taylor

I'm following this thread too and am surprised it hasn't been addressed yet. I haven't read through all of the posts so I may be bringing up a redundant point, but my hope is to strengthen the argument for improving the asset management on Squarespace websites.
I am a freelance designer whose entire web design service offering is based on selling Squarespace websites for their ease of updating once I hand the websites off to my clients. When I design a website, I design, upload and test many iterations of the same images / graphics, meaning there are a handful of similar looking images in the media library once I finally land on the best one.
This becomes an issue when I finally hand off the website to my client. If they ever need to make an update in the future or swap out the proper images, it makes this process more difficult for them, as they have to wade through many similar looking image files and may select the wrong file in the process.
Allowing me the option to delete these incorrect image assets and organizing the library prior to handing off the website to my client will ensure a better website design long-term. This helps make both myself and Squarespace look better by ensuring quality graphics are always being used. 
 

No one has thoughts at all? I was hoping for some feedback, too!
I was hoping if someone had ideas on if there was issues with starting a new trial site under my name so we're not limited by the standard free trial period while I build out their entire site. Basically copying everything manually from their site to build into a new theme and optimizing as I build. Then with the hopes of connecting their domain to the trial site I created.
Or, work within my client's backend, upload new theme to build it all out in one night so things transfer over without urls and domain change and then build the site as it goes live. Not ideal, but at least URLs and things have a smaller chance of breaking.
Maybe Squarespace has a new way of doing things? I feel like getting a hold of them right now is impossible, so hoping someone knows. 
Squarespace! Give us a staging site option!

I can't believe no one else has encountered this problem or commented on it. This is a very common task for web developers.

I'm a freelance designer/developer who's still learning some of the ropes. I'm fairly experienced with Wordpress (but still have lots to learn there too!) but am currently working with a client to redesign their Squarespace site.
I've learned that unlike with Wordpress or Drupal, there's no support to create a staging site in Squarespace to make major changes without changing (and potentially breaking) the live site. From browsing this forum, I know I'm not the only one who finds that frustrating.
Anyway: my client has an existing Squarespace site, and they want a thoroughly redesigned site, also in Squarespace. They'll need a new template, of course, but also some new content (I'm working with them to create some new landing pages), and a completely reorganized navigation structure.
Given that, and given Squarespace's limitations for developers, my question is: does it make more sense / is it more of a best practice to:
(a) develop the new template design using a different trial site and/or the local development server (which I've played with a little bit), duplicating or creating new individual pages, and then, when it's time to go live, putting a cover page up and doing everything else on the live site while it's down? (like what's described here: https://answers.squarespace.com/questions/67379/how-can-i-redesign-a-clients-site-without-going-live.html) I'm concerned this would put my client's live site down for a while, so I can test everything * with their content * and get their feedback. And it just... feels scary, and kind of insane, compared to how I'd do it in WP, you know?
OR, (b) clone all their content, e.g. using the imperfect-but-doable export to WP > export back from WP to SS workaround, developing the redesign on the clone site, and then, when it's time to go live, switching the client's domain to point to the live site? This mostly seems like the safer option, and this is where I'm leaning, but I'm worried I'll end up spending a lot of time spot-checking content, re-uploading blog posts' thumbnail images manually, etc. (And, reader, they have a lot of blog posts.) And it feels like there should be a better way???
OR is there a more sane © that I haven't learned about yet?
tl;dr do I need to use clunky import/export workarounds to create a clone site in order to develop a redesign for a client without breaking their live site, or is there a better way? I tried to convince them to move to WP, but it didn't work, so now I'm here. Any guidance appreciated!