Squarespace 7.1 · íslenskasaman.com

Setting up a member login

Seven steps to put part of the site behind a login with a Squarespace Member Site. The pictures are simplified sketches of the Squarespace screens, so labels may look slightly different on yours. The orange outline marks what to click.

Public: anyone

  • Home, Start here, About
  • A1 hub and a few free lessons
  • Sign-up page with the plans

Members only

  • Verb lessons and drills (Að vera, Að tala …)
  • Æfing practice pages
  • Future A2 material

Step 1

Decide what goes behind the login

Squarespace locks every page inside a member site, so decide the split before you start moving pages.

  1. List the pages that stay public: the ones that bring people in and show what the site does.
  2. List the pages that go members only.
  3. Choose free sign-up (email only) or paid access. You can start free and add a paid plan later.
Worth knowing: pages inside a member site don't show up on Google. Keep your best introduction pages public.

Step 2

Create the member site

  1. In Squarespace, open Pages.
  2. Click the + next to Main Navigation.
  3. Choose Member Site.
  4. Pick a layout for the member homepage, type a name (for example Íslenska saman Members) and press Enter.

A new Member Sites section now appears at the bottom of the Pages panel.

Step 3

Add a pricing plan

This is what turns the lock on, even for a free plan.

  1. In Pages, click your member site.
  2. Under Selling tools, click Add a pricing plan, then Create pricing plan.
  3. Fill in the Name, the Description and up to five Benefits included (60 characters each).
  4. Under Pricing, choose Free, Fixed amount or Subscription, and enter a price if it's paid.
  5. Click Create.
When the plan saves, a Paywalled label appears next to the member site. That means it's live.
Before charging: a paid plan needs a paid Squarespace plan and payments set up, and Squarespace takes a fee on each sale. Check the numbers under your billing settings first.

Step 4

Move the lesson pages inside

  1. In Pages, drag each members-only page down into your member site.
  2. To make a new locked page instead, click the member site, then Add page.

Page addresses stay the same, so /ad-tala is still /ad-tala. Anyone who isn't logged in gets sent to sign up instead.

One home each: a page can only sit in one member site. Your lesson code blocks don't need any changes.

Step 5

Build a public sign-up page

  1. Add a normal page under Main Navigation, for example /join.
  2. Edit the page, click Add block and choose Pricing Plan.
  3. Pick the plan you made in step 3. The block shows the benefits and a sign-up button.
  4. Save, and link the page from your home page and the A1 hub.

Visitors sign up here. Squarespace sends a welcome email, which you can edit under customer email notifications.

Step 6

Add a login link to the menu

Members need a way back in. On a normal Squarespace header you'd switch on the account link in the header settings.

Your site is different: the Íslenska saman header injection hides Squarespace's own header and draws the custom mega menu instead, so that account link won't show. Send me the current header injection and I'll add a Log in button to it, plus a Join link to /join, as a complete block you can paste.

Step 7

Test it as a visitor

  1. Open a private or incognito window, so you're not logged in to Squarespace.
  2. Go to a locked page such as /ad-tala. You should be sent to sign up.
  3. Sign up with a second email address and check that the welcome email arrives.
  4. Log out, log back in and confirm the lesson opens.
Scores: the lesson pages still save progress in each browser. Logging in doesn't carry scores across devices yet; that would be a separate build.

Checklist

Sources: Squarespace Help: Member Sites · Customizing the Member Sites experience · Customer accounts