[103] How to Talk to Squarespace Clients About Using AI
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This transcript was generated by Descript AI and may contain errors.
[00:00:00] When I came back from maternity leave earlier this year, I changed the way that I did my introduction calls. At the start of every conversation, long before a contract was signed or a proposal was sent, I asked one very important question: How comfortable are you with me using AI as a part of this project?
[00:00:20] And the first time I asked that question, I was nervous. I had been preparing myself for the worst possible response, something along the lines of, "If I wanted AI to make my website, why would I hire you?" Very dramatic, I know. And real talk, I would probably never let someone that negative get onto my calendar in the first place.
[00:00:38] It's pretty obvious from the content I create that I'm a fan of AI for certain things at certain times. I talk about it. I use it. I think it's incredibly useful. But that did not make that first conversation feel any less awkward, because there's a really big difference between talking publicly about using AI and looking at someone who is thinking about handing you thousands of dollars And saying, "Hey, just so we're clear, this is one of the tools I use to do my job."
[00:01:06] So that's what I wanna talk about in this episode, the awkward conversation. When do you tell a Squarespace client that AI is a part of your workflow? How much do they actually need to know? And most importantly, how do you talk about it in a way that explains why it makes you better at what you do, instead of making someone question why are they paying you in the first place?
[00:01:27] I'm Becca from Inside the Square, and you're listening to Think Inside the Square, my podcast about all things Squarespace. For a transcript of this episode along with the links to anything I mention, visit insidethesquare.co/podcast. And one more important note before we get into it, the term Squarespace is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc.
[00:01:44] This content is not affiliated or endorsed by Squarespace, Inc. . Okay, let's have the awkward conversation, because I think the first thing we need to acknowledge is that AI is already creeping into the normal Squarespace workflow, whether we invite it in or not.
[00:01:59] Someone can use Blueprint AI to help start a website. They can generate copy. They can use AI while they're brainstorming content. They might use another tool for creating images, writing headlines, outlining pages, all of this before they ever talk to a professional designer. And sometimes they're gonna get part of the way through that process and come to us.
[00:02:19] I covered that in the last episode
[00:02:21] Episode 102, How to Finish AI Built Websites. If you didn't listen to it yet, definitely check it out
[00:02:27] Because we've got people out there that have already run the first leg of that relay race. They've started something, and then they need a designer to take what they created and turn it into something functional, manageable, and ready to publish. But that is not the only way that AI shows up in a Squarespace project.
[00:02:43] What about the person who hires you for a completely fresh build? No weird AI website that needs rescuing, no half-finished project, just a normal client coming to you saying, "I need a website," but AI is now a part of your workflow, so that conversation really matters.
[00:02:59] And for me, this became much more important when I came back from maternity leave because the way that I work has totally changed. I have a lot less uninterrupted time than I used to. And quite frankly, I don't wanna spend an hour doing something that a tool can help me get through in 15 minutes. That's why AI has become an essential coworker in my business Now, to be clear, I just said coworker. AI is not my boss. It's not my creative director. It's more like an intern who's really enthusiastic and occasionally completely wrong, but it is a part of the workflow. I use it to organize things.
[00:03:38] I use it to help me summarize things, to help me troubleshoot, to get through a giant list of information faster. Sometimes I use it to help me write code and debug code. I use it to help me take something messy and turn it into something I can work with. And all of those things make me so much more efficient.
[00:03:56] They let me spend my actual energy on judgment, on design, on deciding what belongs on the site, how something should work, on figuring out the best way to build something inside Squarespace, so that my client can still manage it after I leave the project. Those are the things that I want to be spending my time on, my very limited time.
[00:04:17] So when I ask a potential client how comfortable they are with me using AI, I'm not asking permission to have AI build their website for me. I'm setting an expectation around how I work, and I think that distinction is very important. I think a lot of the fear around this conversation, at least when I first started thinking about it, was from assuming that the client's going to hear, "I use AI," and translate that into, "I'm outsourcing your project."
[00:04:43] That's not what I'm talking about. If I use a calculator while doing my taxes, the calculator is not my accountant.
[00:04:49] If a photographer uses Lightroom, Lightroom did not take the picture. If I use AI to help me troubleshoot some JavaScript, AI is not the Squarespace designer. I'm still the one who needs to know what I wanted that JavaScript to do. I'm still the one deciding that that solution makes sense.
[00:05:06] I'm the one testing it, and I'm the one responsible for what ends up on that website. And I think that's really where we need to start when we're talking to our clients about this. AI can absolutely be a part of your process without being the source of your expertise, okay?
[00:05:20] Two totally different things.
[00:05:22] As nervous as I was to ask that question in the beginning, I've gotten a lot more comfortable with it over the last few months because every single time I've gotten some version of, "Yeah, go for it," or, "We're AI friendly here," or, "Whatever's gonna get that site up faster," those are the responses I'm hearing.
[00:05:39] Because I have a reputation in our Squarespace community. Everyone understands I'm not gonna put a website out there that doesn't look awesome. That is not my job, and it's not how I've gotten the clients that I've gotten over the years. My expertise is what they're buying, and they genuinely don't care about the tools that I use to do it.
[00:05:57] Honestly, some of my new clients don't even care that I'm using Squarespace. They just want the job done, and I love that
[00:06:04] While that's been great so far, I'm not going to ignore the fact that that could absolutely change. Someday, I'll have a potential client in my inbox that says, "I don't like AI."
[00:06:14] And that sentence, that can mean a bunch of different things. Maybe they don't want AI writing the copy on their website. Okay, very reasonable boundary, and I'm here for it. Maybe they don't want AI-generated images anywhere in their brand. Also, super reasonable. Totally here to support that. Maybe someone has privacy concerns, and they don't want any information from their website related to an AI tool.
[00:06:38] Extremely reasonable. Totally get it. Maybe someone has had a terrible experience by trying to generate an AI-built website or hiring someone to build a website and getting AI slop instead. That is definitely a good reason for some hesitation on this project, and all of those are totally different conversations.
[00:06:58] So if someone ever responds to that question with they're uncomfortable with AI, I think the next step is we need to ask what they're uncomfortable with. Because maybe what they're imagining and what you're doing are nowhere near the same thing
[00:07:12] Let's say I'm designing a Squarespace website for someone and they tell me, "I don't want AI touching the copy at any stage." Cool.
[00:07:19] That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to use AI to troubleshoot why a CSS selector isn't behaving the way I expected. Those are completely different uses, but I still need to disclose that I'm actually using it. I think that transparency is important I honestly think this is where it's getting a little messy in our designer community because people keep trying to turn this into an all or nothing question. I think there's a big difference between using AI inside my business processes and using AI as a production tool.
[00:07:50] So let's talk about that. If I have a client who doesn't want me to use AI for any aspect of the website, do you think it's still going to irritate them that I'm using AI to summarize our calls? Or that I'm using AI to take any email they send me and throw it into a folder? Or that I'm using AI to put all of the project milestones into my calendar on the days where I've blocked time for me to work because I've got childcare?
[00:08:14] Information about this project and about this client, it's going to be used with an AI as a part of my process. So if they don't want AI touching the project at all, touching the live website, that I totally get. But I still need to disclose how I'm using it internally because that's something they need to be aware of
[00:08:33] If somebody gives you information, even if it's just through an email, where they're talking about their dreams or goals for the project, you can't just throw it into whatever AI tool you happen to have open and assume that it's fine
[00:08:46] You need to disclose to your client what you're using so that they can be comfortable with it. Honestly, I don't see this as an AI issue as much as it is a basic professional responsibility issue. But AI makes it really easy to forget because that interface that we're using, it can feel casual if you've already been using it for a while.
[00:09:06] So we really have to explain to our clients when we're using AI in the project and how, not just for the website that you're building, but if you're using it throughout the process like I do, that disclosure is incredibly important
[00:09:18] Now, I myself do use AI on the website process as well. I will absolutely vibe code a quick solution, something with some JavaScript, or use it to help me write some CSS just to save me time. So when I use it for that, do I send my client an email that says, "Just so you know, AI helped me write 23 lines of code today"?
[00:09:38] No, I absolutely don't. Most people don't give a hoot. They just want the thing to work,
[00:09:43] I have never had a client hire me because they wanna watch every part of the process of my build. They hire me because they have a problem, and they know I can solve it. The value of my skills is not in how many characters I personally typed into the code editor. It's in knowing what needed to be built, what tools to use, what features are appropriate, whether or not something is safe to put on a website, knowing how to change the style of something and make it work on all devices.
[00:10:11] That is where my expertise comes to play
[00:10:14] I can absolutely feel myself wanting to go off on a tangent in this episode, so let me bring us back to the very start of this conversation, okay? The scary scenario that I was super worried about where a client would say, "If you're gonna use AI, why am I hiring you?" First of all, again, dramatic, but let's answer it.
[00:10:32] They're hiring you because AI doesn't know their business the way you're going to know it after talking to them. They're hiring you because AI doesn't know what Squarespace feature is the smartest way to build what they need AI might know five ways to technically make something happen, but you know which one belongs on the website.
[00:10:51] You know how to translate their goals into some pixels that are perfect. That client is hiring you because somebody has to look at the mobile layout. Somebody has to think about accessibility. Somebody has to make sure the structure makes sense. Somebody has to think about what happens when the client needs to update the website six months from now.
[00:11:10] Somebody has to notice the things that this client would not know to ask AI for. That is why they're hiring you. AI can give anyone an answer because it doesn't have the expertise that you have.
[00:11:22] And I think if you can confidently explain that, the disclosure conversation can get a lot less scary. But it's also important to remember that your client gets a say here. If someone says, "I really don't want AI involved in my project at all," you have a decision to make. Can you accommodate that? Maybe you can.
[00:11:41] Honestly, I can't. At this point, I need AI to help me with the management of the projects. Now, can I build a website without AI? Absolutely. So that's the point of the conversation where I would definitely talk to the client about what they deem as acceptable usage. If they don't want AI involved in any part of their live website, cool, I can make that work.
[00:12:04] But if they don't want AI involved in any part of the project, including the planning phases, that's something I can't promise because I had to structure my business with this new tool to make it work for my new schedule
[00:12:16] There are designers out there that don't have AI deeply integrated into the process of how they work. But for a lot of us, maybe removing it could significantly change the timeline or the way you deliver your service.
[00:12:28] And in that situation, I don't think you need to rebuild your process for one project if you don't want to. But don't you dare secretly keep using it and hope that the client never notices. That is some shady territory, Squarespacer. Not okay
[00:12:43] Now, one more point that I want to make is that not every potential client has to become your client. That's the reason I'm having this conversation before I even spend time working on a proposal and anyone's committed to anything. I don't wanna discover halfway through the project that they thought I had promised something I never promised.
[00:13:01] AI is definitely becoming a polarizing subject, and some people are vehemently against it. If that is someone who wants to hire me to build a website, we're not going to be a good fit, and I would much rather send them to someone else in the community that works in a way that makes them comfortable.
[00:13:18] So I don't think we should ever hide AI use, but I also don't think we need to issue a press release every time we use it either.
[00:13:25] We need a reasonable disclosure.
[00:13:27] Tell your client that AI is a part of your process, and specifically which part of the process, because you need to find out whether they have boundaries around it. And most importantly, respect those boundaries, even if that means that you're not a good fit for this project.
[00:13:42] I think that is a much healthier conversation than trying to pretend that none of us are using these tools. All right, so here's your takeaway from this episode. If AI has become a coworker in your business, like it is for me, I want you to figure out how you're going to introduce that coworker to your clients.
[00:13:58] You don't need every detail and every prompt, just the role that AI plays in the way that you work. And I want you to do this before they ask. Be the one to start the conversation and make sure that your clients are comfortable with it.
[00:14:12] Now, if you're already having this conversation with your Squarespace clients, I would really love to hear how it's going. What do they care about? What don't they care about? And if you had someone set a boundary that surprised you, send me an email: hello@insidethesquare.co or leave a comment wherever you happen to be listening.
[00:14:29] I think this is one of those conversations that's going to get easier the more we openly talk about how we're working, and I'm really curious to hear what your clients are saying or responding when you're having this conversation. . I'm Becca from Inside the Square. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of my podcast, and most importantly, have fun with your Squarespace website. Bye for now.
AI has become a normal part of my workflow as a Squarespace designer. I use it to organize information, troubleshoot problems, work through code, and get repetitive tasks done faster. But once AI becomes part of your professional process, there's a question we need to talk about: what do your clients need to know about how you're using it?
When I came back from maternity leave, I added a new question to every potential client conversation: “How comfortable are you with me using AI as part of this project?” Asking it before the proposal is sent gives both of us a chance to establish boundaries before any work begins. Most clients have been completely comfortable with it, but “I don't like AI” can mean a lot of different things. They might have concerns about AI-written copy, generated images, privacy, or simply misunderstand what role AI plays in your process.
In this episode, I break AI use into two different categories. The first is your business process; things like summarizing client information, organizing feedback, drafting project materials, or working with information the client has shared. That's where transparency and understanding how your AI tools handle client information really matters. The second is production; using AI to help troubleshoot CSS, generate code, or work through a technical problem. I don't think clients need a play-by-play every time AI helps with twenty-three lines of CSS. Most people don't give a hoot. They want the thing to work.
The important distinction is that AI can be part of your process without being the source of your expertise. Your value as a Squarespace designer comes from knowing what should be built, choosing the right approach, reviewing what AI creates, testing it, thinking about accessibility and maintainability, and ultimately being responsible for what goes on the website. AI can make you faster and help you create things you couldn't before; your judgment is still what makes the result worth paying for.
My challenge for you after listening is simple: decide how you would answer if a client asked, “Do you use AI when you're working on my website?” You don't need a giant disclaimer or a list of every AI tool you touch. You need a clear explanation of the role AI plays in your workflow, and then you need to ask your client what they're comfortable with. That's how the awkward AI conversation becomes a normal part of working together.
