Squarespace Email List Setup and Clean-Up

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to:

1. Import contacts into Squarespace Email Campaigns from a CSV file
2. Identify and remove invalid email addresses from your contact list
3. Organise and segment your email list for better targeting

Introduction

Your email list is the foundation of your email marketing. A clean, well-organised list means better deliverability, higher engagement, and fewer spam complaints. This chapter covers the practical steps to import your existing contacts into Squarespace Email Campaigns and set up your list properly from the start.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Preparing Your Contact File

Before importing, you need to prepare your contact data properly.

Step 1: Export your existing contacts to a CSV file. Most email platforms and contact management tools offer this option.

Step 2: Open your CSV file and check the column headers. Squarespace recognises these standard headers:

• Email (required)
• First Name
• Last Name
• Company
• Custom fields you create

Step 3: Clean obvious errors before importing. Look for:

• Empty email fields
• Placeholder emails like "email@email.com"
• Obvious typos in email addresses
• Duplicate entries

Step 4: Save your file as a CSV format if it's not already.

Lesson 2: Importing Contacts

Now you can import your prepared contact list.

Step 1: In your Squarespace admin panel, go to Marketing > Email Campaigns.

Step 2: Click "Manage" next to your mailing list, then select "Import contacts."

Step 3: Upload your CSV file. Squarespace will show you a preview of how your data will be imported.

Step 4: Match your CSV columns to Squarespace fields. The system usually detects these automatically, but double-check they're correct.

Step 5: Choose whether to update existing contacts or skip duplicates.

Step 6: Click "Import contacts" to complete the process.

Lesson 3: Cleaning Your Imported List

After importing, review your list for any issues that slipped through.

Step 1: Go to your contact list and scan for obvious problems:

• Email addresses with missing @ symbols
• Addresses ending with incomplete domains like ".co" or ".c"
• Test emails like "test@test.com"
• Role-based emails like "info@" or "admin@" (unless you specifically want these)

Step 2: Select problematic contacts and delete them using the "Delete" option.

Step 3: Check for duplicates by sorting your list alphabetically. Remove any you find.

Lesson 4: Basic List Segmentation

Segmenting helps you send more relevant emails to different groups.

Step 1: In your Email Campaigns area, click "Create segment."

Step 2: Choose your criteria. You can segment by:

• Location
• Sign-up date
• Engagement level
• Custom fields you've imported

Step 3: Name your segment clearly (like "London customers" or "Newsletter subscribers").

Step 4: Save your segment. You can now use it when creating campaigns.

Practice

Create a test CSV file with 10-15 sample contacts (use fake email addresses for testing). Include columns for email, first name, last name, and one custom field like "Location." Import this file into Squarespace and practice creating a segment based on your custom field.

FAQs

What file formats can I import?
Squarespace accepts CSV files. If you have an Excel file, save it as CSV before importing.

How do I handle duplicates during import?
Squarespace can detect duplicates based on email addresses. You can choose to update existing contacts with new information or skip duplicates entirely.

Can I undo an import if something goes wrong?
There's no automatic undo feature. You'll need to manually delete contacts or restore from a backup if you have one.

Why are some of my contacts not importing?
Common issues include invalid email formats, missing required fields, or file encoding problems. Check your CSV file format and ensure all email addresses are valid.

How often should I clean my email list?
Review your list every 3-6 months, or after major campaigns. Remove contacts that consistently don't engage or bounce.

Jargon Buster

CSV file – Comma Separated Values file, a simple format for storing contact data that most email platforms can read

Segmentation – Dividing your email list into smaller groups based on shared characteristics like location or behaviour

Bounce rate – The percentage of emails that couldn't be delivered to recipients' inboxes

Engagement rate – How actively your subscribers interact with your emails through opens, clicks, and other actions

Wrap-up

You now have the skills to import and organise your email contacts in Squarespace. A clean, well-structured list is your starting point for effective email marketing. Next, you'll learn how to create your first email campaign using these organised contacts.

Remember to keep your list clean by regularly removing inactive subscribers and updating contact information as needed.

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