Do you have a side hustle? Here’s how to get the best out of your website and increase your earnings.

With the rising cost of living, side hustles are becoming more and more popular right now as many are looking to supplement their student loans with a little extra cash.

Plus, side hustles are a way to grow your skills and stand out to employers when you graduate from college or university. Naturally, you’ll also need an online platform to advertise your services.

But did you know that some sites offer exclusive features that can get you seen?

Today, we’ll discuss Squarespace, its best features, and what you need to include on your site to elevate your business.

Jump to:

1. What is Squarespace?
2. What to include on your side hustle’s website for business success
3. New Squarespace features for your side hustle

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a website builder. What’s great about it is you don’t need any coding experience, as Squarespace has a ton of templates to professionally display your products and services.

Plus, you won’t have to worry about additional security, as your Squarespace site will come complete with a custom domain name and SSL certificate.

It’s particularly geared towards designers, photographers, coaches and other creatives. However, it also has powerful eCommerce features for any industry.

How do you get started with Squarespace?

It’s as simple as making an account, choosing a template you like, and editing it to fit your needs. There are tons of templates and themes to choose from, which is why it’s often a go-to for those with side hustles.

Plus, Squarespace pricing is super flexible, allowing you to choose between annual and monthly payments, various functions, marketing and eCommerce features, depending on the level you choose. 

We work exclusively with Squarespace to offer you 50% off an annual subscription. Get our Squarespace student discount when you sign up to Student Beans for free!

What to include in your side hustle’s website for business success

Squarespace announced a ton of new features in early October in its Squarespace Refresh 2022 post. From Bio.Sites to video monetization, they’ve seriously upped their game to help you get the most out of your business.

Before we jump into Squarespace’s juicy new features though, here are the absolute essentials you should include in your side hustle’s website.

1. A good domain name

Your domain name needs to be catchy and memorable. Why? So people can remember you, of course!

Experiment with keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business. Don’t forget to use Companies House, social media sites and search engines to see if the name’s been taken already. Alliteration is a great place to start, but try saying your potential domain names out loud to see if they really roll off your tongue.

2. A clear value proposition

What makes you different from the competition? More importantly, why should people hire or buy from you? Make your value proposition known. For example, if you create artwork in a specific style, highlight that. Or, if you sell consumable goods, shout about their health benefits, purity and quality of ingredients.

3. Call-to-actions (CTAs)

People won’t take action unless you tell them to.

Simple prompts like “book a call” or “shop now” can go a long way. Make sure it’s prominent, easy to read and simple.

4. Ways to contact

This is super important! Especially if people want more information on your rates or have a query about an order they’ve made.

Make it easy for customers to contact you by having a dedicated contact page with your email or easy-to-fill form.

5. Social media profiles

Social media is undoubtedly one of the most powerful marketing tools out there! Displaying your socials means customers can keep up to date with your business, see your work and much more. Just be sure to keep these profiles updated to show customers you’re active.

6. Easy navigation

Even if you think it’s easy to find certain information on your website, someone else might not think so. Get friends, family or even strangers in a focus group to test your website for its user-friendliness. It could be that simply having a link to your homepage isn’t functional (or worse, non-existent!).

7. Imagery and video

Humans are naturally drawn in by visuals. This is especially true if you offer services in the arts. Be sure to include imagery and video on your site, and watch out for the size too. Having too many/lots of large files can slow down page loading speed, so be sure to reduce image and video sizing where possible.

8. A blog

Blogs are a fantastic way to show insight into your business, as well as educate your customers on topics they’re actively looking for. Plus, they can help you rank on search engines and be a potential source for customer acquisition in the future.

New Squarespace features for your side hustle

Below are some on-site and off-site features that Squarespace offers exclusively to enhance your business. 

1. Customised merch

Site visitors and followers can now pay for your content. One of those ways is through selling high-quality custom merch of your own!

You won’t need to worry about inventory and shipping either. It’s all covered on Squarespace’s end. It’s perfect for artists, photographers and graphic designers looking to expand their product offering and earn additional income.

2. Video monetisation

Host native videos and add paywalls to exclusive video content you upload on your website. This members-only style offering adds a layer of exclusivity. If you’re worried about how to set pricing, Squarespace has its own guide with various levels of subscriptions for your followers.

3. Scheduling

Adding bookings and schedulers to your side hustle website can help potential customers book a time slot with you. This means they can get extra information directly from you about your products and/or services

4. Bio.Sites

Share your entire side hustle in just one link by claiming your free Bio.Site. It’s the perfect “link in bio” for your business. Use it to link to your main page, other social channels, press pages, portfolio and much more. 

5. Unfold®️ (for social media)

Not something to include on your site, per se, but it’s a feature you can certainly use to support it.

Unfold is an app owned by Squarespace. It allows you to create visually stunning social media posts. Its features include:

• 400+ design templates for social
• Exclusive fonts, stickers and tools
• Filters and effects for photos/videos
• The ability to create and customise your Bio.Site 
• Unlimited photos in the Feed Planner.

And so much more…

There are tons more features you can add to your side hustle:

• Squarespace Icons
• Mobile app to run your business from your phone
• Smart guides
• Multilingual extension
• Animated backgrounds
• LiveChat extension
• Membership benefits
• Post scheduling
• Shipping labels
• Invoicing tools
• Product reviews
• …and much more on the Squarespace 2022 update.

Convinced to get Squarespace for your side hustle? We know we are. Get your exclusive Squarespace student discount from Student Beans today.