How Do I Share My Squarespace Site Before Publishing?

Sharing your Squarespace site before publishing can be beneficial for gathering feedback, allowing clients to review the site, or collaborating with team members. Squarespace provides several methods to share your site with others while it’s still in its development stage. Here are the steps and options for doing so:

1. Using Site Password Protection

One of the simplest methods is to create a password-protected site. This allows you to share the site with selected individuals who have the password.

Steps to Set Up Site Password Protection:

1. Log in to Your Squarespace Account:

2. Navigate to squarespace.com and log in to your account.

3. Go to Settings:

4. In the Home Menu, click on Settings.

5. Click on Site Availability:

6. Under the ‘Site Management’ section, click on Site Availability.

7. Enable Password Protection:

8. Select Password Protected and enter a password of your choice.

9. Share the URL and Password:

10. Share the URL of your site and the password with anyone you want to preview the site.

2. Using the Preview Link

Squarespace also provides a way to generate a preview link that can be shared.

Steps to Share a Preview Link:

1. Log in to Your Squarespace Account:

2. Navigate to squarespace.com and log in.

3. Enable the Compressed View:

4. While editing your site, find the ‘Preview’ option on the top right corner of the screen.

5. Generate the Preview Link:

6. Click on Share Preview. This will generate a unique link that you can share with others.

3. Inviting Contributors with Different Roles

If you need someone to review and possibly make edits, you can invite them as a contributor. This approach is ideal for team collaborations.

Steps to Invite Contributors:

1. Log in to Your Squarespace Account:

2. Navigate to squarespace.com and log in.

3. Go to Settings:

4. In the Home Menu, click on Settings.

5. Navigate to Permissions:

6. Under the ‘Members’ section, click on Permissions.

7. Invite a Contributor:

8. Click on Invite Contributor, enter their email address, and select their role (e.g., Admin, Editor, Billing, etc.).

9. Send the Invitation:

10. An email invitation will be sent to the person. Once they accept, they can access the site according to the permissions granted.

4. Exporting and Sharing a Static Version

For those who need a more advanced method, you can export a static version of your site. This isn't a built-in feature on Squarespace, so it’s more technical and involves creating a static HTML version of your pages.

Steps to Export a Static Version:

1. Export Content via Squarespace:

2. Note that this requires external tools or custom scripts to create an HTML version of your site because Squarespace doesn’t offer a direct way to do it.

3. Share the Static Files:

4. You can upload the static HTML files to a temporary server or use a service like GitHub Pages to host and share them.

Considerations and Limitations

• Design Integrity: Ensure the shared view maintains the design and functionalities intended, especially with static exports.
• Privacy: Handle passwords and sensitive data carefully to protect your unpublished work.
• Feedback Management: If gathering feedback, consider creating a structured way for respondents to submit their comments to avoid disorganized inputs.
• Permissions: Contributor roles should be carefully assigned to prevent unauthorized changes.

By using these methods, you can securely and effectively share your Squarespace site before it's officially published, enabling others to preview and provide feedback or collaborate with you efficiently.