Circle Blog

Search expert web design tips, guides, and real-world advice from the Circle community.

All Articles
Dear Designer: How Do I Deal With a Difficult Client?
Dear Designer: How Do I Deal With a Difficult Client?

Before you fire a difficult client, look at what the project is asking for. Puno shares how proactive empathy, clearer communication, and a flexible process can turn client friction into stronger creative leadership.

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Dear Designer: How Do You Build a Scalable, Low-Stress Workflow as a Designer?
Dear Designer: How Do You Build a Scalable, Low-Stress Workflow as a Designer?

A web design business isn’t built on grinding harder. It’s built on knowing where your time actually goes. Puno shares the systems, delegation approach, and honest conversations that took her from overwhelmed to working on her own terms.

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Dear Designer: How Do I Build a Portfolio That Attracts the Clients I Want?
Dear Designer: How Do I Build a Portfolio That Attracts the Clients I Want?

A portfolio isn’t about volume, it’s about direction. Puno walks through how to choose which work to show, what to do when you don’t have the right pieces yet, and how to turn any finished project into a case study that earns client trust.

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Dear Designer: How Do I Handle a Client Who Ghosts Me?
Dear Designer: How Do I Handle a Client Who Ghosts Me?

Client ghosting happens at every stage—before the project starts, mid-feedback, and after the work is live. Puno shares the exact follow-up sequence she uses at each one, plus the contract language that means you rarely have to chase twice.

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Featured: Dear Designer with Puno

All Articles
Dear Designer: How Do I Deal With a Difficult Client?
Dear Designer: How Do I Deal With a Difficult Client?

Before you fire a difficult client, look at what the project is asking for. Puno shares how proactive empathy, clearer communication, and a flexible process can turn client friction into stronger creative leadership.

Read more →
Dear Designer: How Do You Build a Scalable, Low-Stress Workflow as a Designer?
Dear Designer: How Do You Build a Scalable, Low-Stress Workflow as a Designer?

A web design business isn’t built on grinding harder. It’s built on knowing where your time actually goes. Puno shares the systems, delegation approach, and honest conversations that took her from overwhelmed to working on her own terms.

Read more →
Dear Designer: How Do I Build a Portfolio That Attracts the Clients I Want?
Dear Designer: How Do I Build a Portfolio That Attracts the Clients I Want?

A portfolio isn’t about volume, it’s about direction. Puno walks through how to choose which work to show, what to do when you don’t have the right pieces yet, and how to turn any finished project into a case study that earns client trust.

Read more →
Dear Designer: How Do I Handle a Client Who Ghosts Me?
Dear Designer: How Do I Handle a Client Who Ghosts Me?

Client ghosting happens at every stage—before the project starts, mid-feedback, and after the work is live. Puno shares the exact follow-up sequence she uses at each one, plus the contract language that means you rarely have to chase twice.

Read more →
Featured
Dear Designer: How Do I Deal With a Difficult Client?
Dear Designer: How Do I Deal With a Difficult Client?

Before you fire a difficult client, look at what the project is asking for. Puno shares how proactive empathy, clearer communication, and a flexible process can turn client friction into stronger creative leadership.

Read more →
How to Blog with Squarespace
How to Blog with Squarespace

A Squarespace blog can boost search visibility, position you as an expert, and answer client questions before they ask. Here’s how to start, grow, and optimize yours in 2026.

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How to Prepare Clients for Fluid Engine and Finish Layer
How to Prepare Clients for Fluid Engine and Finish Layer

Fluid Engine has come a long way since 2022. Here’s how to introduce clients to Finish Layer’s newest design tools, from block animations to mobile overrides, and use platform updates to open the door to more billable work.

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4 Examples of Award-Winning Squarespace Websites
4 Examples of Award-Winning Squarespace Websites

Four designers turned Squarespace’s newest Finish Layer tools into award-winning websites for the Contra x Squarespace Make It Real Challenge. See what they built, and the techniques you can borrow for your own client work.

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Art of the Pitch With Rache De Luna, Vic King, and Amanda McNay on Circle Live
Art of the Pitch With Rache De Luna, Vic King, and Amanda McNay on Circle Live

Watch three Circle partners pitch real client sites, from a kids’ art camp to a wellness retreat, and learn their approach to landing the deal.

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A Client-Ready SEO Checklist for Traditional and AI-Powered Search
A Client-Ready SEO Checklist for Traditional and AI-Powered Search

Handing off a finished site is just the start. This SEO checklist is built for web designers to share with clients at offboarding, so their site stays discoverable long after launch, even as AI search reshapes how people find businesses.

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Meet the Circle Community

Featured
From Client Work to Courses: How Christy Price Runs a Multidimensional Web Design Business
From Client Work to Courses: How Christy Price Runs a Multidimensional Web Design Business

Christy Price is a Circle member based in Austin, Texas. She develops websites for small business owners and enjoys partnering with entrepreneurs to bring their web presence to life.

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A Day in the Life with Marya Nguyen
A Day in the Life with Marya Nguyen

Marya Nguyen is the founder of Yangu Web Studio, a Squarespace design studio in St. Louis that builds bold, strategy-backed sites for small businesses. Learn how she structures her day around deep work blocks, strict boundaries, and her dog Jett, and get her advice on building a sustainable practice that actually compounds over time.

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A Day in the Life of Rache De Luna
A Day in the Life of Rache De Luna

Rache De Luna is the founder of Squarestylist, a Squarespace education and plugin business she runs from Manila, Philippines, with clients across Hong Kong, Singapore, and beyond. See how she architects her entire workday around her son's school schedule, while still finding time to teach custom code, ship plugin updates, and explore AI development after bedtime.

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A Day in the Life with Connor Walsh
A Day in the Life with Connor Walsh

Connor Walsh is the owner of Station Seven, a Squarespace web design agency based in Spokane, Washington. Learn how he leads a creative team on focused morning work blocks, strict inbox boundaries, and mid-day walks, and get his advice for staying productive without letting client work take over your life.

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Creating a Content-First Web Design Approach with Dave Hawkins
Creating a Content-First Web Design Approach with Dave Hawkins

Dave Hawkins, the mind behind Made by Dave and Squarehead, is a Squarespace Expert, Circle Platinum Partner, and Community Leader who builds successful, audience-centric online experiences.

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Sam Crawford on Why Designers Should "Think Bigger" to Charge More
Sam Crawford on Why Designers Should "Think Bigger" to Charge More

Sam Crawford has helped launch over 700 Squarespace sites, from local startups to global brands. Read his insights on scaling an international web design business, managing a high volume of projects, and coaching other designers.

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From Pretty to Profitable: Kristine Neil’s Blueprint for Web Design Success
From Pretty to Profitable: Kristine Neil’s Blueprint for Web Design Success

Kristine Neil specializes in ecommerce and nonprofit solutions. Explore her approach to client projects and her perspective on how professional web designers can leverage Squarespace to cater to their clients.

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How Laura Coutts Uses Content Strategy to Inform Web Design in the Age of AI
How Laura Coutts Uses Content Strategy to Inform Web Design in the Age of AI

Laura Coutts is an Australia-based Squarespace web designer with a background in content strategy. Learn her approach to traditional and AI search optimization.

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Why Miko Coffey’s Collaborative Method Creates Better Websites
Why Miko Coffey’s Collaborative Method Creates Better Websites

Miko Coffey has proven that usability, strategic planning, and a focus on the visitor’s needs remain vital in the ever-evolving field of web design. Learn about her approach to creating collaborative client relationships and building beautiful and effective sites.

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Build Your
Creative Community

Squarespace Circle is a vibrant community of thousands of creative professionals around the world. The program is inclusive and free for everyone, always.

Join Circle

  • Squarespace Circle is Squarespace’s free partner program for professional web designers, developers, and agencies who build client websites on Squarespace.

    Anyone is eligible to join Circle for free.

  • Circle is open to professional designers, developers, digital entrepreneurs, and creative agencies who build websites for clients on Squarespace. 

    Meet existing Circle partners.

  • Yes. Squarespace Circle membership is free for professional web designers, developers, and agencies.

    Join Circle.

  • Squarespace Circle has three partner tiers based on points earned through subscription activity, with rewards increasing as you move up:

    • Silver (0 points, free to join): 10% discount on new annual subscriptions, 3-month extended client trials, priority support

    • Gold (1,000+ points): 20% discount, 6-month extended client trials, urgent priority support

    • Platinum (5,000+ points): 25% discount, 12-month extended client trials, dedicated support

    All tiers include referral payments, early access to new features, and invites to partner events. Points reset at the start of each calendar year, though your tier status carries through the year even after the reset.

    Learn more about Circle benefits.

  • Yes. Circle partners receive discounts on new annual website subscriptions, with the rate increasing by tier:

    • Silver: 10% discount, 3-month extended website trials

    • Gold: 20% discount, 6-month extended website trials

    • Platinum: 25% discount, 12-month extended website trials

    Points are based on subscription activity and reset annually, though your current tier status carries through the calendar year even after the reset. For full details on discounts, trial lengths, and other tier benefits, see the Squarespace Circle discount and benefits overview.

  • Become a Circle partner at squarespace.com/circle. It’s free to join, and you can register using the same account and email address you use to log into Squarespace.

  • Squarespace does not offer a formal certification exam or credential for web designers. Circle membership serves as an industry-recognized signal of professional Squarespace expertise. Squarespace also provides free courses, on-demand and live webinars, and educational events and resources through Circle to help designers build and demonstrate their skills.

  • Squarespace Circle is the free partner program for professional web designers, developers, and agencies, offering discounts, referral payments, and community resources. Squarespace Marketplace is where clients go to find and hire vetted professionals directly. Every Squarespace Expert listed on Marketplace is a Circle partner, but not every Circle partner is listed as an Expert on Marketplace.

  • A Squarespace Expert is a Squarespace Circle partner who has been invited to be listed on Squarespace Marketplace, where clients can find and hire them directly. Not every Circle partner is a Squarespace Expert. Squarespace Experts are a subset of Circle partners selected based on client demand, service offerings, and demonstrated work quality.

  • Eligible partners are periodically invited to join Marketplace based on client demand for specific skills, services, languages, or geographic location. It is invitation-based, not something you apply for directly. To be eligible for consideration as a Squarespace Expert, a Circle partner must build at least eight Squarespace websites within a 12-month period and maintain a complete Circle profile.

Frequently asked questions