The best Squarespace updates of the past 12 months
What a year it’s been for Squarespace. It’s always been my go-to platform, but in 2023 they absolutely blew me away with their commitment to advancing the user experience as much as possible. In no particular order, here are my picks for the best Squarespace updates of the past 12 months.
1. Fluid engine
I was a pretty staunch critic of Fluid Engine when it came out midway through 2022 as it had multiple bugs and wasn’t very intuitive to use. That said, my opinion on Fluid Engine has done a complete 180 over the last few months as once Squarespace ironed out some bugs and I got to grips with the interface, I realised the unlimited potential it had to reduce code-bloat on sites, whilst opening up so much more design freedom for everyday users.
2. Saved sections
This was quit silently released to users towards the tail end of the year, but it is a huge step towards the reduction in site build times. You can now simply copy and paste entire sections between pages. We used to have top duplicate the entire page and then rebuild it before, but now we have the freedom to design as we please, then being able to dip back in to our favourite sections and pull these across to other areas of our site.
We can also duplicate blocks within sections! Another absolute game changer and one of the many reasons why I believe that being committed to Squarespace as a designer has been one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made.
3. Text highlights
This is such a neat little addition to Squarespace’s customisation roster. It allows users to add a bit of variety and utilise text as decoration without having to do unnecessary amounts of code. Well - zero code to be precise, but before, just to achieve a simple ring around your text you would need to write at least half a dozen lines of CSS!
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4. Shape blocks
Another fantastic addition that completely does away with the need for code. Squarespace users can now add these decorative elements throughout their site and keep up with current web design trends. Not groundbreaking, but a fantastic small addition that certainly adds up to a huge cumulative improvement.
5. Image borders
Being able to add images in and then give them a custom border/shape is fantastic! It’s deceptively simple for most users, but what a lot of people don’t realise is just how much code this effect would take if we were to add it in manually. To achieve a simple circle isn’t difficult, but to do these beautiful, advanced shapes, we would have to slave away in the CSS area for ages.
A brilliant addition.
6. Cart styling
Yes, cart icons are pretty boring I know…
But this is a nifty little editing tool that allows e-commerce users to give their site a little bit more customisation and make their site a tad more ‘theirs’. That’s a win in my book!
7. Asset library
FINALLY Squarespace allow us to manage all of our assets in one place. This is the single best thing they’ve done all year. It’s been something our community has been crying out for and I couldn’t be happier that they have filled the void. All of these little wins helps to cement Squarespace as the best web builder in the world - in my opinion…
8. Video block
Another wonderful addition to Squarespace’s content push. We can now add upload videos directly to the site without having to port them in from YouTube and/or Vimeo.
Users were previously allowed to upload video files to section backgrounds, but now we’re finally allowed this option for video blocks too which is a game changer.
Previously, if you wanted to do this, you’d have to upload your video via code and it could only be 20mb or lower which meant you were restricted even more. Now we have tonnes more freedom and that is never a bad thing. Forza Squarespace!
9. Gallery block
Gallery blocks! These were a staple of Squarespace version 7 and now they are finally back on version 7.1. The only issue is that they are only available natively to Squarespace Circle members. If you want to find out how to become a Squarespace Circle member, you can learn more here.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a Circle member to get what is potentially one of the best ‘blocks’ Squarespace has ever introduced. There is a third party plugin from Squarewebsites that allows all users to access the gallery block. You can get that here.
10. Scrolling block
I have used these scrolling blocks more than any other feature introduced this year. They are just so effortlessly cool! I used to use a super-convoluted code that forced me to essentially copy and paste my desired text 20x, then apply code to make it all move.
This block completely does away with that now and allows users to easily update the text and modify the size, cadence, etc. with ease. Definitely in my top 3 favourite features released in a long time!
Your designer
I'm Sam, an award-winning Squarespace web designer. I have worked with every type of business, building platforms for solo entrepreneurs through to multi-million dollar corporations. If you want to discuss a potential project, you can email on sam@bycrawford.com or get in touch with me here. Alternatively, you can book in a free 15-minute consultation call here.