5 ways to make your Squarespace website work for you behind the scenes

Why This Matters

Let’s face it, you can pour hours into your Squarespace site, tweaking colours, moving blocks, and wrestling with font pairings, only to realise your website’s actually coasting in neutral behind the scenes. A pretty homepage can’t do your admin for you, or nudge a customer to finish their purchase, or keep your inbox from turning into an endless pit of “how do I reset my password?” queries.

This matters because your website should be picking up some of the heavy lifting. That means less time chasing dead ends, more sales rolling in, and visitors who stick around long enough to actually buy something, sign up to your list, or just remember you exist. If you’re doing all the work yourself and your site’s stuck in “showcase” mode, you’re probably losing money, wasting time, and making your own life harder than it needs to be.

Here’s what you need to know: with a handful of tweaks and a willingness to spend a quiet hour clicking about in your dashboard, your Squarespace website can start working smarter behind the curtain so you can get on with something more interesting.

Common Pitfalls

Squarespace gives you solid tools out of the box, but most people are glued to the front, forever adjusting banners and obsessing over logo pixelation, and never look at what’s going on behind the scenes. There are three classic traps I see all the time:

• Ignoring the ‘lost cause’ abandoned carts. Instead of following up or learning why someone clicked away, people accept lost sales as inevitable.
• Scattering vital forms all over the place. You end up with a pop-up here, a tiny sign-up in the footer there, and no elegant invite for visitors to get off the fence and actually subscribe.
• Relying on boring default pages (hello, 404), and missing out on easy chances to engage, or even rescue, your visitors when things go off track.
• Letting the same question ping your inbox over and over, because you haven't built a place on your site to answer the obvious stuff upfront.
• Trusting third-party tools with the best of your traffic, like using Linktree for Instagram, instead of drawing people onto your own territory.

If any of those made you wince, you’re about to fix them all.

Step-by-Step Fix

Below you'll find five concrete, field-tested steps to put your Squarespace site to work, even while you get on with running your business (or taking the dog out). No fluff, just practical action. Each tip comes with a Pixelhaze tip at the end, giving you the little edge that separates the pro from the pack.

1. Turn Abandoned Carts into a Source of Insight (and Revenue)

Abandoned carts sting, don’t they? Someone adds your product, vanishes, and you’re left wondering what put them off. When you set things up thoughtfully, you can turn almost-lost sales into feedback, trust, and sometimes, actual money.

Step 1: Enable Abandoned Cart Recovery

If you’re using Squarespace’s Commerce platform, upgrade to the Advanced Commerce plan. Even if the cost makes you hesitate, the ROI comes quickly once you start recovering sales you’d otherwise never see.

• Go to Settings > Checkout in your Squarespace dashboard and enable the abandoned cart recovery emails.

Step 2: Build a Survey Page

Create a new page (hidden from the main navigation) with a simple form. A couple of multiple choice questions is usually plenty, since no one wants to write a saga about how much your postage costs.

Sample questions:

• What stopped you from completing your purchase?
• How did you find out about us?
• Is there anything holding you back from buying today?

Add a cheeky incentive, like “Fill this in for a chance to win a free course each month.” People love a freebie and it bumps up your response rate.

Step 3: Add the Survey Link to the Abandoned Cart Email

Squarespace lets you customise the abandoned cart email message. Drop in a friendly line with the survey link:

Not the right time? No problem. Would you let us know what stopped you? It takes 30 seconds and you'll be in the draw for a free course. [Take the survey]

Step 4: Review Results and Adapt

Your survey can be a gold mine. If price comes up again and again, you could try a targeted sale or review how your offer is pitched. If people worry about a lack of reviews, make collecting testimonials next month’s priority.

2. Build a Dedicated Newsletter Sign-Up Page That Actually Converts

Sign-up forms are good, but most sites just drop one in the footer and hope for the best. For genuine sign-ups, create an invitation on its own page. This gives you space for visuals, proof, even bonuses, all in one focused place.

Step 1: Create a New Page Just for Sign-Ups

Head to Pages, add a new blank page, and call it “Subscribe,” “Studio Notes,” or something that fits your tone. Don’t worry if it sits in Not-Linked; you’ll send people there with links anyway.

Step 2: Add Visuals and Specifics

Feature an on-brand image or even a quick welcome video (“Hi! I’m Elwyn from Pixelhaze, let’s keep in touch…”). Next, spell out exactly what people get: is it a weekly roundup, discounts, cartoons of the studio dog? The more specific, the better.

Step 3: Use the Newsletter Block

Squarespace's Newsletter Block captures first names and emails, routes them to your chosen service (Mailchimp, Squarespace Email Campaigns, or others), and handles GDPR-friendly double opt-in if you set it up.

Step 4: Link It Everywhere

Add “Newsletter” or “Sign Up” to your main and footer menus. Drop the page link into every social bio, email signature, and any time someone asks, “How do I get your updates?”

3. Make a Thank You Page That Extends the Conversation

Most people overlook this step: after someone signs up, don’t leave them hanging with a drab “thanks.” Reinforce their decision, guide them to more goodness, and use this micro-moment to boost brand warmth and engagement.

Step 1: Create a Custom Thank You Page

Set up a new page (Not-Linked is fine) called something like “Thanks for Joining!” or “You’re on the List!” Write a warm note. Example:

Thanks for signing up! To make sure you get my emails, check your inbox and confirm your subscription. While you’re here, why not check out my [most popular courses] or [latest blog post]?

Step 2: Set Your Newsletter Block to Redirect Here

In the Newsletter Block settings, pop in the URL of your new thank you page so sign-ups land here automatically. You can find the “Post-Submit Redirect” option within the Block.

Step 3: Add Cross-Links

Drop in two or three buttons linking to high-value areas—courses, free resources, your Instagram page, FAQ. Don’t overload it, just give clear next steps.

4. Create an Instagram Links Page (and Sack Off Linktree)

There’s no need to send traffic to a third-party service when you can pull people straight onto your own site. An Instagram “links” page keeps your audience and their data in your own space.

Step 1: Make a Not-Linked 'Instagram' Page

Add a new Regular Page in the Not-Linked section. Name it “Instagram,” “Links,” or “Start Here.” This keeps your navigation tidy but gives you a direct URL to pop in your Instagram bio (e.g. yoursite.com/instagram).

Step 2: Build Out the Page

Use Squarespace Button blocks (found under the + menu) to list your latest offers, blog posts, free resources, or newsletter sign-up. You can highlight your main priority with a larger button at the top (‘Join My Newsletter!’). Then set secondary links below.

Step 3: Make It Mobile Friendly

Most people tap from their phones, so your buttons need to fill the width, stack neatly, and be easy to click. For a clean look, use this CSS in Design > Custom CSS:

/* Small Button Styling */
.sqs-block-button-element--small {
  width: 80% !important;
}
/* Medium Button Styling */
.sqs-block-button-element--medium {
  width: 80% !important;
}
/* Large Button Styling */
.sqs-block-button-element--large {
  width: 80% !important;
}

Step 4: Hide the Header and Footer

This gives a true “micro landing page” effect, similar to Linktree, except it’s all yours. Find your page’s collection ID using Chrome Inspector or a Squarespace helper tool. Then add this (replacing ‘collection-ID’ as needed):

For Brine:

/* Hide Header and Footer on Instagram Page */
#collection-ID .Header, #collection-ID .Footer {
  display: none !important;
}

For Bedford:

#collection-ID Header, #collection-ID .pre-footer-inner, #collection-ID #footer {
  display: none !important;
}

If you’re lost, just ask in the Pixelhaze forum. We’ve got your back.

Step 5: Bonus Touches

Include a newsletter block or an image to match your feed. By doing this, you keep your links consistent with your brand and you also own every click and can update in a flash.

5. Customise Your 404 Page to Rescue Dead Ends

The standard 404 page is a black hole for lost visitors. Change that and you could keep would-be customers on your site, even if they mistype your URL or follow an outdated link.

Step 1: Create a New 'Not Found' Page

Add a new page and give it the slug /404 in the page settings.

Step 2: Add a Helpful, Human Message

Skip the robotic “oops, you’re lost.” Try:

Looks like you took a wrong turn, but all’s not lost. Here are some ways back to the good stuff.

Step 3: Offer Alternative Paths

Add links to your homepage, top-selling products, newsletter sign-up, FAQ, or whatever needs more eyes. You could even add a popular blog post.

Step 4: Add a Search Box

Use the Search Block to let people hunt for the right content. It works like a little digital sat nav for anyone who missed a turn.

Step 5: Optional—Add a Broken Link Report Form

Pop in a simple Form Block saying:

Could you let us know which link didn’t work for you? It helps us tidy up, and you’ll make our day.

Responses will go to your inbox, and sharp-eyed visitors will feel appreciated.

Bonus: Create an FAQ Page That Slashes Your Inbox (and Lifts Sales)

If you find yourself fielding daily emails asking, “Does your course work for beginners?” or “Do you offer payment plans?”, it’s time for a FAQ page. A solid FAQ saves your sanity. Many people prefer to read before reaching out, which leads to faster decisions, fewer barriers to buying, and a much tidier inbox.

Step 1: Make a Dedicated FAQ Page

Create a page called “FAQ”, “Help Centre” or something friendlier. Pop it in the main menu and footer.

Step 2: List Your Top Queries (with Honest Answers)

Go back through your past customer emails and highlight the questions that crop up most. Keep answers short, but include links to deeper resources or tutorials if you’ve got them.

Step 3: Link From Everywhere

Add FAQ links to your contact page with a gentle “Before you message me…”, to your purchase confirmation emails, and in any auto-responder. That way, people get instant answers while you’re focused elsewhere.

What Most People Miss

There’s a crucial idea here: these fixes do more than add a few extras. They help your audience self-serve, encourage exploring, and keep engagement going, rather than letting visitors drift away. Every minor page, redirect, or survey can reduce friction, build trust, and help create those valuable micro-moments of connection.

You don’t need a five-figure website to put this in place. What matters is consistency and treating your website as a collection of helpful crossroads and signposts for every visitor, no matter how they arrived or where they got lost.

In practical terms, the systems you set up now continue to deliver results long after you’ve launched them. While you’re sleeping, making your tea, or on holiday, your site is still nurturing leads, gathering feedback, and smoothing over rough patches for the next visitor.

The Bigger Picture

Your Squarespace website can act as an extra pair of hands in your business. The smarter you set it up with useful pages and helpful forms, the less you’ll need to micromanage every visitor. You’ll spend less time handling abandoned carts, explaining the basics, or clearing out bounce reports, and more time refining offers or building new projects.

Visitors will find what they need, feel guided rather than frustrated, and you’ll convert more of them without working yourself into the ground. As a bonus, increased engagement leads to visitors sticking around, clicking more, sharing, and eventually buying—which is great for SEO, your bottom line, and your peace of mind.

Wrap-Up

Behind every smooth-running Squarespace website are a set of invisible routines and rescue points that quietly help your business. By setting up abandoned cart surveys, building a focused newsletter sign-up journey, creating a purposeful thank you page, using your own Instagram hub, designing a useful 404, and keeping your FAQ current, you can turn one-time visitors into fans and passive browsers into buyers—often without extra effort.

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