The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Squarespace

Why This Matters

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve spent at least a couple of frustrated evenings wrestling with the idea of building a website from scratch. Maybe you’ve been bamboozled by promises of “no-code”, or perhaps you’re desperately trying to avoid the dark arts of debugging. The digital shopfront isn’t optional anymore. If you’re running a business, or even a side hustle, you need a professional web presence. Yet, for many, the leap from an empty digital canvas to a working site ends up a bigger obstacle than learning to drive.

I’ve spent more time with Squarespace than I care to admit. Over the last decade, I’ve built 500+ sites on the platform, alongside wrangling 3000 to 4000 sites across my web career. It’s become painfully clear to me that most folks waste hours, days, and sometimes decent chunks of their bank balance by either over-complicating the process or heading down the wrong path entirely.

There is good news: Squarespace’s Fluid Engine and template system, especially in the latest version, have made it easier than ever for mortals to create polished, effective websites without any coding or designer-speak. The trick is to get the foundations right, avoid the easy mistakes, and build confidently from there.

Common Pitfalls

Let’s have an honest word, here. The biggest mistakes I see beginners make with Squarespace are:

Diving in too deep, too soon: People pick a template through analysis paralysis, clutter the site with gadgets, and tweak every colour before they've decided what pages they actually need.

Ignoring the basics: Skipping site structure, not naming pages properly, or leaving stray demo pages lurking in the menus.

Over-customisation: Tweaking until nothing matches, or “Frankensteining” templates with mismatched elements because, “well, I saw it on someone else’s site”.

Forgetting about mobile users: Building a beautiful desktop layout, then wondering why it looks like a fruit salad on their phone.

Not saving or previewing edits: All that hard work vanishing because someone forgot to hit “save”.

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in good company. But don’t worry, it's quick to put right if you follow the right steps.

Step-by-Step Fix

Here’s how I’d approach building your first site on Squarespace, with honest advice, a few years of scars, and a dash of humour thrown in.

1. Choose the Right Platform (Car Analogy Time)

Before you even hit ‘start free trial’, it’s worth making sure you’re driving the right vehicle for your journey. Here’s my time-tested analogy:

• 1. Family Hatchback: Simple, reliable, gets you from A to B. Squarespace (and similar website builders) fit snugly here. Perfect for 99% of small businesses, freelancers, portfolios, and anyone who doesn’t want to read a CSS textbook before tea.
• 2. Custom-Fitted Sports Car: WordPress is like the customisable hot hatch. Loads of power and options, but trickier to handle. Capable of massive sites, but you'll need to get hands-on under the bonnet.
• 3. Formula One Car: The full agency-built site: elite, bespoke, expensive. You get top-drawer performance, but also the bill to match.

If you want fast, secure, and manageable, and you don’t have a spare five grand, Squarespace is your friend.

2. Sign Up and Start a Squarespace Trial

Head to Squarespace.com, and hit ‘Get Started’. If you haven’t got an account, you’ll need to set one up—just a basic email and password dance.

Once you’re in, Squarespace will present a host of snazzy templates. Don’t get lost here.

Picking a Template

In Squarespace 7.1, templates are built on the same flexible system. That means whichever one you pick, you’re not locked in. The main difference you’ll see is the masthead style (the large banner bit at the top). The rest is rearrangeable and customisable.

Flick through the previews if you like, but don’t chase a unicorn. Pick a design that feels close to your vision or just isn’t hideous. Let’s say you go with ‘Barbosa’. It’s as good as any, and you can see a live preview before committing.

Press ‘Start with this design’. You’ll be asked to name your website—pick something sensible (you can always change it later).

3. Clear the Decks and Set Your Structure

You’re now inside the editing dashboard. Don’t panic at the demo pages and sample stuff populating the menus. Here’s what to do:

Tidy Up Demo Content

• On the left, you’ll see your navigation with pages like ‘Home’, ‘About’, random ‘Projects’ pages, maybe even a ‘Salmon Sushi’ page if Squarespace is feeling quirky.
• Click the trash can next to every page you know you don’t want. Confirm deletion.
• If you see pages you might use (like ‘Contact’), but they’re buried under ‘Not Linked’, just drag them into the ‘Main Navigation’ area at the top.

Pro move: If the home page is stuck under ‘Not Linked’, drag it straight up into ‘Main Navigation’. It should be easy to find for both you and your users. You’d be amazed how many websites bury the most important button.

Rename Your Pages

Click on the cog next to each page and update the page name so it’s obvious what it’s for. ‘Our Story’ might become ‘About’, etc. The clearer, the better.

4. Build Your First Section with Fluid Engine

Squarespace’s Fluid Engine is the secret sauce. It’s an intuitive, grid-based drag-and-drop editor that (mostly) does what you expect. Here’s where you’ll start to see results.

Editing Your Homepage

• On your homepage, hit ‘Edit’ in the page preview area.
• You’ll see blue ‘+’ buttons between sections. Click one to add a new section, or hover over existing sections to delete or modify.
• Choose a section type: ‘Headline’ is a great start for a welcome banner. You can try out different section templates—image with overlay, gallery, plain text, whatever you fancy. These are the building blocks of your site.

Tweaking Your Header Section

• Hover over the header, then click the pencil icon for section settings.
• Change the section height (small, medium or large). Medium works for most banners.
• Set the content width (small, medium, large). Try ‘large’ if you want your message to spread out.
• Position the text—left, centre or right. For most brands, left-aligned text on a large banner with a bold image works well.

Adding Images

• Click the image block and press the ‘+’ button.
• You can upload an image from your computer, pick from your Squarespace library, or search Unsplash for free stock images right inside the platform.
• After uploading, use the ‘focal point’ tool to fine-tune which part of the picture gets shown.

Adjusting Colour and Overlay

• In the section menu, go to the ‘Background’ tab.
• Adjust the overlay for contrast between your text and the background image. Make sure it’s readable (no neon-on-pink, unless you really hate your visitors).
• Experiment with the built-in colour packs, but keep a high contrast so headlines are punchy and accessible.

5. Expand Your Page with Scaffolding

Think in sections. For the body of your homepage, add a text section next. Here’s how to get it right:

• Click ‘Add Section’, select ‘Text’, and pick a layout that suits.
• Enter your intro copy or a short blurb. Keep it concise.
• Use the pencil to adjust height, background colour (‘Light 1’ or similar), and alignment.
• For more flair, add an image beside the text. Click the oval ‘+’ button, add an image, then drag it alongside your text block. Use the gridlines for easy snapping.
• If you want a testimonial or quote, use the quote block. It automatically formats for impact.

Mix and match: build up sections for features, galleries, signup forms, or whatever fits your needs. Each one can be tweaked using the Fluid Engine grid to line up just right.

6. Dial in Your Branding: Fonts and Colours

You want your site to match your logo, not look like a patchwork quilt.

• While editing your site, click the paintbrush icon (top right) for ‘Site Styles’.
• Select ‘Fonts’ to see a curated set of font packs. Unless you’ve got a good reason otherwise, pick one that fits your brand’s tone. You can tweak font sizes and heading styles, but don’t go wild—consistency builds trust.
• Jump into ‘Colours’ and pick a palette, or adjust shades to match your brand. If you shift one colour, make sure lights stay light and darks stay dark. It’s tempting to make everything bold, but restraint wins the day.
• Save your changes after every session. Hover over ‘Done’ and hit ‘Save’.

What Most People Miss

Here’s the part that separates a professional site from an amateur effort: clarity and consistency win over customisation every day of the week.

People often think that more features, more images, and a menu stuffed with options make a better site. But every visitor simply wants to find what they need, quickly, without distractions. If your home button is missing, your colour palette looks like a bowl of sweets, or your fancy script font is unreadable on mobile, you’ll lose their attention within three seconds.

Focus on intuitive navigation, simple language, and clear calls-to-action. Preview your site on mobile devices (use the toggle at the top of the editor). Tidy up your menus so nothing is hiding where it shouldn’t be.

Pixelhaze Secret: Build as if your grandma is the first visitor. If she can navigate your site and understand what you offer, you’re on the right track.

The Bigger Picture

Sorting your Squarespace site using these steps is more than just ticking a box for your to-do list. Every minute you spend getting your foundations right saves you hours of pain down the road, not to mention costly mistakes if you ever pay for advanced design or SEO later.

When you have a clear, consistent structure, your site scales easily as you add new features. You might open an online shop, add an appointment widget, or start a blog. People see your business at its best, and you earn real trust from every visitor.

Over time, as you get the hang of these basics, the learning curve gets much gentler. Adding new pages, running seasonal promotions, or even tweaking things as your business shifts will quickly become familiar. You won’t need to start all over again or call in help every time you want a tweak.

And the best part? You end up with more time to actually run your business, rather than faffing with awkward layouts that don’t work.

Wrap-Up

Building your first website in Squarespace does not need magic, hours of YouTube, or a background in code. Pick your template, clean up the structure, build in sections using Fluid Engine, and keep things organised. Focus on the basics, use the built-in tools, and don’t overthink it.

Got stuck, or want to see these tricks in action? The Pixelhaze Academy Skool community is open to you for honest support, detailed courses, and even a 20% discount off your first year of Squarespace hosting for members.

Whether you want to go further with our Moonshot Series or just need a friendly nudge past a roadblock, our door is open.

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

See you on the inside. Don’t forget to save your work.

Elwyn Davies
Designer, serial site builder, digital generalist
Pixelhaze Academy