How to Give and Request Access to Squarespace in 2024

Squarespace is a hugely popular website builder, boasting almost 5 million sites on the internet.

Launched in 2004, Squarespace has revolutionized website design to make establishing an online presence easy. It’s a simple and reliable solution for any business wishing to produce a professional website.

If you manage sites, you may want to invite others to work on your Squarespace-powered website. Or perhaps you’re a marketing agency trying to get access to your client’s Squarespace account as smoothly as possible.

You might be confused about how to share access, but we’re here to help. Strap in, and you’ll learn everything you need to know about giving and requesting access to an existing Squarespace account.

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Why Grant Access to a Squarespace Website

Before you go through our step-by-step tutorial, you may want to know the benefits of handing over the keys to a Squarespace account. There’s no question that turning to others can be an excellent way of achieving your website’s goals.

The entrusted party can either be colleagues or third parties, who have been assigned to improve a brand’s online presence. 

A new contributor can offer a fresh perspective on your Squarespace site. And they’ll save your business time and money if they possess the right skills.

If you want a web developer or designer to improve your site, you’ll need to grant them access. The same is true for webmasters wishing to invite employees to collaborate. 

In 2023, marketing agencies use a variety of amazing tools to deliver great results for clients. And you’ll need to grant access if you hire them to publish blog posts or update existing content. 

An agency has the know-how to create a successful website and is usually better equipped to optimize content for SEO. There are some site owners that outsource their customer support, and they’ll need to grant them access to their Squarespace account so that they can troubleshoot any issues that customers face on the website.

Whether they’re in-house or external agencies, inviting contributors to your Squarespace website can help your business maximize its online potential.

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The Different Levels of Contributor Permissions on Squarespace

There are multiple permissions available on Squarespace. This allows the website owner to grant contributors different levels of access. Giving appropriate permissions is important for ensuring that they can carry out their required functions, without compromising the security and integrity of the website.

1. Owner

Each Squarespace account can only have one owner, and it’s typically the person who created the website. They can manage all content and settings. The owner does have the option to “transfer ownership”, but this should only be done in exceptional circumstances. 

After giving up ownership, the former owner automatically becomes an administrator. The new owner can remove their access or change their level of access in the ‘Permissions’ section.

2. Administrator

This role is perfect for a contributor who requires full access.

Administrators can do everything the owner can do, except transfer ownership of the website. Assigning someone as an administrator gives them access to all the other roles, allowing them to manage all aspects of the Squarespace website.

3. Website Editor

A website editor can add products and edit content on existing pages. However, they cannot add new pages or make style changes.

This contributor role is limited, but allows a user to maintain and update a Squarespace site.

4. Analytics

Giving people access to analytics gives them the ability to view all your Squarespace analytics data. If the website is an online store they’ll be able to see sales information, as well as valuable data concerning user traffic and demographics. 

5. Comment Moderator

This role is suitable if a brand has someone in charge of customer satisfaction. They’ll receive a notification whenever a comment is left on the website. Comment moderators can post comments on site pages and edit comments in the comments panel.

6. Store Manager

If you run an online store, a Squarespace store manager can view and manage orders. They can also update product information, manage inventory, and add or reorder products.

7. Email Campaigns Editor

Email marketing remains a strong communications channel for driving revenue growth and engaging a targeted audience. Many small business owners turn to agencies to run effective campaigns. And an email campaigns editor on Squarespace can create, send, and track analytics for email campaigns. 

8. Viewer

This level of permission only allows the user to view password-protected sites without a password. A viewer cannot edit content or make any changes to a Squarespace website.

9. Billing

This Squarespace permission level is ideal for the person who manages a company’s finances. They can view invoices and change or cancel subscriptions.

10. Scheduling

The different scheduling permissions are only relevant for websites that require clients to book appointments for services in advance.

Now that you’ve understood what each permission level means, you’ve probably got a clearer idea of the type of access you want to give. Without further ado, let’s walk through the simple process of inviting a contributor to your Squarespace website.

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How to Give Access to a Squarespace Account: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Visit www.squarespace.com/login and enter your email address and password. If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to click ‘Create Account’ in the top right corner and follow the steps to get up and running.

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2. On your ‘Dashboard’ page, click the icon with three dots.

3. Select ‘Permissions’. 

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To arrive at the same place from your Squarespace admin panel, select “Settings” on the left menu column and then select “Permissions”.

4. In the ‘Permissions’ section, you’ll have the option to “Transfer Ownership” on the right side or “Add Basic Author” to attribute someone’s name to a blog post. To give someone user permissions for your site, you must click “Invite Contributor”.

5. Fill in the contributor’s name and email address. Then, select which permissions to give them by toggling the appropriate switch. Click “Invite” at the bottom of the page to invite contributor.

6. The email invitation has been sent. You can change their permission level or “Cancel Invite” if you wish.

Your contributor will receive an email asking them to log into their existing Squarespace account or create a new one. They should check their spam folder if they didn’t receive the email.

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How to Request Access to a Client’s Squarespace Account 

Unfortunately, there are no simple steps to follow when requesting access to someone’s Squarespace website. You’ll have to contact the site owner or administrator and encourage them to follow the six steps above.

Once they send their Squarespace invitation link, open the relevant email and click “Accept Invitation”. If you don’t receive an email, check your spam folder. The inviter can also manually send you the invitation link if you don’t receive an email.

You’ll be prompted to login to your Squarespace account, or create one if you don’t already have one. Upon logging in, you’ll have whatever contributor permissions the inviter assigned to you.

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Unmissable Tips for Adding Contributors to Squarespace

Before you rush off inviting new contributors, we recommend taking on board some valuable advice about collaborating on Squarespace. 

1. Take Security Seriously

The security of a website is of utmost importance to any brand or business. When inviting a new contributor, you must consider how trustworthy they are before assigning them a specific role. 

Failing to limit access or give appropriate permissions can have disastrous consequences. For example, a contributor with full access may go rogue and delete your entire website. Therefore, you should only assign administrator permissions to your most trusted team members and those who require the deepest levels of access.

It’s also important to keep on top of your multiple contributors. If someone no longer works with you, you should remove access to avoid any possibility of revenge-fuelled sabotage. 

2. Clear Communication is Key

Whether you want to thrive in your personal or professional life, communication is always an essential ingredient.

When collaborating on a Squarespace account, you need to communicate exactly what you want from your contributors. This may involve setting goals and deadlines, and ensuring that everyone remains on the same page.

Communication channels must remain open so that you can keep track of the website’s progress, your contributor’s work, and any issues that arise.

3. Bring Contributors Together to Work in Harmony

A Squarespace personal plan only allows the site owner to add one contributor, but a Squarespace business plan permits unlimited contributors. Delegating tasks to multiple people will free up time to focus on other aspects of your business.

Squarespace allows for real-time collaboration and lets you know who is making the changes. There’s also a built-in chat function which fosters instant communication amongst multiple site contributors. 

Assigning user roles appropriately will ensure a site’s content management is secure, organized, and streamlined. And changing permission levels is simple. Visit “Settings” > “Permissions” to toggle each contributor’s permissions.

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To Conclude

It’s really not so difficult to add contributors on Squarespace websites. This powerful website builder allows owners and administrators to collaborate and delegate tasks with ease. So, follow the simple steps detailed above, and you’ll be collaborating with others in no time.

Here at Leadsie, we make the process of giving and requesting access to marketing assets simple. We’ll even throw in a 14-day free trial, so you can see for yourself how much time you’ll save. All you have to do is enter your email address in the box below.

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