Squarespace 7.0 vs 7.1: Which should I use?
Chances are that you’ve been seeing more about Squarespace lately… They recently released a new version of their platform: Squarespace 7.1 and it’s been a wild ride for us Squarespace designers!
Today, I want to talk with you about the new version - Squarespace 7.1 - and outline some of the pros and cons between Squarespace 7.0 vs Squarespace 7.1. I’m also going to share a behind the scenes, designers take on the new version of the Squarespace platform \
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So, if you’re ready… let’s dive in!
Here’s what we’ll cover in this post:
>> What is Squarespace and what does 7.0 vs 7.1 even mean?
>> Other thoughts about Squarespace version 7.0 vs 7.1
>> Should you choose 7.0 or 7.1 to start your Squarespace website in?
Ok, so what is Squarespace… and what does version 7.0 vs 7.1 even mean?
Squarespace is a content management system (CMS). A CMS is software that helps users create, manage, and modify content on a website without the need for specialized technical knowledge.
So, back ‘in the day’… people used to develop websites from scratch using code. This meant that only the techy and well educated could create websites. I guess that’s good for them… but BAD for us. That meant that if you wanted a website developed for your business, you had to pay HIGH dollar to make it happen.
Enter Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace, etc., and now, normal, everyday people have resources at their fingertips to create a great website without having to know code. Squarespace is just one of these content management systems.
Pretty cool, huh?
So, when we talk about version 7.0 vs version 7.1…. we’re talking about an update that Squarespace made to it’s platform in early 2020. This update changed a LOT of the details of how the platform (CMS) works overall. It added some great features, and it also took some things away. So, in this post below, I’m going to outline the PROS and CONS of Squarespace 7.1 and talk about how it differs from version 7.0. You can still create new sites in 7.0 and Squarespace has promised to indefinitely support those sites. Alternately, some people may LOVE version 7.1, so I’ll be talking about which platform is best for you.
So, let’s dive in!
The CONS of Squarespace version 7.1:
There are things that I really do like about Squarespace 7.1… but with anything new, there are things that I’m not a huge fan of. Some of these things are just still “in the works”, meaning Squarespace still has to implement some features that they haven’t gotten to yet. I’ve also listed in this post some ‘workarounds’ for some of these issues that are available from some amazing Squarespace coders/designers, so check that out below.
Other ‘cons’ that I’ve listed below are just platform changes that aren’t necessarily BAD, just new and different. But if you’re a new Squarespace user, you probably won’t even notice these things as negative since you won’t have anything to compare it to!
Ok, let’s dive into the list of CONS for Squarespace 7.1…
1. You can’t link a gallery or use gallery blocks within a page (like you could in Squarespace 7.0). This is a big issue for me with Squarespace 7.1. I LOVE highlighting a ‘recent work’ or ‘portfolio’ section within a page, however, you can’t do this within 7.1. Instead, they have a new portfolio page option which is kind of cool, but I do miss being able to embed a preview into a different page.
Here’s a workaround in 7.1 for this issue: https://www.ghostplugins.com/steps/9ehnk49g
2. You can’t use parallax scrolling. This is one of my biggest frustrations with version 7.1 so far. I love adding parallax scrolling to my websites, however, Squarespace 7.1 doesn’t have this feature available (hopefully it will become available at some point in the future??). For now, there is a workaround that you can do if you are feeling extra techy…
Here’s a workaround in 7.1 for this issue: https://youtu.be/6_A4bP0DKpQ
3. You can’t create a cover page in version 7.1. Cover pages are great ways to create landing pages or quick and easy pages without a header and footer. You can achieve something similar in 7.1 by just creating a page with a single section and hiding the header and footer.
Here’s a workaround in 7.1 for this issue: https://youtu.be/-azD1qXoHNU
4. You don’t have as many mobile customization options. With version 7.0, if you were on a template in the Brine family (which I recommend), you had a lot of mobile customization options. If you wanted to make your logo larger or smaller, change the way your mobile menu appeared, etc., you could do all of that through the site styles section. Now, you can still change the icon that shows up for the menu, and you can change the layout of the header on mobile, but you can’t specifically edit the mobile menu colors and fonts separate from your entire site. Instead, it will pull the same colors and options that are used on your desktop version of your site.
5. The site styles are totally different. I’m going to list this one as a pro and a con. I’m definitely used to the way that they ‘site styles’ section was formatted in 7.0, so it being TOTALLY different in 7.1 throws me for a loop. If you’re new to Squarespace and start on 7.1, then you probably won’t notice any issues. There are some ways that this is actually a little easier… they have grouped styles by fonts, colors, buttons, etc., instead of by page. In some ways this is easier and in some ways I find this harder. But overall, it’s not too hard once you get used to it.
One example of what I DON’T like about this is that when you want to change a button, you have to change the button font in one section of the design panel… and then go to a different section to change the colors. In version 7.0, you could change ALL design aspects of a button in one place. I find this a little cumbersome.
6. Secondary navigations are gone. In Squarespace 7.0, you could add a secondary navigation option to basically allow you to have two bars of links at the top of your page. This is missing in 7.1 and this is a huge disadvantage in my opinion.
7. Color themes can feel overwhelming. Ok, this one gets me frazzled. You have the option to set up SO MANY different color themes to use throughout your site. Again, this is kind of a pro and a con. Once you know how to use this feature, it’s great… but I find it so confusing to get started with and it’s overwhelming to know how and why to use SO MANY different options within one site.
8. You have no ability to set different font styles for each heading and paragraph option. What this means is that when you select your “heading font” … all 4 heading options will be the EXACT SAME font, however, you can change the colors and size of each heading. The same goes for your paragraph fonts.
This means that you could essentially only have 2 different fonts throughout your site. If you want to add more fonts, you would have to add CSS to custom code them in. To be quite honest, I find this SUPER limiting and really annoying.
9. There’s no ability to add a search bar in the site header. I’m sad to see that they don’t have the ability to add a search bar in the header of any pages in 7.1. I rarely used this in client sites, however, it’s nice to have for some clients and I wish the option was still there.
10. There’s no developer mode. Most people won’t be bothered by this at all, but some might notice that this is not a feature in version 7.1.
11. Squarespace 7.1 sites are not compatible with the Squarespace app (yet). This is a weird issue to me… why release a new version and then not make it available to edit or maintain in your awesome new mobile app???
Now, onto the PROS of Squarespace version 7.1:
1. There are no template options to worry about. Everything is the same across the board in 7.1, no need to pick a template
2. Because there are no templates, you can add banner images into each section and you can add whatever content into each banner section. There are no more limitations by choosing a “less flexible” template (this is something that has plagued MANY Squarespace users! If you’re currently in version 7.0, check out this post where I go over template differences).
3. You can now edit all of your page at once. Instead of having ‘stacked’ index sections with different sections, you can just layer different page sections inside one page and edit the entire page at once. This also helps with the cluttered feeling that can come with stacked index sections. Instead of seeing a whole string of sections on top of each other, you only see one page in the left hand navigation.
4. The header and footer options are easier to edit all at once. Everything is in one place and you don’t have to navigate into the older ‘site styles’ section to edit. The downside is that there are less customization options for the header, but most people probably won’t notice this.
5. You can access the design styles/themes right from the ‘edit’ page. On any page you can click the pencil ‘edit’ button and begin changing the styles immediately. No need to navigate all the way to the ‘Design > site styles’ section of your site like you did in version 7.0.
6. There is a new version of portfolio pages in version 7.1. You can no longer use gallery blocks, however, there is a new type of portfolio page available. Some people will love this and others who are used to using summary/gallery blocks inside a 7.0 website might be really frustrated by this.
7. The site styles are totally different and some of these changes are really nice. I listed this above in the CONS section, but I also can see the advantage to grouping design features based on category INSTEAD of by page. So, I honestly see this one as a pro and a con. You just have to get used to whichever version of Squarespace you’re using.
8. In Squarespace 7.1, you’ve been given the option to set MANY different font sizing options (versus just 4 font options in 7.0!). You now have 4 different heading sizes/colors… and 3 different paragraph/body font sizes/colors! This really is a great addition to the platform. The BIG downside to this one (as listed above in the CONS), is that you only can set ONE font for all of your headings… and ONE font for all of your paragraph/body fonts. So you really can just add 2 brand fonts. In 7.0, you had the option add 4 unique fonts into your site.
9. Along with the last point, you can change ALL of your site styles with one click in version 7.1. So, if you want to change brand fonts, you just need to select your font styles and BAM, it changes EVERYTHING for you. From mobile fonts and site fonts to button fonts and image block fonts. This really is convenient. In Squarespace 7.0 you had to go into the SITE STYLES and change each font style one by one.
10. You can now add multiple color and font themes into your site to quickly change each page section based on your needs. It’s easy to set up a lot of different theme options so when you build sections that are totally different (ie. One section with a dark background with light text VS a section with a light background with dark text), you can easily switch between different pre-set theme options. It’s kind of a pro and at the same time it can be a bit confusing to get used to. But that’s not really a huge deal.
Other thoughts about Squarespace 7.1…
>> I’m bummed that you can’t transfer content from 7.0 to 7.1. If you want to move from version 7.0 to 7.1, you have to basically recreate your site. Which isn’t that big of a deal… but you’ll lose all of your information and details when you move. For example, if you sell products from your site, you’ll lose all of your inventory and customer info if you move over to the new version.
>> Your SEO may temporarily take a hit if you move from 7.0 to 7.1. If you are already established on 7.0 and want to move to 7.1, you will need to start a new website and recreate your content in that new site. Because of this, you will end up taking an SEO hit while Google re-indexes your site. You can expect to eventually be back to where you started on your 7.0 site, but it may take a little while.
>> I’ve heard rumors that Squarespace is continuing to roll out updates and new features in Squarespace 7.1, so that’s great!
>> Personally, I’m currently keeping my site in Squarespace 7.0 and I’m still starting client sites in version 7.0 because, at the moment, I like the features and options better. As Squarespace 7.1 improves and more features are rolled out, I will move over and will update this post at that time.
So, should you choose 7.0 or 7.1 to start your Squarespace website in?
>> If you’re a Squarespace newbie and haven’t started your site yet…
The good news is that if you are brand new to Squarespace, I don’t think you’re going to notice many of the ‘cons’ in Squarespace 7.1 that I listed above. Squarespace is actively working to roll out new features and fix any ‘bugs’ that the version may have… so I really do think starting in Squarespace 7.1 should be fine for you.
>> If you’re a veteran Squarespace user and already have your site set up in 7.0…
>> If you have been selling products, then I would recommend staying with version 7.0 since you can’t transfer data into version 7.1 yet.
>> If you already have your site set up and running in version 7.0, then I don’t see any reason to transfer from version 7.0 to version 7.1. Squarespace will continue supporting version 7.0 users indefinitely, so that won’t be a problem. I’m also hoping that they roll out a way to migrate sites from 7.0 to version 7.1 along with all of the data in the account. So until then, I’d personally stick with version 7.0 (that’s my plan for my site too!).
How to start a website in Squarespace 7.1
Starting a website in Squarespace 7.1 is SUPER easy… Just navigate to the squarespace.com home page and click GET STARTED button in the top right corner. Follow the prompts and BAM, your site is set up and ready to go!
Here’s a video walking you through the process of starting a site in 7.1 (there’s no sound):
How to start a website in Squarespace 7.0
Squarespace has made this a little more difficult, which is understandable since they want to prompt people to use their new version. However, it is still possible to start a site in 7.0… AND Squarespace will be indefinitely supporting websites in the 7.0 platform, so don’t worry about that ;)
>> First, you’ll click the GET STARTED button in the top right of the Squarespace.com home page.
>> Then, you’ll scroll to the very bottom of the next page showing you all of the different site options. You’ll see a line of text that says “These templates are on the latest version of Squarespace. Looking for templates from an earlier version?” << You’ll click on this link to get to the 7.0 templates.
>> Next, you’ll select your theme. I ALWAYS recommend the Brine template in Squarespace 7.0.
>> Just click “ONLINE STORES” in the left hand column… and then scroll until you see the BRINE option.
>> Click START WITH BRINE.
That’s it! Now you are set up and ready to get started in your Squarespace 7.0 website!
Here’s a video walking you through the process of starting a site in 7.0 (there’s no sound):
Well, there you have it! Hopefully that helps clear the air about version 7.0 vs version 7.1! If you have any questions about the two platforms, just leave me a comment below and I’ll get ‘em answered.
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Always cheering you on!