Where to start, if you want to create custom Squarespace templates

2024 update: If you want to look behind the scenes of our template shop, read this article What I Learned While Running a Successful Squarespace Template Shop for Over a Year

One of the most common questions I receive is: Will your Squarespace Mastery course help me create Squarespace templates for sale? The answer is a resounding yes!

I’ve been selling Squarespace templates since 2020 and want to share some insights with you. It all starts with knowing how to craft a cohesive, professional design that aligns with current web design trends. That’s exactly where my Squarespace Mastery class comes in. You’ll learn the foundations of web design, save time with Figma prototyping, and follow a framework—a vanilla theme development tutorial with pre-made layouts that you can reuse to build client websites and templates.

The Marketing Mix

A Squarespace template is essentially a custom site you create for an imaginary client. You research the niche, write the copy, create the brand, and then design the website. My process for creating templates mirrors custom design work, with the main difference being that I focus on a single concept. Often, concepts I develop for clients inspire my template designs. Inside Squarespace Mastery, I am showing you my process for designing, be it a custom site or a template.

It’s been five years since I started building Squarespace templates, and I’ve seen many template shops come and go. And yes, it took me a whole year to make my first sale! When it comes to the business of selling Squarespace templates, many talented designers focus on the product, while true success lies in mastering all four Ps of the marketing mix: Product, Price, Promotion, and Placement.

Product: Create a beautiful and cohesive design for an imaginary client (this is where my Squarespace Mastery class will help you).

Price: In 2024, the Squarespace template market is quite saturated. It's tougher to make that first sale now than it was in 2019-20. Squarespace templates, and web design templates in general, are more like commodities. Price elasticity is a real issue, so I suggest starting with a lower price and raising it as you add more designs to your shop and increase the value of your template packages.

Placement: Build a platform to sell your templates that features intuitive, e-commerce-like UX, and present your work with style. The design of your shop matters a lot! When I first started, my site looked more like an agency website with full-width sections. Later, I realized that my products needed to be front and center, so I redesigned my site to resemble an e-commerce store (think Shopify).

Promotion: This is 80% of the work for your template shop. Your website needs to be discoverable on Google, Pinterest, and other networks you choose. Build a searchable library of resources with buyer intent in mind. Here’s the tricky part: while creating templates is a one-time effort, marketing is ongoing. That’s where many people give up—they realize it’s not passive income but more like a full-time job. But let me tell you, it’s the best full-time job I’ve ever had because I get to be my own boss!

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I receive from aspiring designers:

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I deliver a Squarespace template to a customer?

Get a Circle membership and create a 6-month template duplicate each time someone purchases a template. Also, set up automated emails to let customers know what to expect. There’s a semi-automated way to deliver templates. You create template duplicates and their share links in advance and automate the emails.

How do I set up a shop to sell Squarespace templates?

Use Squarespace's built-in shop functionality—it allows you to create digital products. A product can be a PDF or a text file where you explain what happens next for the customer and provide access to tutorials.

How many templates do I need to get started?

Start with two. Really. Focus on your marketing and then add more designs to your shop. If I were starting again in 2024, this is how I’d do it. I actually launched a new shop for Showit, and I only have three designs so far.

Do I need to record a course for each template?

Yes and no—it depends on the business model you choose. Don’t let the course aspect hold you back from designing. For starters, you can create a template using vanilla functionality with no custom CSS and not include any tutorials at all. By the way, a lot of customers don’t watch the tutorials anyway (touché!)

Should I niche down or not?

Yes, you should niche down! Create templates for a specific niche—find one that isn’t saturated yet, and it will make your marketing much easier. A lot of small business niches are wide open!

Where else can I learn how to create and sell Squarespace templates?

I highly recommend Kate Scott’s course! She invited me to audit the course, and I can confidently say it’s fantastic! While it doesn’t cover the creative aspect like Squarespace Mastery, it goes into every little detail on packaging and marketing your templates. Kate is soooo thorough! I wish I had a resource like this when I started in 2019—I had to figure everything out on my own. But you don’t have to!

Focus on process over perfection. Always cheering you on!
Olga