Adding Member Areas to your Squarespace website allows you to create member only pages that allow your visitors to create an account and purchase a membership in order to view. Member areas was built to service a wide range of uses. Member Areas in Squarespace grants exclusive access to subscribers and supports a wide range of uses. This specialized subscription area helps grow your audience and manage your member pages all in one place as it is only accessible to eligible members who pay a recurring fee, a one time fee, or have free access. Depending on how you want to restrict your information, Member Area is an effective way to add subscription services to specialized pages.

Member Areas support a wide range of uses:

• promote exclusive content

• share online classes

• provide personalized learning experiences

• protect content

Only members who create an account and sign up for membership can see the specialized Member Area content. You can build a new Squarespace website with member areas or add Member Areas to an existing Squarespace website.

Let’s Talk about Member Area plan information:

You can allow members to sign up for membership:

1. Recurring membership plan

2. One-time fee membership plan

3. Free membership plan

As your business grows let Member Areas grow with you. Don’t think that once you set Member Areas up that it has to stay the same. There is always room to make changes.

How can this be incorporated into E-commerce areas of Squarespace Websites?:

• Customer Accounts

• Save payment information securely

• Save shipping address

• Save shopping cart

• Offer promotional discounts

Depending on the options that you choose, you may need to select Basic Commerce or Advanced Commerce.

To enable Member Areas:

Home Menu/ Settings/ Member Areas

Toggle the switch to Member Areas

Squarespace has three Member Area pricing plans (Starter - Core - Pro) that each include:

• Integrated Analytics

• Unlimited members

• No ads

• No Squarespace branding

• Ability to offer discounts

• Ability to offer promotions

Every plan has 30 minutes of video storage for video uploaded directly to the Squarespace website. You may still use unlimited links from YouTube and Vimeo.

The difference between the Starter, Core, and Pro pricing plans is:

1. the number of member areas

2. transactions fees

You may update your billing plan at any time to change the pricing plan. Depending on the price you may need to pay an additional fee or receive a credit. Changing any plan in Squarespace is easy and there are no additional fees when changing your monthly or annual plans mid month or mid year.

Once you have successfully added a Members Area to your website you can manage your website account:

Home Menu > Settings > Billing & Account

Billing

Members Areas

In this area you can see information related to your Squarespace website account for Member Areas:

• Review subscription details

• Change plan(s)

• Review your website invoices

• Disable auto renew

• Cancel subscription

As a website owner, once you enable Member Areas you will see a new navigation section called Member Areas in your Pages panel. At this point you may create as many Member Areas as your pricing plan allows. From here you can go about Creating gated content for your Member Areas. This is content only those members who have a subscription may view. You may promote your Member Areas throughout your website using member sign up blocks so visitors can register to be a part of your gated content.

Member Homepage

Members will have a sign on page to access the special Member Area. They will use their account username and password created when purchasing their membership to access this special area. This is the first page in the Member Area section.

Member Area Pages

Add content to Member Area pages is similar to adding pages to your website.

Payments

If the members will need to pay a fee to access the member area., you will have to make sure you have a Squarespace Business or Commerce pricing plan so you can set up payments.

Can you test Member Areas before purchasing your website?

Yes, you may add Member Areas but when you start to sell memberships you have to subscribe to Member Areas. Squarespace has set up a demo site so you can view how the Member Areas would look. This is a site on the Squarespace website that Squarespace has put together.

I wrote a blog a year ago about Squarespace Basics: Member Areas and I wanted to add on it with further information. Take a look at this article too if you have a few minutes.

May Web Design, LLC refreshes and creates affordable websites that enable clients to take ownership and update themselves on a Squarespace platform. I enjoy helping clients increase customer engagement with a website and improve their overall web presence. The most important part of my business is that when I have completed and reviewed the website with a client, I teach the client how to update their website so that they can keep it fresh and new. A website offers a 24/7 welcome to prospective members, showing them what your business or organization has accomplished and what you plan to do. If built correctly it should welcome people to the site and show them around in a comfortable way.   

If you are interested in discussing the needs of a website for your business or nonprofit organization, contact May Web Design, LLC. Starting out with a basic brochure website may be all that your business or organization needs. Your website should grow with you and change as needed. 

I work with my clients so that I may design the website they envision and, most importantly, teach them how to update their website to keep the information fresh and new. While you are busy building your small business or nonprofit, I can create a website to grow with your dreams. I have a list of services on my website as well as a portfolio of my websites and testimonial from past clients. You may even set up a free 30 minute initial consultation call to discuss your website project.