Need to get your head around the new Squarespace 7.1 update? Start here for free…

There’s nothing like opening your Squarespace dashboard on a Monday morning, coffee in hand, and realising your website has somehow been teleported into an alternate universe. Familiar buttons? Missing. Trusted page layouts? Gone. Fonts? Colours? All hiding somewhere new. If you’re staring at Squarespace 7.1 and feeling your pulse quicken, you’re not the only one. In fact, if you haven’t muttered the words, “Wait, where did THAT go?” in the last week, I want to know your secret.

As a designer and coach, I’m used to platform updates trying to “simplify” things. Squarespace 7.1, though, doesn’t just move the furniture. It rebuilds the whole house. Theme families? Disappeared. Index pages? Replaced. Customisation tools? Unpacked and rebuilt from the ground up. There’s a method to the madness, but unless you’ve got a roadmap, it can feel like wandering through a half-built IKEA store, instructions in Swedish.

If you’re in need of a quicker, saner way through the maze, you’re in the right place. I’m going to walk you through the confusion and point you to hands-on, free training (yes, genuinely free and genuinely brilliant) from Becca Harpain at InsideTheSquare.co which could save you days of aggravation. Let’s get your Squarespace 7.1 sanity back on track.

Why This Matters

Let’s cut to the chase. When platforms like Squarespace throw out their old playbook, it can grind your work to a halt. The hours you’d planned for content updates get eaten up by hunting for basic controls. Client projects stall while you try to decipher a new interface. If you’re running a business, confusion equals lost time, lost leads, and sometimes embarrassing mistakes on your live site.

More crucially: every minute you spend searching for where to edit a headline or move a section is time you’re not focussing on your actual business. Every design hiccup chips away at your confidence. Instead of putting your best work out into the world, you’re stuck watching YouTube videos at 1.5x speed, praying for a magical fix.

For freelancers, designers, or resourceful business owners, every wasted minute is either money you can’t invoice or time stolen from doing work that actually matters. The 7.1 update is more than “new and shiny”—it can be a brick wall unless you know the shortcuts. That’s why investing a couple of smart hours upfront pays itself back, many times over.

Common Pitfalls

Now, before you sprint off clicking every new button, it helps to know the classic traps that catch even seasoned users:

1. Assuming “Template Families” still exist.
   If you’re hunting for Brine, Bedford, or Five—the old theme system—stop. 7.1 dropped theme families in favour of a unified parent template. You can’t “pick a family and switch between them” any more.

2. Looking for Index Pages.
   Index pages were the glue that let you string together collections of pages with different layouts. In 7.1, indexes are gone. You now build long-form layouts using “Sections” directly on any page.

3. Missing the new “Site Styles” interface.
   Changing fonts, colours, and spacing now happens in a whole new panel. Old habits (like hunting through multiple menus for style settings) lead nowhere. The new system is in one spot, but it’s not where you think.

4. Relying on muscle memory for editing.
   The workflow for adding, moving, and designing content blocks has changed. That “quick duplicate” or “drag-to-reorder” you relied on may now behave differently.

5. FOMO about “losing control.”
   Early 7.1 users panic when they can’t tweak every tiny design element, missing what’s actually improved (hint: it’s easier to keep things beautiful and consistent, if you know how).

In summary, if you treat 7.1 like the old Squarespace, you’ll spend hours frustrated. If you pause, grab the right guide, and start fresh, you’ll move twice as fast.

Step-by-Step Fix

Let’s get hands-on. Here’s how to sidestep the confusion, nail the fundamentals, and make the new system work for you. No more stabbing around in the dark.

Step 1: Get Instant Clarity with Becca Harpain’s Free Training

If there’s a single “cheat code” for learning 7.1, it’s letting a pro show you the ropes. No tech jargon, no 30-minute sales pitch, just practical walkthroughs. Becca Harpain (InsideTheSquare.co) has put together a punchy, free video course dedicated to Squarespace 7.1. She covers all the weird new stuff, demystifies how to build pages, and best of all, shows you in real time, mouse clicks and all.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• The basics: navigation, adding new pages, finding old features
• Customisation: managing fonts, colours, and spacing in the new Styles panel
• Content blocks: adding, moving, and combining them for flexible designs
• Real-world demos, not just “Hello World” sites!

Step 2: Set Up a Safe “Sandbox” Site for Practice

Before you risk breaking your main site (or worse, someone else’s), set up a blank Squarespace test site. Squarespace lets you trial as many sites as you need—you only pay if you launch them publicly.

How:

1. Log into Squarespace, select ‘Create Site’. Pick any starting design.
2. Label it CLEARLY as “TEST” in both its site name and backend settings.
3. Use this site to follow every step of Becca’s videos—press all the buttons, break things, delete pages, and reset layouts until you’re confident.

Step 3: Master “Sections” – The New Building Blocks

In 7.1, individual “Pages” are now sculpted using vertical Sections. This replaces Index Pages and complex workarounds from the old days. Each Section gets its own layout, background, and content, making long, beautiful pages possible without headaches.

How:

1. Open any Page, click “Edit”.
2. When you see the blue line pop up, select “Add Section”.
3. Choose from presets like gallery, testimonials, text, custom layouts.
4. Reorder Sections by dragging them up or down.
5. Want to try something bold? Add a scrolling wide image. Then stack testimonials, FAQs, or contact forms underneath. All in one page.

Step 4: Tame Site Styles—Fonts, Colours, and Spacing

No more hunting through three different submenus just to tweak a headline font or fix an odd colour. 7.1 gives you a central “Site Styles” panel. The first time you open it, you may be overwhelmed by the options. Less is more here.

How:

1. Click “Design” in your left menu. Look for “Site Styles”.
2. You’ll see three main tabs: Fonts, Colours, and Spacing.
3. All settings here apply site-wide, keeping your branding consistent. Change them once, and all pages fall in line.
4. Want to change a single section? You can override some settings, but if you find yourself fighting the system, rethink your palette. Simplicity wins.

Step 5: Optimize for Mobile—Don’t Trust the Desktop Preview Alone

Squarespace 7.1 automatically adapts layouts for mobile, but automatic doesn’t always mean lovely. After every major change, hop over to the Mobile Preview and iron out any weirdness.

How:

1. In page edit mode, use the device icons in the top-right corner.
2. Check each Section. Is text readable? Are images cropped awkwardly?
3. Use the “Spacer” block sparingly to adjust gaps on mobile, but don’t go overboard (too many Spacers can break layouts on different screen sizes).
4. When in doubt, use a single-column layout. These play nicest on phones.

Step 6: Lean on Community—Get Unstuck Fast

The Pixelhaze Community is full of people wrangling the same 7.1 challenges you are. Whether you want peer feedback, troubleshooting tips, or to see how others tackled their homepage refresh, use the forums.

How:

1. Post screenshots with specific questions about tricky Sections, font issues, or navigation changes.
2. Share your best discoveries. What shortcut or hidden feature impressed you? Others will return the favour.
3. Explore our “Squarespace Headaches” thread for common fixes, war stories, and moral support (and yes, the occasional meme).

What Most People Miss

Squarespace 7.1 is more than a cosmetic overhaul. The “one-template-fits-all” philosophy can be a blessing if you use it right. Old Squarespace forced you to “pick a family” and hope it didn’t limit future edits. The new system gives every site a flexible starting point. Layouts can adapt, sites can grow, and branding stays unified.

Here’s the deeper secret: 7.1 brings a new mindset. There’s no more obsessing over perfect-by-default templates. Instead, you get tools to shape every site as your brand evolves. Once you stop trying to force old habits onto the new system, you’ll discover:

• Quicker prototyping (add, remove, rethink Sections in seconds)
• Cleaner maintenance (one style update, all pages update themselves)
• Future upgrades without rebuilding from scratch

The sites that shine aren’t the ones that look “just like the old family,” but the ones that take advantage of the new controls with confidence. Be willing to experiment, tweak, and even break things in your test site. That’s where the magic happens.

The Bigger Picture

Once you’re over the learning curve, managing and launching websites in 7.1 is faster, simpler, and you’ll avoid those “I’ve broken everything” moments. Your designs won’t go out of date when Squarespace updates—the new system lets you keep up without rebuilding.

For professionals: This means more client projects delivered on time, less time spent wrestling weird template limitations, and fewer after-hours panic moments when a “simple tweak” snowballs into a design disaster.

For business owners: You reclaim time to focus on growing your business, confident your website can keep up as your brand changes and grows.

For everyone: The more you control the system, the less the system controls you. No third-party “theme patches” needed. No more outdated tutorials. Here, the platform flexes as you do.

Bonus: With all the hours saved, you can finally spend more time on what makes your site stand out: great content, compelling storytelling, and those finishing touches that set your brand apart.

Wrap-Up

Squarespace 7.1 is nobody’s idea of “just a little facelift.” It’s a top-to-bottom rewrite. Yes, there’s a learning curve. But with smart training, a sandbox to experiment in, and peer backup, you’ll go from “lost at sea” to “captain of the ship” faster than you think.

Remember:

• Go straight to Becca Harpain’s free course and don’t wing it.
• Use a test site for low-stress practice.
• Embrace Sections over Index Pages for flexible layouts.
• Tame the Site Styles panel early; your sanity will thank you.
• Always, always check mobile before hitting Publish.

And don’t go it alone. The Pixelhaze Academy community is here to trade headaches, help you avoid the pitfalls, and keep you moving forward with confidence.

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

FAQ & Jargon Buster

How has Squarespace 7.1 changed things from previous versions?
Theme families are out. All sites now use one base template, relying on flexible “Sections.” Index pages are replaced with stacked Sections on each page. Customisation happens in a new “Site Styles” panel.

Where do I edit fonts and colours now?
Find them in Design > Site Styles. This is the new control hub for everything visual. No more hidden menus.

Is the free Becca Harpain course worth it?
Absolutely. It’s the quickest way to get productive in 7.1, with no risk and no fluff.

What if I break something?
Use a test site to experiment. If things go wrong, just delete it and start again. Real learning happens here.

Where do I get more help?
The Pixelhaze Academy community has a dedicated forum for Squarespace changes. You’ll also find peers sharing layouts, dos and don’ts, and creative fixes.

Jargon Buster

• Theme families: Old system for choosing starting styles. Now obsolete.
• Index pages: Former way of stacking multiple layouts. Replaced by Sections.
• Sections: The new, modular chunks you stack to build pages in 7.1.
• Site Styles: The control panel for fonts, colours, spacing—everything that shapes your site’s look.

Ready to leave the confusion behind? Hit up the free course, join us at Pixelhaze Academy, and see how easily Squarespace 7.1 can work for you.