The Squarespace Mistakes That Cost Businesses Time and Money

Last Updated:
December 1, 2022

Avoid wasting resources on a lackluster website. Learn the essential steps to create a functional and attractive Squarespace site that drives business growth.

Getting Started with Squarespace in 2023: A Comprehensive Guide for Business Owners and Web Designers

Why This Matters

Right, be honest. When did you last enjoy wrangling with a website builder? For many business owners and designers, “getting online” sounds so simple until you’re several hours deep, grappling with pricing charts, wading through template galleries, and squinting at setting screens that all promise your website will look like the next Vogue front page. All you wanted was an online shop or a fresh look for your agency. Instead, you’re burning time you don’t have, second-guessing technical jargon, and risking a site that feels more “tumbleweed” than “trustworthy”.

Building a website is supposed to move your brand forward, not hold you hostage. Every minute patching up mistakes or untangling a clashing design is time away from serving your customers or growing your business. Worse, picking the wrong plan or hacking together your site just to get something “live” can cost seriously, whether it's in switching fees, redesign costs, or lost customers thanks to a half-baked first impression.

Squarespace is often called “easy,” but genuine ease comes only when you know where to start and which buttons matter. Otherwise, you end up lost in the weeds. A clear guide helps you avoid frustration and get results: a quick build, a coherent brand, and an online presence that actually brings in leads or sales, not just gathers digital dust.

Common Pitfalls

Let’s skip the polite small talk and get to the real issues.

Grabbing any old plan because you’re “just testing”. That’s how you end up either overpaying for fancy features you never touch or running into a brick wall when your site outgrows basic functionality.
Falling in love with the first template you see. Looks great until you realise the layout buries your contact form four scrolls down on mobile and won’t play nice with half the images you’ve got.
Tinkering with every style setting under the sun. Or as I like to call it: The Four-Hour Font Safari, when your branding loses focus and nothing looks quite ‘right’.
Assuming “drag and drop” means “can’t go wrong.” Blocks are only simple until you zig when you should have zagged, and half your text vanishes on a tablet.
Ignoring the boring bits like analytics or SEO. The site looks lovely, but Google doesn’t know you exist and your visitor stats might as well be encrypted.

You can avoid these missteps with a straightforward plan.

Step-by-Step Fix

Below is the system I give new clients who want to lay a rock-solid Squarespace foundation. Whether you’re a small business focused on getting value for every pound, or a designer taking on your first client build, this is your path from “click here” to “let’s launch”.

Step 1: Choose the Right Plan Upfront

What to actually do:
Before you get trigger-happy with the credit card, map your website’s real needs, not just what seems shiny. Four Squarespace plans cover almost everyone:

Personal: Best for a basic portfolio, a freelancer, or a small club where all you need is pages, galleries, and a blog, beautifully presented.
Business: Add e-commerce for a handful of products, premium integrations, and more analytics.
Basic Commerce: For online shops with inventory, multiple products, and the need for proper shopping basket features.
Advanced Commerce: If you need abandoned basket emails, flexible discounts, and advanced shipping, this is for growing shops and businesses.

Practical example:
If you’re planning a blog and a few service pages, Personal is likely to meet your needs. If you want bookings for your pilates studio and to sell water bottles, pick Business. For proper online retail, covering shipping, product variants, and reporting, move up to Basic or Advanced Commerce.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Go one level above your minimum needs if you expect to grow fast. Upgrading mid-project is possible, but it’s extra faff and interruption. Save yourself the hassle.

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Step 2: Pick a Template That Matches Your Actual Needs

What to actually do:
Don’t just pick what looks nice in the preview gallery. Consider your content first:

Do you need bold images? Pick something image-led, like “Foster” or “Paloma”.
Lots of text, guides, or blog posts? Prioritise readability, so look at “Five” or “Wells”.
Selling products? Look for templates built with e-commerce at the core.

Practical example:
E-commerce templates generally streamline shop features so you’re not retrofitting checkout flows into a photography portfolio template. Matching template features to your priorities will save headaches later.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Ignore colour and font in the template library. You can (and should) change these later. Focus on menu layouts, mobile experience, and how your work will actually appear.

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Step 3: Customise (But Don’t Overdesign) Using the Style Editor

What to actually do:
Stick to your brand guidelines. The Style Editor lets you change fonts, colours, sizing, and spacing. Make tweaks for:

Headings and body typefaces; choose clear, web-friendly fonts.
Brand colours; input your actual brand hex codes, don’t freestyle.
Buttons and links; consistent styles build trust.
Spacing. Use whitespace to highlight, not cram.

Practical example:
If your logo is soft blue and your main service photos are minimalist, resist the urge to add fiery reds just because it’s “an option”. Uniform styling looks more professional and is easier to maintain.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Set a timer. Limit your first round of tweaks to 45 minutes. Over-tweaking makes launching harder. If the template is 80% right, launch and refine later.

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Step 4: Build Out Content Using the Block System

What to actually do:
Squarespace’s blocks let you add text, images, galleries, video, forms, and more without code. Here’s the smart way to approach it:

Map your key pages and the main things visitors need to see or do on each.
Start with text and image blocks to rough out layouts for each page.
Drop in call-to-action buttons, forms for contacts, and galleries for visual work.
Preview on both desktop and mobile, adjusting as you go for legibility and flow.

Practical example:
On your Home page, maybe you need a headline block, three service icons in a grid, an image with text overlay, and a booking form at the bottom. Start simple rather than adding every block available, then layer in extras.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Drag a Spacer block between sections to avoid the classic “wall of content” syndrome. Always check the mobile version, as block layouts often break on smaller screens.

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Step 5: Set Up Domain, Integrations, and Key Features

What to actually do:

Domain: Use a free custom domain from Squarespace if you pay annually or connect your existing one (there are clear walkthrough guides for both).
Email: With a Business plan or higher, connect professional email—preferably Google Workspace—to keep communications above board.
Integrations: Plug in the essentials:
- Email marketing (Mailchimp, ConvertKit)
- Booking tools (Acuity Scheduling)
- Social feeds
SEO: Fill in your page titles, descriptions, and social sharing images. Check your URLs for clarity.

Practical example:
People remember “www.janeinteriordesign.co.uk,” not “www.janesmith83.squarespace.com.” Link your Instagram, set up calendar bookings if you’re a service business, and check your site appears correctly when you share a page on Facebook.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Add integrations only when you have a real plan to use them for marketing, sales, or bookings. Focus on what matters, then add more features in phases.

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Step 6: Launch, Monitor, and Iterate

What to actually do:

Run through the site as if you’re a visitor. Click every button, check mobile, try to break things.
Connect Squarespace Analytics (and Google Analytics for more depth).
Publish your site.
Review your site analytics every week for your first month: Look for what works and identify where visitors are dropping off.

Practical example:
If you find that 75% of users are leaving your pricing page, update it. Move key info higher up, clarify your offer, or improve the form.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Nothing is ever completely finished. Aim for 90% right, then adapt based on feedback and analytics data. Get your site live—perfection won’t launch your business.

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What Most People Miss

Reliable results from Squarespace come from building a site that saves you time, filters the wrong leads, and delivers the right enquiries or sales automatically.

Most people obsess over pixel-perfect headlines when fast, strategic launches make more progress than endless tinkering. The key benefit isn’t only the templates or e-commerce options; it’s the speed you can learn, launch, and get back to focusing on marketing, service, or creative work.

Also, while many get stuck on design details, experienced users rely on community. Whether you seek advice in a support forum, talk problems through with a design buddy, or block time every week to check your analytics, use what’s available. Don’t try to go it alone.

The Bigger Picture

Getting your build right means you develop not just a website but a system that grows alongside your operation. Choosing the right features and integrations from day one will save you trouble and budget every time you update. You’ll project credibility. A wonky or slow-loading site is as noticeable as socks with sandals.

Even designers handling client work find that by mastering Squarespace’s structure, they get faster builds, fewer support calls, and an easier handover to clients who want to maintain things themselves. When your process is clear and effective, you deliver more sites and spend less time fixing rookie mistakes.

Today’s investment sets the foundation for your entire online platform to help your business work efficiently.

Wrap-Up

Building on Squarespace in 2023 isn’t a magic bullet, but it really is efficient when applied the right way. Start with the right plan, match your template to your actual needs, keep customisation focused, and always check your layouts on mobile as well as desktop. Set up only the integrations and features you genuinely need, and use analytics to drive your next round of tweaks.

Skip the panic, save time, and launch with confidence. Your website should support your business, not drain it.

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

Squarespace Jargon Buster

Template: Pre-designed layout you customise for your site’s look and structure.
Block: Each chunk of content (text, image, form, gallery, etc) you drag into place to build a page.
Style Editor: Where you set fonts, colours, and spacing.
Domain: Your web address (example: mybusiness.com).
Integration: Plugin or external service your site connects to (e.g., online booking, newsletter).

Resources & Further Reading

Pixelhaze Academy: Clarity, not confusion.