ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ASKED IN
The website Hotline
All about Squarespace, SEO, and strategy.
You website and Squarespace questions answered by an expert
You website and Squarespace questions answered by an expert
Squarespace
Should I use Squarespace email marketing?
“I’ve been in business for 2 years, and I feel it’s now time to start building my mailing list. Many people I talk to use tools like Kit, but I know Squarespace has its own email marketing. What are your thoughts on this tool?
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Squarespace email marketing is perfect when your mailing list is not too big, or when you're just starting out. I use it myself, and I've been using it for four years. Best part it’s all inside the same platform.
You can segment your list, target people as they come into your funnel, and then email everyone at once when you need to. It has its limitations, but for where most people are starting, it does the job really well.
I'm only now starting to feel like I want to go deeper into segmentation and automations. That's four years in. So if you're at the beginning, there is nothing wrong with Squarespace email marketing. And if you add a few external tools along the way, you can probably keep using it without ever needing to move somewhere else.
The features are solid. You can design beautiful emails, target specific people, see who opens and who clicks, and track who unsubscribes. It gives you a clear picture of how your list is engaging.
If you're just starting to build your mailing list, it's absolutely perfect.
One thing I will add: building your list should start from day one of your business, even if you're not emailing people yet. Having a lead magnet on your website from the beginning means you're capturing visitors straight away, and that list becomes one of your most valuable assets over time.
Strategy
Shall I split my website into two?
I feel I have started to outgrow my current website, partly because my offerings have diversified and expanded. I am contemplating creating two websites - linked by one landing page, so people can choose to look at the teaching and training courses site, or the design consultancy website. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of splitting my website like this? I am a solo practitioner, and my tech support, marketing support, etc., is outsourced to trusted partners.
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This question is actually close to my heart, because Pink Fig Creative started exactly because I was advised to split my design business into two. So I have lived this.
As a solo practitioner, my advice is: don't do it.
Yes, you have some support around you, but you are still the one holding everything together. Splitting into two websites means two of everything. Two sets of emails, two websites to maintain, two lots of SEO to build, two brands to market. If you are already stretched for time, you are going to double the load without necessarily doubling the results.
You are staying in the same industry. Your programs and your one-on-one work are not two separate industries. They are two doors into the same house. With a bit of coding, Squarespace lets you design a single website with multiple menus. You can split your visitors from a single landing page as you suggested, send them down different paths, but all within the same site. I just finished a project for a client with offices in NSW, Queensland, and Victoria. Three different menus, different logos, all within one website. It works beautifully.
You will also lose SEO momentum if you split. Every page you add to your current site builds authority. Starting a second site means starting from zero.
And never underestimate the crossover. Someone who joins a program today could become a one-on-one client tomorrow. Someone you work with privately might later want to learn from your courses. Keeping them in the same space means they discover both naturally.
My strong advice is to stay on one website and restructure it to hold both sides of what you do. Add on your Footer the option to move from one to the other.
SEO
How do you recommend I diagnose and improve my SEO/GEO?
“As someone who isn't ready to invest in SEO just yet (but wants to eventually), how do you recommend I diagnose and improve my SEO/GEO? “
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SEO feels like a massive world, and now with GEO and AI search adding another layer, it can feel overwhelming. But the reality is it does not have to be complex. Let me break it down.
Diagnose first
Your website platform almost certainly has built-in analytics. Find the section that shows where your traffic is coming from and look for a tab that shows Google as a source. That alone tells you a lot.
From there, I highly recommend setting up two free tools if you have not already: Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Google Analytics makes it straightforward to see where your clicks and visits are coming from. Google Search Console lets you dig deeper into which keywords are driving traffic to you.
If you are not ready to invest in SEO yet, here is what I would start doing today.
Answer real people's questions. Go to a website called Answer the Public, search for your industry, and see what questions real people are typing into Google. Then write blog posts that answer those questions in your own voice and show your expertise. One blog a month is a great start. Weekly is even better. That is how you start moving the needle without spending anything other than time.
Set up Google My Business. When someone searches for your service in your area, you want to show up on that map. That is one of the highest-impact things you can do for free.
Create what I call floating pages. These are pages that live on your website but are not in your menu or footer. They target local SEO keywords, for example, a page for your service in your city, your state, and your country. So you might have one page for your service in Sydney, one for New South Wales, and one for Australia. Those pages quietly do the work of pulling in local search traffic over time. There is more people in your local area searhching for your services than you imagine.
If you are not deep into SEO yet, do not stress too much about GEO right now. There are tweaks you can make to your existing SEO to start showing up in AI search results, and I do get AI-driven enquiries without doing much specifically for it. But here is the context that matters: there are still over 60 billion Google searches, compared with around 500 million AI searches. SEO is still driving the majority of traffic, and it also feeds AI search results. So if you are starting from scratch, focus on getting your SEO foundations right first. GEO will follow.
Start with Google My Business, add a blog a month, and create a few floating pages. Those three things alone will start moving the needle.
Strategy
Why isn’t my website showing in Google?
“I launched my website yesterday, but my website is not showing up on Google. Why is that?”
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There is a really common myth here. People think that once you launch your website, Google will just find it. And that is not true.
There is one key step that most DIYers don't know about, and it is the reason your website is invisible on Google. You need to ask Google to crawl your website. And you do that through Google Search Console.
If you are on Squarespace, it is straightforward. You connect it through the third-party tools settings and you are in. Once you are set up, you can submit your sitemap to Google, and you can also submit individual pages. When you do that, your pages can start showing up almost straight away. If you skip this step, it can take months before Google even knows your website exists.
But here is the other thing worth knowing. Even once Google finds you, showing up in search results takes time. If you are searching for your area of expertise rather than your own name, you are competing with websites that have been around for years, sometimes ten years or more. A brand new website will not outrank them overnight. That credibility and authority builds over time.
Your website is where people land. But you still need Google, AI, and your ideal clients to actually find it first. The website is not the finish line. It is the starting point.
So if your website is not showing up, the first thing I would check is whether you have set up Google Search Console and submitted your sitemap. That one step alone can make a significant difference.
Strategy
Why isn’t my website converting?
You posted on LinkedIn today that a great website needs 3 things. I'm wondering if, in your expert opinion, mine has those 3 things, or not quite?
1- Is there a clear headline that tells me what you do and who it's for?2- Is there an obvious next step?
3- Does the design make me trust you before I've read a single word?
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Lots of traffic to your website does not automatically mean you are getting the right traffic. This is one of the most common reasons websites are not converting.
The first thing I would do is set up Google Search Console if you have not already. This tool tells you exactly which keywords are bringing people to your website and where that traffic is coming from. I worked with a client not long ago who had good traffic but was not converting. When we checked her Google Search Console, the keywords driving traffic had nothing to do with her actual services. We worked on her SEO, and once the right people started landing on her website, her enquiries completely changed. More traffic is not the goal. The right traffic is.
Simplify your call to action. You have too many buttons and too many options on your homepage, people might freeze. I would recommend having one clear call to action and sticking to it throughout the page. Whether that is a contact form or a book a call button, pick one and make it consistent. In my experience, booking a call converts better than a contact form, but either works as long as it is clear and repeated throughout the page.
I would test removing your chat CTA, I know many people are not using them because it instantly says AI. Remove it and see if your conversions improve. These days, especially in industries where trust is everything, people are wary of AI chat. If it feels automated, it can actually work against you. If you keep it, clarify if it’s AI or Human connection.
Your hero section needs to do more work. The top of your homepage should immediately tell visitors who you help, what you do, and why it matters. Your strongest line is sitting on your second section; move it up. Your header is prime real estate. Do not waste it on a job title or a generic headline. Lead with the outcome you deliver and who it is for.
Give your website room to breathe. Your website is content heavy, add more white space. White space is not empty space, it is breathing room. It makes your content easier to read and your website feel less overwhelming. When everything is crammed together, visitors switch off faster than you think.
Simplify your services menu or change the design. When we have a lot of offers, it is tempting to show everything. But too many options in a menu can overwhelm visitors and actually stop them from choosing anything at all.
There are two ways to fix this. The first is to use a mega menu, where instead of one long dropdown list, your services are arranged in columns by tier or category. It is much easier to scan and understand at a glance. The second option is to show only your main services in the menu and move the rest to your footer. People can still find everything, but your menu stays clean and focused.
If you would like to go deeper on any of this and make it specific to your website, I am happy to jump on a free call.
Strategy
When should I hire a designer and when should I DIY my website?
“I’m starting my own business as an Interior designer, and I’m thinking about designing a website to look more professional and have a place to send people to when networking. I’m considering designing it myself. Is that a good idea?
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I love this question because I see so many new businesses spending five or six thousand dollars on a website that looks completely different a year later. So let me give you a clear answer.
Never hire a designer you cannot afford. That is my number one rule. Do not put yourself in a position where a website build is causing financial stress at the end of the month. It is not worth it, especially when you are still figuring out your business, your offers, and who you are speaking to.
If you are just starting out and you are on a budget, DIY is absolutely the right move. There are templates, there are courses, and there are tools that make it more accessible than ever. I actually created the Website Launch Roadmap for exactly this reason. It walks you through every step I use in my own one-on-one process, so you can build something solid without needing to hire anyone.
If you have some budget, choose carefully. If you can afford a designer, engaging an expert will almost always give you a better result than going it alone. But do your research. And do not feel the need to build a massive website when you are just starting out. Simple and clear beats big and complicated every time.
The two-year mark is a good milestone. If you have been in business for less than two years, focus on keeping costs low and getting something live. After the two-year mark, I would strongly recommend investing in professional support. Whether that is a revamp with a designer or an ongoing monthly retainer, by that point your business has legs, your offers are clearer, and a designer can give you so much more than just a pretty website. They bring strategy, direction, and years of knowing what actually works.
A good designer does not just build you a site. They help you think about what comes next.
Strategy
What's the one thing I absolutely cannot skip on my website?
"I've had my website for 2 years and built it myself. What's the one thing I absolutely cannot skip?"
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I am going to give you three, because I cannot pick just one.
A clear call to action. This one should be visible from the moment someone lands on your website. I personally love a book a call button because it creates a direct, personal connection. But if that does not suit your business, a contact form works too. Whatever it is, make sure it is in your header, in your menu, and repeated throughout your homepage. Do not make people hunt for the next step.
Start building your mailing list from day one You do not need to be doing email marketing to start collecting emails. Create a simple freebie, a PDF, a checklist, a short guide, anything. It does not need to be complicated. Just give people a reason to hand over their email address and start capturing that list from the moment your website goes live.
I waited way too long to start mine, and I genuinely regret it. Your mailing list is one of the most valuable assets in your business, and the earlier you start, the better. Do not wait until you feel ready to email people. Start collecting now, even if you start emailing them in a year's time.
Connect Google Search Console straight away. Just like your mailing list, this is about collecting data before you need it. Google Search Console tells you where your visitors are coming from, what keywords they are using to find you, and how your website is performing in search. You might not be ready to dive into SEO yet, and that is completely fine. But set it up now so that when you are ready, the data is already there waiting for you.
These three things cost nothing. They just need to be set up from the start.
SEO
Where can I start with SEO?
“Unfortunately, I don’t have many leads in my business, and I’m starting to get fewer and fewer referrals. I can’t afford an SEO agency, so I will start doing SEO myself. Where shall I start?”
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SEO is a world on its own, but I will tell you what has genuinely changed my business: local SEO.
When you start researching local SEO, you will quickly realise it is actually a lot simpler than most agencies make it sound. And it is the best place to start.
Set up Google My Business first. This is the number one thing I would tell anyone starting with SEO. Set up your Google My Business profile and add a proper address if possible. When someone searches for your industry followed by "near me," you want to show up on Google Maps. That visibility is still incredibly powerful. AI is changing the search landscape, but normal SEO is still what feeds those AI results. So getting your foundations right here matters more than ever.
Create floating pages that target your local area and mention local businesses. This is one of my favourite strategies and something that has worked really well for me. Floating pages are pages that live on your website but are not in your menu or footer. They target local search terms, for example, website designer in Sydney, or your industry, followed by your suburb, city, or state. They quietly do the work of pulling in local traffic without cluttering your main navigation.
Get into local directories. Start submitting your business to local and industry directories. This tells Google that you are a legitimate, established business in your field. It builds credibility slowly, but it builds it consistently.
None of this is complicated, and none of it requires a big budget. It just requires a little consistency. Start with Google My Business, add a floating page or two, get into some directories, and you will start to see the needle move.
Hola, I'm Ina. I'm the person behind the line.
I'm the Squarespace Expert and SEO Accredited Consultant behind Pink Fig Creative. I've spent 7+ years building and optimising websites for service-based businesses, and I have a graphic design and IT background. I think in systems. I explain things in plain English (to be fair, I don’t know another way, since English is my second language).
I built Pink Fig Creative around one belief: your website should work for you, not stress you out. The Hotline is my way of giving more people access to honest, practical website advice, without a sales call, without a commitment, and without the usual price tag.
Bring your real question. Get a real answer. And if you're on Squarespace, I'll show you exactly where to go.
