• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Ideas
  • About Intelligencer
  • Newsletters
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Subscribe Give A Gift
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Ideas
  • About Intelligencer
  • Newsletters
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Comments Leave a Comment
Sponsor Story
This is paid content produced for an advertiser by New York Brand Studio. The editorial staff of Daily Intelligencer did not play a role in its creation.
Sponsored
Dec. 19, 2016

Squarespace’s CCO on the Dos and Don’ts of Building an Effective Website

It’s safe to say Squarespace’s Chief Creative Officer David Lee knows a thing or two about the makings of a solid website. Lee sits at the helm of where design, marketing, and product intersect at the web publishing platform powerhouse, which has allowed millions to create websites since its 2004 launch.

Because the web is an ever-evolving place and a pleasant (or not-so-pleasant) user experience can make or break a personal brand, we sat down with Lee to chat best practices and common mistakes to avoid. Consider this a gift to the internet at large.

Why do you need a website, and what makes for a great website? When it comes to the makings of a great website, tell us about some of the most effective ways you’ve seen Squarespace users implement these tactics.

We believe that everyone in the world should own a piece of the World Wide Web. Owning your own domain is foundational and permanent — think of it as owning a piece of online real estate. New social media platforms will come and go, new apps may rise and fall, but your ownership of your piece of the web is forever. Once you’ve laid claim to your domain, you can build anything — whether it’s an online store, a portfolio, or a blog — and best of all, no one can tell you what to do with your online property. You can curate precisely how you want to be represented.

To that end, great websites don’t necessarily start and end with design, but rather with a few other details that often go overlooked. Here are three important things to keep in mind:

1. Buy a unique domain that represents who you are. Your domain is your digital postal code. It’s your address, and most importantly, it’s what others will share. With more top-level domains available than ever, it’s important to get creative with how you name your domain, as it’ll make it more memorable. That said, you should buy some of the more obvious choices as well to ensure that potential visitors are always being directed and redirected your way.

Example: When my wife and I were considering names for our daughter, we wanted to ensure that her domain would be available, too. It wasn’t until we secured romyadalee.com that we decided upon her name – that’s how important having your online identity is today. What follows “www” is the purest form of your online presence, and it’s crucial to stake your claim before it’s gone.

2. Create parallels between your online and offline self. Just as you learn a lot about people when you visit their home, you also learn a lot when you visit their website. Today, we meet one another online before we meet in real life, so it’s crucial that your first impression be a true representation of yourself. Everything from typography to imagery to layout should be carefully considered, and seen as an integral part of your identity.

Example: Musician Leon Bridges’s website is an excellent representation of Leon Bridges himself. When we collaborated to create his new website, we wanted to ensure that his unique offline persona was reflected online as well. Everything, from the typography to the photography to the layout of the site, was carefully considered and intentional. When you visit leonbridges.com, you can feel Leon coming through – you can hear his classic and timeless sound, and feel his nostalgic, yet modern fashion sense.

3. Make your website a living entity. Don’t just set and forget your website. Give people a reason to keep coming back by creating content, whether it’s a blog, a photo series, or something else altogether. Make sure you’re posting content out into the world and into social media or other channels to ensure that you’re driving traffic back to your website. Ultimately, your website is the place to brand yourself or your business, and visitors must always enticed to return.

Example: A few months ago, we worked alongside Sophia Amoruso to create not only a website for her Girlboss Foundation, but also to build a template that other similarly minded creatives or nonprofits could use to showcase their work. Girlboss.com serves as much more than a static landing page, rather, it’s a hub for storytelling. By way of new blog entries, fresh content, and an active social media strategy, Sophia ensures that visitors continue to return to her site, and explore more of what Girlboss Foundation has to offer.

On the flip side, name three widespread misunderstandings or “common mistakes” to avoid when building a site.

1. Thinking simplicity is a bad thing: Blank space is something to be embraced, not feared. You don’t always need complex, massive sites if you only have a simple message to convey. Saying something concisely often allows you to say it well. Adding superfluous content just creates white noise and detracts from your purpose.

2. Letting mobile design be an after-thought: These days, many websites are accessed via mobile devices or tablets. As such, it’s worthwhile to think about designing for the small screen and work your way up, rather than starting on a large desktop and working your way down. Squarespace allows you to preview how your site will look across mobile, tablet, and desktop instantly.

3. Undervaluing the importance of text: While websites often place the highest premium upon their visual elements (large hero images, video backgrounds, and the like), the text and prose of a site should not feel like a throwaway. Every aspect of your website should be carefully curated, and that includes what you write and how it’s presented. Not only should your copy be well-written, but the style of typography should also be carefully considered. While a font choice might seem trivial, it’s one of those tiny details that are only noticeable when they go wrong.

This is paid content produced for an advertiser by New York Brand Studio. The editorial staff of Select All did not play a role in its creation.

Tags:

  • paid story
  • s squarespace
  • s squarespace coo david lee
  • s entertainment
  • select all
  • More
Comments Leave a Comment
Squarespace CCO on the Dos and Don’ts of Building a Website

Most Viewed Stories

  1. Enjoy Your Last Days of Not Paying Student Loans
  2. Jeffrey Epstein Once Had Chlamydia and Tried to Contact Larry Nassar From Jail
  3. Can Chris Licht Survive at CNN?
  4. Trump Promises to Hold Yearlong ‘Great American State Fair’ in Iowa
  5. Floating Metallic Orbs Are Everywhere — and 4 Other UFO Revelations From NASA
  1. Enjoy Your Last Days of Not Paying Student Loans
  2. How the Rupert Murdoch Family Drama Inspired Succession
  3. Jeffrey Epstein Once Had Chlamydia and Tried to Contact Larry Nassar From Jail
  4. Can Chris Licht Survive at CNN?
  5. The Story of Reality Winner, America’s Most Unlikely Leaker

Editor’s Picks

  • the media
    Can Chris Licht Survive at CNN? Can Chris Licht Survive at CNN?
  • bad blood
    Is Another Taylor Swift Backlash Brewing? Is Another Taylor Swift Backlash Brewing?
  • steal my vacation
    I Ambled Around Berlin for 8 Days I Ambled Around Berlin for 8 Days
THE FEED
8:30 p.m.
the media
the media
Can Chris Licht Survive at CNN?
By Brian Stelter
Staffers’ confidence is shaken. The CEO is vowing to “fight like hell to win back their trust.”
6/3/2023
early and often
early and often
Evangelicals Are Trump’s Firewall Against Primary Losses
By Ed Kilgore
Many Evangelical voters remain grateful for how Trump delivered for them. And a growing subset see him as a key figure in their spiritual warfare.
6/2/2023
early and often
early and often
Trump Promises to Hold Yearlong ‘Great American State Fair’ in Iowa
By Ed Kilgore
Maybe it’s just a pander, but Trump is smart to play on Iowa’s love for its annual festival of fried food, big livestock, and butter sculptures.

Most Popular

  1. Enjoy Your Last Days of Not Paying Student Loans
    By Kevin T. Dugan
  2. Jeffrey Epstein Once Had Chlamydia and Tried to Contact Larry Nassar From Jail
    By Matt Stieb
  3. Can Chris Licht Survive at CNN?
    By Brian Stelter
  4. Trump Promises to Hold Yearlong ‘Great American State Fair’ in Iowa
    By Ed Kilgore
  5. Floating Metallic Orbs Are Everywhere — and 4 Other UFO Revelations From NASA
    By Matt Stieb
  1. Enjoy Your Last Days of Not Paying Student Loans
    By Kevin T. Dugan
  2. How the Rupert Murdoch Family Drama Inspired Succession
    By Margaret Hartmann
  3. Jeffrey Epstein Once Had Chlamydia and Tried to Contact Larry Nassar From Jail
    By Matt Stieb
  4. Can Chris Licht Survive at CNN?
    By Brian Stelter
  5. The Story of Reality Winner, America’s Most Unlikely Leaker
    By Kerry Howley
6/2/2023
jeffrey epstein
jeffrey epstein
Jeffrey Epstein Once Had Chlamydia and Tried to Contact Larry Nassar From Jail
By Matt Stieb
And other revelations from the latest report on the sex criminal’s final days in jail.
6/2/2023
tremendous content
tremendous content
Donald Trump’s Nasty Ron DeSantis Nicknames, Ranked
By Margaret Hartmann
Trump has been workshopping his DeSantis nicknames, floating “Meatball Ron,” “Tiny D,” and “Ron DeSanctimonious.” Here’s some constructive feedback.
6/2/2023
debt limit
debt limit
Kevin McCarthy Is a Survivor, Not a Strategic Genius
By Ed Kilgore
Once Biden blinked on taxes, the Speaker was playing with house money.
6/2/2023
the approval matrix
the approval matrix
Vengeful Orca Pod and Anna Delvey’s Pod…cast
Our guide to what’s highbrow, lowbrow, brilliant, and despicable.
6/2/2023
the national interest
the national interest
Centrist Fanatics Go Wild Over Debt-Ceiling Deal
By Jonathan Chait
They just like bipartisan deals, regardless of content.
6/2/2023
the money game
the money game
Enjoy Your Last Days of Not Paying Student Loans
By Kevin T. Dugan
It’s been more than three years since they were due. A lot has changed.
6/2/2023
millennials
millennials
Millennials Will Not Age Into Voting Like Boomers
By Eric Levitz
Older millennials are getting more conservative as they age, but the generation’s politics are still distinctly left-wing.
6/1/2023
early and often
early and often
2024 Presidential Candidates Side With Far Right on Debt Deal
By Ed Kilgore
Trump, DeSantis, Haley, Pence, and Scott all seemed cavalier about risking a debt default to please the most extreme elements of the party base.
6/1/2023
are they out there?
are they out there?
Floating Metallic Orbs Are Everywhere — and 4 Other UFO Revelations From NASA
By Matt Stieb
The space agency is finally getting in on the trend of government investigations into unidentified foreign objects.
6/1/2023
tremendous content
tremendous content
Tape Reveals Trump Doubted His Mental Declassification Powers
By Margaret Hartmann
After the Mar-a-Lago raid, Trump claimed he could declassify “even by thinking about it.” But he didn’t believe this a year earlier.
6/1/2023
politics
politics
The Adams Administration Has a New Policy for Jail Deaths: Cover-up
By Nia Prater
The Department of Correction will no longer alert the media of inmate deaths. The move comes after a report raised questions about deadly incidents.
6/1/2023
tremendous content
tremendous content
Ron DeSantis Can’t Decide How to Pronounce His Own Name
By Margaret Hartmann
For years, the Florida governor has switched from “Dee-Santis” to “Deh-Santis” and back again with no apparent rhyme or reason.
6/1/2023
early and often
early and often
MAGA World Dismisses Ken Paxton Impeachment As Political Persecution
By Ed Kilgore
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene say the Texas attorney general’s impeachment on 20 articles was a RINO-led “witch hunt.”
6/1/2023
early and often
early and often
Kevin McCarthy Really Did It
By Ben Jacobs
The debt-ceiling deal passed the House by sweeping bipartisan margins, leading the Speaker to dunk on his haters.
6/1/2023
the money game
the money game
How to Navigate the Bizarro Economy
By Kevin T. Dugan
Is good news on jobs going to push the Federal Reserve to create a recession?
6/1/2023
screen time
screen time
Will Google’s AI Plans Destroy the Media?
By John Herrman
The new bot-generated content is ominous for digital publishers. But the search giant might have a reason to pull back.
5/31/2023
new york
new york
The Plane Crash That Killed an Alleged Monster
By Matt Stieb
A plane without wings fell out of the sky in western New York. Inside was a doctor who allegedly used his sperm for fertility treatments.
5/31/2023
early and often
early and often
DeSantis Aims to Convince Voters That Trump Is the Real RINO
By Ed Kilgore
The governor’s strategy may seem strange, but it’s the path to victory in Iowa.
5/31/2023
yeezy season approaching
yeezy season approaching
Adidas Is Ready to Make Money on Yeezys Again
By Matt Stieb
The company is selling off its back stock and giving a “significant amount” of the revenue to charity after cutting ties with Kanye West.
5/31/2023
early and often
early and often
Is Trump the New Nixon?
By Ed Kilgore
Analogies between the two presidents liberals love to hate only go so far.
5/31/2023
early and often
early and often
The Quirky Conservative Who Saved the Economy and McCarthy
By Ben Jacobs
Thomas Massie broke with fellow far-right Republicans, who are determined to make the House Speaker hurt.
5/31/2023
the capitol
the capitol
How TikTok Beat the Ban (for Now)
By Andrew Rice
Earlier this spring, Democrats and Republicans came together to call for a crackdown. It was never going to be that easy.
  • About Intelligencer
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
intelligencer is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.