This content originally appeared on Mashable for US audiences and has been tailored for UK audiences.
In this gig economy day and internet age, a writer is no longer just a writer. Writers are also idea collectors, pitchers, negotiators, SEO specialists, proofreaders, self-advocates, and professional billers. It could even be a full-fledged brand at this point, depending on whether you accept Twitter’s discourse(opens in new tab).
That said, it’s probably hard to find a handful of writers who consider themselves particularly adept developers. English, journalism, and creative writing courses don’t offer many opportunities to learn how to build a website. Also, self-directed bootcamps can be intimidating if you have little coding or HTML experience. Whether you’re trying to showcase your portfolio, attract new clients, sell a book, or just blog, this can feel like a big hurdle when it comes to needing a personal website. .
Enter: Squarespace is a popular website building platform as an all-in-one solution for website design and management (plans start at £13/month). and customize it with your branding to easily go live. Website metrics, technical chores like SSL security(opens in new tab), video storage, and updates are all handled by the platform itself. Plus, maintain a full-featured app that lets you edit your site on the go, including updating pages, adding new images, creating blog posts, reviewing site analytics, and managing inventory for your online store.
With hundreds of templates available as of 2023, it can be difficult to decide which one best suits your needs as a freelancer, author, journalist, copywriter, or poet. , a comprehensive guide will appear.
What are Squarespace Templates?
Squarespace templates (or themes) are pre-built demo websites that, to quote the support site, are intended to serve as “starting points to inspire your site’s design.”(opens in new tab)You can use each as-is or add different colors, font packs, layout pages and content blocks.
Templates behave differently depending on whether you’re running Squarespace version 7.0 or 7.1(opens in new tab), two iterations for the currently supported platforms. Version 7.0 (released in 2014) includes 91 templates grouped into “families” that share the same basic structure and styling. Some features are restricted to certain families, making it difficult to switch templates without doing at least a partial rebuild.
On the other hand, version 7.1 (released early 2020) has 143 templates, consolidated into one family. They all share the same features and formatting options, making it easy to change templates on the fly.
Some experienced Squarespace designers are still using version 7.0.(opens in new tab) If you haven’t migrated yet, but are new to the platform, we recommend starting with version 7.1. It’s much more flexible and future-proof (especially with the recent release of Fluid Engine, Squarespace’s next-generation grid). base content editor).
Be aware that using either will move you between versions.(opens in new tab) It often requires a complete rebuild and risks lowering your site’s search rankings. Luckily, Squarespace offers his 14-day free trial, so you can try both versions before officially building your site.
Is Squarespace Good for Writers?
Squarespace has writer types, including pre-made portfolio and blog layout pages, mobile editing, newsletter blocks, social media integration, email campaign integration, tag and category support, multiple author support, and Google Analytics. There are many useful features available. A built-in commenting system with support, the ability to schedule posts, and content moderation and abuse filters (and Disqus integration). They also recently added a tool called Members Area that allows you to gate and monetize content on your site.
In short, Squarespace is very good for writers. Again, no coding experience is required.
How do you choose the right Squarespace template?
Squarespace’s template library has options to sort by type (Online Store, Portfolio, Membership, Blog, Scheduling, and One Page) and topic (Media & Podcasts, Professional Services, Personal & Resume, etc.).of the template[プレビュー]Click the button to see the demo content and see what it looks like in action.
Squarespace recommends focusing primarily on “particular colors and layouts that are appealing” rather than the content displayed there, but “it may be easier to start with a design that is already close to what your site looks like.” not. “
What are the best Squarespace templates for writers?
To make the decision-making process a little easier, we’ve prepared a selection of templates suitable for everyone.
These are the best Squarespace templates for writers in 2023.
