Master Your Squarespace Game: 4 Must-Do Tasks Before Launching
Looking to DIY your very own Squarespace website?
Here are four essential tasks to set up before launching, making sure your website appears professional and is ready to go live:
Social Sharing Image
Favicon
SSL
Cookie Banner
1. Social Sharing Image
When you or anyone else shares a link to your website on social media, a social sharing image is the image that appears alongside the link. This image can impact how your website appears on social media, so it's important to choose or design a high-quality image that represents your brand.
💡 To set up a Social Sharing Image on your Squarespace website, navigate to the "Design" panel and select "Social Sharing." Here, you can upload an image and customize the title and description that appear when your website is shared on social media.
The size of a Squarespace social sharing image is currently 1200 x 630 (always good to double-check though before creating - Squarespace updates on the reg).
You can create an image in Canva easily. Just select “Create a New Image” and enter the 1200 x 630 dimensions, and design away.
2. Favicon (aka Browser Icon)
What is a favicon?
A favicon is the small icon that appears in the browser tab next to your website title. It's a simple but effective way to add a personal touch to your website. And it helps users when they have multiple tabs open find the right one—yours—again!
💡To set up a Favicon on Squarespace, navigate to the "Settings" panel, scroll down to "Browser Icon" and upload your custom image.
Note: it may take a moment or two to appear. Just try refreshing your page and it should show up.
👉 More detailed instructions - with a video! - at my blog post here: How To Change the Squarespace Browser Icon.
3. SSL
SSL (officially “Secure Sockets Layer”) is a security protocol that encrypts data sent between your website and your visitors' browsers. What does that mean?
Basically that means your website is secure. Having an SSL certificate is essential for any website, as it helps protect sensitive information and builds trust with your visitors.
💡 Squarespace automatically provides SSL for all websites (whoop whoop!), so there's no need to set this up manually. Just make sure you have "Secure" enabled in your website settings. Go to “Settings”, click “Advanced”, then click “SSL” to make sure it’s active.
Go to “Settings”, click “Advanced”, then click “SSL” to make sure it’s active.
setting up your own Squarespace site and want a detailed checklist? I gotchu. grab your free guide here 👇
4. Cookie Banner
A Cookie Banner is a notification that appears on your website to inform visitors that your website uses cookies. Cookies are small files that are stored on a visitor's device and help personalize their website experience.
If you collect ANY information about your website visitors, including tracking analytics or collecting email addresses or other data, you need a Cookie Banner.
💡To set up a Cookie Banner on Squarespace, navigate to “Settings” in the side panel and then click the "Cookies & Visitor Data" panel in your website settings. Here, you can customize the banner's appearance and choose whether visitors can accept or decline cookies.
Best practice is to choose Opt-in & Out
Okee! A few helpful tips for you. Have questions? Email me here.
Setting up a Squarespace website requires attention to several key elements to ensure your website ticks all those boxes. There are loads of other things to check before publishing, but remembering these four is crucial to building trust with your visitors and creating a great user experience.
👯♀️ If you got through this and realized, ‘Ermmmm, Janessa this was helpful, but I just want to spend my time actually focusing on my business,’ then a) fair! and b) schedule a free consult with me here.
