Pixelhaze Academy and Squarewebsites Partnership Announcement

Why This Matters

If you’ve spent any time wrestling with website builders, you’ll know the promise is always the same: “Anyone can build a beautiful site.” That’s true… right up until you actually try to build something that goes beyond the basics. It’s the small stuff that gets you. The client wants five map locations instead of one. You want to filter blog posts by a category you invented this morning. Maybe you’ve dreamt of a product slider that doesn’t look like it tumbled out of a time machine from 2014. If you’re using Squarespace, your options are often: (A) Compromise and pretend it doesn’t matter, (B) Copy and paste cryptic code from four-year-old forum posts, or (C) Spend hours bashing your head against the platform, wondering why a “simple” feature feels like climbing Ben Nevis in flip-flops.

Confession: I’ve built upwards of 500 custom Squarespace sites over eleven years, and if I still have to hunt for solutions, it’s no wonder most people feel lost. Every website project leaks billable hours or costs you a few personal sanity points chasing things that, frankly, should just work. That’s your time or, if you’re running this as a business, your margin, vanishing into the digital ether.

Now, imagine fixing all that. Imagine adding powerful features in minutes, not weeks. That is the problem we're addressing by joining forces with Squarewebsites. Frankly, this partnership is overdue.

Common Pitfalls

There’s a funny sort of optimism you get, starting out with Squarespace. The templates look stunning. You click a few buttons, upload a photo of your cat—instant credibility. But most people trip up on the very same banana skins:

• Assuming “out-of-the-box” means “solves everything.” You hit a wall the first time you want to add six different team locations, or filter your massive blog for only “Recipes that involve condiments.”
• Tinkering with third-party code, hoping it doesn’t break. That’s when “easy website builder” turns into a troubleshooting session in a forum where every answer is from 2021.
• Focusing on design tweaks instead of real features users want. You can fiddle with background colours all you like. It won’t help people find the product they’re after if the filters aren’t up to scratch.
• Feeling like you have to give up on Squarespace if you want to get serious. The secret is, you don’t need to jump ship. You just need to add the right tools.

I’ve seen the same pattern on project after project. Sometimes people even abandon Squarespace altogether—not because they don’t like it, but because they don’t realise how much more is possible with the right plugins and a nudge in the right direction.

Step-by-Step Fix

The good news? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or re-platform your entire business to solve these headaches. Here’s how to tap into the partnership between Pixelhaze Academy and Squarewebsites and finally close the gap.

Step 1: Pinpoint the Features You’re Missing

Don’t start by firing up your wallet or installing every plugin under the sun. Take ten honest minutes to list out what’s genuinely missing from your site, whether you’re dealing with a side project, a client build or your own business page. Is it filtering a shop that’s bursting with products? Adding a dozen map locations for all your branches? Taking your blog from “basic” to “brilliant” with slick layouts and interactive elements?

Example:
Dave from the local bakery thought a map was just a nice touch until customers started turning up at the old address. Suddenly, being able to show multiple locations (including the new out-of-the-way shop) shot up the must-have list.

Step 2: Match a Squarewebsites Plugin to Each Need

Squarewebsites isn’t just a collection of random code snippets; it’s a thoughtfully selected set of tools made to fit Squarespace’s quirks. Let’s cover a few of the stars:

• Universal Filters: Let users slice and dice your blog, shop or portfolio just the way they want.
• Multiple Map Pointers: One map, many locations. Put your pin down exactly where you need.
• Chrome Extension (“Swiss Army Knife”): Change site colours, inspect CSS, bulk manage pages. This gadget has saved me more hours than I care to admit.
• Shop Sliders & Product Carousels: No more ten tangled blocks just to make your new arrivals look presentable.
• Announcement Bars, Countdown Timers and Lightbox Plugins: Need urgency, pop-ups or that extra dazzle? All handled, no DIY required.

Visit the Squarewebsites plugin store and start bookmarking the ones that answer your wish list.

Step 3: Get Hands-On with Pixelhaze Tutorials

Sourcing a plugin is only half the job. Integrating it painlessly, without breaking your layout or ending up on the phone with support, is the other half.

That’s why I’ve started creating a dedicated series of free tutorials on the Pixelhaze Website Builders channel (accessible through your free membership, if you haven’t signed up yet). We cover the lot:

• Basic Installation Walkthroughs: For every plugin we review, you see click-by-click how to set it up.
• Real-World Use Cases: You get more than just the “hello world” demos. You see how to use filters for messy blogs, or how to build shop sliders that don't look like an afterthought.
• Advanced Customisation: Once you’re comfortable, we dig into CSS tweaks and advanced settings, so you aren’t left with a bland, cookie-cutter install.

Already, we’ve got a batch of twelve tutorials up, with another thirty to forty in the works. Each one solves a real user issue and gets to the point fast. My mission is to never waste your time.

Step 4: Join the Community & Troubleshoot Like a Pro

Here’s the dirty secret of web design: No matter how good the documentation, there’s always a “that’s odd…” moment when the plugin doesn’t play nicely with your particular template or stacking order. That’s why we’ve set up an active Skool community at Pixelhaze Academy, where you can:

• Ask specific troubleshooting questions and get answers (from actual humans).
• See how others have implemented the same plugins for totally different projects.
• Share your own hacks and inspire the next version of the plugin!

You don’t need to build in a vacuum. Most times, if you’re stuck on something, someone else has already found the workaround (or, in my case, broken the plugin five different ways before finding the fix).

Step 5: If You’re Using Square Forge Templates, Level Up Your Layouts

Some of you are big fans of our own Square Forge rapid template builder for Squarespace, and that makes sense. The beauty here is that many Squarewebsites plugins work smoothly with Square Forge. You can take Squarespace beyond its out-of-the-box limitations without unnecessary hassle.

So whether you’re importing a template for a client job or taking your own site from “meh” to “marvellous,” combining these tools is like having a secret design weapon.

If you haven’t tried mixing the two, now’s the moment. More advanced videos on integrating Square Forge with selected plugins are dropping in the coming weeks.

Step 6: Keep Learning—the Free Way

I’m a firm believer that great advice should be accessible. Every tutorial in this new partnership series is 100% free. No card details, no seven-day trial timers, no marketing shenanigans. Just clear, practical guides updated whenever plugin updates drop or new features appear.

What’s in it for me? Selfishly, I enjoy seeing brilliant design get easier for the next generation. For you, it’s a zero-risk way to master advanced Squarespace build techniques without forking out for an expensive course or agency retainer.

What Most People Miss

Odd truth about websites: it’s rarely the massive redesign or the glitzy launch that moves the needle. Subtle, thoughtful improvements add up as time goes by—the filter that helps a customer actually find what they want; the clarified map that means nobody’s left circling the car park.

Here’s the kicker. Most website owners don’t realise these enhancements are within reach, let alone easy or affordable. They resign themselves to “Squarespace can’t do that” without ever investigating what’s changed in the plugin ecosystem. Watching for new solutions, and using tutorials made for real-world issues, can quickly turn small frustrations into practical advantages.

If you want to set a professional Squarespace build apart from the crowd, you don’t need to change platform. You just need the right toolkit and the appetite to experiment.

The Bigger Picture

Solving these website headaches comes down to more than convenience. There’s hardly a business owner on Earth who isn’t stretched thin, juggling ever-taller stacks of must-do tasks. If you can cut your troubleshooting time by half, or deliver features clients thought were “impossible,” you look like a genius, serve your customers properly, and reclaim hours every week.

On a practical level, it means:

• Quicker turnaround on projects (delivering the same build in days, not weeks)
• Less stress at launch, knowing you’ve got solid solutions in your back pocket
• Happier customers who think you’ve worked a minor miracle
• A growing list of sites in your portfolio that you’re actually proud to show off

Those little wins add up. Add a new skill or plugin tweak every week (instead of just fixing what’s broken) and you’ll gradually build a system for web design that actually feels like progress.

There’s no need to feel like the cleverest coder in the room. What works is building a process that lets you solve real-world problems, maintain momentum, and focus on the fun parts—like designing beautiful sites that do the job.

Wrap-Up

After over a decade in the business and hundreds of Squarespace builds, one thing is crystal clear: you never stop learning, and you’re always one clever trick away from making your life much, much easier.

The new partnership between Pixelhaze Academy and Squarewebsites is about turning those “wouldn’t it be great if…” ideas into reality. No drama, no jargon, no wasted time. Whether you’re building your very first small business site or you’re already juggling agency-level client work, the tools and know-how are now within reach. You just have to grab them.

To get started, head over to our Website Builders channel, watch the first batch of free tutorials, and see for yourself what’s possible.

If you’re serious about levelling up, join the Skool community. That’s where the sharpest questions and best answers always turn up first.

Plenty more content is already in the queue, and I can’t wait to see what you all build next.

Cheers!

Elwyn Davies

Elwyn's experience as a small business owner, designer, front-end developer and project manager has served him well in his quest to become the ultimate generalist. He has been building websites and software alongside companies of all sizes and industries for longer than he would care to mention. It is fair to say that in another life he would have been a teacher, and the launch of Pixelhaze Academy gives him the opportunity to pursue another lifetime ambition of passing on his industry knowledge to the next wave of emerging designers and entrepreneurs.

Want more helpful systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.