Squarespace users can now sell memberships and add paywalls

Popular website builder Squarespace has released a Member Areas feature that will give online businesses access to a new revenue stream. 

The new feature will allow Squarespace customers to create member-only areas without compromising on their web design or diluting their brand.

With the coronavirus pandemic hitting business revenues hard, the ability to monetize different membership tiers could prove essential for small businesses – particularly as the world enters an “unprecedented holiday shopping season.”

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Members only

With Member Areas, businesses can create an all-in-one destination to manage all aspects of their website, including new membership features. Companies will now be able to offer various membership levels to their online visitors, create member-only areas and set up customizable groups.

Although the new offering may help businesses drive new revenue streams, it could also boost Squarespace’s finances too. The website building market has become increasingly competitive of late, particularly with the coronavirus pandemic forcing businesses to adopt digital technologies. Earlier this month, UENI, another website builder, offered its services for free.

With the new Squarespace offering, managing members is straightforward and website administrators have the option of setting membership costs as either a one-off fee, a recurring payment or making it free-of-charge. To gain access to Member Areas, Squarespace customers will need to purchase an add-on plan starting at $9 a month.

“Member Areas allows creators to monetize their content by gating it behind members-only areas,” said Paul Gubbay, Chief Product Officer at Squarespace. 

“Whether it’s a fitness educator looking to group classes for students by level, an independent publication seeking to paywall its articles, or a running club that wants to privately share its schedule and routes with its members, Member Areas was built to support a wide range of use cases. The feature is an entirely native experience that, like all Squarespace products, is beautifully designed and easy to use.”

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