Squarespace Website Tutorial: A Complete Guide for Beginners in 2025
Building a website can seem intimidating, especially if you're new to web design. Fortunately, Squarespace offers an intuitive platform that makes creating a professional website accessible to everyone. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to build a stunning Squarespace website in 2024, from understanding the basics to implementing advanced features that will make your site stand out.
Understanding the Squarespace Dashboard
When you first log into Squarespace, you'll be greeted by a clean, organized dashboard designed to make website management straightforward. The main navigation menu on the left side of your screen serves as your command center, allowing you to access all aspects of your website and business operations.
Main Navigation Components
Pages: This is where the magic happens. Here you'll manage all your website pages, their content, and styling. Whether you're creating a simple homepage or a complex multi-page structure, this is your starting point.
Commerce: If you're running an online store, this section becomes your retail headquarters. Manage inventory, track finances, process orders, and handle all e-commerce operations from this centralized location.
Marketing: Modern websites need effective marketing tools. This section allows you to create and manage email campaigns, promotional content, and other marketing initiatives directly from your Squarespace dashboard.
Invoices: For freelancers and service-based businesses, the ability to send professional invoices and contracts to clients streamlines your business operations and maintains a professional appearance.
Analytics: Understanding your website's performance is crucial. The analytics section provides detailed insights into traffic patterns, user behavior, and conversion metrics to help you make data-driven decisions.
Scheduling: If your business relies on appointments or bookings, the scheduling section allows you to manage your calendar, set availability, and handle client appointments seamlessly.
Assets Library: Consider this your digital filing cabinet. All uploaded files like logos, images, documents, and videos are stored here, organized in folders and categories for easy access when you need them.
Settings: This houses all the technical and administrative aspects of your site, including billing information, domain management, email settings, and general site configurations.
The right side of your dashboard displays a real-time preview of your website, allowing you to see changes as you make them. This immediate visual feedback makes the design process more intuitive and efficient, especially for visual thinkers.
Navigating Between Desktop and Mobile Views
In today's mobile-first world, ensuring your website looks perfect on all devices is non-negotiable. Squarespace recognizes this reality and provides powerful tools to customize both desktop and mobile experiences independently.
Desktop View Customization
The desktop view is typically where you'll start your design process. This gives you the largest canvas to work with and allows you to establish the fundamental layout and aesthetic of your site. Most of your initial design decisions will be made here.
Mobile View Customization
What truly sets Squarespace apart is the ability to make mobile-specific adjustments:
Use the desktop/mobile toggle in the top bar to switch between views
When in mobile view, you can rearrange elements, adjust spacing, and modify text sizes specifically for smaller screens
Changes made in mobile view won't affect your desktop design, giving you complete control over both experiences
You can preview exactly how your site will appear on smartphones and tablets before publishing
This dual-view approach ensures your website maintains its visual impact and functionality regardless of the device your visitors are using—a critical factor in user experience and search engine rankings.
Managing Website Access and Collaboration
Few websites are truly solo endeavors. Whether you're working with a team, collaborating with a designer, or simply want to give limited access to a virtual assistant, Squarespace's permission system makes collaboration secure and straightforward.
Setting Up Collaborator Access
Navigate to Settings in the main menu
Select "Permissions and Ownership" from the options
Click "Invite Contributor" to add a team member
Enter their name and email address
Choose their access level from multiple options:
Administrator: Full access to all website functions
Content Editor: Can edit pages but not change settings
Store Manager: Can manage products and orders but not site design
Scheduling Administrator: Can manage appointments only
Billing Administrator: Can handle subscription and payment details
Reporting: Can view analytics but not make changes
Comment Moderator: Can manage blog comments only
This granular permission system allows you to maintain security while still enabling efficient teamwork. You can revoke access at any time, making it safe to work with temporary contractors or freelancers.
Understanding Page Types in Squarespace
Squarespace's page structure is both flexible and powerful, offering different types of pages to serve various functions. Understanding these page types is fundamental to creating an effective website architecture.
1. Standalone Pages
These individual pages form the backbone of most websites. Examples include:
Home: Your website's front door and first impression
About: Where you tell your story and build credibility
Services/Products: Detailed information about what you offer
Contact: How visitors can reach you
FAQ: Answers to common questions
Testimonials: Social proof from satisfied customers
Standalone pages have a simple URL structure (yourwebsite.com/pagename) and can be fully customized with sections and blocks to create virtually any layout you can imagine.
2. Collection Pages
Collection pages serve as containers for multiple related items, creating a structured hierarchy within your site. They're essential for organizing large amounts of content in a user-friendly way.
Common collection pages include:
Blog: Houses all your articles, with each post being its own page within the collection
Store: Contains all your products, organized by categories and tags
Portfolio: Showcases your work with individual project pages
Gallery: Displays collections of images with optional detailed pages
Events: Lists upcoming events with individual event details
Membership Areas: Contains protected content for subscribers or members
The URL structure reflects this parent-child relationship:
Main collection: yourwebsite.com/blog
Individual item: yourwebsite.com/blog/article-name
This hierarchical organization helps both users and search engines understand the relationship between content pieces, improving navigation and SEO.
3. System Pages
System pages serve specific technical functions and have limited customization options:
404 Page: Appears when visitors try to access a page that doesn't exist. While you can't change its functionality, you can customize its appearance and add helpful navigation options to guide lost visitors.
Checkout Page: The transaction page for e-commerce sites. You can adjust visual elements like colors and logos but not the checkout flow itself.
Lock Screen: Displayed when your site is password-protected or not yet published. You can customize the appearance to match your brand while your site is under development.
Understanding these page types helps you plan your site architecture effectively, ensuring information is organized logically for both users and search engines.
Working with Page Elements
Every Squarespace page follows a consistent structure that balances flexibility with coherence. This structure consists of three main components:
Navigation
The navigation appears at the top of every page and serves as the primary wayfinding tool for visitors. It typically includes:
Your logo (which usually links to the homepage)
Main menu items linking to key pages
Optional elements like social media links, search functionality, or shopping cart
Login/account access for membership sites
The navigation remains consistent across all pages, creating a sense of continuity and making it easy for visitors to move throughout your site.
Footer
The footer appears at the bottom of every page and typically contains:
Copyright information
Secondary navigation links
Contact details
Social media links
Newsletter signup forms
Legal links (privacy policy, terms of service)
Business credentials or trust badges
Like the navigation, the footer maintains consistency across your site, providing important information that visitors expect to find at the bottom of each page.
Sections
Between the navigation and footer lie the sections—the customizable content areas that make each page unique. You can add as many sections as needed, each with its own layout, background, and content blocks.
Sections allow you to create visual variety while maintaining a cohesive design language throughout your site. They're the building blocks that give your pages structure and visual rhythm.
Adding and Editing Sections
Sections are the foundation of page design in Squarespace, giving you the flexibility to create visually distinct content areas while maintaining overall design coherence.
Adding a New Section
Click "Add Section" at the point where you want to insert new content
Choose from pre-designed section layouts or start with a blank section
Pre-designed sections come with placeholder content arranged in visually appealing layouts
Blank sections give you complete freedom to build from scratch
Section Types
Squarespace offers two main types of sections:
Standard Sections: These are fully customizable containers where you can add, remove, and position blocks freely. They offer maximum flexibility for creating unique layouts.
Collection Sections: These specialized sections display content from your collection pages (like blog posts or products). They have predefined structures with toggleable elements but don't allow for free placement of blocks.
Customizing Section Properties
Each section can be customized in several ways:
Height: Adjust from minimal to full-screen
Background: Add colors, images, videos, or decorative patterns
Overlay: Add color overlays to improve text readability over images
Padding: Control the space above and below the section
Dividers: Add decorative shapes between sections
Layout Grid: Adjust the underlying grid that controls block positioning
Saving Sections for Reuse
One of Squarespace's most time-saving features is the ability to save sections for reuse:
Design a section you love
Click the "Save" icon
The section becomes available in your section library
Add it to any page with a single click, maintaining design consistency
This feature is particularly valuable for elements you want to repeat across multiple pages, such as testimonial displays, call-to-action areas, or team member showcases.
Working with Blocks
Within each section, blocks are the individual content elements that make up your page. They're the most granular level of content control in Squarespace.
Adding Blocks
Click the "+" icon within a section
Choose from dozens of block types, including:
Text blocks (paragraphs, headings, quotes)
Image blocks (single images, galleries, slideshows)
Video blocks (uploaded or embedded)
Button blocks
Form blocks
Social media embeds
Maps
Newsletter signup forms
Product displays
And many more specialized options
Editing Block Content and Properties
Once added, each block can be customized:
Click on the block to select it
Use the pencil icon to edit its content
Adjust positioning within its container using alignment controls
Resize the block by dragging its handles
Apply block-specific settings (like image focal points or button styles)
Duplicate or delete blocks as needed
Block Positioning
Squarespace uses a flexible grid system to control block positioning:
Blocks can only be positioned within the section's grid
The grid can be adjusted to create more or fewer columns
Blocks can span multiple grid cells for varied layouts
On mobile, blocks typically stack vertically, but this can be customized
This grid-based approach strikes a balance between design freedom and ensuring your site remains visually coherent and responsive across devices.
Styling Text Elements
Typography plays a crucial role in your website's visual identity and readability. Squarespace offers comprehensive text formatting options to help you create a consistent and professional typographic hierarchy.
Heading Levels
Squarespace provides four heading levels (H1-H4), each with decreasing visual prominence:
H1: Typically used for page titles and major section headings
H2: Used for important section headings
H3: Used for subsections within larger sections
H4: Used for minor headings or emphasized text
Using heading levels consistently helps both visitors and search engines understand your content structure.
Paragraph Styles
Beyond headings, Squarespace offers three paragraph styles:
Paragraph 1: Your primary body text style
Paragraph 2: A secondary style, often used for highlighted content
Paragraph 3: A tertiary style for captions or fine print
Text Formatting Options
For each text element, you can adjust:
Font family (from hundreds of options)
Weight (light, regular, bold, etc.)
Style (normal or italic)
Letter spacing
Line height
Text transformation (uppercase, lowercase, capitalize)
Size (individually adjustable for each heading and paragraph level)
These comprehensive formatting options give you precise control over your site's typography while maintaining consistency throughout your pages.
Creating and Customizing Collection Pages
Collection pages require a different approach than standalone pages, as they serve as both containers and display mechanisms for multiple content items.
Setting Up a Collection Page
Add a collection page from the Pages menu (Blog, Store, Portfolio, etc.)
Choose a template that matches your content needs
Configure collection-specific settings (like product categories for stores or post categories for blogs)
Customizing the Collection Display
While you can't freely add blocks within the collection display area itself, you can:
Choose from multiple layout options (grid, list, slideshow, etc.)
Adjust the number of items displayed per row
Control which elements appear (titles, descriptions, dates, etc.)
Set image aspect ratios and cropping
Add pagination or "load more" functionality
Adding Content Above and Below Collections
You have complete freedom to add standard sections above and below the collection display:
Add introductory text, images, or videos before the collection
Add calls-to-action, related content, or contact information after the collection
These sections follow the same rules as those on standalone pages
Editing Individual Collection Items
Each item within a collection (like a blog post or product) has its own page:
Access individual items by clicking on them in the collection
Add blocks to create rich content (text, images, videos, etc.)
Note that collection item pages don't support multiple sections—they function as one large section
Customize the layout width (narrow, medium, wide) to control content presentation
This hybrid approach gives you structured organization with enough flexibility to create compelling content within the collection framework.
Customizing Your Site's Navigation
Your navigation menu is one of the most important elements of your website, directly impacting user experience and site usability.
Basic Navigation Setup
Click "Edit" on any page, then hover over the navigation bar
Click on the navigation to access editing options
Add or remove menu items by toggling them on/off
Rearrange menu items by dragging them into your preferred order
Adding Navigation Elements
Beyond basic menu items, you can enhance your navigation with:
Logo: Upload your brand logo or use styled text
Social Links: Add icons linking to your social media profiles
Shopping Cart: For e-commerce sites
Search Icon: To help visitors find specific content
Language Selector: For multilingual sites
Member Account Access: For membership sites
Navigation Styles and Layouts
Squarespace offers multiple navigation layouts:
Horizontal: Traditional menu across the top
Centered: Logo in center with menu items on either side
Split: Different elements positioned on opposite sides
Stacked: Logo above menu items
Sidebar: Vertical navigation along the side (on certain templates)
You can also adjust:
Spacing between menu items
Padding around the navigation bar
Font styles specifically for navigation text
Drop shadows for visual depth
Adaptive vs. Fixed Navigation
Squarespace offers two main navigation color modes:
Adaptive: The navigation background becomes transparent, allowing the section below to show through. This creates a seamless visual transition but requires careful color planning to ensure menu items remain readable.
Fixed Color: The navigation maintains a consistent background color regardless of the content below. This ensures menu readability but creates a more distinct separation between navigation and content.
You can also enable "sticky navigation" to keep the menu visible as visitors scroll down the page, improving site usability, especially on longer pages.
Customizing Your Site's Footer
The footer is often overlooked but serves important functions: providing secondary navigation, displaying contact information, and housing legal links required for compliance.
Footer Structure
Unlike the navigation, the footer functions much like regular page sections:
Click "Edit" and scroll to the bottom of any page
Add blocks like text, images, buttons, or forms
Add multiple sections to create a more complex footer structure
Arrange blocks in columns or rows to organize information logically
Common Footer Elements
Effective footers typically include:
Copyright Notice: Legal protection for your content
Secondary Navigation: Links to important but not primary pages
Contact Information: Address, phone, email
Social Media Links: Icons linking to your profiles
Newsletter Signup: Form to capture email subscribers
Legal Links: Privacy policy, terms of service, cookies policy
Business Credentials: Industry certifications, association memberships
Linking Pages Together
Create a cohesive user experience by linking your pages:
Select a button or text you want to turn into a link
Click the link icon
Type "/" to see a list of your site's pages
Select the page you want to link to
Alternatively, paste an external URL to link to another website
Setting Up Your Domain and Publishing
When you're ready to make your site live:
Subscribe to a Squarespace plan (required for custom domains)
Navigate to Settings > Domains
Either purchase a domain through Squarespace or connect one you already own
Follow the prompts to set up your domain
Go to Settings > Site Availability and change from "Private" to "Public"
Final Thoughts
Squarespace offers a powerful yet user-friendly platform for creating professional websites. By understanding its structure and capabilities, you can build a site that not only looks great but also effectively serves your business needs. Whether you're creating a simple portfolio or a complex e-commerce store, these fundamentals will help you make the most of what Squarespace has to offer in 2024.
Remember that practice makes perfect—don't be afraid to experiment with different layouts and designs until you find what works best for your unique needs.
