How to Convert a Spreadsheet to a HTML Table in Squarespace

Why This Matters

If you’ve ever tried presenting a chunk of spreadsheet data on your Squarespace site, you’ll know it feels less like a quick update and more like wrestling an angry squid. Copy-pasting from Excel to a Squarespace page comes out looking like porridge, and those fancy charts or lists you had in mind end up reduced to disorderly rows of text. You lose presentation, readability, and plenty of your time.

This is a headache for businesses, educators, event organisers, and anyone who handles price lists, schedules, stats, product ranges, or anything tabular that customers actually need to read, not squint at. In the end, messy tables can cost you credibility, hide important products, and chew up hours you’d rather spend somewhere else.

Hiring a developer every time you’ve got 10 new rows to upload isn’t feasible for most budgets. Feeling daft because you can’t get columns to line up isn’t the solution either. A practical middle ground exists: use HTML tables with no scary code required.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is believing this is a job for ‘coders only’. Plenty give up before they start, convinced there must be a paid plugin or a hidden Squarespace feature they’ve missed. Others stumble into Squarespace’s visual editor, paste their spreadsheet in, and watch the formatting evaporate.

A second major pitfall is thinking any table is better than none. If your table’s hard to scan, doesn’t fit on mobile, or looks like someone sneezed on the formatting, you’ll end up causing more confusion than clarity.

Many manage to get a static table working but can’t style or adjust it, so it jars with the rest of their website or breaks entirely on smaller screens.

People often get stuck because they overcomplicate the process or hope for a magic ‘import’ button. The solution is much simpler than it seems.

Step-by-Step Fix

1. Prep Your Spreadsheet: Get Your Ducks in a Row

Before you reach for any fancy tools, take a minute to organise your data. Open up Excel or Google Sheets and strip out anything you don’t need. Hide the extra columns, wrap the headers in a single row, and double-check for stray merged cells or weird formatting.

Every column you leave in will be a column in your public-facing table, so ask yourself: does this really need to be there? The simpler the better.

2. Convert Your Spreadsheet to HTML: DivTable to the Rescue

Now comes the easy bit. Open divtable.com in your browser. This free online tool takes any spreadsheet and hands you clean, ready-to-paste HTML.

• In Google Sheets, select your table, copy it (Ctrl+C).
• Go to DivTable, and paste your selection into their big input box.
• Tweak any settings if you want borders, condensed padding, or a quick colour highlight. No obligation.
• Hit the ‘Generate’ button, then copy the HTML code from the result.

You don’t need any coding knowledge or an account to use this tool.

3. Add Your Table to Squarespace: The Code Block Method

Switch over to Squarespace and navigate to the page where you’d like the table to live. Add a Code Block (not a Text Block or Markdown).

• Click the ‘+’ on your section, choose ‘Code’ from the block types.
• Paste in your HTML.
• Hit ‘Apply’ or ‘Save’, then exit edit mode.

You now have a functioning table, ready and matched to your brand (well, almost). If things look odd such as giant text or rogue line breaks, double check that you haven’t pasted in extra wrapper code, or that you’re not running in Safe Mode.

4. Give Your Table Some Style: CSS for the Win

Raw HTML tables can look bland. Spruce them up with a dash of CSS. You don’t need to be a developer. Just follow this:

• Open ‘Design’ → ‘Custom CSS’ in Squarespace’s main menu, or add a new Code Block set to CSS.

• Paste the following:

  table tr:nth-child(even) {
      background: #f4f4f4;
  }
  table tr:nth-child(odd) {
      background: #fff;
  }
  table {
      width: 100%;
      border-collapse: collapse;
  }
  table th, table td {
      border: 1px solid #ddd;
      padding: 0.75em 1em;
      text-align: left;
  }
  

This will instantly create neat zebra stripes for easier reading, eliminate ugly cell gaps, and ensure everything aligns.

```css
.sqs-block-code {
  overflow-x: auto;
}
```

Or wrap your table in a <div style="overflow-x:auto;"> before the HTML. This adds side-scrolling on phones, so wide tables don’t break your layout.

5. Check Responsiveness: Mobile Matters

Don’t skip this. Most website visitors are on their phones now, and a table that requires a magnifying glass is frustrating. Check your site’s preview mode on Squarespace, then on an actual phone or tablet if you can.

• Are all the columns visible?
• Is the text still legible?
• Can you scroll horizontally if needed?

If things are still squashed up, try adjusting your CSS with:

```css
table, th, td {
  word-break: break-word;
}
```

Or, for trickier cases, consider making a simpler mobile version of your table with only the key columns. You can invert the table or stack content if you want to be more ambitious.

6. Troubleshooting: When Things Go Wonky

No technology is foolproof, but most table disasters are quick fixes:

Problem: Borders vanish or colours override your site theme.
Solution: Squarespace’s design panel and your CSS might be fighting. Add !important after key CSS settings (e.g. border: 1px solid #ddd !important;). Refresh, check changes.

Problem: Table text is huge or tiny.
Solution: Inherit global styles by adding font-size: inherit; to your th, td CSS.

Problem: Pasted table shows extra spaces or odd breaks.
Solution: Use an HTML beautifier or copy-paste your code into Notepad first to strip invisible junk.

What Most People Miss

Once the table is up, most leave things as they are and miss simple ways to improve user experience further. For example, add a hover effect to rows with:

table tr:hover {background: #e5eaff;}

Or, if you update your data weekly, set a clear process to edit your original spreadsheet and re-import—this helps you keep styling consistent and reduces manual fixes.

Another helpful addition is to provide a short caption using the <caption> tag for accessibility, which helps screen readers and can benefit your site’s SEO.

Making your table scannable, attractive, and easy to update in the future helps reduce friction for everyone.

The Bigger Picture

Sorting tables with HTML and CSS is one small part of making Squarespace work for you. Once you master this workflow, you stop dreading every quarterly update, sales report, or event list. You save hours, look far more professional, and gain headroom to tackle genuinely creative web projects.

You’ll also quickly spot where a simple table does the job and when you might need fancier solutions like interactive Google Charts or a filterable summary block. The biggest gain is confidence. When you know how to get tables up without turning your site into a 1990s archive, you can set higher expectations for how your website serves your needs.

Wrap-Up

Converting spreadsheets to proper HTML tables in Squarespace doesn’t require magic. With a clean spreadsheet, DivTable’s autopilot, and a splash of custom CSS, you can improve everything from product lists to pricing grids without writing a single line of JavaScript or paying for plugins.

The key is getting your workflow sorted, tidying your data up front, and previewing on every device. One well-built table can save you hassle for months to come.

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

Jargon Buster

• HTML Table: A simple, code-based way to present data in rows and columns on a website.
• CSS: Short for Cascading Style Sheets; it’s the language that tells your site how things should look.
• Responsive Design: The process of making sure your site (including tables) works on screens of all shapes and sizes.
• Caption (in tables): A short label that helps explain what your table describes, and is useful for both visitors and search engines.

FAQs

How do I convert a spreadsheet to an HTML table for Squarespace?
Copy your data from Excel or Google Sheets, paste it into divtable.com, generate HTML, and add it to your site using a Code Block.

Can I style my table to match my Squarespace site?
Absolutely. Paste custom CSS (like the zebra stripes above) into Squarespace’s custom CSS panel, and your tables can be just as attractive as your banners.

Do HTML tables work on mobile?
Yes, but check every time. If they look cramped, tweak your CSS or consider a simplified version for phones.

What if my table data changes regularly?
Keep your original spreadsheet updated, and simply repeat the export and paste steps. This approach is much safer than editing table code directly every time.

Why use manual HTML instead of a plugin for this?
For most regular tables, manual HTML can be faster, lighter, and more reliable for the future. Plugins are best when you need filtering, searching, or interactive features.

When handled well, tables become another tool in your kit. Now that you know how to create them, you can concentrate on presenting your information in ways that are both clear and hassle-free.