Squarespace 7.0 vs 7.1: A Guide for Therapists & Coaches
If you’re a current or prospective Squarespace user, you’ve probably heard about Squarespace’s newest version: Squarespace 7.1. If you built a Squarespace website between 2014 - 2020, you’ve likely used the previous version, 7.0. Many of my newsletter members have asked: what’s the difference between 7.0 and 7.1? In this post, I’m going to explain the differences between the two platforms in order to help you choose the best platform for you.
Before I get into it, you might be wondering why I recommend using Squarespace for your therapy website or coaching website. Learn more about why I design exclusively on Squarespace and why I think it’s the best platform for therapists and coaches here.
When it comes to choosing between Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1, I’ll say that both platforms are great options. Squarespace 7.0 still exists and you can start a new website using a 7.0 template here. Squarespace 7.1 is the way of the future, though, and any improvements to site editing features will be focused on the newest platform, so I think it’s worth checking out the newest platform (even if you’re more familiar with 7.0).
The differences between 7.0 & 7.1 are behind the scenes
To begin, I’ll mention that the differences between the two platforms exist in the website editor; in other words, Squarespace 7.1 has changed how site owners edit and style their sites. Your website visitors won’t be able to tell the difference between a 7.0 site and a 7.1 site, but the way that you go about adding content, editing your pages, and styling your site will be different depending on which platform you choose.
Templates
The biggest difference between Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1 is in their base template system. In Squarespace 7.0, Squarespace offered several different base templates to start with, each with different features and functionality. If your template didn’t have a feature you wanted to use, like a grid-style blog for example, you would have to switch templates to access that feature.
In Squarespace 7.1, all of Squarespace’s base designs are on the same template. Meaning all templates have the same features and functionality, so no need to switch a template for access to features! A major improvement in my opinion.
Since my Squarespace templates were designed and built for 7.1, they too have access to all of Squarespace’s latest and greatest features. So even if you don’t see a feature you were hoping for on any Squarespace 7.1 website, just know that you can add it (usually with just a few clicks).
Editing Pages
Squarespace’s on-page editor still exists in Squarespace 7.1, so you can easily type your content directly on your page, add content blocks, and instantly see how your website is going to look to visitors as you’re creating it.
One of the biggest improvements in Squarespace 7.1 is in how pages are organized. Some 7.0 templates organized pages into “Indexes”, creating long pages with distinct sections. This was such a popular option that Squarespace standardized it for 7.1, but instead of stacking multiple individual pages on top of each other, you can simply add multiple sections to a single page - thus creating the same effect.
Index page in Squarespace 7.0:
page sections in Squarespace 7.1:
Since you can add multiple sections to each page, 7.1 also allows you to move sections up and down the page, duplicate sections, and delete sections. This has streamlined the on-page editing process significantly.
In addition to page sections, Squarespace 7.1 also includes several pre-designed section templates (called “Auto Layouts”) to choose from in case you don’t want to build a section from scratch.
auto layouts in Squarespace 7.1:
Site Styles
One major difference between Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1 is the Site Styles panel. Most of the same style tweaks are still available in 7.1, but the organization of Site Styles has changed. The reorganization has confused some people who were accustomed to a “main list” of all style tweaks on 7.0 (myself included).
site styles panel in Squarespace 7.0:
The style settings in 7.1 are now organized by category: fonts, colors, animations, spacing, buttons, and image blocks.
site styles panel in Squarespace 7.1:
All of these categories, aka “sub-panels,” will tweak your style settings sitewide (global). For instance, in the Fonts panel, you can set your website’s fonts. In the Colors panel, you can set your website’s color palette.
Let’s go into more detail with a couple of these 7.1 Style sub-panels.
Font Styles
In the Fonts panel, within Site Styles on Squarespace 7.1, you can set your website’s fonts. These are the fonts that will appear across your website.
Squarespace 7.1 includes stock font combinations to choose from (a new feature that 7.0 didn’t offer), or you can set your own custom font pairing.
fonts panel in Squarespace 7.1:
In Squarespace 7.0, you can set three global (sitewide) heading styles and one global paragraph style. In Squarespace 7.1, you can set one heading font with four sizes, and one paragraph font with three sizes.
In both versions of Squarespace, you can customize how your fonts appear, such as setting the weight, letter spacing, and appearance. However, in Squarespace 7.1, there’s no built-in way to set different fonts for each heading type; you’ll set one font for all headings*. Likewise, you’ll set one font for all paragraphs, buttons, and miscellaneous items like tags and product prices.
*Custom CSS can be added to your site to set multiple heading fonts, paragraph fonts, etc. However, this is a more advanced solution.
Colors
Previously, on Squarespace 7.0, your website’s colors were set, one element at a time, within the main list of style tweaks under “Site Styles.” In Squarespace 7.1, you can add a custom color palette and Squarespace will assign your colors across your site. From there, you can go in and tweak how your colors are appearing.
sitewide color palette in squarespace 7.1:
From my experience, this is one of the biggest improvements from Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1. Assigning a sitewide color palette saves time because you don’t have to assign a custom color to every element of your website manually; much of the work is done automatically when you designate a color palette.
In addition to a sitewide color palette, Squarespace 7.1 also offers “Color Themes,” which are basically different combinations of your color palette that you can use throughout your site.
Let’s say you want one section of your website to have a dark background, and the next section to have a light background. In Squarespace 7.1, this is easily achieved by selecting a color theme for each of these sections. In Squarespace 7.0, the only way to assign different solid-color backgrounds was to utilize background images or use Custom CSS.
The other great improvement within the Color panel is the Palette Editor. Here, you can assign a custom color palette, or select a preset palette, generate a palette from an image, or generate a palette from a single color.
Palette Editor in Squarespace 7.1:
I know how challenging it can be for therapists and coaches to find a cohesive color palette, so this is a great way to make sure your website’s colors are aligned, even if you can’t work with a brand designer quite yet.
Squarespace 7.1: The better option for website beginners
If you don’t yet have a website, or you’re considering a switch to Squarespace, I recommend Squarespace 7.1 - especially if you consider yourself a “beginner” when it comes to website building and design.
The streamlined page building experience and site styles panel allow you to get your website up and running with less effort and more visual continuity (even if you don’t consider yourself a designer).
Many Hold Space Creative customers who have tried both platforms say that they prefer 7.1 to 7.0 for the site styles features and page building workflow.
With the backend improvements I mentioned, I also recommend 7.1 for intermediate and advanced users. The platform isn’t perfect and I’m waiting for some further streamlining, but the more websites for therapists and coaches that I design on Squarespace 7.1, the more I prefer the platform over 7.0.
This is why I’m only offering Squarespace 7.1 templates from this point forward. The improvements in the site-building experience make it easier for website beginners to get up and running, and since most of this community would categorize themselves as such, it was a no-brainer for me!
Should I switch from Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1?
Switching platforms isn’t always easy, so if you already have a website that you love on Squarespace 7.0, switching isn’t necessary. 7.0 is still a great platform and will continue to be active and useable as long as Squarespace exists.
The cases in which I recommend switching are:
If you’re redesigning your website
If you’re expanding your website in a big way (for example: turning a simple landing page into a multi-page website)
If you regularly make changes to your website and need access to more built-in editing or style features, like Auto Layouts or Color Themes.
If you’re interested in learning how I moved HoldSpaceCreative.com from 7.0 to 7.1, stay tuned!
Next month, I’ll be publishing an article explaining how my team and I made the switch and I’ll offer guidance on making the switch yourself. If you’re interested, be sure to join my newsletter list to be notified when it’s available!
