If your blog is your bread and butter, you’d better make sure it’s embedded with a decent platform. -Capturing photographs will make it easier for readers to get involved (additional problems if possible with search engine optimization, which will ensure you get readers in the first place).
Squarespace (opens in a new tab) is the go-to online page builder for many bloggers because of its modern, mobile-friendly templates with drag-and-drop (or “blocks”) page design teams, which make it easy to launch a site in combination without a shred of coding knowledge. It also provides access to a massive set of features for ecommerce and marketing, adding built-in teams and settings that optimize search engines (opens in a new tab).
Best of all, Squarespace’s all-in-one subscription plans come with tech support, SSL security (opens in a new window), and updates, meaning you can focus on your exciting assignment of boring tasks. It is not as flexible as WordPress, the No. 1 CMS world, however, it is a complete solution for users who value convenience and a practical technique for site management.
Creating a blog on Squarespace starts with choosing a template (or theme). Starting in May 2023, users have the option to create their own Squarespace Blueprint from scratch (opens in a new tab), its new five-step guided design formula with professionally curated design features, font combinations, and color palettes. However, beginners will find it easier to get started with a pre-made template from their library, which includes over 240 features to date (with more added every two and every two). months).
Below is a variety of our favorite existing Squarespace blog templates and tips for choosing the right one for you.
Note: Most of our recommendations come from Squarespace 7. 1, but some 7. 0 features have been added that continue to stand out. The templates have been classified accordingly.
A site built with Squarearea’s sleek Idrah template (opens in a new tab) can be a star home for a fashion or lifestyle designer’s content outside of social media. Their homepage varies between banners for trending posts, featured products, and rows. of thumbnails for other content categories, making clever use of negative area and color blocks to keep things consistent. (All those cakes also exude a very Gen Z chic vibe. )Other highlights come with a location for an Instagram block near the back navigation. and a pre-made online store to promote products.
Honorable Mention: High (opens in a new tab) (7. 0) and Lakshi (opens in a new tab) (7. 1).
Bright and minimalist (but not boring), the demo edition of Stanton’s template (opens in new window) has been pre-configured for a food blog so you can get it up and running as soon as possible. A featured photo and tagline greet readers on the most responsive part of the homepage, which continues with a grid of recent posts, a promotion of a featured product in your store (your cookbook(s), perhaps?), and a handy and stylish newsletter subscription form. (As with all Squarespace content blocks, these can be removed/re-added if necessary. )Its warm and unbiased color palette is also a flattering selection for food photography.
Honorable Mention: Hester (opens in a new tab) (7. 1), Myhra (opens in a new tab) (7. 1) and Rivoli (opens in a new tab) (7. 1).
Do you want to create a virtual album for your adventures? Fillmore (opens in a new tab) is a sleek blank template dotted with tons of images that can serve as your blog. Your homepage has two long rolls of thumbnails that link to super scrolling column-based posts, which you can categorize through location on the backend. The demo edition also adds a gallery page where you can empty all the images that don’t get their own writing, as well as a popular page with a list block (called “Where to fish”) that can seamlessly become a handy city/country guide.
Honorable Mention: Grove (opens in a new tab) (7. 1) and Native (opens in a new tab) (7. 0).
Another cellular model, Nevins (opens in a new tab) offers artists and photographers plenty of flexibility on the fitness front. His blog page is much like Fillmore’s, where he gets thumbnails side by side that link to one-column articles. – makes you reflect on your procedure or inspiration. The demo edition also comes with a portfolio (“Work”) page that directs users to standalone projects; Each of them receives a separate article with full-page images and a short caption/description. Feel free to stick with one or both, depending on whether you need to write more or just let your paintings speak for themselves.
Honorable mentions: Balboa (opens in a new tab) (7. 1), Flatiron (opens in a new tab) (7. 0), and Tepito (opens in a new tab) (7. 1).
Expand your channel beyond YouTube, TikTok, or Twitch with the help of Otroquest (opens in a new tab), a pre-formatted ecommerce/blog template for users with up-to-date VOD libraries. (This is one of the few templates that actually comprises a video in its demo. ) Your homepage is provided with a featured blog post, an embedded video of your main channel, a clip grid, and a product pattern from a “Merch”/store page, which is fine. But the real draw is the “Support” page with call-to-action buttons for tipping, subscribing, and buying Twitch Bits: it’s a simple way to engage with and monetize your audience.
Honorable Mention: Arcade(opens in new window) (7. 1).
It’s easy to cram a lot of text and photographs into a homepage without cluttering it, but Merida (opens in a new tab) manages to do that by alternating thumbnails of posts and photographs of bleeding banners for featured stories. (Meanwhile, the posts themselves incorporate plenty of negative area for attractive contrast. )Add a sublime combination of serif/sans-serif fonts, and you have an incredibly professional site. touch.
Honorable Mention: Rally (opens in a new tab) (7. 0).
The browser (opens in a new tab) has an undeniable grid-style homepage with relatively small titles, advertising text, and menu/navigation icons, a design selection that allows your thumbnail images to speak to the fullest. The overall result is elegant content flow that doesn’t compete with each other or overload the reader, making this style a great bet for almost any type of blog. (Bonus: its sans serif fonts are very undeniable for reading on mobile devices. )
Honorable mentions: Farro (opens in a new tab) (7. 0), Soutu (opens in a new tab) (7. 1), Tudor (opens in a new tab) (7. 0) and Vester (opens in a new tab) (7. 1).
“Stream of consciousness, but not sloppy” is a clever way to describe Harman (opens in a new tab), a strictly text-based grid-style template (aside from a few social icons). All of its visual interest comes from its font and color choices, so in fact it wouldn’t be a job for everyone; Blogs on topics such as food, fashion and guarantee many photos. But if you’re looking to create a blog that serves as an online journal, journal, or non-public area for quick thoughts, a site with this template can be a compelling choice for a middle or secondary stack, especially if you’re signing up for Squarearea’s Premium Members Areas feature (opens in a new tab). that sells access to your content.
Honorable Mention: Foundry (opens in a new tab) (7. 0) and Pulaski (opens in a new tab) (7. 1).
Adding a sidebar (opens in a new tab) to your blog is a wonderful way to include vital content without forcing readers into a separate navigation menu. Edition 7. 0 is plentiful. Our favorite is Forte (opens in a new tab), an undeniable but surprising template that in fact doesn’t seem to have appeared ten years ago (opens in a new tab). The blog feed and the posts themselves are supplied with a sidebar, which you can edit to upload your bio, photo, newsletter subscription link, post category tags, and/or a list of featured posts. .
Honorable mentions: Five (opens in a new tab) (7. 0) and Galapagos (opens in a new tab) (7. 0).
I went through Squarespace’s entire template library (in versions 7. 0 and 7. 1) and looked for demos with eye-catching designs, mobile-friendly styling options, easy-to-use navigation, and an applicable list of pre-built blog features. I haven’t created a full live site with one and both templates presented here, but I’m confident in my possible options based on my personal and professional experience building websites with Squarespace, as well as my experience. in art and design. I recognize that many facets of design are subjective, so both styles come with at least one “honorable mention” with similar characteristics but with another aesthetic.
A Squarespace template/theme is a pre-designed online demo page meant to serve as a “starting point for motivating your site design,” according to the platform’s hub. Responsive to the rear with other content blocks (such as text and galleries) and traditional branding elements (such as logos, fonts, and colors). Either way, the fact that there are over 230 templates to choose from means there’s very little chance you’ll end up. Hunting site like any other.
Squarespace versions 7. 0 and 7. 1 are the two iterations of the platform being used lately and treat templates a little differently:
Version 7. 0 comprises 91 traditional templates in its old editor and are organized into “families (opens in a new tab)”; Each circle of relatives comprises several models with the same underlying structure, rules, and unique taste elements (such as the parallax displacement effect of Brin’s circle of relatives, for example). Many Squarespace veterans prefer this edition because of some of its complex design features. They are not yet available in the 7. 1 release, but may seem rigid to new users.
Released in early 2020, the 7. 1 edition removed the categorization of the family circle and gave more than 140 of its templates the same fundamental format and functionality. They’re a bit easier than 7. 0 templates, but it’s much less difficult. to transfer between them and you don’t threaten to waste content while doing so. Intuitive grid formula and more flexible cellular design options. (Note: Create your own template with Squarespace Blueprint (opens in a new tab), your new guided design formula will automatically place you in the 7. 1 edition. )
It’s technically imaginable to transfer between Squarespace versions, but keep in mind that this will require a complete rebuild and possibly have effects on your site’s search rankings. window) if you’re not sure which one is right for you).
Squarespace Templates tab (opens in a new tab) Could you sort your library by type, adding online store, portfolio, subscriptions, schedule, a page, and, yes, the blog?(You can narrow down its functions even further by sorting through topics like food, travel, and fashion. )But just because a template rarely officially classifies as a blog doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work as a blog with a bit of customization; Technically, you can upload a blog page (opens in a new tab) to any template with just a few clicks on the backend.
If you’re having trouble choosing between templates, Squarespace recommends settling on the “specific colors and designs you like” instead of focusing on demo content. That said, “you’ll find it easier to start with a design that’s already close to how you need your site to look,” he adds.
We’ll use the Merida (opens in a new tab) and Maca (opens in a new tab) templates as examples. Merida has a magazine-style design that lends itself well to blogging from the start, while Maca will want to combine or remove it. Ecommerce elements to bring your blog page to the forefront. You can get a wonderful one of both, of course, however, one will require much more DIY than the other for that express purpose.
Squarespace lets you play around with a multitude of features and settings on the backend of your blog, no matter what edition you’re using. This includes:
A built-in comment formula (opens in a new tab) that you can enable or disable
Podcast support (opens in a new tab)
Email integration (opens in a new tab)
AMP format (opens in a new tab) for uploading to mobile devices
RSS Syndication (Opens in a new tab)
Category/tag support (opens in a new tab)
Customizable URLs (opens in a new tab)
Multi-author (opens in a new tab)
SEO titles (opens in a new tab) and descriptions (opens in a new tab) for posts
Alternative photos (opens in a new tab) for sharing on social networks
Post snippets for the blog landing page (which presents them as a list or grid, depending on your template)
Featured Articles (Opens in a new tab) and Photos (Opens in a new tab)
Scheduled messages (opens in a new tab)
Check out Squarespace’s blog consultant (opens in a new tab) for tips and practices on how to use those settings effectively.
It mentions that Squarespace also runs 3 apps, two of which are applicable to bloggers:
Squarespace’s main app (opens in a new tab) lets you write and edit blog posts, update pages, and view your site’s analytics on the go.
The Squarespace Unfold app (opens in a new tab) allows you to create a Linktree-style biographical site (opens in a new tab), which you can place on your social media accounts to direct your followers to your site (this is one of the many new teams brought the most recent Squarespace update (opens in a new tab), your annual product update).
Both apps are available for iOS and Android, work with either version of the platform, and are available with your Squarespace subscription (opens in a new tab), which starts at $16 per month on an annual plan.
The “Squarespace versus WordPress” debate arises when you start comparing popular online page builders: they have blog origins dating back to the early 2000s, and while WordPress is more widely used (likely thanks to its flexible tier), Squarespace is the hottest pick these days. There is no transparent winner here, however, answering the following questions can make it easier to resolve:
Do you have a loose website? Choose WordPress.
Need something super fundamental that you can set up in minutes?Choose WordPress.
Need an all-in-one package with built-in features and technical support?Choose Squarespace.
Is it your heavy in the pictures? Choose Squarespace.
Do you plan your blog design from time to time?Choose Squarespace (especially the 7. 1 edition).
Are you an expert programmer (or are you willing to rent one) who needs to create a completely custom-designed blog with rugged plugins and premium themes?Choose WordPress.
Take a look at our deep dive into the pros and cons of the platform if you’re still undecided.
Prior to joining the team, she covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, wrote about exotic puppy ownership for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, and wrote blogs for several Jersey Shore stars. In his spare time, he enjoys gambling video games and spending time with his parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). You can find her on Twitter at @haleyhenschel (opens in a new tab) or email her at [email protected] (opens in a new tab).