How long does it take to build a stonking Squarespace website?
A custom-coded Squarespace 7.1 website can be built in as little as two weeks, provided your branding, imagery and copy are ready before the project starts. By following a structured process of wireframing, user journey planning and technical build-out, you can get a high-performance, unique website that balances speed with bespoke design.
Simon reading an interior design book
How long does it really take to build a custom Squarespace website?
To build a unique, beautiful custom-coded Squarespace website can take as little as two weeks.
As Squarespace has developed its platform, we have transition to designing and building website on Squarespace 7.1 - the most current iteration of the platform. It’s been a game-changer for us to be able to build beautiful, stylish websites in quick time frames. You’re probably thinking, ‘what website was built out with the times you’re indicating?’. Well, the very website you are looking at was built out in 5 days with the snagging taking a day to resolve. We wanted to see if we could achieve our goal to build a website in a week. We have three children and we only work 9-5, we had to pause all client work to work on the site, so we had a deadline that we had to meet.
Here are the stats:
40 hours
15 pages
1200 lines of CSS
Java Script elements (pop-out menu, video play selector to share a couple)
Ten essential tips for a fast Squarespace website launch
A bespoke Squarespace 7.1 website can be completed in two weeks if all content is ready
Horizontal or icon-based logos are essential, as portrait logos rarely work in website headers
High-quality photography is non-negotiable for a professional finish—phone photos usually won't suffice
Professional copywriting is a high-value investment that prevents project stalls and engages users
Custom CSS allows for unique features like pop-out menus that go beyond standard templates
Wireframing is a crucial first step to map out the user journey before any design begins
Image optimisation and alt tags are vital for both site speed and Google search rankings
Mobile responsiveness must be checked and refined during a final "snagging" day
Expect a lead time of 2-3 months when booking with a specialist studio
Domain propagation can take up to 72 hours, so factor this into your launch deadline
1. How can you build a Squarespace website so quickly?
In order to build out a site quickly, we need three things to be in place:
Branding
Images
Text
Projects completely stall when these things are not resolved.
Branding: the minimum in order to build a new website
The minimum we need to build a website is a logo, which has an icon or a horizontal version. Portrait aspect logos will not work on a website. We also need a colour palette with a dark colour for the text, light tones and a few accents. We need a good font hierarchy which will help readers see quickly the headings and text. If your branding suite has illustrations, graphics and patterns these can also be added into the website carefully to add personality and inject a bit of fun.
Images: vital for a website design that gets impact
Websites need to have images to help share your story. These images can be graphics or photos. If you sell products then you will need images of your stock. Small businesses can often fall into the trap of saying they have images, but they don’t have high enough quality images. Photos from your phone are going to look like photos off your phone. Imagery is really key and if you are a service-based business you’ll need images of work you’ve completed or of you at work. Photographers often offer 1/2 day packages which should get you up and running with a handful of images to get you going.
Text: good copy translates into a good website design
“I’ll write my website text” is a phrase we often hear, but in a busy business, this is an area where you need to make time to carefully craft your text to engage with your audience. Text is so key, but often the last thing people think they need. It’s actually incredibly hard to sit down and think about what you actually want to say, and if you’re not saying the right things you’ll lose potential customers. Working with a copywriter is a really valuable area to maximise your investment in this crucial area of your marketing. Copywriters can be booked on a project basis and can help with you on a page by page basis if your budget is tight. Maybe get their input on your about or services pages if you can’t stretch to a full project.
Key ideas:
Preparation of branding, images and text is the only way to avoid project delays
A clear font hierarchy and colour palette allow for instant application of styles
Service-based businesses should consider professional brand photography to build trust
2. What are the phases of building a website?
If yo’ve got these three things in place, excellent - with branding, image and text we can take these and create designs around your story. Our process is fairly simple. Ahead of the project starting we go through a basic website strategy with you to identify the main website users, work with you to clarify the objectives of the site and what you need the site to do for you. Once this is clear the project can begin.
1) Create wireframe for the website user journey
We can work with you to create wireframes where we look at the user journey through the site and begin to think about the best ways to communicate who you are. We can start to flesh out the core sections as well as areas that we want to enhance to really tell your story or process in a memorable way. Once we are clear on the journey through the site, as well as the sitemap and navigation we can move on to adding the content.
Min time to create wireframes - 2 days
2) Add content to the website design
With the wireframes designed we can move on to adding the content, the images and the text. If there are things that are missing, we can talk with you to work out how we can fill those gaps. We can then save all the images to be optimised for your website with a clear knowledge of where they will be on the site.
Min time to place content - 2 days
3) Build out the website
With the mockup of your site signed off, we start to build out the site to be a replica of your mockup. We know how we are going to code any stylish sections into the site and how we will be able to achieve the look of various elements. We upload the optimised images with alt tags and ensure the images will load quickly. We add your text with the correct font hierarchy so google can read the website efficiently. We add pages to ensure you are GDPR compliant and suggest policies for you to adapt for cookie, privacy and disclaimer notices.
Min time to build out site - 5 days
4) Final snagging after the website build-out
We double-check all the links work, that the buttons and forms go where they need to and set up any redirects. We double-check everything looks good on different screen sizes and mobile view. Whilst we design with mobile in mind, occasionally there are things that need to be redesigned to work better.
Snagging - 1 day
NB: Setting the site live can take up to 72 hours to propagate with the domain registrar if you have an existing website and the DNS settings have been updated.
Key ideas:
The process begins with strategy to identify user objectives and core goals
Wireframing and content placement take roughly four days to complete
The final build-out includes custom coding, SEO tagging and GDPR compliance checks
Making your website work harder for you
Our studio helps design-conscious architects, garden designers and interior designers find their footing online. We specialise in creating websites that pair soulful design with rigorous SEO strategy to help your business feel at home.
If you want to refine your online presence, explore our website design services or browse more of our insights on SEO and Content Marketing.
Get in touch to discuss how we can help your brand gain clarity and attract the right clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
We work efficiently, identifying each component ahead of the build. We repeat particular elements which are easy to apply once the section has been coded. With all the imagery saved correctly with small file sizes, good searchable names and good alt tag descriptors, we can literally upload and go. With the text crafted, we can take this and work it into the site.
We show you ahead of the build out what the site will look and feel like so there are no nasty surprises.
There is no tweaking of colours or fonts because we can literally copy the web colours and upload the fonts.
-
While it’s possible to create a beautiful website in two weeks, we are a small studio and we have a waiting list and lead time. We tend to have a lead time of 2-3 months as we are working on other branding and websites.
-
Absolutely, we craft brand identities for brands and businesses and our most successful projects start with an in-depth brand strategy and brand identity project where we can delve into your target customer profiles, research the market and work out your unique place in the market.
-
Last year we made the decision to invest in a course run by Rache from Squarestylist called Standout Squarespace. It’s a course that helps creatives learn CSS specifically for Squarespace. There are a lot of web developers out there, but not that many who can code for Squarespace which is a specific language different to other platforms like Wordpress or drupal. We’re now part of a coding community that share insights, questions and we help each other with complex coding questions. This helps us to find solutions to client needs.
-
We would say with your branding in place, images and text as well as a clear understanding of your website goals and the main things you need your website to do it is achievable to build a gorgeous website in two weeks.
-
Send us an initial enquiry and we will arrange a discovery call to go through your needs and budget and let you know if we feel we can help you with your website project.
-
While a basic site can be built quickly, costs vary based on the number of pages and the complexity of custom coding. Most professional studios provide a bespoke quote after a discovery call to ensure the budget aligns with the technical requirements of the build.
-
It is helpful to have your domain secured, but not essential for the design phase. If you have an existing site, we will handle the DNS settings to point your domain to the new Squarespace platform, which typically takes between 24 and 72 hours to go live.
-
Squarespace 7.1 is highly SEO-friendly, offering built-in tools for mobile optimisation, SSL certificates and clean HTML markup. When combined with custom alt tags, proper heading hierarchies and fast-loading optimised images, it performs exceptionally well in Google search rankings.
About the author:
Simon Cox is the co-founding director (along with his wife, Rachael Cox) at Wildings Studio, a branding, website design and content marketing studio in Torquay, UK. He’s the writer and editor of the Wildings Studio blog which you’re currently reading. Simon is also responsible for the Wildings Studio content marketing services. Simon blogs regularly on topics to do with the core Wildings Studio services on branding, website design and content marketing (blogging). He’s passionate about helping small business develop great content that answers the questions people type in Google in order to get found online (SEO).
About Wildings Studio
Thoughtful, beautiful branding and websites for design-led businesses
Wildings is a website designer for small businesses offering website design. Based in South Devon, UK, we deliver small business website design for design-conscious brands like garden designers, interior designers, architects, circular ethos restaurants, speciality coffee shops, organic cafés and boutique hotels.
