How Much Does a Squarespace Website Cost for a Small Business?
Let's be honest. This is the question everyone wants to ask and nobody wants to get wrong.
You've been putting it off. Maybe you searched "Squarespace website cost" and got a range so wide it was basically useless. Maybe someone quoted you €300 and someone else quoted you €5,000 and you have no idea what you're actually supposed to pay.
So let's talk about it properly.
→ First, the honest answer
A Squarespace website for a small business can cost anywhere from €0 to €10,000+.
That's not a helpful answer, I know. But understanding why the range is so wide is actually the most useful thing I can tell you.
The price depends on three things: who builds it, what's included, and what you actually need.
→ You build it yourself
Squarespace is designed for non-designers. The platform costs between €16 and €49 per month, and there are templates that look decent out of the box.
If you're just starting out, have very limited budget, and need something live quickly — this is a valid option.
But here's what DIY actually costs you.
Time. A lot of it.
Most small business owners spend weeks — sometimes months — building their own site. Tweaking fonts. Changing colours. Starting over. And the result is usually a website that looks like what it is: built by someone who knows their business inside out but has never studied web design.
That's not an insult. It's just the truth.
Web design is a skill. It takes years to develop. And when your website doesn't communicate trust, clarity and professionalism — the people who land on it leave. Quietly. Without telling you why.
If this sounds familiar: I wrote a whole post about Why DIY Squarespace websites hurt small businesses — and what to do instead.
→ Let AI build it for you
This is the newest option — and the one nobody was talking about two years ago.
Squarespace, Wix and a growing number of tools now offer AI-generated websites. You answer a few questions, the AI builds something, and you're live in minutes. The cost is essentially zero beyond the platform subscription.
It sounds like the perfect solution. And for some people, in some situations, it genuinely is.
But here's the thing about AI-generated websites.
They're built on averages. Your business isn't average.
AI is very good at producing something that looks acceptable. A layout that works. Copy that's technically correct. A colour palette that doesn't clash. What it can't do is understand the specific feeling you want someone to have when they land on your page. It doesn't know your story. It can't read your clients. It has no taste — only patterns.
The result is a website that looks like it could belong to anyone. Which means it truly belongs to no one.
Want to go deeper on this? I wrote an honest, no-fluff guide to AI vs. a real designer — what AI can actually do, where it falls short, and how to decide what's right for your business.
→ A premium template
There's a middle ground between DIY and hiring a designer: buying a premium Squarespace template. These typically cost between €150 and €400 and give you a professionally designed starting point.
They're a good option if you have some design instinct, time to customise, and a clear idea of what you want.
The limitation?
A template is built for everyone. Which means it's built for no one in particular.
It won't reflect your specific brand, your voice, your clients, your story. You'll still spend hours making it work — and it may never feel quite right.
Ask yourself this: When you look at your current website, does it feel like you — or does it feel like a version of you that's been squeezed into someone else's mould?
→ Hiring a professional designer
This is where the investment jumps — and where it starts to make real sense.
A professional Squarespace designer typically charges between €1,500 and €8,000 for a complete website. The range depends on experience, what's included, and the complexity of the project.
At The Lincoln Studio, The Signature — a complete, custom Squarespace website — starts at €1,997.
I know that feels like a lot. So let me tell you what it actually includes.
It's not just a website.
It's strategy. Understanding who you serve, what they need to feel when they land on your page, and how to move them from visitor to enquiry. It's copy guidance — making sure the words on your site sound like you and speak to the right people. It's design — not a template adapted, but a site built around your brand, your palette, your vision. And it's the process — clear, step by step, no surprises.
A well-designed website works quietly in the background. It earns trust before you've said a word.
It attracts the right people and filters out the wrong ones. It makes saying yes feel easy.
That's what you're paying for.
Worth knowing: The Signature includes strategy, copywriting guidance, design and a full handover session. See exactly what's included →
→ So what's the right choice for you?
If you're just starting out and have more time than budget — start with DIY. Get something live, learn what you need, and invest in a professional site when you're ready.
But if you've been in business for a while, you have clients you love, and your website makes you wince every time you share the URL —
It's time.
The cost of a bad website isn't just aesthetic. It's the enquiries that never came. The clients who went somewhere else. The opportunities you'll never know you missed.
Your website is often the first impression someone has of your business. It has to earn trust before a single word is read.
If you're ready to have that conversation, I'd love to hear about your project.
