Can I Work On a New Squarespace Template Before Visitors Can See It?

There are going to be times when you’re going to want to change the design of your Squarespace website. There are several reasons for this. First of all, it could be that you would like a fresh design for your website. Another reason might be because you’re changing branding or you want to keep up with more modern designs.

You might also have a problem that sometimes Squarespace will discontinue support for specific templates. You don’t want to have a template that is no longer supported because there are several risks such as:

Cyber Threats: Most updates include patches that fix security gaps in coding that hackers can use to gain access to your website. If a template isn’t updated, then these gaps will remain.
New Squarespace Software: You might find that there are compatibility issues with new Squarespace releases. For instance, those templates issued for Squarespace 6.0 and discontinued won’t work on 7.0 or 7.1.
Add-ons: When addons are updated to meet new coding aspects of the latest Squarespace release, it might make them incompatible with older themes.

Therefore, you should look at changing your Squarespace template if it is no longer supported.

How Easy is it to Switch Templates?

It is relatively easy for you to switch templates within the Squarespace environment. All you need to do is go into your design install a new template and then activate it on your website. The process of doing this takes minutes.

However, while it is easy to do and takes little time in theory, in reality, you should spend some time on the project. For instance, not all templates are built the same and you might need to make changes to the old content to make it fit the new template. In addition, templates come with default color schemes that you might want to change.

However, there is a way that you can do this.

Use Preview Mode

When you’re switching templates within the Squarespace environment, you will want to use the Preview mode. In this mode, you can make changes to your website’s design and see how it will look to visitors without the visitors seeing the change. They will see the old version of the website until you’ve completed the changes and can push them live to your audience.

If you don’t want to use the old design, you can also deploy a ‘Coming Soon’ page or ‘Maintenance’ page for your customers. This allows you to work on the new design without your customers seeing the changes. Making those final designs visible is really easy, it is just a click of a button for the changes to migrate over to the live website.

Can I Work On a New Squarespace Template Before Visitors Can See It?

Yes, you can work on a new Squarespace template before making it visible to visitors. Squarespace allows you to design and customize a new site template in a safe, "preview" environment, ensuring that your current site remains unaffected and visible to visitors.

This feature enables you to experiment with different designs, layouts, and functionalities until you're satisfied with the new look. Once you're ready, you can then apply the new template to your live site, making the changes visible to all visitors. This process ensures a seamless transition and minimizes disruptions to the user experience.

Updating Your Squarespace Template

Planning Your Update

Before embarking on a template update, outlining specific goals such as enhancing the site's aesthetic appeal, boosting functionality, or augmenting security measures is vital. A well-defined plan facilitates a smoother update process, ensuring objectives are met without overlooking key details.

Utilizing a Staging Environment

A staging environment is crucial for safely experimenting with new templates. This controlled setting allows for comprehensive testing of design elements, functionalities, and integrations away from the live site, ensuring any adjustments made do not adversely affect the visitor experience.

Seamless Transition Strategies

When it comes time to transition to the new template, careful consideration must be given to content migration, SEO preservation, and the integration of third-party services. A methodical approach ensures a smooth transition, minimizing disruptions and maintaining a quality user experience.

Maintaining and Troubleshooting

Identifying and Addressing Common Challenges

In the process of updating or maintaining a Squarespace site, encountering troubleshooting and issues is inevitable. Recognizing common problems early on—ranging from template limitations to plugin conflicts—enables swift resolution, maintaining the integrity and performance of the site.

Effective Support Utilization

Navigating Squarespace troubleshooting and issues often requires tapping into the platform's support resources. Knowing how to leverage the extensive knowledge base, community forums, and direct customer support can expedite problem-solving, ensuring your site remains operational and optimized.

Best Practices for Ongoing Site Health

Implementing solutions and adhering to Squarespace's best practices are pivotal steps in not just resolving immediate concerns but also in preventing future issues. Regular site reviews, updates compliance, and performance optimizations are all part of a proactive strategy to ensure the site's long-term success and stability.

Conclusion: Can I Work On a New Squarespace Template Before Visitors Can See It?

There are going to be times when you will want to work on your new Squarespace template and keep those edits to yourself. You don’t really want customers to see the website until it is finished. That is why you can use Preview mode to make those changes before releasing them for everyone to see.