How to Install a Squarespace Landing Page with a WordPress Blog

Wondering how to get both a Squarespace landing page with a WordPress blog on the same URL? This step by step post will show you exactly how it can be done.

Quick Note: Thank you to Michelle for this question in the Facebook group this week!!

There seem to be two camps in the blogesphere these days.  The “I Heart WordPress” camp vs the “I Heart Squarespace” peeps.  But why must we fight??  Why can’t we make words…NOT war??

I’m not going to lie…I was torn between the two of them. I’ve ALWAYS been a WordPress Fangirl.  I’ve lived halfway between the lines of HTML and pretty themes for YEARS.  So, obvi…I’m not leaving them behind.  Wordpress makes your website COMPLETELY customizable.

Squarespace…on the other hand, allows the user to make GORGEOUS changes to their website within minutes.  No coding necessary.  It allows you to install sign up forms in 5 seconds flat…and even creates stunning slideshows in seconds.

SO…what I’ve done is use Squarespace for my landing page…which means the first thing you see when you head to Uncorkyourdork.com is me and a sign up form for the Traffic Building Video Library!

What you’ll ALSO see is a blog button!  If you click that…it takes you straight to my wordpress blog. So…because I think it will be a fun post, I’m going to show you SUPAH quick how I set that up!!

Step 1: Purchase your primary URL

I use Siteground, a company I love with every fiber of my being. (That’s an affiliate link…but I would recommend them regardless!) This is the URL that will be linked to Squarespace. They are VERY fair in price…I went with the GoGeek…duh. 🙂

Step 2: You’ll need to create a subdomain  

This is a little trickier than getting the domain.  So I’ll walk you through it. I’m going to show you how I do this in Siteground…but I’ve used a few different hosts and they tend to be similar.  If you  have issues following this…be sure to ask your service provider for help!!

Once you are logged in to your Siteground account (or which ever host you are using), you’ll click the “My Accounts” tab then “Manage Account”.

From there, you’ll click the cPanel button.  This will take you to your websites Control Panel!  This is where you set up your URL’s email address, subdomains and redirects! This is also where you’ll install your wordpress blog once we create the subdomain.  🙂

Now…almost all cPanels look the same!!  Actually…I’ve never really seen one that DIDN’T look like this.  0_o

From this page (don’t be intimidated) you’ll click that first button that says “subdomains”.

You’ll end up on a screen that will ask you what you’d like to name your subdomain! I HIGHLY recommend you keep this simple!!  Your followers will be looking for your blog…so call it “blog”. Do NOT call it “bloglairofevilshedevils.myurl.com”.  **Head/desk.**

You should see your subdomain appear in your subdomain list!! You can create as many of these as you want…but really, you will only need them if you are planning on uploading different themes to different parts of your website.  Maybe you are creating a shop and want to use a separate Wootheme!

Step 3: Install WordPress onto your subdomain 

See?  Easy peasy!! Moving on!!  Now we are going to install WordPress onto your subdomain!!  Pay close attention! (That was sarcasm…this is even EASIER!)

Head back to your accounts page (Click the “My Accounts” tab at the top and then “Manage URL” next to your domain’s name). You should see your subdomain listed right under your primary URL now!!  😀 If you don’t it might take an hour or two to show up, depending on your host. Go grab a coffee or hand write your first blog post or something…OLD SCHOOOOOOOL!!

Once you see your domain, click the cPanel button at the top of the screen again.

Scroll down your cPanel page until you see the “Autoinstallers” area. You’ll see a WordPress icon…click it.  0_0

Here’s where things might differ between hosting accounts.  But what you WANT to make sure you do, is install the WordPress platform on your BLOG url…NOT YOUR PRIMARY!!!! Click the “Install Now” button and you should be able to select which URL you’d like to install the platform on.

Scroll down the page and fill in your settings…change your admin name and password to something other than gibberish…and click “Install”!

You should see your installation appear in your WordPress Installations list!

(Awwwww….now I know the birthday of my blog!!!  She’s still a baby…but SO grown up.)

 

You’ll want to install your favorite theme and get to bloggin’!!  You can do this by clicking the “My Accounts” tab, the “Manage Account” button, and finally…the “Go To Admin Panel” button!  Ooooo…we haven’t clicked THAT one yet!

Installing themes and getting WordPress all set up is a TOTALLY different basket of Cadburry’s…so we’ll save that for another time.  You can find a TON of articles and videos on Youtube, though!

Step 4: Create your Squarespace account 

Whew!!  Alright…we are truckin’!!!  I know this is secretly what you’ve been waiting for…since you like shiny things.  🙂  Head over to Squarespace! We have a couple of steps to take before we create your free account. Click the “Website” button in the menu above. You already have your domain…so you won’t be hosting through Squarespace!

Next, click on the “Cover Page” tab.

Scroll down the page and choose the cover page that you like best! Give it a click!  (I use the template with the Kiwi.)  NOW

Time to create you account!!  Enter your name and email address.  It’s still free…so no worries!

Step 5: Create your landing page with your free offer

Once you’re logged in, you’ll see your selected template and a menu to the left.  You can change everything about the template by scrolling over the areas!!  If you click to edit, the editing modules will pop up in the left hand menu area.

Play around by adding buttons, changing your text, uploading gorgeous images. And don’t forget to include your social media links!!

Step 6: Link your Squarespace account to your Siteground (or whatevs) hosting site! 

Alright…in the menu to the left, you’ll click “Settings” and then “Domains”. You’ll see a big grey button that says “Connect Third Party Domains”. Once you do this, you’ll be asked to enter in payment information. Click that button and enter in the domain name you own.

Select your service provider in the list, or if you are using Siteground, click “other”. Once you do that, Squarespace will either connect with your provider, FIND your provider (Siteground), or tell you that the can’t FIND your provider.

The process of connecting and loading SOMETIMES takes up to 2 days depending on your service provider.  If you think you’ve done something wrong…head back to your service provider and enter a help ticket!!  One of the reasons I adore Siteground is their help desk!!!  A live person ACTUALLY talk to you (via a text box) and will actually solve any technical issues you are having FOR you!!  Yay for help desks!!

BONUS TIP: After your account is connect, be sure you are using that landing page to the absolute BEST of your ability!!!!  If you aren’t collecting emails, then I highly recommend you start now!! (I use ConvertKit and couldn’t recommend it more!!  It has LITERALLY doubled my list over the last few days.)   Instead of using your landing page as just a simple gateway to your blog, make your main page excite your visitors about your upcoming webinar or free optin!!  Create a button that leads to a sign up page and a button that leads to your blog!  You can see an example of this at UncorkYourDork.com!   

Anyhoo…I guess that just about does it for this post!! It’s just a waiting game for you now! But once your site is up…you’ll have a beautiful Squarespace landing page with a badass blog of awesomicity!

If you have any questions or anything to add…shoot it my way in the comments area below! And if you want…you can do me a solid for giving you all this information.  Pin, tweet or facebook this post using the share buttons below!!

Till next week you amazing sauce people of the digital world.

Terra Dawn

Get more of me on:

Instagram

Facebook 

Twitter 

Pinterest

**These symbols denote an affiliate link. My policy to not recommend ANYTHING that I don’t use and love myself!! So if you ever have questions about an affiliate platform link I’ve provided, don’t hesitate to ask!!