Lo que conviene saber sobre el mundo de Squarespace.

Para diseñadores, desarrolladores y personas que crean negocios en torno a Squarespace.

Omari Harebin 17/1/23 Omari Harebin 17/1/23

Cómo añadir tus productos de Squarespace al catálogo de Pinterest

El primer paso para incorporar tu feed de productos de Squarespace a tu catálogo de Pinterest es exportar un archivo CSV desde Squarespace. Para ello, ve al panel de control de Commerce y, a continuación, a «Inventario». En la esquina superior derecha, verás una opción llamada «Exportar todo»; al hacer clic en ella, se generará un archivo CSV con los productos. Una vez que tengas este archivo, ábrelo en Google Sheets.

Pinterest tiene sus propios requisitos sobre cómo deben organizarse estos datos. La hoja de cálculo deberá procesarse de forma que se ajuste a los requisitos de Pinterest. Para ayudarte con esto, Pinterest ofrece una lista de campos obligatorios que deben rellenarse. Entre ellos se incluyen el ID, el ID del grupo de artículos, el título, la descripción, el enlace, el enlace a la imagen, el precio, la disponibilidad, los nombres de las variantes y los nombres de los valores. Puedes encontrar más información sobre qué debe incluirse en estos campos en los consejos de formato de Pinterest.

En la hoja de cálculo, tendrás que cambiar el nombre de la primera columna a «item_group_id» y rellenar las celdas vacías con el ID del grupo de artículos del producto que aparece justo encima. Si tienes un catálogo de productos muy extenso, hay un script disponible que puede automatizar este proceso. Puedes registrarte para recibir una notificación cuando esté disponible.

También tendrás que cambiar el nombre de la columna «URL del producto» por «enlace» y fusionar las columnas D y E en la URL. Para ello, deberás combinar la URL de la tienda de la columna D y la URL del producto de la columna E para crear el enlace definitivo.

Una vez que hayas realizado todos estos cambios, tu hoja de cálculo de Google estará lista para importarla a tu catálogo de Pinterest.

El siguiente paso es publicar el archivo CSV en la web. Para ello, ve a «Archivo» > «Publicar en la web», cambia la opción de «Página web» a «CSV» y publícalo.

Esto creará un enlace que podrás utilizar como feed de productos. Cualquier cambio que realices en la hoja de cálculo se reflejará automáticamente en tu catálogo de Pinterest, aunque Pinterest puede tardar hasta 24 horas en actualizar el feed.

El último paso consiste en importar el feed a Pinterest. En tu página de empresa, ve a tu catálogo, que suele encontrarse en el menú de anuncios. Asigna al feed el nombre que prefieras y pega la URL del feed de productos en el espacio correspondiente.

Comprueba tu feed y valídalo; a continuación, podrás crear pines y esperar 24 horas para ver los cambios. Una vez que tu feed haya sido verificado, pasarás a ser un comerciante verificado de Pinterest.

Si sigues estos pasos, podrás importar correctamente tu feed de productos de Squarespace a tu catálogo de Pinterest.

Omari Harebin 8/17/20 Omari Harebin 8/17/20

Building Squarespace Websites for Subscription Based Businesses

Are you looking to use Squarespace for subscriptions? Here we’re taking a quick look at your options:

Squarespace once was thought of as not a great platform for any sort of subscription.

We think that was a bit undeserved - it has always been a beautiful showcase for businesses of all types, it’s just that it used to take a whole lot more setting up in order to get subscriptions going on Squarespace.

These days, it’s actually pretty easy. Squarespace made some changes back in late 2018 that included a subscription feature for merchants. Now, the task of building a subscription site is easier than ever.

Looking at building a subscription site on Squarespace? Here are some key things to know:

Why sell subscriptions?

What are some best practices for subscription websites? Download here

Subscriptions seemed to be a kind of “fad” a few years ago online, although in reality, they’ve been around for decades. Many businesses got into selling some kind of subscription product or service via their websites because it’s a simple setup for recurring revenue. Customers are billed automatically and don’t have to make time to come back and repurchase.

With everything on offer via subscription now, from streaming services to meal kits to “anything in a box,” people are often left wondering if the market is already over-saturated. While it’s true that a sense of “subscription fatigue” exists among many consumers, data still shows that, given the right focus on fulfilling customer needs and desires, there are still strong market opportunities for subscriptions.

During the COVID pandemic, people have been ordering online more than ever, so it may represent an opportunity for some businesses to offer subscriptions, perhaps where they haven’t before. If you sell consumable goods that people use up and buy more of, for example, these can be ripe for a subscription service.

Besides the recurring revenue, subscriptions bring advantages to business owners such as reducing administrative work. The automated nature of subscriptions means that if you sell services, you can avoid chasing customers for outstanding invoices. How many of you in the Squarespace “space” could use a reliable, recurring revenue source, where you don’t have to do extra work to ensure that you are getting paid?

What is available on Squarespace for subscriptions?

Fortunately, if you need to start from scratch on a Squarespace subscription website, or add subscription functionality to an existing website, you have options. It used to be that Squarespace didn’t have in-built subscription features, but that changed in November 2018.

Squarespace’s own subscription offering comes with a very specific set of parameters. You must:

Be on the Commerce Advanced plan.
Enable Customer Accounts.
Sell physical or service products. It isn’t possible to make digital products or donations a subscription.
Use Stripe as your payment processor. It isn’t possible to sell subscription products using PayPal.

Additionally, on Version 7.0, subscriptions work best on templates that automatically display a sign-on link.

With these conditions in-mind, as a Squarespace designer, you could sell subscriptions for your own service products. For example, you might offer a monthly retainer for maintenance or some kind of membership program. Or you could sell any kind of physical product as a subscription.

To enable subscriptions, select “subscription product” in the setup of each individual product, then customize the subscription settings. See the example from Squarespace below:

You’re able to set up subscriptions so that they renew indefinitely, or you can set them so that they have a definite beginning and end. For example, if you’re selling a six-month maintenance package billed monthly, you’d adjust the settings so that six payments come out.

Moonclerk on Squarespace

As Squarespace’s addition of subscription features is relatively recent, people previously built subscription services using a plugin to enable recurring payments. Moonclerk was (and still is) a popular option, so it’s worth exploring how it might compare to using Squarespace’s built-in features.

For example, one thing many startup businesses are concerned with is cost. Squarespace requires subscription users to be on a Commerce Advanced Plan which at the time of writing this, costs $40 per month. Moonclerk has a sliding scale on pricing based on the monthly volume of transactions. The bottom tier is $15 per month and the next one up is $30 per month.

In terms of payment providers, both Moonclerk and Squarespace operate with Stripe, so you’ll be paying the same transaction fees for each option.

You’ll see some key differences on the customer-facing side of the subscription. Any subscription service should allow customers to use self-service options to make updates; Squarespace does offer the ability to make some updates, such as updating their payment method or cancelling their subscription, but that’s really it. For other changes, such as an update to shipping address, the customer would have to cancel the subscription and re-subscribe, which is a real pain. This also opens up a potential avenue of customer churn, which is a common issue with subscriptions. The fact that the customer has to cancel and resubscribe may cause them to pause and question whether they really still want the subscription.

On the other hand, Moonclerk allows customers to manage a range of information from their end, including updating their shipping address. From this perspective, Moonclerk wins in the customer-facing department because you don’t want to risk that an extra step will lead to clients cancelling.

In terms of checkout design, Moonclerk allows you to choose from a range of themes and designs, including the opportunity to use custom CSS to ensure your checkout design matches your overall brand. Squarespace allows you to make some styling customizations, but you don’t get full flexibility with how you style it (for example, there are some default features you can’t change).

Another notable Moonclerk feature? They allow for both one-time and recurring ACH payments (where a customer’s bank account is debited directly). Transaction fees for this can be much lower than card payments, which can make a significant difference at volume.

What are some subscription UI best practices?

Whichever option you choose for designing a Squarespace subscription site, there are a few best practices to consider in terms of the user interface. Your design should always intentionally lead the customer to want to subscribe and include the following helpful features:

Make sure it’s obvious that it is a subscription. People really don’t like it when they think they’re buying something one time and it turns out they’ve subscribed to something!
Make it as easy as possible to subscribe. Like any other ecommerce experience, it should be simple and make every attempt to remove potential roadblocks.
Make sure subscription terms are clear. How much are they paying, for what, and how often? This should be made super-clear when you set the products up.
If possible, give people options. For example, maybe they can try something as a one-off if they’re not sure about subscribing, or maybe you offer different subscription rates for different commitments (e.g., a discount if they commit to six months or a year).

Download here: Best practices for subscription websites

Reflexiones finales

If you need to build subscription services into a Squarespace website, you’ve got some good options. Squarespace’s in-built subscription features provide the basics that you’ll need, although there are one or two small features (like customers not being able to update their address without cancelling) that need improvement.

You can always explore a third-party option such as Moonclerk, too. A key difference that you’ll find is that when a service has been specifically built for subscriptions, they usually cover the basics AND extra features well. You may want to do some testing to see what will be a good fit - most will offer some kind of free trial.

We’d love to hear from you if you’re building a subscription site or have done so. Did you pick up any tips along the way? Drop us a comment below...

Omari Harebin 6/29/20 Omari Harebin 6/29/20

How the Right Lead Magnet Can Help Grow Your Business

Lead magnets are still an effective way to help grow your business. Here’s where you can get started:

Are you looking for new ways to grow your business?

Most Squarespace freelancers or agencies look for ways to boost growth. You need to generate more traffic to your website and importantly, more of the right people - those who are your target audience.

A lead magnet comes in once you’re getting traffic to your website. There’s no sense in having people turn up and leave again, without offering a way for those who are interested to stay in touch with you. You need traffic that converts!

Your lead magnet can get people onto your email list and deliver them some kind of value - a key step to building trust and growing your business. Here’s how it works:

How can you find lead magnet ideas? Free download here

Why lead magnets matter

Lead magnets are nothing new. In fact, marketers have used them in one form or another for decades. The basic premise is that you give away something for free in exchange for the contact details of the customer (their email address), and permission to keep in touch.

This used to operate with things like sending in a coupon via mail in exchange for a free offer. On a website, a lead magnet is usually delivered digitally. The visitor fills out a form on your site with their details and receives whatever it is you’re giving away (often some kind of digital download). You might have multiple lead magnets (and this strategy can be quite effective); for example, by giving away lead magnets within blog posts that are related to the content.

Why do lead magnets matter? Because they still work (if you do them well). Many businesses are successfully using them on their websites and building an email list that they can regularly communicate with.

Essentially, building your list is a key function of the lead magnet. You might have a newsletter signup form or something similar on your website, but you need a way to encourage people to actually fill out that form. A lead magnet can give them a compelling reason.

Tobacco company “lead magnet” from 1927 (source)

What makes a lead magnet effective?

You probably noticed that statement in the last section: lead magnets still work, “if you do them well.” People don’t give up their email addresses easily these days - they have to have a compelling reason.

This means that an effective lead magnet must be designed thoughtfully, with your target audience in mind. It should deliver something that they will value - for example, a way to solve a key problem that they have.

If we were to create a list of things to make a lead magnet effective, they would be:

It’s targeted to the audience you want to reach.
It’s in a format that the audience wants to consume (for example, consider whether a lengthy ebook really appeals to a busy executive, if they are your target group).
It helps them to solve a pressing issue that they have.
You have clear calls to action in the marketing for your lead magnet - tell people what you want them to do!
Your marketing clearly outlines the benefits to the audience of the lead magnet.
You monitor the effectiveness of the lead magnet.
You make improvements based on feedback.
You keep in touch with regular email contact. (This is really the whole point. You entice people onto your email list so that they can get to know you better over time).

For extra effectiveness points, consider lead magnets that:

Provide a “quick win”
Are quick and easy to digest
Demonstrate your expertise
Are super-specific (specific topics tend to convert better rather than general topics)

Begin by brainstorming common problems for your audience to generate ideas. For example, if it’s “my audience wants ways to grow their business without spending lots of money,” you might create a lead magnet about how they can create lead magnets ;).

Lead magnet ideas

There are many types of possible lead magnets - some even may be related to other digital products that your business sells. For example, if you sell software or plugins, a logical lead magnet might be to offer a free trial or “freemium” version. Or, you might offer one part of the software for free, like some kind of tool or calculator. Whatever you choose, keep it valuable to deliver a quick win.

Here are some lead magnet ideas:

#1. Checklists

Checklists can be a win all around. If you design them well, they help to solve a problem AND they’re easy to digest. Sometimes that’s just what people want - the quick version of how to achieve something without having to go through a long set of instructions.

They’re also fairly quick to create. You probably already have the content for a checklist embedded in something like a blog post. In that case, you can just pull out key points and summarize.