something business owners and brands do if someone else originally owned the domain they wanted. Once they’re able to claim it, they can own it and redirect it to their current website domain.

Other business owners might want to have a more playful domain name, but hold onto a more standard TLD to be safe. So for that shoe brand owner above, it could be helpful to register a standard .com domain, but also the .shoes TLD to help keep their site easy to discover. 

Note: This article was created in collaboration with the SKU IQ team.

Benefits of connecting your ecommerce and POS systems

Many business owners face the challenge of managing inventory across separate ecommerce and POS systems. This often leads to doubled data entry, time-consuming manual tracking, and frequent errors. Disjointed systems can result in overselling products that are out of stock, leading to customer dissatisfaction and lost sales. Moreover, inconsistencies in catalog data between systems can cause significant operational headaches.

The SKU IQ extension offers seamless integration for Squarespace businesses to help you simplify inventory management across both online and physical retail spaces. 

• Real-time synchronization: The extension automatically updates inventory levels whenever you make a sale, so you have accurate counts across both sales systems.

• Centralized product management: Automate adjustments to your product information  to minimize human error and save time on inventory management. 

• Catalog sync: This keeps product details like titles, prices, and SKUs consistent, while the order management functionality seamlessly syncs orders between your Squarespace store and POS system.

Together, these features protect you from overselling risks, enhance efficiency, and provide a better customer experience. With straightforward tracking and syncing, you’ll feel more confident that your stock levels and pricing are correct, no matter how you’re selling.

Best practices for organizing your sales systems

When setting up your connected retail, there are a few practices that can keep your sales systems running smoothly and help you make business decisions.

• Choose one source of truth. Sticking to one platform for product and inventory management will prevent confusion and ensure you’re always referencing the right source of information.

• Look for sales trends. Common trends in item sales, customers, or order amounts can help you plan your inventory, prep for seasonal trends, and understand what makes certain items popular.

• Spot check your systems. A connected retail system helps eliminate a lot of errors, but it’s worth checking that your information is syncing correctly and helping you work faster.

• Document your workflow. Writing down how you manage your products and how you use your sales systems can help you find inefficiencies or train others if you bring on help.

How to connect to SKU IQ

1. Verify your POS system compatibility. Ensure that your POS system is compatible with the SKU IQ extension. Currently SKU IQ can sync Squarespace ecommerce with Clover, Lightspeed, and Square.

2. Set up the SKU IQ integration. Follow the step-by-step guide on the SKU IQ website to start connecting or book a consultation with the SKU IQ customer support team to walk you through the process. 

3. Synchronize your inventory. Use SKU IQ’s real-time synchronization feature to align inventory across your online shop and POS.

4. Confirm product information. Check and update product details within SKU IQ to ensure consistency across your sales platforms.

5. Test the system. Conduct thorough testing to ensure that the integration works seamlessly across your POS and online store.

6. Monitor and optimize. Regularly check the system for any issues and optimize the setup as needed.

By connecting the SKU IQ extension to your Squarespace store, you can run your business more efficiently and protect your customers’ satisfaction. Using a system that keeps your inventory connected will help you stay competitive and grow your business as the way you sell evolves.

Ready to transform your operations? 

If you’re new at creating product description pages, you might be wondering where to start. What details do you need to include? Which design layout is most effective? How do you take a new visitor to a customer?

Whether you’re a solopreneur or a micro-business owner, knowing how to create a well-balanced, effective PDP will lead to more sales and repeat customers. Here are some best practices to develop your PDPs and write product descriptions like a pro.

What is a Product Detail Page (PDP)?

A PDP is a product detail page or a product description page. It gives your online store visitors the information they need to make a buying decision.

Online shoppers can’t physically experience or try out your product before buying. So successful online sales depend on complete, clear, and easy-to-navigate product detail pages. A well-written, well-designed PDP achieves the following:

• Informs your customers

• Converts visitors into buyers 

• Separates your product from competitors

• Builds trust and confidence with your brand

• Shows buyers how they will benefit from this product

• Avoids misunderstandings and minimizes returns

• Enhances SEO to help more people find you

Professional-looking store pages get attention and keep visitors browsing longer, boosting both your SEO and your sales volume. 

The anatomy of a PDP

Every successful PDP shares a set of essential elements that work together to engage shoppers, build trust, and ultimately drive sales. 

Here's a breakdown of what a successful PDP should include:

• Quality product images that are clear and match your brand personality

• Clear, descriptive product titles that speak to customer interests

• A detailed product description, free of typos

• Easy-to-find pricing information

• What options are available (such as size, color, dimensions)

• Customer reviews

• Shipping and return information

We’ll cover each of these elements in detail. 

7 essential elements of a high-converting PDP

Think of your product detail page (PDP) as a highly skilled salesperson. Each section guides a visitor toward becoming a buyer. 

1. Product images

High-quality product images are a key part of any PDP. Your customers want to see clear images that show a product from different angles. 

What makes great high-quality images? While professional photography is ideal, you can still achieve excellent results without a pro. Here's what to focus on:

• Clarity: Images should be sharp, well-lit, and free of distracting elements.

• Lifestyle photos: Show your product in use to help shoppers visualize how it fits into their lives.

• Multiple angles: Show your product from various perspectives to give a complete view.

• Context and scale: For larger items, use reference photos to convey size.

• Detail shots: Zoom in on unique features or textures to highlight craftsmanship and quality.

• Video overview: A video overview of your product can also help boost engagement.

By following these tips, your product photos will tell a story and complement the details in every other section of your description page.

Learn how to take your own product photos

2. Product titles

Come up with a compelling product title that’s clear, descriptive, and accurate. A great product title will:

• Resonate with your target audience. Create a title that accurately reflects what they’re looking for.

• Include relevant keywords. Including common search phrases for your products can boost your SEO and help your PDP show up more prominently in search results.

• Match your brand voice. Your tone should be consistent across your site, which includes your product names.

For example, a shop selling denim jackets might use a product title like: “Distressed black denim jacket” instead of “Rock Star jacket, black”, if their target customer is more likely to be looking for distressed denim and their tone is less quirky. 

Finally, make sure your PDP url slug matches your product title for consistency and SEO purposes.

3. Product description

Your product description is your chance to answer the buyer’s primary question: Why should I buy this?

Information you can include in the description: 

• Overview of the product

• Dimensions

• Size information

• Benefits and uses 

Make your description scannable with bullet points and subheadings, so that shoppers can find key information faster.  

Include storytelling elements that bring the product to life and persuade someone who’s on the fence that their life will be better with this purchase. A great tip is to address the exact problem this product solves for the potential buyer.

Get a product description template and tips

4. Pricing and variations

Clearly display the price prominently on every product detail page. 

If your product comes in different sizes, colors, dimensions, or configurations, make sure the options are easy to understand and select.  Squarespace makes it easy to set up variants with an intuitive user experience.

Or consider adding a subscription option for products customers might want to reorder regularly. It’s convenient for shoppers and helps you make consistent revenue.

Additionally, always keep your inventory status up-to-date. Clearly indicate whether an item is in stock or sold out to manage customer expectations.

5. Customer reviews

Social proof comes from reviews by unbiased customers, and goes a long way in persuading other shoppers to buy. Including testimonials from satisfied customers is a great tactic to increase sales. 

Collect customer reviews by sending an email to customers after their order arrives. Customize the email to go out automatically and request their candid feedback on your product or service.

6. Shipping and returns information

Clear shipping and returns information gives shoppers confidence in your business. Knowing they can return something makes them less likely to abandon their shopping cart before checkout.  Make the shipping details crystal clear. 

• What shipping options are available? 

• How much do they cost? 

• How long will it take for a shipment to arrive? 

Ease your customers’ worries by clearly explaining how to return purchases. Make your return policy easy to understand and be clear about how refunds work for your store.

See an example return policy

7. Other elements

While these additional elements are optional, they can go a long way in educating customers about a product or persuading them to purchase.

• Related products: Showing related products, like drinking glasses to someone buying dishware, can increase your sales.

• Videos: Videos give shoppers an even more detailed look at a product, and can be especially helpful for fabrics and clothing.

• Size guides: Guides with measurements help customers feel more confident in their selection.

• Social media sharing buttons: Give your customers the option to show off your product to their own followers.

• FAQs: Tackle common questions about a product in advance, so customers know what to expect from the item.

PDP best practices

You now have a solid foundation for your PDP. Use these best practices below to ensure each product you sell is easy to discover and navigate.

Clear categorization 

Organize your products into intuitive categories and subcategories. This helps customers quickly find what they're looking for and encourages them to browse related items. 

For example, a bakery might have a vegan category and subcategories there for cookies, cakes, and cupcakes.

Mobile optimization 

Optimize your PDPs for mobile devices, where many people browse and buy. That includes:

• Ensuring important information shows up higher on the page

• Testing the page’s functionality on a mobile device

• Quick loading speeds for product photos

• Easy-to-use website navigation on a device

Read our guide to designing a store for mobile commerce

SEO considerations

What search terms are people using to find products like yours? Start by brainstorming a list of search terms you think would lead someone to your site or researching common phrases on similar stores. Include those keywords in your product detail page descriptions. You can optimize your page descriptions, too. 

Connect your website to Google Search Console and Google Shopping to better understand what keywords are sending people to your site and ensure your products show up in shopping searches. 

Learn more about selling products on Google

Description length

It’s always safest to assume your site visitor is distracted or browsing multiple items at once. With that in mind, shorter descriptions are better. 

Depending on what you sell, 100 words may be enough to educate visitors. More complex offerings will benefit from additional words, but cap descriptions at 300 words max. 

Q&A or contact options 

Make it simple for customers to ask questions about your products. Consider adding a FAQ section to your PDP and provide a clear way for customers to contact you for more information. User questions can help you understand what information is important to show on your PDP.

Read Squarespace’s guide on optimizing product descriptions

SEO tips for product pages

We don’t want to overlook SEO. By applying these SEO tips below to your product detail pages, you can significantly boost your traffic and conversions.

On-page optimization 

Optimize each of your product description pages just as you would any other website page. At a minimum, do the following.

• Add keywords to headings and subheadings

• Optimize each product’s SEO title & description

• Simplify page URLs and make them match the product title

Blogging for SEO

Even if not every customer reads your posts, search engines do. When you create a blog with SEO in mind, search engines may rank some of your most relevant posts. 

This is a great way for new customers to discover your store. Create blog content around your products, like closet organization or styling tips for a clothing store. If it makes sense, you can link back to your product pages. 

Internal and external linking 

In addition to linking from blogs to product pages, cross-link to related products from other pages when possible. This is where displaying related products or linking your products from your social media can be helpful.

Linking back to your store from other legitimate sites helps build your website’s trustworthiness in search. 

Get more SEO tips for online stores

Squarespace resources and tools for PDPs

Squarespace has a full range of features, resources, and tools for creating effective product descriptions and PDPs.

• Product gallery features can streamline your product page setup process.

• Inventory management tools simplify running your shop and tracking your inventory.

• Browsable templates make it easier to come up with great ideas for your own store design.

• Mobile device features allow you to create mobile-optimized PDPs while staying on brand.

• Squarespace AI and Brand Identity can help you create effective, on-brand product descriptions quickly.

Proposals, estimates, and contracts

Create beautiful and flexible documents, including proposals, estimates, and contracts to turn leads into clients. Share and manage these documents with Projects.

• Easily customize and style documents to match your website and business branding by applying site themes and fonts or editing sections individually.

• Automatically share documents with clients via email and add a personal touch with a custom subject line and message.

• Secure client agreement to scope, fees, and terms of service with a document acceptance section.

New designer website templates

Explore an updated website design with one of our new designer templates, fully customizable and flexible to your brand or business.

• Start your website with one of our newest designer templates, Radian, Looped, Achromatic, Minoru, Byron, Sidney and Fletcher.

• Or, create your own custom template with Squarespace Blueprint AI.

Sell content & memberships

Sell courses, content and memberships with any Squarespace website plan.

• Start selling content and memberships for free with your Squarespace plan.

• Create an online course, membership site, or sell access to your archive of blog posts or videos.

• Choose to add the Digital Products Add-On to your subscription to unlock lower transaction fees and additional video storage.

Offer “Subscribe & Save”

Add Subscribe & Save to your store to turn every sale into recurring revenue.

• Earn reliable, recurring revenue by selling subscriptions to the products and services you offer.

• Allow customers to make a one-time purchase or subscribe and receive a discount.

File uploads for forms

Allow leads or clients to upload files to their form submissions.

• Create a form and specify accepted file types or leave it open for clients to submit any files they want: documents, images, presentations, audio, videos, or other.

• Accept as many files as you want.

• Received files can be downloaded from the form submission, a submission notification email, or third-party extensions.

Learn more about these new products and more on the Squarespace Forum.

The documents you send to clients are among the first interactions they have with your business. It’s important for them to be professional, detailed, and reflect your brand, so you can turn leads into paying clients and earn their trust with clear agreements. On Squarespace, you can create and manage client documents that reflect your website style with project proposal templates, project estimate templates, and contracts.

Determine what kind of document you need

You’ll need different documents at different stages of your relationship with a client. 

• Proposals:  These give clients a high-level overview of your business and services. This introduction is your first opportunity to secure someone’s business. 

• Estimates: An estimate outlines the services you will provide for a project and the associated costs. 

• Contracts: This document outlines your terms of service and makes project expectations and deadlines official.

Creating client documents on Squarespace

To send documents to your leads or clients on Squarespace, you’ll need to create a project. The project is a central place to track documents, invoices, client information, and project milestones. You can create a document from any project’s dashboard.

Start any document with one of the document templates and replace the content to fit your business. Once you’ve picked the type of document you’d like to create, you can customize the layout, fonts, and colors. Create a custom design or apply your existing site styles to match your website’s look.

Create a project proposal

Your project proposal is a chance to sell a potential client on your services and get them excited about the prospect of working with you. It’s an opportunity to showcase your business and your services. 

Consider including:

• A custom heading with the client’s name for personalization

• A brief description of your business

• Service packages to choose from with associated costs

• Next steps 

• Testimonials from previous clients

• Images of previous work

• FAQs

• A proposal acceptance

When creating a proposal, think about the main priority or problem your client has and how you can solve it for them. Emphasize those services and the benefits so that the client feels understood and sees the value of working with you. For example, images of your previous work could showcase projects for past clients with similar goals. 

Including an Acceptance step is optional. If you do include it and it’s accepted, it constitutes a formal agreement. If proposal acceptance is part of your workflow, make sure you’re clear with clients about what they’re agreeing to at this stage.

Create a project estimate

An estimate is a document outlining the services included in a project and the cost for each service. This gives your client a more detailed account of your pricing.  

A project estimate should include:

• A custom heading with the client’s name or project name

• Details of the service package

• Cost breakdown of the selected package

• Add-ons that you offer

• Next steps for the client

• FAQs

• An estimate acceptance

We recommend including an Acceptance step in your estimate document, so you have a record of the specific services and pricing you and your clients agreed to at this stage. Some business owners combine proposal and estimate details into one document so that a lead can consider their pitch and the pricing breakdown together.

Generate and manage client contracts

A contract is usually the final step to kicking off a client project. The contract sets out the details of your services and the terms of your agreement. That includes legal language around liability and guidelines for terminating the contract.

We recommend working with a legal professional or legal service for advice on what your contract should include. Some common information in contracts are:

• Details of the project timeline and costs

• Terms of the agreement, including promised services

• Payment, refund, or cancellation terms

• A contract acceptance

Once you’ve sent a document to your client, you can track its status. You and your client will both get email notifications when the document is sent and accepted, and you’ll see its status in your project dashboard.

Benefits of managing client documents on Squarespace

Creating and managing client agreements in your Squarespace account can help you centralize your administrative work into one platform and keep your documents in line with your business branding. That way, you can work faster and don’t have to switch between tools or go searching for documents. 

Squarespace’s client document templates can:

• Match your site styles. Matching the style you’ve already created on your website helps you quickly adopt a professional, consistent look. 

• Customize your communication. When you’re ready to send a document to a client, you can personalize and send an email directly from your account.

• Simplify your workflow. You have the option to duplicate documents for quicker customization.

Once you send out a document, you can manage the rest of your project from your dashboard. Consider sending an invoice to collect a deposit or full payment or create upcoming project milestones to stay on top of important dates.

Note: Documents are available on Business, Commerce Basic, and Commerce Advanced plans.

As an online shopper, we all expect international shipping to be fast and stress-free. But behind the scenes, it's not all smooth sailing. For businesses like yours, venturing into international shipping, it's a world of customs, regulations, and the occasional disappearing act by parcels. 

It sounds like a lot, but we've got you covered. Whether you're exploring international shipping or aiming to enhance global sales, this guide is a valuable resource for ensuring smooth operations from the start.

7 easy steps to simplify your international shipping workflow

Here are 7 fundamental parts to understand how international shipping works, and make your shipping process as smooth as butter. 

1. Know your target market

Before starting shipping, you must know your audience. Especially in today's globalized marketplace, where consumer preferences, behaviors, and expectations vary widely across regions and demographics. 

Sendcloud’s E-commerce Delivery Compass 2023 report highlights trends in consumer behavior, emphasizing the importance of customer-centric services for successful online stores. 

Here are the main takeaways to consider.

1. Addressing checkout abandonment: High shipping costs (62%) and slow delivery times (45%) are the main reasons shoppers exit before checking out, indicating a preference for affordable and fast shipping options.

2. Delivery expectations: The average customer expects delivery within 3-4 days, with a preference for free delivery over fast delivery.

3. Flexible delivery options: Flexible delivery options, such as next-day delivery, choosing your day of delivery, and pick-up at local stores, are becoming increasingly popular among consumers.

4. Managing returns: 51% of shoppers expect the option to return a product if they are not satisfied with it, highlighting the importance of flexible returns policies.

By creating detailed customer profiles outlining expectations for shipping times, costs, carrier preferences, and returns policies, you can tailor your international shipping strategies to meet the specific needs of your target audience. 

Learn how to create a shipping policy

2. Choose your international shipping partners

When it comes to using multiple carriers for different shipment services, there are both pros and cons to consider. While it can save you money, it can also make the process more complex. 

By working with multiple carriers, you can provide your customers with a range of services catering to their needs and preferences.

Let’s see your options.

• Postal services, which offer a cost-effective solution for shipping internationally, with established networks and infrastructure for cross-border delivery. However, they often lack speed and reliability and may offer limited tracking capabilities.

• Global courier companies like DHL, FedEx, and UPS, which offer expedited delivery options with robust tracking and delivery guarantees. These services are more expensive, but can give customers greater visibility and control over their shipments, which can lead to higher satisfaction levels.

The choice of shipping carrier should align with your business objectives, customer expectations, and budget constraints.

Shipping platforms like Sendcloud can benefit you by using their scale and size to pass on bulk discounts and preferential rates. 

Factor in your international shipping costs 

It is absolutely crucial to ensure the accuracy of your costs. This is not only important for maintaining proper records, but also for making your pricing completely transparent to consumers. But this goes beyond the actual shipping price. Your cost breakdown must include the following components:

• Cost of the product

• Cost of packaging

• Cost of international shipping

• All handling charges

• Duties and taxes

Learn more about calculating shipping costs 

3. Get to know the legal requirements

From prohibited items to import duties to customs declarations, businesses must ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations to avoid costly penalties and delays.

Prohibited items vary widely depending on the destination country and carrier, but common examples include:

• Firearms

• Explosives

• Narcotics

• Counterfeit goods

Certain items may also be subject to restrictions or require special permits for importation, such as:

• Agricultural products

• Pharmaceuticals

• Hazardous materials

Furthermore, it’s helpful to stay informed about changes in import/export regulations and trade agreements that may impact your shipping operations. Check a reliable source for requirements whenever you ship internationally. Or use a shipping service that carefully tracks these regulations for you. An integration like Sendcloud ensures you have the right forms for every shipment.

By staying vigilant and proactive in addressing legal requirements, you can minimize the risk of customs delays, seizures, and other compliance issues that may disrupt any international shipping.

4. Fill out your paperwork properly

To avoid delays or complications, you’ll need to make sure you have all required documentation complete, accurate, and compliant with regulations or international shipping.

Be transparent with customers about the fees associated with importing goods, if there will be any. This includes import duties, VAT, and processing costs for carriers. 

To ensure that your packages reach their destination successfully, there are some documents you should be familiar with depending on the carrier and destination.

• Customs Declaration CN22: Used for goods weighing up to 2 kg (4.4 lbs) and up to €425 ($460 USD) in value. It must be attached to the outside of the package.

• Customs Declaration CN23: Required for shipments weighing over 2 kg (4.4 lbs) and/or exceeding €425 ($460 USD) in value. It is larger than the CN22 and must also be attached to the outside of the package, with a second copy placed inside.

• Despatch Note CP71: This document accompanies the CN23 declaration and is mandatory for international shipments.

• Commercial Invoice: Essential for shipments going to countries outside the EU, the commercial invoice provides details about the package contents and agreed terms, such as who bears the customs charges (Incoterms).

Managing customs declarations can be complex and time-consuming. However, automated solutions can simplify the process and save time. With Sendcloud, you can accurately generate compliant customs forms and shipping labels. 

5. Pack and label parcels correctly

Whether shipping domestically or internationally, we recommend sticking to best practices for packaging and labeling parcels to minimize the risk of damage, loss, or theft.

If you want to ensure that your parcels survive the journey abroad, try these expert tips.

• Reinforce the corners of your package with packing tape that is at least 48 mm (2 in) wide.

• Make sure there is a space of 6 cm (2 in) between the product and the shipping box.

• Fill the package with padding material, such as bubble wrap or foam peanuts.

• Use boxes made of two-ply corrugated cardboard for fragile goods, and add extra protection with layers of bubble wrap.

It's worth noting that in some countries, addresses don't necessarily have a house number, street name, or postal code. 

Carriers have specific formatting requirements for shipping labels to ensure successful delivery. 

To avoid errors when filling out shipping labels, it can be helpful to integrate a shipping platform like Sendcloud with your Squarespace account. Sendcloud platform adds extra power to your shipping options on Squarespace. The extension helps you to automatically generate pre-filled shipping labels using order details, which saves you time and reduces the likelihood of human error.

6. Reassure your customers with post-purchase notifications 

Providing clear instructions for tracking an order is essential to establish trust among your customers and ensure a smooth delivery process. 

Include detailed shipping information in shipment confirmation emails and your store’s website.

1. Use visuals. Consider including a visual guide or infographic summarizing shipping methods and times to make the tracking process easier for your customers.

2. Anticipate customer questions. Consider the most common questions that customers might have when tracking their order and provide easy-to-understand answers to these questions in advance.

3. Direct customers to the tracking system. Tell your customers where they can track their package. Provide a link to your tracking page or the carrier's website and include instructions on where to enter the tracking number.

4. Use simple language. Avoid using technical terms that may be unfamiliar to your customers. If you need to use them, briefly explain what they mean.

7. Handling international returns

Managing international returns is an essential part of ensuring a positive customer experience. It can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

To provide customers with a seamless shopping experience and increase customer satisfaction, it’s important to offer flexible return policies.

• Provide extended return windows beyond the standard 30-day return period.

• Offer prepaid return labels to make the return process easier for customers.

• Allow your customers to return items to local or regional fulfillment centers for faster processing and refunds.

• Provide a self-service online returns portal for customers, streamlining the returns process and saving time and energy.

Having a simple and customer-friendly return policy can lead to higher order value and more repeat customers.

Learn how to write a returns policy

Improve your international shipping with the Sendcloud extension

Developing a solid international shipping strategy is crucial for any business looking to expand their reach abroad. It involves understanding customer requirements, international regulations, and practical considerations about costs. 

While international shipping can be complex, it doesn't have to be with the right strategy in place. Here's how Sendcloud can streamline your international shipping process.

• Prioritize preferences: Choose between cost-effectiveness, speed, or insurance coverage.

• Integration with Squarespace: Automatically import your Squarespace orders for seamless management.

• Method selection: Edit or choose from preselected international shipping options.

• Price calculator: Use the tool to find suitable shipping methods based on parcel details.

• Customs documentation: Automate generation to ensure accuracy and compliance.

• Printing labels: Print labels and customs documents together for efficiency.

• Paperless trade: Reduce paperwork with digital customs declarations for supported carriers.

• Automated notifications: Send customizable notifications to your customers when their order is shipped, out for delivery, or delivered.

Ready to take your shipping to the next level?

Note: This Making It article was created in collaboration with Sendcloud. 

Your website is like an extension of your office. Ensuring your site is built with your clients in mind and geared around accessibility will help new and existing clients feel confident in your care.

1. Define your needs

Before you start doing any website building, it’s helpful to get clear on what you need your site to do for you and your patients. Ask yourself the following questions.

1. How do I want my patient to feel when they land on my website?

2. What information do I want to share via my website?

3. How will potential clients use my website?

The way you personalize your website, like the colors and imagery, along with your mission or goal for your practice, is part of your brand. 

For example, you likely want incoming patients to feel that they can trust you with their health when looking at your website. You might want to share details about the services you offer, and what patients can expect when they come in.

2. Choose a website template

The fonts, colors, and imagery used on your site are the first impression potential patients will have of your office.  

To narrow down options from Squarespace, there’s a Health & Beauty section within the template store. These templates are designed to showcase different types of wellness websites, and how your content could be organized within them.

In particular, the templates Clove, Myhra, and Meriden are great starting templates for a medical site, as they use calm colors and simple descriptive text.

If you’d rather build a custom template, you can use Squarespace Blueprint AI to quickly generate your own.

3. Create a helpful header

Your site header is one of the first things visible when patients visit your site. Make sure the most important information is clearly accessible from your website header. Link out to important site pages, like your booking page, insurance information page, and FAQ. You can also add links to emails or phone numbers so clients can find you easily.

Most website headers also support a button with a link to any URL. You may want to use this button to link to your patient portal, where visitors can access their information via your HIPAA-compliant messaging system.

4. Build your pages

Add website pages based on what you think your clients will want to know. For example, consider a Contact Us page detailing where your practice is located, the hours, and how to get in contact.

Some other pages you may want to include are:

• About page: Covering your background, degrees or certifications, and personal biography

• Team page: Introducing your practice’s staff

• Services page: Listing what services you provide at your practice

• FAQ: Addressing common patient questions about appointment scheduling or cancellations or insurance

 For additional ease of contact, you can add an email sign-up form to your site. That way you can collect patient email addresses, to easily notify them of any changes to hours or staff.

You can add pages to a Squarespace site by choosing an existing layout and replacing the example information with your own.

5. Customize visual elements

Adding images to your website helps to break up the design and can be used to connect with patients before they step into your practice. Consider adding photos of you and your team to the site, or of the inside of your practice, to start.

Stock images are another great way to add engaging imagery to your site. All Squarespace websites come connected to Unsplash, a free stock image service, and Getty Images, which allows you to purchase licensing for additional images.

Though imagery is a major aspect of website design, keep in mind not all visitors may be able to see them. Inclusive design is critical when formatting your content. You can set alt text for images, which can be read by screen readers to describe the image.

6. Set up online booking

Not all patients want to schedule over the phone. Add Acuity Scheduling to your website to offer easy booking online by embedding a scheduling tool to your site.

You can customize appointment length and other details, so that both the provider and clients know the exact type of appointment they’re booking. That also helps you differentiate between the services you offer, rather than being locked into premade types of appointments.

Speed up the appointment booking process and save paper by collecting client intake forms during booking. These forms are HIPAA-compliant, and can be customized based on what information you need from new clients.

Make sure to share your cancellation policy ahead of time and enable appointment reminders to limit no-shows.

7. Set up your domain

Your domain is the URL visitors use to navigate to your website. This could be the name of your clinic or could be speciality- or location-based. You can even use your own name.  

If you register a new domain with Squarespace, you can also receive a matching custom domain email address from Squarespace free for one year. Using an email address with your own custom domain adds professionalism, and separates your business inbox from others you may have.

Learn more about choosing a domain name

8. Optimize for SEO

You’ll want to ensure anyone looking for a practice like yours can find you, by optimizing your website for search engines. 

Brainstorm common search phrases that might lead someone to your website, like “NYC physical therapist.” These will be your keywords to include throughout your website content. By default, all Squarespace websites are optimized for SEO, with features that make it easier for search engines to pick up site information. But every site also gives you the option to add keywords in important areas.

In particular, consider adding keywords in these places.

• Site description

• SEO title and page titles

• Heading text

• Captions and titles for images

• Alt text for images

Ensure your website can be found locally by setting up a Google Business Listing, which links your location on Google Maps with your website and practice information.

Get more SEO tips for your site 

9. Keep your patients informed

For updates to clinic hours or other information you want to send clients, consider using a mailing list tool, like Squarespace Email Campaigns. This allows you to send bulk emails using your site’s branding.

The best way to build a mailing list is to add a newsletter block to your site, which collects email addresses. Those email addresses can be stored in your website account.. That way, when sending emails to clients, you can select one mailing list to notify all subscribers.

Adding a newsletter block to your site’s footer is the best way to automatically add it to each page of your site, so visitors are prompted to subscribe once they reach the end of the page’s content.

To highlight important information or policies, you can also add an announcement bar to your website. The announcement bar displays across the top of your website, and is useful for important news such as new clinic hours. You can also use it to link to pages within your site with additional details on upcoming changes.