So you’ve created your digital product and now you’re promoting it almost until it feels like that’s all you talk about. Believe it or not, you’re on the right track! But when you’re ready to drive people to a shop instead of manually selling each template or product, it’s time to try out shop platforms. Honestly, while we use Shopify over at The Contract Shop®, I started on SquareSpace — and it’s great for new shops.

Starting an online shop can be super exciting, but let’s be honest — it can also be super overwhelming. That’s why today, I want to take you through a beginner’s guide on how you can post your first digital product on SquareSpace without breaking a sweat.

Selling your first digital product on Squarespace

First, you will want to set up your Commerce profile on Squarespace. You can sign up for one of their monthly plans to get started, and once you fill out your information, Squarespace prompts you to set up your payment info so you can receive your funds.

Once you set up your commerce profile on Squarespace, you are ready to build your first product listing!

Add details

The easy way to get to this page is to click on the “Finish up your store prompt” and pick the “Add a new product” tab. Squarespace has a nice clean design, so finding this tab is a cinch. Under “What do you want to sell?”, simply click “Digital,” and it will open up your product template.

Now, this is where your magic happens. Your layout will open and it’s time to insert the details of your product. 

If you’re testing out a new product on presale, add “PRE-SALE” to the main title and put it within the first few sentences of the description as well. Along with the clear “pre-sale” label, put your deliverable timeline up front and center as well. Here I put 30 days; you can put two weeks, two days, or even two hours if you want to (not that I recommend such an ambitious turnaround!)

Rock the product description

Aside from the presale info, your title can be short, sweet, and to the point; just make sure it’s descriptive enough to show off your product’s niche (ex. “New client onboarding emails” vs “email marketing”).

Now, it’s time to write your description! This is where you’ll tell your client why your product matters and how it can directly impact their day-to-day. The catch? You have to factor in your reader’s attention span. They don’t want to read a novel on your product yet, so you have to hook them quickly. 

Formatting is your friend here, so make sure to use it to your advantage! Get creative with different styles to bring attention to the most important information. You want your description to be compelling yet concise. * Bullet points, CAPITALIZATION, and persuasive language choices all capture the strengths of your product in a few short phrases. 

Add imagery 

Don’t forget to add your thumbnail images in the form as you go. Your pictures can complement your description, so it’s important to keep them relevant and on-brand as possible. (The photo shown here is more of a placeholder; I would usually want something more relevant to the product I want to promote.) Mockups are great to give clients a sneak peek and get them interested in seeing the full thing. 

Set the pricing

Under your description, add the digital file you want the customer to buy, and set the price (or add the sale price). You can also add the product URL — the unique link people will use to get to the product.

Consider SEO

We can’t have a great product page without a little SEO in the mix! Thankfully, Squarespace keeps it fairly simple. I usually go in and modify the title to just say the name of the product, removing the “pre-sale” portion in the process. That way, when my product is fully online, I don’t have to go in and change that later. You can also add in your SEO tags to make sure that people see your product when they search for certain keywords in your industry.

When you’re done, you’ll get a chance to see how the product listing looks to your customer. This is a great chance to see if your formatting works as well as you hoped it would, or whether you need some tweaks to make everything look clean and professional on the screen. 

It’s super simple for customers to add to cart and checkout. They can get immediate access to your products all within a few steps–no extra tabs or hang-ups required. 

Time to get started with YOUR Squarespace site

There are several steps you do need to take in order to make sure your Squarespace shop is set up to sell your product but, after the initial setup, your business will be able to have sales flowing in no time! 

Want other tips on optimizing your online product shop? Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. You can also sign up for my newsletter, where I deliver hot new tips right to your inbox every Friday.