Work with an independent designer to help build your site.

You can hire an independent designer to help you with your site through Squarespace Marketplace. Marketplace is powered by 99designs by Vista, a creative platform that helps clients and creative professionals find each other and collaborate. In Marketplace, designers are called Squarespace Experts.

Squarespace Experts are among the most experienced and active members of our professional user community, Squarespace Circle. They're vetted for their work quality, technical skills, years of Squarespace experience, and client-first approach.

This guide reviews the different services available through Marketplace and how to work with an Expert.

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Expert services

Through Marketplace, Experts offer eight main types of services. The price of your project will vary depending on what you need, but you can review the starting prices for each on the project brief form before submitting your request.

Here are the different services available in Marketplace:

Project checklist

Before finding an Expert, go through this checklist. Identifying your needs and goals will help you answer the questions in the project brief that you'll submit to prospective Experts:

1. Outline your project goals. Do you want to sell products? Will you be frequently publishing new content, such as a blog? Will visitors need to book appointments? Consider all the features that your site might need.
2. Create a wishlist of the features you’ll need to achieve your goals. This list will help your Expert accurately assess your needs.
3. Gather all of your copy, images, logo files, and any creative assets you'll need on your website. We recommend keeping them in a digital folder you can easily share with your Expert. If you don’t have these, but would like your Expert to create them, note this in your project brief.
4. Find some examples of other brands, websites, or ideas you admire to help your Expert get a sense of your preferred style.
5. Decide your budget range, preferred payment timing (for example, installments or monthly payments), and your desired timeline. This will help your Expert give you the most accurate quote possible. The price of your project will depend on your specific needs.

After you have some answers, you're ready to submit your project brief. If you don't have every answer now, don’t worry. Your Expert can also help you refine your project as you go.

Find an Expert

Browse the Marketplace directory to invite an Expert to work with you. Alternatively, you can “get matched,” where you answer questions about your project needs and goals and invite up to five Experts to your project.

Option 1 - Search for an Expert

Browse the directory for an Expert:

1. Visit Squarespace Marketplace and browse the Expert directory. You can filter by industry and project type. Click an Expert’s profile to see their past projects and reviews from previous clients.
2. When you find an Expert you like, click Choose this Expert. The project brief form will appear.
3. Complete the project brief, describing your project needs and goals.
4. Once you submit your project brief, you’ll be taken to 99designs by Vista to create an account and officially invite the Expert to your project. They'll review your brief and will respond through 99designs by Vista to request more information, provide a quote, or decline to work on the project.

Option 2 - Get matched with an Expert

Answer questions to see a selection of recommended Experts:

1. Visit Squarespace Marketplace and click Get Matched. The project brief form will appear.
2. Complete the project brief, describing your project needs and goals.
3. After submitting the project brief, you’ll be taken to 99designs by Vista to create an account. From there, you’ll browse recommended Experts for your project.
4. Invite up to five Experts to your project. They'll review your project brief and will respond through 99designs by Vista to request more information, provide a quote, or decline to work on the project.
5. Review quotes, and choose an Expert to work with. You can also let the other Experts you invited know that you’ve chosen to work with someone else.

What to look for when choosing an Expert

Before you browse Experts, think about what will matter most for your project. Consider these factors:

• Background - Squarespace Experts have experience with projects of all sizes and across various industries. When you browse Experts, use the Project types and Industries filters to refine your search.
• Portfolio - By reviewing an Expert’s past projects, you can better understand their strengths and get a sense of their style.
• Technical skills - Experience with custom code or third-party integrations may be important for your site.
• Location - A local Expert can be helpful if you prefer someone who understands your region or can relate to your clientele and culture. You may also prefer meeting about your project in person.
• SEO experience - An Expert with SEO experience can optimize your site so potential customers can find you online and help make your website stand out.
• Support after publishing - An Expert might work with brand new sites, help with ongoing site maintenance, or both. Deciding what you need after publishing your site will help narrow down your search.

Project pricing and timing

Project fees for websites can vary widely, even for projects that look similar. The Experts you invite through 99designs by Vista will send you quotes if they’re interested in your project, and you’ll decide whether to hire them. You can review the starting prices of each project on the project brief form before submitting your project request.

After choosing an Expert, you'll both decide on the final project cost together. Payments must be made on the 99designs by Vista platform using one of their accepted payment methods.

Any arrangement to work on your site will be between you and the Expert. If you have a disagreement with an Expert that can’t be resolved on your own, 99designs by Vista’s support team can help.

How long will my project take?

Your timeline depends on the scope and complexity of your project. When you submit your project brief, ensure you include your ideal timeline, and the Expert will factor this into their quote.

Marketplace policies and terms

When you find an Expert and you both agree to the project scope, you'll accept their quote and submit payment. 99designs by Vista holds your payment and only releases it to the Expert when you say to—either at project milestones or when the work is complete. Learn more about how 99designs by Vista handles payments.

Reporting a bad experience with an Expert

Any arrangement to work on your site will be between you and the Expert. We recommend reviewing 99designs by Vista’s best practices to learn more about what to expect before getting started.

If you have a disagreement with an Expert that can’t be resolved on your own, you may want to report them to 99designs by Vista. Squarespace will also follow up with a brief survey where you can leave a review of your experience.

How do I become a Squarespace Expert?

Squarespace brings in new Squarespace Experts when there's enough demand. As needed, we invite Circle members who have built at least eight websites in a 12-month period to apply. You're evaluated based on experience building Squarespace sites, work quality, technical skills, and more. After being invited, new Experts will attend a virtual orientation on Marketplace functionality and best practices.

Learn more about eligibility on the Circle Forum.