The Best Squarespace Templates For Videos, Blogs, And All Other Web Pages
This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
If you’ve listened to any podcast ever(Opens in a new tab), you already know the spiel: Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder that makes it easy to create a professional-looking online presence. Numbers-wise, it’s the second most popular web builder(Opens in a new tab) out there (after Wix) and the third most popular hosting service(Opens in a new tab) (after Wix and Shopify), supporting more than 3 million live websites(Opens in a new tab) across the internet at the time of publication.
One of the primary reasons why Squarespace has seen this success is that you don’t need any web design or coding experience to get a beautiful site up and running on its interface. With intuitive drag-and-drop building elements and a vast selection of ultra-modern templates, it’s easily one of the most beginner-friendly tools of its kind.
Truthfully, the hardest part about designing a Squarespace site is often just choosing one of those templates — there are over 230 of them across Squarespace versions 7.0 and 7.1, the two iterations of the platform that are currently supported. How do you decide which one to use for your oil painting portfolio(Opens in a new tab), your Taiwanese-American food blog(Opens in a new tab), or the online store for your cool-girl jeans(Opens in a new tab)? (Those are all different kinds of websites that have been made with Squarespace(Opens in a new tab), FYI.)
Should you use Squarespace?After fast and easy site design, the best thing about Squarespace is its all-in-one approach: Your subscription plan includes 24/7 customer support, website metrics, SEO tools, SSL security(Opens in a new tab), unlimited bandwidth, and video storage, all for as low as £13 a month. Squarespace also throws in fully managed cloud hosting at no extra cost, along with a year’s worth of a new custom domain if you sign up for an annual membership — no need to set anything else up with another provider or platform. All things considered, its flexibility and convenience make it a stellar pick for first-time website owners.
What is a Squarespace template?A Squarespace template (or theme) is a pre-designed, ready-to-use demo website that you can customise with different colour schemes, font packs, layouts, pages, and drag-and-drop element blocks(Opens in a new tab) like text, images, galleries, buttons, and forms. Squarespace describes(Opens in a new tab) them as “a starting point to help inspire your site’s design,” noting that “[you] can keep the structure of your original design intact by replacing the demo content with your own, or you can completely change the design of your site and start from scratch.” You can do as much or as little customising as you’d like; your site will look polished either way.
Each template has been built exclusively for Squarespace, which means you won’t find them on WordPress, Wix, or other site-building platforms.
Are Squarespace templates mobile-friendly?All Squarespace templates are mobile-optimised from the jump, which is awesome for two reasons: Mobile-friendly sites look great on all devices and get higher priority from Google when it comes to indexing(Opens in a new tab) and SEO rankings.
Templates from Squarespace version 7.0 have separate mobile styles that activate on smaller devices, while their version 7.1 counterparts adapt to mobile view automatically.
What’s the difference between Squarespace version 7.0 and 7.1?Launched in 2014, Squarespace version 7.0 categorises its 91 templates into certain template “families,” which are groups of similarly coded templates alike in their basic structure and functionality. Each one has its specific rules and style options, so you may need to swap templates (and risk losing content) to access certain functionality. For example, infinite scroll is exclusive to the Farro and Skye template families, while only Wells and Five allow sidebars on all of their pages, not just blogs.
Squarespace scrapped those hard-and-fast classifications with the release of version 7.1 in early 2020. All of its 140-plus templates now belong to the same family with the same underlying structure and design options, which makes it easier to change site styles(Opens in a new tab) in seconds.
While neither version of Squarespace is conclusively “better” than the other, version 7.1 is more ideal for people who are new to the platform since it aggressively streamlines the design process, especially since the July 2022 rollout of Fluid Engine. That’s Squarespace’s next-gen content editor for 7.1 sites, which utilises a grid system and additional block placement options for improved layout flexibility (particularly on mobile).
Users who have built a Squarespace site before may still have good reason to stick with version 7.0 since its templates have some advanced style options that haven’t been added to the new ones yet. One especially popular feature of the beloved Brine template family(Opens in a new tab) that’s missing from version 7.1; people were pretty salty(Opens in a new tab) about that one.)
One caveat: While it’s possible(Opens in a new tab) to switch between versions 7.0 and 7.1, doing so will usually require a full rebuild(Opens in a new tab) and mess with your site’s search ranking. On the bright side, Squarespace offers a free 14-day trial(Opens in a new tab) so you can noodle around with both before you commit.
What features does Squarespace offer?Structural and formatting differences aside, all Squarespace templates between both versions of the platform support the same suite of features — including several new tools introduced in the most recent Squarespace Refresh, its annual product update. Highlights include:
Blogging tools like commenting systems, post scheduling, podcast integration, and multiple author profile support
Portfolio tools like an image editor, image metadata importing, and video hosting/monetisation
Ecommerce tools for physical and digital products like on-demand Custom Merch, Member Areas, appointment scheduling, Point of Sale, subscriptions, product merchandising, product reviews, inventory management, USPS shipping label purchasing and printing, and local pick-up options
Marketing tools like email campaign integration, mailing lists, promotional banners, form blocks, and social selling on FaceBook and Instagram
Universal asset uploading and stock imagery via Unsplash and Getty integrations
It’s worth mentioning that Squarespace also maintains three mobile apps that are free with any subscription or trial. They work with both versions of the site, too:
The main Squarespace app (available for iOS(Opens in a new tab) and Android(Opens in a new tab)) supports on-the-go writing, editing, updates, commerce, and analytics
The Squarespace Video Studio app (available for iOS(Opens in a new tab)) makes it possible to create professional-quality videos with audio narration, animated text, and licensed music — think of it as a TikTok or Instagram Reels alternative
The Squarespace Unfold app (available for iOS and Android) is designed for creating sharable content for social media, including stories and Linktree-style Bio Sites
How do you find the right Squarespace template for you?To get started, head over to the Templates tab(Opens in a new tab) on Squarespace’s website and filter its library by Type and Topic to narrow down your pool of candidates. You can hit “Preview” on any theme that catches your eye to see what it would look like in the wild.
Squarespace recommends(Opens in a new tab) choosing a template based on your favorite colours and layouts rather than the demo content you see there, though you might find it easier to pick one that already looks close-ish to your end vision. For example, a template with a grid of products on its homepage can become your online store in a matter of clicks, whereas a template designed around event RSVPs will take more noodling for ecommerce purposes.
If you’re having trouble settling on one, know this: It’s basically impossible to make an ugly Squarespace site, and with enough time and experimentation, you can tweak almost any template to fit your exact vision and needs.
What is the best Squarespace template for you?If Squarespace sounds like the right solution for you, know this: You really can’t go wrong with any of its templates. Like, it’s almost impossible to make an ugly Squarespace site, but just in case you need a little help to get the ball rolling on the site of your dreams, save yourself a Google search and just keep reading.
These are the best Squarespace templates in 2023.
Best For Online Stores
All Squarespace templates support its commerce features(Opens in a new tab), including customised checkout, customer email notifications, and marketing, but you can get your online shop off the ground sooner with a tailor-made template like Maca. (Peep the stockist, FAQ, terms of use, and shipping/return links that are already set up for you in the bottom navigation.) Its layout plays around with colour and negative space in a really smart way — it’s visually interesting but not distracting. It also gives you lots of different ways to organise your products, with preset sections for featured collections, bestsellers, and sale items.
Best For Photographers
Working photographers barely need to make any changes to the demo version of Quincy: It’s got a show-stopping landing page, a pretty portfolio page with changing full-bleed background images, and easy-to-find social icons. But the very best part is its contact page: It’s got a ready-made Acuity Scheduling block (a premium Squarespace feature) where potential clients can schedule different kinds of sessions and submit their contact information. It’ll make scheduling a breeze so you can spend more time doing what you love (actually taking pictures) and less time trying to get booked.
Best For Blogging
Five(Opens in a new tab) may be one of the older Squarespace templates out there, but it’s anything but washed up. One of its main draws is its support for sidebars, which can play an important role on one’s blog.
You can use a sidebar to highlight promotions, house a call-to-action, or plug your bio and social media handles to build your brand. Every page on a Five site can feature up to two sidebars; in fact, Five is the only Squarespace template that features a two-sidebar design.
With Five, you’ve also got options to showcase your content in the form of full-width banners and videos, tweak your navigation menu, style galleries as grids or slideshows, create events, and much more. Plus, Five supports Squarespace’s integrated commerce feature so you can set up an online store once your blog takes off.
Best For Commerce
For an elegant online shop that requires minimal effort on your part, Galapagos(Opens in a new tab) is where it’s at.
Its customisation options are pretty limited compared to most other ecommerce Squarespace templates, but that means you can spend less time designing your site and more time selling your stuff. Your customers won’t even know the difference, either, because the final result will look and work as if you spent hours perfecting its design: With a Quick View feature, Product Image Zoom, and several product layouts and special on-hover effects to choose from, Galapagos can make your shop fully interactive in just a few clicks and drags.
Besides your Products page, the Galapagos theme can also support list-style blogs with one sidebar, galleries styled as slideshows or grids, calendars or lists of events, an album page with playable music, and a unique landing page.
Best For Artists
Wells is a light and airy template that’s been around since 2012, and it’s a true oldie-but-goodie for creative types. Its simple homepage features a scrollable grid-style gallery that presents a nice overview of your work. Users can click on each thumbnail to see the full-size version with a title or caption — feel free to wax poetic about your process or inspiration there. Wells also supports store pages if you want to start selling prints, but it can easily stand on its own as a basic portfolio site.
Best For Portfolios
Wexley(Opens in a new tab) is another older template that’s stuck around for a reason: Its “adaptive mosaic” layout for visuals — that’s Squarespace’s way of saying “fancy grid” — has proven to be a compelling way to flaunt one’s artwork and photography.
It works like this: You’ll put together a landing page that features the best of your portfolio, wherein every image will be optimised to best fit your screen width. Whenever a visitor clicks on an image, Wexley will open a slideshow overlay that the user can further peruse at their leisure.
In addition to your landing page, Wexley will let you build a list-style blog, a playable album page, a calendar or list of events, and a products page for your artistic services and creations. Just know that these other pages’ layout options are somewhat bare, as Wexley intends for your landing page to be the focal point of your site.
Best For Personal Websites
Templates within the Brine family are designed to sell things — and yes, that includes yourself.
What we’re trying to say is this: You can create a contemporary, attention-grabbing online CV with Pursuit(Opens in a new tab), a text-focused, CV-style template with colourful call-to-action buttons that pop off the page. Be sure to take advantage of its stacked index page feature, which puts your skills graphs, experience, awards, and other pertinent information all in one polished place. That way, hiring managers don’t have to hunt it down across different pages.
For more on the features available within the Brine family, check out the write-up of the template above.
Best For Weddings
Help your guests get organised in preparation for your big day with Charlotte(Opens in a new tab), another template from the Pacific family.
Its layout’s focal point is a scrolling index page that supports full-bleed images with text overlays, which you could use to tell the story of your relationship, share highlights from your engagement photoshoot, recommend accommodations, and/or drop some gift registry ideas. Plus, if you set that index page as your homepage, your main navigation will be pinned to the top of your browser as viewers scroll.
For more on the features available within the Pacific family, check out the write-up of the Horizon template above.
Best For Podcasts
Named after the audio file format, Wav is a newer template featuring a statement-making, grid-style layout that’s fresh and modern.
Most notably, it’s capable of integrating with Soundcloud, a perk that makes publishing your latest episodes a cinch.
For more on the features available within the Brine family, check out the write-up of the template above.
Best For Freelancers
Ready’s chic, minimalist design is accentuated with “[vivid] headlines and bright pops of colour,” per Squarespace, creating a welcoming web presence that’ll attract all sorts of potential clients to your main and/or side hustle(s).
Structure-wise, it’s a multi-page template that highlights your service(s) on its homepage, then dedicates separate pages to tidbits like pricing, contact information, testimonials, and appointment requests.
As a member of the Skye template family, Ready is unique in that it doesn’t give users the option to disable mobile styles, which guarantees your site is always mobile-friendly.
Best For Videos
Although it’s technically intended for bands to use, Horizon(Opens in a new tab) is a template that videographers will fall in love with, too.
Designed to “[let] your content take centre stage like never before,” its biggest pull is its sleek scrolling index page, which stacks full-bleed banner videos and images consecutively. If you set this index page as your homepage, it’ll create a long, single-page site that stacks the content from multiple pages vertically, a seamless layout that makes for quite the bold impression. Setting an index page as the homepage also gives you the option of locking your main navigation so that it stays at the top of the browser window as you scroll.
Aside from the index page, this Pacific family template supports list-style blogs, playable album pages, event pages, and sellable products pages with a customisable shopping cart button.
Best For Business
This bad boy is the parent template of the Brine(Opens in a new tab) family, the biggest and one of the most popular template families on Squarespace, and the one that gives you the most style control for both desktop and mobile.
Brine was specifically designed for brands and companies who want a top-notch web presence with an active blog, some sophisticated ecommerce features, and a stellar balance of text and images.
Brine gives you lots of options to play around with design-wise, including a stacked parallax-scrolling index page, advanced commerce features like on-hover effects, a content inset feature that can be used to draw attention to special announcements, multiple navigation areas, multiple blog layouts, custom share buttons, full-width banners and headers, and so much more.
Best For Mobile
All of Squarespace’s templates are mobile-optimised with a responsive design, but for a mobile experience that goes above and beyond, we really like Nueva.
This is a template that features an uncluttered and highly scrollable layout with mosaic-style galleries and prominent headlines. Plus, as a member of the Brine template family, it comes with the biggest set of advanced mobile styles, which basically means you can tinker with its structure for mobile in almost all of its entirety.
For more on the features available within the Brine family, check out the write-up of the template above.
Shopping Editor
Joseph joined Mashable as the UK Shopping Editor in 2018. He worked for a number of print publications before making the switch to the glittery world of digital media, and now writes about everything from coffee machines to VPNs.
Haley is a Mashable shopping reporter based in Chicago. Before joining the team, she covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, wrote about exotic pet ownership for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, and blogged for several Jersey Shore stars. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games and hanging out with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). You can follow her on Twitter at @haleyhenschel(Opens in a new tab) or reach her via email at [email protected]com.