If you’ve had the same website for a while and it’s time to refresh, upgrade, or add functionality, it can seem daunting to get the changes you desire. At first glance, the Squarespace versions and template offerings can seem confusing - but they don’t have to be! We’ll quickly demystify Squarespace versions and templates before diving into a number of solutions for easily customizing your site - no coding experience required.

In Squarespace 7.1 (the latest version), you can’t switch or change your free template, but you can easily customize your website to fit your needs, add extra functionality, or install a premium designer-made template specific for your industry.

Are there elements of your Squarespace website that you want to change? Do you need to add certain features such as a gallery, blog, or course? Squarespace is easy for beginners as well as having higher level functions that you may need as your business grows. A premium template is another option to take your site to the next level. We’ll explore these options in more depth in this article.

Understanding Squarespace versions and templates

What version of Squarespace am I using? Understanding your current Squarespace site.

Simply put, there are two recent versions of Squarespace: 7.0 and 7.1. If you start a new website today, it will be on the newest version of Squarespace which is 7.1. This version uses Fluid Engine editor across most of your site; you might hear the terms 7.1 and Fluid Engine used interchangeably. If you built your site prior to 2020, you’re likely using the older version, Squarespace 7.0. The old version of Squarespace uses the classic editor exclusively. It’s worthwhile determining which version you’re using because 7.1 provides several more options for customization, including SquareKicker Templates.

To check which version of Squarespace you’re using:

Open the Pages panel in Squarespace.
Scroll to the bottom of the panel.
Look to see which version you’re using. If you’re using 7.0 it will also list the name of the free template you’re using.

Squarespace 7.0 and template families (the old version of Squarespace)

Changing your 7.0 template (time to upgrade?!)

You can change your free template if you’re using Squarespace 7.0. On the older version of Squarespace, there are a number of different template families and these have different functionality. Note that switching templates on 7.0 means that you’ll still be using the older classic editor which has design limitations. We recommend upgrading your website to the latest version, 7.1, as it will get regular updates and access to powerful new features from Squarespace. Is it time to upgrade to Squarespace 7.1? Watch our tutorial.

Squarespace has a comprehensive guide for changing your template in version 7.0.

Switching from Squarespace 7.0 - 7.1

You can convert from 7.0 - 7.1 and get on the newest version of Squarespace. We have a blog post that steps you through the conversion process, with a couple of short videos explaining the difference between Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1 and how to upgrade!

Squarespace 7.1 templates and Fluid Engine

On the newest version of Squarespace, there are no functional differences between Squarespace’s free templates, and this is why you can’t switch or change the template. Consider Squarespace 7.1 templates as starting points or inspiration, from which you can add any functionality and design changes that you like.

Fluid Engine is a drag-and-drop editing system for Squarespace sections and blocks, released in July 2022. Unlike Squarespace's earlier version, classic editor, which uses columns and rows to position content, Fluid Engine uses a grid. With Fluid Engine you have more flexibility for block placement, overlapping, and resizing. If that wasn’t exciting enough, Fluid Engine also gives you the flexibility to position and resize your blocks for mobile sites which is arguably the most important screen size to design for.

If you want to dive into using Fluid Engine with ease, we have comprehensive tutorials that will guide you through the grid-based website builder. Explore converting your site to Fluid Engine and how to use Squarespace Fluid Engine.

The advantages of a premium template

With a premium Squarespace template, the guesswork is removed as a professional designer has created the template from scratch, and all necessary pages and sections will be designed holistically with your industry front-of-mind. Getting your business online can be as easy as swapping out the fonts and colors, and adding your own content. A premium Squarespace template provides the possibility of creating your dream website, balanced with the ease and speed of an off-the-shelf solution.

Industry-specific functionality. Having a website you're proud to share is crucial, but it also needs to fit your specific content. Whether it's a photo gallery, a full-width video section, or blog pages, the SquareKicker Template Store offers a wide range of industry-specific templates at various price points. Use categories to narrow your search and find templates with the features you need.
Designer-made templates that are easy to customize. SquareKicker Templates are handcrafted by professional designers, featuring unique elements, styles, and animations you won't find in free Squarespace templates. Enjoy fun scrolling effects, sticky sections, horizontal scrolling, hover effects, overlay menus, and more to make your website stand out. Plus, these features are built using SquareKicker’s no-code design tools. You can easily make changes without needing CSS knowledge.
Instant access and quick set-up. While you can’t swap around the free templates available on Squarespace, you can easily install a premium template onto a new or existing Squarespace 7.1 site. Dedicated customer support is also available to answer any questions you may have on your template journey.

How to customize your Squarespace template

Change your websites colors and fonts

Understanding Squarespace site styles

Customizing your Squarespace template is a straightforward process that allows you to tailor your website's style to fit your brand. To change your website's colors and fonts, navigate to Site Styles in Squarespace. From here, you can adjust your color palette to match your branding by choosing colors for your color palette. Squarespace will create 10 unique themes for using these colors on sections across your site. For fonts, Squarespace offers a wide range of typography options that can be customized for headings, body text, and buttons.

When selecting colors and fonts, consider contrast for readability and aim for consistency to create a cohesive look. If you’re still developing your brand colors, there are a number of exciting tools that can assist you. Use Pinterest to start a mood board. Canva has a great introduction to color theory. Coolers is a speedy tool for generating cohesive color palettes.

The SquareKicker color picker

The Squarespace palette is the foundation of color across your site. Add more colors to this palette with SquareKicker and create engaging designs effortlessly. In Squarespace Site Styles you can manage colors for your background, text, buttons, footer and all other elements. Your Squarespace colours are imported into the SquareKicker tools so they are easily at hand whenever you need them.

Maximise your color palette functionality by adding up to 24 additional colors using the SquareKicker color picker. While the Site Styles allow you to quickly apply brand colors across your site, certain important elements on your site should stand out. With SquareKicker you can create a one-off custom color for a button, piece of text, or other element that you want to pop. This is a quick way to add interest without compromising good design.

6 simple Squarespace customizations you can make with SquareKicker Extension

You can easily customize, style, or modify elements of your site very quickly with SquareKicker, whether you’re using a premium template or a free template. SquareKicker Extension is a visual builder that integrates seamlessly with Squarespace allowing you to create dramatic animations to bring your content to life, and also those smaller touch ups to get your site looking exactly the way you envisioned. You can easily modify the size, position, and style of many of the elements across your site. You can also control how your site appears across a range of device sizes so your customers get a great experience regardless of the type of screen they’re looking at.

Grow your business with comprehensive Squarespace features

Squarespace is an all-inclusive system for running your business or showcasing your brand. It’s not only a central digital touchpoint for your customers or clients; it encompasses a wide range of other features such as commerce, courses, scheduling, and email marketing. You might not be ready to explore these higher level business functions yet. Perhaps you’re a coach working 1-to-1 with clients: next year you might like to add gated content to your site exclusively for your clients, or build a course to generate passive income. You can create your website knowing that this functionality is always available, and if you’re using Squarespace 7.1 or have a premium template installed, it doesn’t matter what existing features your site has - you can add them as required.

Additional Squarespace features for your business

Commerce
Member areas
Courses
Email campaigns - instantly convert blog content to a newsletter format
Analytics to view site traffic or revenue
Scheduling for booking appointments with your clients
Bio site for connecting your social media traffic to your website

You can explore all of these features in depth in the Squarespace feature list.

How do I change my Squarespace template?