Building a blog or website is very important today. Organizations, businesses and professionals are almost required to have some kind of online presence to be competitive. Even offline businesses are offering information and services online. SquareSpace helps users that may not know how to begin creating a website or blog find a way to do so. Through SquareSpace, users can find a services that will help them manage their website, blog, or portfolio online. SquareSpace hosts the site and gives the user the tools they need to manage all aspects of their online space.

Visit www.squarespace.com

SquareSpace was founded in April of 2003 by Anthony Casalena. Based out of New York City, New York, the application was formed out of a personal need felt by its creator. At the time, Casalena had a difficult time to find an easy to use way to publish an attractive, elegant personal website. Realizing the need for such a tool, Casalena went to work building his own. The result was SquareSpace. The application has expanded since then, so that today it offers users a full spectrum of tools to build a professional looking website, blog or online portfolio.

There are many different ways to host and manage website. Some companies offer hosting services only, leaving design and maintenance up to the user. This may require a bit more tech knowledge than some people have (or have time to obtain). Web design services are available but can be a bit pricy, especially for a small business, start up or individual professional on a budget. SquareSpace presents a good balance of price, features and guidance to allow anyone to build a site and manage it without taking too much time out of their busy day to do so.

SquareSpace was created to allow users to build an elegant websites, and the site certainly speaks volumes for its capabilities. The sleek SquareSpace logo is accented by a dark header background. The site is well organized but still appears original. All relevant information is given right on the page, including navigational links to help the user view examples, check out pricing, tour features or sign up for an account.

To begin using SquareSpace, users can click the white “Sign Up” link found at the top right hand corner of the homepage. A large light green button is also positioned just below this to direct users to the sign up form. The user is asked for very basic information, including a login/site name, password, email address and verification code entry (to confirm the user is human). After submitting the information, the user can begin creating their website and is not asked for any financial details for 14 days.

All users are given access to a free 14 day trial of SquareSpace. Once this is up, the user will have to choose from three membership options. The Standard account runs about $12 per month and includes all core features, up to ten web pages, 1 TB of bandwidth and 3 GBs of storage space. The Advanced membership runs about $20 per month and upgrades to include unlimited websites, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited storage space, up to three audiences, unlimited editors, and advanced control features. The Business membership costs just over $45 per month and includes up to six audiences, a form builder, user registration, and business features.

SquareSpace is great for anyone who needs to build a web space. The three membership options make it easy to fit the site, blog or online portfolio into a tight budget. Users can access many features, which expand depending on membership type.

• Create multiple websites using SquareSpace tools
• Choose from three affordable membership options
• Try SquareSpace for free for fourteen days
• Access customer support for all account types
• Select a custom domain name

Visit www.squarespace.com

Squarespace video