Squarespace Memberships & Paywalled Content Now Available

Squarespace is introducing a new way for website owners to generate revenue: Member Areas, which enable businesses to offer exclusive content in exchange for payment.

According to Paul Gubbay, the company’s Chief Product Officer, many Squarespace users are seeking diverse methods to monetize their online presence, especially given recent global circumstances. While the platform already facilitates the sale of goods, services, and appointment scheduling, Member Areas now empower users “to market their knowledge and their content.”

This new feature could be utilized by online publications looking to restrict access to certain articles, or by professionals such as a chef offering paid access to cooking tutorials and recipes, or a fitness professional providing income-generating online courses.

Kimberly Lin, Group Product Manager, demonstrated how Member Areas seamlessly integrate with Squarespace websites, allowing owners to define varying access levels for different pages. These levels can include recurring subscription fees, one-time payments, or free access upon registration.

Squarespace also provides support for multiple membership levels, along with the ability to distribute exclusive podcasts and newsletters to members. Website administrators will have access to customer relationship management (CRM) data for each member, with further data segmentation capabilities planned for future development.

This functionality is being released as an extension to the existing Squarespace platform, with pricing beginning at $9 monthly. Gubbay highlighted the ease with which these features can be added to a current Squarespace site, allowing users to easily place “any content” behind a payment barrier.

Lin also explained that integrating with the website builder allows Squarespace to deliver robust page protection, ensuring that visitors cannot bypass the paywall by directly accessing a restricted URL.

Gubbay cited a jewelry retailer on Squarespace as an early example of success, who began offering design consultation sessions and subsequently created Member Areas featuring videos and additional jewelry-focused content.

“Our initial focus is to confirm a strong alignment between our product and market demand,” Gubbay stated. “Looking ahead, we aim to assist users in recognizing opportunities and directing them to the platform’s tools that support a diversified sales approach.”