Introducing Squarespace Makeovers: Brand New 30-Minute Design Courses
Why This Matters
Your website is more than a digital noticeboard. It steers first impressions, collects leads, and often closes your sale before you’ve even clocked a face-to-face. But let’s be plain about this: most small businesses and freelancers spend hours wrestling with their website only to discover it looks a bit, well, limp. The page isn't driving calls, your shop isn't getting orders, and your site feels like every other template out there.
That disconnect creates more than just an eyesore; it costs money, week after week. If your site feels amateur, visitors start looking elsewhere. If calls to action are lost in the design, leads vanish. If your navigation is confusing, half your potential sales get frustrated and click off.
Optimising your site layout and design is not a vanity project. It’s vital. If you don’t invest time in reviewing and improving your website, your competition will, and they’ll hoover up the customers you’re losing.
This is precisely why we built our new Squarespace Makeover Series. It’s a direct, no-nonsense video series that transforms real, everyday Squarespace sites from “good enough” to genuinely effective, distilling every lesson into practical, bite-sized sessions.
Common Pitfalls
Based on years of site audits and thousands of conversations, here are the blunders we see with Squarespace sites (and honestly, most DIY websites):
- It’s set and forgotten. The pages you launched six months ago look “done”, so you move on and never revisit with a critical eye.
- Style over substance. Fancy fonts, funky colours, and slick scrolling effects can’t mask a site where visitors are confused or can’t find key info.
- Design by guesswork. Without a process, you drag things about in the builder until it looks okay. But “okay” is rarely strategic.
- Ignoring the mobile experience. What looks great on your iMac is a shambles on a Samsung.
- Unclear calls to action. If users can’t see what to do next, they won’t do anything.
- No feedback or peer review. You built it solo, so you miss the “blind spots” everyone else sees.
Many business owners share these frustrations. Most just want a website that works, but without guidance, those easy-to-miss details can tank results.
Step-by-Step Fix
To tackle these problems, we’ve developed our Squarespace Makeover Series. Here’s how you can use it to transform your site, even if you’re not a design pro.
1. Watch a Real Makeover and Learn the Formula
Our makeover episodes run 20 to 30 minutes and include real examples from genuine Pixelhaze Academy members. We don’t show off perfect, agency-built sites. Instead, we tear down and rebuild actual websites, warts and all, fixing the stuff nobody likes to admit.
Each episode revolves around a framework we’ve refined over 15 years:
- Start by analysing the site's current state: navigation, clarity, and conversion points.
- Move to chalkboard wireframes (yes, we go back to basics with scribbles and all).
- Prioritise fixes in real time, explaining every decision.
- Apply changes step by step so you can see (and copy) the process.
2. Break Down Wireframes and Prioritised Design
Wireframes aren’t complicated. They’re a simple way to plan your page, focusing on what content goes where, before you obsess about colours, images, or fonts.
In the series, you’ll see us sketch out the main “skeleton” of each page: header, hero section, main content blocks, and footers. We discuss why certain layouts convert better, and how current trends can backfire if misapplied.
- We use chalkboard wireframes in each episode so it feels approachable.
- You’ll learn to separate structure from style, which is a crucial skill that most DIY site owners skip.
3. Apply the Principles to Your Own Site (Even on Other Platforms)
The heart of each episode is Squarespace, but our approach applies to all platforms. We focus on what works, not just where to click. If you’re using WordPress, Shopify, or even Wix, you’ll see practical fixes you can replicate.
For instance:
- Making your call to action pop visually and stand out from the rest of the content
- Streamlining your menu items to avoid visitor overwhelm
- Using simple spacing tricks for clarity and emphasis
4. Understand the Cost and Access All Episodes
We believe in transparency. Every makeover episode is available in two ways:
- As part of your Pixelhaze Academy membership subscription (which offers the best value)
- Individually for £30 each, suitable if you want to try out a single episode first
You receive each episode’s step-by-step breakdown, plus before-and-after walkthroughs and bonus resources. We don’t hide useful content behind artificial barriers—you get the entire process, start to finish.
5. Submit Your Own Site for a Makeover (Eligibility and How)
Would you like to see your own Squarespace site put under the microscope and improved by Elwyn live, with all the teaching included? Here’s what you need:
- A live Squarespace website, active on a paid hosting plan.
- You must be a current Pixelhaze Academy member.
- Ideally, you’ve built your site yourself without professional design experience.
- That’s all—no jargon, no gatekeeping.
Applications are simple. Fill in the quick form with your details, a short blurb about your site, and why you think a makeover would help. If selected, we schedule you in and walk you through the process every step of the way.
Quick Summary Table
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a Squarespace site? | No, but you’ll get the most benefit if you do. Many tips cross over to other platforms. |
| How many episodes are coming? | At least 6 for our first season (over 12 months). |
| Are episodes included in membership? | Yes, all episodes are part of the subscription. Buy singles for £30 if you prefer. |
| Who’s eligible for a site makeover? | Pixelhaze Academy members with a live Squarespace site (built themselves) on a paid plan. |
| Is there a cost to apply? | No, but you do need to be a member. |
What Most People Miss
The leap from “fine” to “brilliant” comes down to focusing ruthlessly on clarity, simplicity, and flow—not spending a fortune or learning to code. Most people obsess over looking “modern” while the basics (navigation, messaging, calls to action) get buried.
Regular, critical review is just as important as building your site in the first place. Those small, monthly check-ins using the techniques in our makeovers add up. Over a year, that steady improvement compounds much more than a flashy one-off redesign ever will.
Don’t get sidetracked by design fads. Most visitors care more about quickly finding what they need than about your drop-shadow. Our series gives you the skills to see your site through your best customer’s eyes, instead of just your own.
The Bigger Picture
Learning how to systematically review and improve your own website is a core business asset.
You free yourself from the cycle of hunting for freelance help whenever you want something small changed. You get faster at diagnosing what works and what doesn’t. Your site will convert more traffic, which lifts sales or leads, often without needing to drive more visitors through ads.
Developing this internal “design radar” helps you spot weak areas before customers do. If you ever change platforms or rebrand, you’ll have a toolkit you can use from scratch.
Over time, you become the sort of business owner who sees welcome pings from Stripe each morning and understands exactly why. Your website earns its keep.
Wrap-Up
If you want a website that looks good on the outside, yes, you can grab a template and copy a few colours. But if you’re aiming for a site that truly supports your business, you’ll need ongoing tweaks, expert feedback, and the confidence to cut what isn’t working.
The new Squarespace Makeover Series was made for business owners and creators who value practical, real-world change, not empty theory. You’ll watch real rebuilds, learn time-tested processes, and get the tools to fix your own site every step of the way.
Ready to tune up your site and see genuine results? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.
FAQ
Q: Are the Squarespace makeover courses free?
A: Every episode is included with a Pixelhaze Academy membership. If you don’t want a subscription, you can buy any individual episode for £30.
Q: Do I need to use Squarespace to benefit?
A: You’ll get maximum value with a Squarespace site, but much of the content applies to other platforms too.
Q: How often will new episodes release?
A: We’re launching a minimum of 6 episodes in the first year. Each is packed with real fixes and takeaways.
Q: Who can apply for a makeover?
A: Any current Pixelhaze Academy member with a live, self-built Squarespace website using a paid plan.
Q: How do I submit my site?
A: Fill in the simple application form via your Academy dashboard. All eligible members can apply.
Jargon Buster
- Wireframes: Quick, sketch-style page plans (think boxes for main sections) that help you focus on the flow before perfecting the design.
- Chalkboard Wireframes: Hand-drawn wireframes we use live in the series, making the theory easy to follow.
- Subscription Package: Your ticket to every current and future course, including makeovers, all for one recurring fee.
- Transferrable Content: Advice and techniques you can adapt to any website platform, not just Squarespace.
Want more helpful systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.