Why I’m Moving to Squarespace 7.1
When Squarespace 7.1 first came onto the map, it was overwhelming but exciting. New features, changing structure, a whole new way of building sites to get used to — but in 2020 I’ve launched 3 new client sites using 7.1, and in the process have grown to appreciate how easy and customizable it is. So much so that I decided to migrate my own business’s website to 7.1. Here are 4 reasons why I chose to make the switch and how to decide if it’s right for you!
My site was fairly new.
I launched my business site in February of 2020. I’d spent the first part of the year putting together the site and most of 2020 making various changes and updates as I found what was working for me and what wasn’t. Because my site hadn’t been live for very long, I felt it was worth the risk to move from 7.0 to 7.1. Without years of blog posts or a big record of purchases from an online shop, it cut way down on the amount of content I had to transfer.
I’m making other changes.
In November, I signed up for Paige Brunton’s Square Secrets Business course with the goal of transforming my design business into a sustainable, full-time job. The knowledge I gained in that course led to huge, radical changes in the way I run my little design studio and totally altered my goals. Deciding to make those big changes was nerve-wracking, but being able to create a fresh start with a new site on 7.1 and a total rebrand made changing those other aspects less daunting. In fact, they became exciting! Re-evaluating the needs of my business left room to re-evaluate what I wanted from my own site, as well.
I love the design function.
Squarespace 7.1 does have its drawbacks, and won’t be right for everyone. One reason I made the switch — even without a clear migration path (fingers crossed for that soon!) — is how easy and seamless it is to make design choices and changes. A paint point when building 7.0 sites was always the lack of cohesive branding options. For example, to change the fonts and colors on a 7.0 site, you have to go down the list and change each option individually. It takes a long time, and it’s easy to miss one this way! On 7.1, you can still customize fonts individually for different purposes, but you can also change all fonts globally with just a few clicks. Same with the color palette. I love this function for working with clients
Another reason why I love 7.1 from a design standpoint is the new site building format, namely the ability to build in sections. In 7.0, only certain templates could use sections, which meant either limiting functionality (if you chose a template without them) or stifling creative choice (if you wanted a different template design but needed to use sections). Now you can start with any template and get the same functionality no matter what. Plus, sections can be easily rearranged, duplicated, and customized. Simple!
The practice is valuable.
More and more clients will be using 7.1 to build their sites in the future, which means as much experience I can get using it, the better service I can provide my clients. Using 7.1 for my site lets me use it like a user, not just a designer. That helps me to better understand my clients’ point of view and therefore get better at solving their problems.
What’s still lacking in 7.1
The lack of clear migration path and inability to transfer sites/subscriptions between versions
Lack of some key functionalities, like gallery blocks
Inability to use Portfolio pages with Summary blocks
Lack of design diversity — different layout styles only achievable through lots of custom CSS
If these are dealbreakers for you — for example if you have an older site with lots of blog posts and content to transfer — then it might be best to wait before making the change. Or maybe you’re totally happy with 7.0, which might be the case; 7.0 is great for lots of reasons and I still build sites for clients using it! There’s no right or wrong choice — only the right one for you.
recommended resources for moving from 7.0 to 7.1
Want professional help migrating versions or are you looking into building your first Squarespace site? I’m now booking clients for 2021 and would love to hear about your project!
