Creating the perfect Squarespace website takes time. Part of designing the perfect website is to change the footer and sidebar to make sure they have elements in there to help you convert visitors. For instance, you might want to add email subscription forms or social media links. These can help you keep engaging with audiences, long after they’ve left your website.
However, there are going to be times when you think that a completely new design is going to beneficial. With Squarespace, you have access to hundreds of potential templates that are all free and you can switch between templates at any moment. It is just a simple case of finding the template you want and installing it on your website.
The process is so simple that those with no experience in building a website can do it within minutes.
When you do make the change, there can be problems. One of the major problems that website owners come across is that the footer and sidebar have changed after switching Squarespace templates. What has happened to the footer and sidebar and how can that be solved?
Understanding Styling Options
When it comes to building a Squarespace website it's important that you understand how the style aspects of the website are stored. Within Squarespace, the custom CSS, footers, styles, sidebars, headers and more are stored within the files of the template. When the website is accessed, only the live template files are accessed.
If you switch templates, then you’re asking the browser of the user to ignore the old template files and instead they will fetch the documents for the new template’s footer and sidebar. Therefore, the hard work that you’ve put into the footer and sidebar will not be seen.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t use the footer and sidebar settings though.
How to Use Old Footer and Sidebar Settings
When it comes to using the old footer and sidebar settings on your website there are two options. You can revert back to the old template on your Squarespace website. Or you can change your new templates footer and sidebar settings and utilize these.
There might a problem though as some templates don’t support the same functionality as other templates. Even some sidebars might not be available on templates.
That is why it is always important to check the functionality of new templates before installing them. This allows you to ensure that you can transfer any pages/content/functions/customizations over to the new template when you make it live.
If in doubt, you can also speak to a third-party developer. They might be able to get your old settings back onto your new template for a modest fee.
Final Word: What Happened to My Footer and Sidebar After Switching Squarespace Templates?
When it comes to the footer and sidebar settings of your Squarespace website, they’re stored within the files of the template. When you switch template, the changes you made under the old template will not be valid. Therefore, you will have to make those changes again or revert back to the old template.
