What Makes a Great Squarespace Designer (And How to Find One)
If you've ever searched for a Squarespace designer, you'll know the problem. Everyone calls themselves an expert. The Squarespace Circle directory alone has thousands of members, and that's before you start looking on Fiverr, Upwork, or Google. So how do you actually tell the good ones from the rest?
We've been building Squarespace sites since 2014, and we train other designers through our sister site Squarehead. We've seen what separates the studios that consistently deliver from the ones that don't. Here's what to look for, and where we fit in that picture.
The criteria that actually matter
Squarespace Circle tier
Circle is Squarespace's official partner programme, and it has three tiers based on the number of sites a designer has built and kept active: Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Tier isn't everything, but it's a useful signal. It tells you someone has stuck with the platform long enough to build real depth, and that their clients have stayed with them. It's harder to fake than a portfolio.
Platform specialism
Squarespace 7.1 is a different product from 7.0, and Fluid Engine is different again. A designer who works across Wix, Webflow, WordPress, and Squarespace is spreading their attention thin. The best Squarespace studios go deep on one platform and know its quirks inside out: the CSS injection tricks, the workarounds for features Squarespace hasn't shipped yet, the SEO gotchas that generalists miss.
Ask what version they primarily work in. If they can't tell you whether they prefer Classic Editor or Fluid Engine and why, that's a red flag.
Technical range beyond drag and drop
Squarespace is a no-code platform, but great Squarespace work often involves code. Custom CSS for brand fidelity. JavaScript for functionality the native feature set doesn't cover. JSON-LD structured data for SEO. Integrations with Zapier, Make, or custom APIs. A studio that can only work within the default blocks is going to hit a ceiling fast, and so will your project.
A teaching or speaking presence
This one sounds like vanity, but it's not. Designers who teach, speak at Circle Day, or publish articles for other designers are doing so because they've built processes worth sharing. It forces them to articulate what they do and why. It also means their peers are watching, which keeps the quality bar high.
Process and pricing transparency
The best studios have a clear process: discovery, proposal, design, build, QA, launch, handover. They price on value, not hours. They tell you what you're getting and what you're not. If a designer can't explain their process in plain English, that's usually because they don't have one.
Where to find good Squarespace designers
The official Squarespace Circle Directory is the best starting point. You can filter by location, tier, and specialism. Beyond that, Clutch and DesignRush run independent roundups, and the Squarespace official blog occasionally features partner studios.
For a more curated view, our training site Squarehead publishes occasional roundups of Squarespace work we admire, which can be useful if you're looking for inspiration or benchmarking.
Studios worth knowing
Rather than rank anyone, here are a few studios around the world doing consistently strong Squarespace work. This is the company we aspire to keep, not a leaderboard.
Made by Dave (that's us, so take this with the appropriate pinch of salt). Platinum Circle, Community Leader, and Circle Day speakers. We're the team behind Squarehead where we train other designers, and we focus on small business and professional services sites.
Big Cat Creative. Based in New Zealand. Template shop and custom work, known for polished visual design and a strong educational presence for other designers.
Kristine Neil. US-based Circle Platinum Partner and Community Leader, specialising in eCommerce and nonprofit Squarespace builds. Featured on the official Squarespace Circle blog and known for strategy-driven, conversion-focused work.
Houghton Creative. New Zealand studio led by Phil Houghton, based in Nelson. Focused on clean, considered Squarespace builds for small businesses, with portfolio work spanning healthcare, churches, and service brands.
Inside the Square. US-based training operation rather than a client studio, but worth mentioning for the depth of their Squarespace tutorials and the reach of their teaching.
There are plenty of others. The Circle directory will surface dozens more depending on your location and niche.
Questions to ask before hiring
Before you sign anything, ask:
What Circle tier are you, and how long have you been on the platform?
Do you work primarily in 7.1 Fluid Engine or Classic Editor, and why?
Can I see three sites you've built that are still live and performing?
What's your process from kickoff to launch?
How do you handle SEO, structured data, and site speed?
What happens after launch? Do you offer support, or is it a clean handover?
How do you price, and what's included?
The answers will tell you more in ten minutes than a portfolio will in an hour.
The honest version
There's no single "best" Squarespace designer, and anyone who tells you there is has something to sell. The best designer for you depends on your budget, your timeline, your industry, and how hands-on you want to be. A boutique studio charging fifteen thousand isn't better than a solo designer charging three thousand if the solo designer is the right fit for your project.
What matters is finding someone who knows the platform deeply, communicates clearly, and has the receipts to back up what they promise. Circle tier, live portfolio, teaching presence, and a clear process are the signals worth weighing. Superlatives on a designer's own website are not.
If you'd like to talk about your project, we're happy to have that conversation. And if we're not the right fit, we'll tell you, and usually we can point you to someone who is.
Written by the team at Made by Dave, a Squarespace studio working with clients internationally. We also run Squarehead, a training resource for Squarespace designers.
