20 Squarespace Design Hacks to Elevate Your Website

First impressions matter, and online, they happen in milliseconds. The moment someone lands on your website, they’re making rapid-fire judgements about your professionalism, credibility, and trustworthiness. For small businesses, consultants and creatives, that initial impression can be the difference between a bounce and a booking. While Squarespace provides an excellent foundation, your design decisions are what truly bring your site to life. In this post, we’ve gathered 20 Squarespace Web Design Hacks to help your website not only look better, but work harder too.

Why Squarespace Still Needs a Designer’s Touch

Let’s be honest, Squarespace is an impressive platform. It’s clean, flexible, and full of promise. But here’s the truth many don’t talk about: great design doesn’t come straight out of the box. Professional websites require more than a nice template. They need strategic thinking, a strong brand voice, visual clarity and technical finesse. These hacks are for anyone keen to enhance their site with a designer's mindset. And if you ever feel unsure, stuck or time-poor, just remember, you’re never more than a click away from support at N1 Digital.

Elevate Your Media With Smart Image Techniques

A lot of visual polish comes from how you present your images. One simple trick is using shape blocks behind photos to simulate borders and shadows. With a 1px border and a soft drop shadow matched to the background colour, your images instantly appear more intentional and professional.

In sections that use cards or list layouts, visual consistency is everything. Uneven card heights break the flow and look amateurish. The “Full Height” toggle in Squarespace’s list section helps fix this neatly. Customising headings is another overlooked detail. Instead of relying on the default section title, add a styled text block above your section to gain more control over type size, colour, and positioning.

Image distortion is another subtle detail that impacts user experience. In accordion layouts, for example, content can shift unexpectedly when expanded. Placing the accordion below the image and adding an extra spacer row underneath helps anchor the layout. And finally, be mindful of how you scale images. Squarespace offers both "Fit" and "Fill" settings, use them with purpose. "Fill" crops images to fill the container; "Fit" keeps the whole image visible but may leave whitespace.

Layout & Spacing: The Invisible Backbone of Good Design

Even the most eye-catching site can fall flat if spacing feels off. Rhythm and repetition give structure to your content. One way to achieve this is by maintaining a consistent vertical rhythm—say, 80 pixels between each section. Once you get the spacing right in one section, duplicate it to maintain visual consistency across your site.

Balanced padding is another hallmark of professional design. Align top, bottom, left and right margins within sections to create a sense of calm and control. If you're using columns, ensure your layout isn't too wide. Long lines of text are harder to read and make visitors work harder. One or two columns is often the sweet spot for readability.

Squarespace’s list sections also offer a great tool for maintaining structured, grid-based layouts. When used in combination with full-height cards and consistent spacing, they provide an elegant way to organise content, especially for services or case studies.

Typography & Colour: Underrated But Essential

Typography frequently says more than your words do. Using more than two typefaces can quickly muddy the waters. Stick to one font for headings and another for body copy, and ideally, choose a pairing from Squarespace’s own font packs, which are curated to work well together.

As for colour, keep your palette lean. Squarespace limits you to five colours per theme, which is actually a blessing in disguise. Pick one dominant brand colour, a neutral (like white or grey), and an accent. Use shades and tints to create visual interest without overwhelming the viewer. Typography can also be a design element in its own right. Use uppercase text for emphasis, apply subtle underlines for scannability, and explore animation effects to add movement.

Bold colour blocks are another effective tool for directing attention. Testimonials, special offers, or key messages can be placed within contrasting background colours to break up monotony and increase impact.

Crafting Better Calls-to-Action

Buttons may be small, but they’re mighty. The default Squarespace buttons work fine, but they don’t work hard. Customising them, whether with rounded edges, ghost styles, or strong colour contrast, gives them purpose. More importantly, use the same style for your primary CTA across the site, so users always know where to click.

It also helps to distinguish between primary and secondary actions. A “Book Now” button should command attention, while a “Learn More” link might be best served with an outline style. This visual hierarchy guides user behaviour and helps reduce decision fatigue.

Visual Hierarchy and Image Quality

A good site doesn’t just show content; it guides visitors through it. One of the easiest ways to improve your site’s visual flow is by establishing a clear hierarchy. That might mean bold H1 titles, medium-weight H2s, and smaller, muted paragraph text—all carefully spaced to lead the eye naturally.

Never underestimate the power of high-quality images. Grainy, poorly cropped visuals can instantly undermine your credibility. Aim for images sized between 1500 and 2500 pixels wide, and ensure they are sharp, well-lit, and professionally composed. Squarespace’s built-in gallery blocks are also excellent tools for portfolio or project displays. Use the light box setting for a more immersive, on-brand experience.

Add Motion, Texture & Depth (Without Going Overboard)

Subtle motion brings life to your site. A hover effect on buttons, a gentle image overlay, or a split-screen layout that shifts slightly as you scroll, all these things make your site feel modern and engaging without overwhelming your content.

White space is equally powerful. A crowded layout looks cluttered and confusing, no matter how good your content is. Give your sections room to breathe. You can also experiment with textures and overlapping elements to create a layered, tactile aesthetic that feels more bespoke.

Final Thoughts

The best websites are the ones that feel effortless to explore. They guide the user, reflect the brand, and deliver results. These 20 Squarespace Web Design Hacks offer a great foundation, but they’re just the beginning. Behind every polished website is the hand of a thoughtful designer who knows how to pull all these elements together.

If you’re proud to be building your own site, more power to you. But if you’re ready to elevate your brand with the help of a Squarespace designer who gets it, we’re here when you need us.

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