The Ultimate Squarespace Website Checklist for 2025
While traditional business growth methods like word-of-mouth or experiential marketing may continue to work in certain situations, the good old website is always going to be a safe bet when investing your time and resources.
What happens when you discover a new brand you love? You’ll often find them on social media, and then head to their website for more information. The exact same is true of your customers: your website is one of the first places they’ll go to find out about what you offer, and ultimately decide whether or not they want to buy from you.
In numerical terms, 93% of consumers head to a search engine before making purchasing decisions, so it’s worth getting it right. Websites are such a given these days for pretty much any business, that we sometimes forget to check we’re getting the basics right.
With that in mind, I’ve compiled the ultimate website checklist to help you optimise your site and attract those dream customers.
Love at first sight
Let’s start with the basics. When your potential customers open up your site (whether that’s on their laptop, phone or tablet), the first thing they’ll notice is the visuals. Do you have recognisable branding? Do you use on-brand imagery? It’s super simple, but it can make or break the sale.
If your potential client sees inconsistent branding and mismatching visuals, they’re less likely to trust you as a business. Here’s what to think about when it comes to the visuals.
1. Logos
Your logo is an essential part of your brand so it needs to feature on your website to aid brand recognition at every touchpoint (including social media and your newsletter). Consider using a secondary logo in different parts of your website if you feel it’s becoming repetitive - but it’s probably best to get a branding expert’s advice on this so you don’t start confusing your audience.
2. Header and headline
This is the first thing people see when they land on your homepage, so it needs to be able to capture your visitor’s attention and encourage them to keep scrolling! Consider your target audience: what’s the very first thing you want them to know or think when they land on your site? Short and snappy: what do you do, and how can you help your customers? Make sure that’s included in your header and headline!
If you’re not sure where to start, do a little market research. What do other similar businesses use as the headline on their site? Test out a few variations with your potential customers, and figure out what works best.
Don’t forget the boring-but-important bits
Your website should be beautiful and eye-catching, yes, but it also needs to share important information with your potential customers. Overlooking the key (but slightly less sexy) parts is easy to do, so my suggestion is to work with a web expert who can help you check you’re ticking those all-important boxes.
3. A good web address/domain
It sounds obvious, but a simple and easy-to-remember domain makes all the difference. You want it to make sense for your business, appear credible and be easy to type.
If your first choice is already taken, consider adding a location element (instead of ‘Ruby’s Jewelry’ you could try ‘Ruby’s Jewelry London’) or going for a ‘.co.uk’ instead of ‘.com’.
4. A sitemap
Creating a clear journey for your website visitors is essential, not only for the UX (user experience) of your website, but also for SEO purposes. You don’t need to know the ins and outs of how the tech works, but a site map will help Google ‘crawl’ (essentially read) your website, which can boost your SEO ranking and help people find your business more easily. It’s a vital connection between your website and the 93% of people that use a search engine to find you.
5. The legal stuff
When it comes down to it, people need to feel safe on your website if they’re going to opt in to a mailing list, or pay you for your products or services. The legal stuff comes in the form of a Privacy Policy (what info you collect & what you do with it) and Terms & Conditions (what you can expect from each other), and any other information you need to provide that’s specific to your business.
There are many generators and templates available online for these; my favourites (and the ones I use) are from The Contract Shop* (affiliate link).
Give your customers what they want to see
Now we’ve got the practical side of things covered, it’s time to consider the purpose of your website: to help people decide whether or not they want to become your customer. A few things come into play here, from the trust factor (do they consider you someone they want to hand over money to?) to the right fit (are you able to help them solve their problems?)
In order for people to make that key decision, they need to be convinced, and you can help them by providing context, additional information and social proof. Let’s take a deeper look at the salesy side of things.
6. Testimonials
People trust people - on-site testimonials not only help to build customer trust, and prove that you deliver what you say you’ll deliver. It’s all very well saying you’re able to help customers increase their income by X%, or that your product is life-changing - but it means a whole lot more if it comes from your customers themselves.
7. A clear description of who you are (i.e. About Us)
People want to know who you are, what you do and what you stand for. More and more people are choosing to become conscious consumers, so let them in on your mission and values - as well as the obvious ‘about me’ info - to build trust and connect with your target audience. If you work alone, consider adding a splash of your unique personality by sharing fun facts about yourself. Your star sign, hobbies and favourite foods go down a treat.
8. Easy-to-find contact information
Someone’s checked out your website, and they want to work with you. Great! Don’t make them work to find out how to get in touch. Easy-to-find contact information means more conversations, more enquiries and more sales from your ideal customers. For maximum contact ease, provide multiple details like email, phone, and business address where relevant. Consider a chatbot, an online form, and providing links to your socials if that’s where you’re most reachable.
9. Clear overview of your products/services
You won’t be selling if people don’t know what they can buy. Your products or services should be easy to find and give your website visitors all the information they need to make the right decision. This is especially key for service-based businesses (because for product-based businesses, you really don’t have a choice!) If you offer packages, deals or customisable offers, make that clear.
It’s up to you whether you want to include your pricing upfront, but make sure the rest of the info is easily accessible. That way, you’ll maximise the number of enquiries you receive, hopefully leading to more sales.
Spice it up with your content
10. Recent blog posts
Blog posts are perfect for showing off your expertise and connecting with your website visitors through valuable, well-written content. Regularly updating your blog with new content is also great for your website’s SEO performance. If possible, include a preview of your blog posts - a sidebar with teasers works great if you’re trying to get more people to read your articles.
11. Social feed
Want to gain some new followers and give your website visitors another way to stay in touch? Show a snippet of your social feed towards the bottom of your page for a sweet and simple call to action that adds to your credibility, and builds your bond with your future customers. Your social feed is also an easy way for potential customers to figure out your vibe, and whether or not you might be the right fit for them.
By encouraging people to follow you on Instagram, Pinterest, or whichever platform you’re most active on, you’re increasing the chances of those people engaging with your content, discovering more about your business, and eventually turning into customers.
12. Your lead magnet
A lead magnet is a fun way to share value with potential customers, and give them a chance to ‘try you out’ for free, seeing how you work and how you communicate information. If you’ve put a lot of work into creating a lead magnet, make sure it’s easy for people to download!
Add a pop-up with a download link, or consider creating a banner. After all, you’ve done the hard work of creating the lead magnet - all that’s left to do is to make sure people download it!
There are plenty of sites out there that allow you to create a customisable website, but as this article has discussed, there’s a lot that goes into creating an impactful, strategic and aesthetic website for your business. Your best bet? Work with a web design expert who’s got years of experience crafting sites that get the job done and look beautiful.
If you’re ready to create an online space that feels like home for your target audience, get in touch to see how we could work together!
