Featured Squarespace Plugin: Testimonial Slider

Why This Matters

For most businesses, a flashy homepage means little if you can’t prove people have actually benefited from working with you. That’s where testimonials come in. Of course, every website builder promises “easy” ways to add reviews, but if you’ve ever tried wrangling Squarespace’s native blocks into anything resembling a slick, branded slider, you’ll know the reality involves more frustration than finesse.

Testimonials aren’t just praise displayed on your website. When presented thoughtfully, they reassure potential clients, shorten your sales cycle, and help you command higher prices. Yet, when the tools you’re given are too basic or too fiddly to match your site’s style, most simply give up and settle for a static text box. Worse still, many resort to dull carousels that look wildly out of place on a carefully curated page. Uninspiring testimonials cost sales. Static, ugly testimonials tell visitors you don’t sweat the detail.

The right plugin transforms your testimonials from box-ticking afterthought into living proof that your work delivers. But most people miss a key step in the process: figuring out how to implement a slider without getting tangled up in code or blowing the design consistency you worked so hard for.

Common Pitfalls

The number one mistake people make is underestimating what’s involved. They think: “I’ll just paste a few quotes and there it is, a slider!” Cue thirty minutes of hoping the default block will magically support images, or that the lines won’t break halfway through a client’s kind words. People also try to wedge testimonials into Galleries, Summary Blocks, or hacky layouts, juggling images and text in a way that never quite fits neatly.

What usually goes wrong includes:

• Wobbly styling: Default layouts clash with your brand fonts and colours, leaving you with something that screams “template” rather than “trustworthy”.
• No image support: Squarespace’s standard tools don’t make it simple to add a reviewer’s face or logo, even though a visual is what gives social proof its punch.
• Maintenance hassle: Updating testimonials means manually fiddling with blocks on every page, introducing inconsistency and leaving ghostly old quotes buried in the depths.

The result? Old, uninspiring testimonials end up on the homepage, or inconsistent designs make testimonials feel like an afterthought.

Step-by-Step Fix

If you want testimonials that consistently look the part and are easy to update, the Testimonial Slider plugin from SQSPthemes is as close as Squarespace gets to plug-and-play. We’ve tried a fair few plugins at PixelHaze, but this is the one that’s stuck. Here’s how to make it work without pulling your hair out.

1. Purchase and Prepare the Plugin

First, head over to SQSPthemes and pick up the Testimonial Slider plugin. Pricing, as of writing, is £30 for a standard licence (you’ll need to pay more if you want to use it across multiple projects or client sites).

Once you’ve paid, you’ll receive a zip file containing the plugin assets and a clear PDF or online guide. Unzip everything somewhere tidy.

2. Install Using Code Injection or Site Header

Open your Squarespace admin, and go to Settings > Advanced > Code Injection, or if using a newer version, navigate to the page settings and locate the header code input field. The plugin’s documentation will tell you exactly which snippet goes where, usually a few lines in the header and a unique block or line where you want the slider to appear.

Copy and paste carefully. If you’re using password protection or running custom scripts elsewhere, double-check that nothing clashes.

3. Create a Dedicated Testimonial Blog

Here is the step where the main advantage appears. Instead of inputting testimonials manually on every page, create a new blog in Squarespace. Use this as your single, central “testimonials database”.

Each testimonial is a new blog post. Add the client’s quote as the body, use their name as the post title, and upload a thumbnail (usually a headshot, logo, or happy handshake) using the Summary Image option. You can add tags or categories, which is helpful for segmenting testimonials — for example, weddings, consulting, or design.

This approach lets the slider plugin pull in fresh testimonials automatically, and you only need to update each quote in one place.

4. Drop the Slider Onto Your Page

The next step is placing the slider block wherever you want it: homepage, case studies, landing page, or perhaps in your site’s sidebar (it can be surprisingly effective there). Use the embed code or custom block the plugin provides. Paste it into a code block or relevant area as needed.

Refresh the page and you should see the first pass of your testimonial slider, pulling from your dedicated blog.

5. Customise the Slider’s Appearance

Time to make it match your brand. One valuable feature of this plugin is the style selector, a built-in panel for picking fonts, slider speeds, colours, how many testimonials appear per row, and whether to display those thumbnail images alongside each quote.

Tinker around and view changes in preview mode. Try a single line of quotes for minimalist sites or a multiple-row carousel for a bigger “social proof” punch. Set up focus colours and background shades to match what’s already on your site.

No need to mangle CSS or hire a developer. Everything updates via the style selector.

6. Ongoing Maintenance and Update Process

Once your slider is live, keep it fresh. Just return to your testimonial blog and add, edit, or hide testimonials as needed. The slider will reflect changes instantly everywhere it’s placed. No need to update multiple blocks or remember which pages you used.

We recommend reviewing testimonials every six months, removing out-of-date praise, and rotating in newer stories. When clients notice their review featured on your site, they’re often prompted to rebook or upgrade, which is a valuable bonus.

What Most People Miss

Effective testimonial sliders rely on curating the best, most relevant quotes for your audience and updating them regularly. A couple of short, punchy testimonials that address specific concerns will outperform a sea of generic “great service!” blurbs.

At PixelHaze, we often see sites with a testimonial slider crammed with ten-year-old reviews. Even worse, every quote appears to come from the same person (“Company X changed my life. – J”). That level of repetition can instantly undermine credibility.

If you have a mix of clients such as photographers, designers, or coaches, use tags to group testimonials by type or segment. Adjust which ones appear on different pages using the plugin’s filtering options. No code needed.

The Bigger Picture

Integrating a professional testimonial slider delivers results that go far beyond making your site look better. It streamlines updates (one place to manage, no rogue duplicates), scales with your business as you add more clients, and places real customer feedback where it matters most.

For agencies, being able to offer clients a reliable, on-brand, and easily maintainable testimonial solution will improve your service. For solo entrepreneurs, it saves hours of extra work and ensures you show valuable proof points beside every important call-to-action.

When set up properly, this approach turns your website into a round-the-clock sales tool, operating without design compromises.

Wrap-Up

Squarespace makes many things easy, but stylish testimonials are challenging to execute without the right tools. The Testimonial Slider from SQSPthemes provides genuine social proof in a format that’s flexible, consistent with your brand, and simple to update — even if you never touch code.

Remember:

• Get your testimonials organised via a dedicated blog
• Stick to your site’s design language
• Update reviews often, highlighting stories that matter

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

FAQ

How do I add the Testimonial Slider to a specific Squarespace page?
After installing the plugin via code injection or header embed, use the provided shortcode or code block on any Squarespace page where you want the slider to appear. It will automatically pull from your dedicated testimonial blog.

Can I customise the look and feel of the slider?
Absolutely. Use the plugin’s style selector page to adjust fonts, colours, layout, and transitions. No coding needed.

How do I include photos or logos with my testimonials?
Each testimonial post in your hidden blog has a “Summary Image” upload. Add your image there and the plugin displays it as a thumbnail beside the quote.

Is the plugin compatible with all versions of Squarespace?
It works with most modern Squarespace versions, including 7.1, but always check compatibility before buying.

Will it slow down my website?
Not noticeably. The plugin is lightweight and runs smoothly on Squarespace.

Jargon Buster

• Testimonial Slider: A scrolling display of customer quotes, typically with images, showing on a web page.
• Thumbnail Image: A small photo or graphic accompanying each testimonial, usually a client headshot or logo.
• Style Selector: The control panel for adjusting the look and behaviour of the plugin.
• Code Injection: Squarespace’s way to add custom scripts to your site globally or page-by-page.

Related Posts from PixelHaze:

• How to make two Squarespace List items move together
• Enhance Your Squarespace Website with the Simple Summary Block Filter Plugin
• Squarespace Custom Graphics – Pushing the boundaries of Squarespace (Without code!)
• A Guide to Squarespace Lists
• Three ways to install CSS in Squarespace
• An introduction to Squarespace Plugins and Extensions

Want a walkthrough or have a sticking point with another plugin? Pop your question into the PixelHaze Academy members area. Someone on the team or one of our seasoned alumni has probably dealt with your Squarespace challenge already.

When your site conveys credibility, relevance, and polish to visitors, you’re on the right track. This fix can make that happen.