Four Ways to Customize Your Squarespace Website (Without a Designer!)

I’ve recently finished up re-designing a few Squarespace websites. While I love Squarespace for it’s ease of use and great templates, a template alone will not make a great website for your brand. Yes, it make take you a step in the right direction, but putting in the extra work will make a big difference. Incorporating elements from your brand, and incorporating your voice into your copy will take your website from bland to being an accurate reflection of you, helping you attract more of your ideal clients.

Truly, whether you’re on Squarespace or another platform, your website needs to accurately reflect you. But, sometimes it’s Squarespace users who have a harder time getting creative and making their sites not so template-like. Here are some ways you can brand your website and take it further.

• Colors: Create a color palette that meshes with your brand, and carry it throughout your website. Buttons, links, headers, blog graphics, sidebar graphics, graphics on your sales page, etc. This doesn’t mean that the background of your pages have to be neon pink with neon green buttons. Don’t overload your site with colors, just use colors to enhance it.
• Fonts: Changing fonts on Squarespace could not be easier. You can scroll through a variety of fonts, and preview it LIVE on your site, without even having to click save or refresh the page. You don’t have to stick with fonts that are pre-set in the template. Pick a font that’s easy to read, but matches your style.
• Copy: It’s not JUST about design. Yes, your fonts and colors are part of your brand, but so is your copy, because it’s your voice. Your copy needs to sound like you. But, one mistake that people make in their website copy is not having a strategy behind it. What do you want people to do when they come to your site? Don’t just post a blog without a call-to-action. Whether it’s sharing on social media, or signing up for your list, or buying something – give them an action.
• Social media: Take it one step further, and brand your social media. If you are already branding your blog graphics, and sharing those on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you’re one step ahead. But, what about other graphics that you post? The graphics don’t have to be identical, but using the same fonts and color palette will help your overall online presence be cohesive.

Example 1:

Before, my client Beth had a grid gallery for her home page. This is okay, because it gave the reader a quick glimpse at her variety of work, but the overall design didn’t have any personality. The website also didn’t have much color to it. Beth didn’t want to use any bright or bold colors, but something more than just black and white. I created a soft color palette, added in a pattern to the background, and created some custom buttons. It’s a simple, but stylistic website that will draw in her potential clients.

Pro tip: Not every design has to be bold and over the top to add style. If your site feels bland, try adding a decorative element or a pattern. 

Example 2:

Before, my client Caitlin’s website had a lot of color, which sometimes was hard to read. But, it wasn’t very clear on her website what she did or who she served. Caitlin described her brand as fun, creative, and modern boho. She really wanted her website to show more of her style, and attract more of her ideal clients. We cleaned up the website, implementing bold lines with accents of colors. For her services page, I used some geometric graphics to carry over the fun + modern vibe to that page.

Pro tip: Choose colors carefully. Make sure your text is easy to read if you’re using color on color. Consider using a white background, and bringing in color through photos and accents. 

Example 3:

Before, Suzanne’s website didn’t accurately represent her brand, as her brand has evolved over the last few years. She moved to a new city, and wanted to rebrand herself and update her website to match. Her previous website had a good combination of color and photos, but wasn’t the easiest to navigate. We chose a new layout that better reflected the simple + pure aspect of her brand. We added a few simplistic accents to incorporate more color, while keeping the focus on her photos.

Pro tip: Recognizing when your branding does not align with you and your work anymore is crucial. When you connect with your brand, and you’re excited about it, you will feel more confident promoting yourself, and creating new services and products.