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The Squarespace Guide to Understanding Web Templates

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Getting started on Squarespace doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Our Squarespace pros are here to help you understand how to choose a website template and make it completely your own. 

Watch the video above or read the transcript below for tips on choosing a website template that helps you accomplish your goals and stand out online with just a few design choices. 

Transcript

Narrator: A template helps you cut straight to the chase. When you don't need to fuss with coding or building the actual framework of your site, you can put more energy into the content you'll be filling your site with and launch your site sooner. 

That being said, if you are someone who knows how to code or wants to add that little something extra that our Squarespace templates don't provide, you are more than welcome to throw in your own personal touch. Our code is yours for the altering. 

No matter what you need, Squarespace's template shop is organized by website category, so you can find exactly what you're looking for, faster. And if you're still worried about whether or not your site will look like someone else's, don't. With your imagery, color selection, and font usage, making your site feel identifiably unique is easier than you think. 

Here's what you're going to do: Create a color palette and think about how each color will function. Which color will be the background, which for text, and which for buttons or icons. Consider whether each of these colors will make it easier or harder to navigate your site. 

You don't need a different font for every section or title, pick one font for titles and one for body copy. Then you can play with weight or size to indicate each section's level of importance, making key section titles larger or bolder, and subsection titles smaller or lighter. 

Play around with the size and placement of your images. Where would a full-bleed image work? What size works best to showcase your products? Where could an image add a bit of context or personality? Once you get a clear idea around these three visual aspects, you'll see your website start to take on a new life.  

Get tips for choosing your color palette and fonts

Ashley Fouyolle: When choosing a template, I really thought about all of the pieces of the puzzle that I needed for the actual website. I wanted to really ensure the customer had an easy flow. So I chose something that provided all of those aspects. So I can have a basic template, but once I input all of my little details, it really feels like UNWRP, because of the colors, the images, the typography as well. 

Narrator: Now before you go, remember, don't panic if you don't see the exact design you're looking for in the template store. Instead, aim to select your template based on functionalities, like shop features and gallery pages. Then you can start worrying about putting in your personal touch.

This post was updated on November 9, 2023.

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