Top web hosting company Squarespace has announced a new tool that enables customers to tap into additional revenue streams by sharing online content on their existing web stores.
Squarespace Courses allows users to create and sell one-off and regular online courses on their site as more learners look to get their education online following a major post-pandemic shift.
“We are excited to offer an effortless way to create and sell courses with Squarespace’s premium look and feel, to further support entrepreneurs looking to connect with and monetize their audience," company CPO Paul Gubbay said.
Squarespace Courses goes live
In a promotional video, Squarespace describes “the business inside your business” that enables entrepreneurs to “turn [their] know-how into passive income.” The video shows a florist whose business appears to have relied on sales creating an online flower arrangement class for supplementary income.
Courses can be split up into chapters, and text, images, and downloadable resources are supported to complement the video content.
Existing Business and Commerce plan customers can try out Squarespace Courses for free, however a 30-minute video allowance and a 9% transaction fee pose a very real limit.
A trio of Digital Product add-ons are available with 7%, 3%, and 0% transaction fees respectively, and 10 hours, 50 hours, or unlimited video storage, but these become pricey and are best suited to businesses whose digital sales revenue is adequately high. The most expensive add-on with unlimited storage costs $149 monthly (or $119 when paid annually).
The company hopes that prospective customers will choose it over rivals thanks to its all-in-one approach that enables the simultaneous sale of digital and physical content which enables businesses to extract as much revenue as possible.