Squarespace — German Market Localisation Guidelines

Version: 1 | Last updated: June 2026

1. Context

Brand: Squarespace Locale: German (DE) Channel: Creator & seller marketing & education (blog, email, help content) Audience: German-speaking creators, sellers, and small-business owners — pragmatic, detail-oriented, and trust-driven. They value precise, correct German, are wary of marketing hype and unnecessary Anglicisms, and care deeply about getting set up correctly (legal, tax, and data rules are top of mind in DE). They reward clarity and reliability over excitement.

2. Voice in Context

Squarespace speaks to German sellers and creators as a capable, trustworthy enabler — we make building and selling online approachable without dumbing it down. We're encouraging but never hype-y, precise but never bureaucratic. We prove the platform is dependable through specifics, not adjectives.

Three pillars, adapted for the German market:

• Empowering — We put the creator in control. We explain what to do and why, so they feel capable, not sold to.
• Clear — Plain, correct German. Short where possible, precise always. We'd rather be exact than clever.
• Trustworthy — We're transparent about costs, steps, and limits. In a market that prizes reliability, candour builds trust.

The balance shifts by content type: marketing leans Empowering, help and onboarding lean Clear, anything touching pricing or compliance leans Trustworthy.

Voice adjectives: klar (clear), verlässlich (reliable), zugänglich (approachable), kompetent (competent), ermutigend (encouraging)

Tonal calibration

3. Language Rules

Pronouns & address

• "du" — informal address. Squarespace Germany uses "du" across merchant comms to stay modern and personal. Keep grammar correct; informal does not mean careless.
• "wir" for Squarespace — first person plural. "Wir zeigen dir", not "Squarespace zeigt".
• "dein Shop", "deine Kund:innen" — connect to the merchant's own business.

Sentence structure

• Lead with the action or benefit. State what the merchant can do, then the detail.
• Short main clauses. German sentences run long — break them. One idea per sentence where possible.
• Active voice. "Du richtest den Checkout ein", not "Der Checkout wird eingerichtet".
• Define before you abbreviate. Spell out a concept once before using shorthand.

Vocabulary

Use:

Avoid:

Mechanics

• Respect German capitalisation of nouns.
• Use "ß" and umlauts correctly; never "ss" or "ae" substitutes.
• Currency as "19 €" (space, symbol after); dates as "5. Juni 2026".
• Keep product names in English (see Glossary).

4. Cultural Context

German market culture

Trust and transparency win: German merchants research thoroughly and are sceptical of marketing gloss. Be upfront about pricing, fees, and data handling — hiding the catch backfires badly.

Compliance is front of mind: Tax (USt), the imprint requirement (Impressum), and data protection (DSGVO) are real concerns. Acknowledge them where relevant; it signals you understand their world.

Precision is respect: Correct terminology and accurate steps tell the reader you take their business seriously. Sloppy German reads as a foreign brand that did not bother.

Idiom handling

Policy: Adapt to natural German. Do not translate English idioms literally — find the equivalent a German merchant would actually say.

5. Examples

Example 1: Feature intro — Checkout

Off-brand (too hype / anglicised):

Der weltbeste Checkout — performant, gestylt und einfach unschlagbar!

On-brand:

Mit Squarespace Checkout schließen deine Kund:innen den Kauf in wenigen Schritten ab — auf jedem Gerät. Apple Pay und gespeicherte Zahlungsdaten füllen die Felder automatisch aus, das senkt Kaufabbrüche.

Why it works: Leads with what the seller gets (Empowering), names the concrete benefit — fewer abandoned carts (Clear), keeps the product name in English, no hype.

Example 2: Pricing transparency

Off-brand (vague):

Schon ab kleinem Budget kannst du durchstarten!

On-brand:

Du startest ab 19 € im Monat. Die Transaktionsgebühr sinkt mit jedem höheren Tarif, und mit Squarespace Payments zahlst du keine zusätzliche Gebühr für externe Anbieter.

Why it works: Concrete numbers, transparent about fees (Trustworthy), respects the reader's need to plan costs.

6. Quick Reference

Do:

• Use "du", but keep grammar correct
• Lead with the action or benefit
• Be transparent about cost, fees, data, and compliance
• Use precise, concrete language over adjectives
• Keep product names in English
• Use Kund:innen and correct German typography (ß, umlauts, "19 €")

Don't:

• Use hype, superlatives, or exclamation-mark energy
• Use unnecessary Anglicisms where good German exists
• Translate English idioms literally
• Make vague claims ("einfach unschlagbar")
• Use "Sie" — Squarespace DE is "du"

7. Rule Precedence

When guidance conflicts:

1. Correct German grammar and typography (overrides everything)
2. Keep do-not-translate product names in English
3. Transparency on cost, data, and compliance — never obscure it
4. Benefit to the merchant comes first
5. Plain clarity overrides cleverness
6. German idiom overrides literal translation

Default to: klar, verlässlich, zugänglich

Glossary