3 Squarespace Website Mistakes (and How to Fix Them!)
As a small business owner or coach, your website is one of your most important tools to call in and convert clients.
But building a great website on Squarespace isn’t just about picking a beautiful template or following the latest trends; nor is it about mimicking what your competitors are doing. It’s about making sure your site works for you and feels good to share!
I’ve been designing Squarespace websites for about 6 years as Dmarzdesigns and during that time I’ve seen A LOT of design mistakes. Some have been easily avoidable (often whoopsies because of rushing!) and others have been due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of what a website needs to be.
No shame! I’m always here to help in a non-judgmental and supportive way. (It’s also why I created my Squarespace template, Ember!)
In this article, I share some common mistakes I see with Squarespace websites, and how to avoid them so you can create a site that truly represents your soul-led brand.
1. Not Optimising for Mobile
When we’re designing our websites on a desktop, it’s easy to forget this one. But with most visitors browsing on their smartphones nowadays, having a mobile-optimized site is absolutely crucial.
Many websites look perfect on a desktop and like a total mess on mobile. So when you’re designing, keep checking the mobile AND desktop views to make sure they look right. Doing this as you go feels annoying, but it will save you time in the end! Trust me.
UX Tip: Once you’ve hit publish, it’s important to test your site regularly on both mobile and desktop. Ensure your navigation is clear, images scale properly, and no essential information is hidden. That last one is a doozie - I’ve had a few website audit clients in the past who couldn’t understand why no one was booking calls…their calendar was hidden on mobile view!
2. Overloading on fonts and colours
Oh boy, this one is a classic. Especially for businesses that have never had a “brand” or a website before. It’s so easy to get carried away with all the beautiful font and colour options that Squarespace offers, but less is often more when it comes to design.
Believe me when I say that too many fonts or conflicting colours can make your site feel chaotic. And THAT means people won’t hang around and find out what you’re all about because - frankly - their eyes hurt.
To avoid this common mistake, I recommend sticking to 2-3 fonts and choosing a cohesive colour palette that represents your brand. Consistency across your site (and everywhere else!) will help with brand clarity and make a stronger visual impact.
UX Tip: Choose fonts that are legible across all devices and accessible, and use colour to emphasize key points without overwhelming your reader.
3. Forgetting to guide your visitors
This is another mistake that I see all the time and one that’s usually caused by comparistonitis and overwhelm. Maybe they’ve spent so long looking at what everyone else is saying on their websites that they’ve got bogged down in what they “should” be saying and not communicating what they actually want to say!
Essentially, if someone lands on your site, they should immediately know who you are, what you offer, and how to take the next step. Unfortunately, I see so many sites bury this information, leaving visitors confused or unsure of where to go. It’s all jazz hands and no useful guidance!
If you want to dodge this mistake, start by making sure your home page clearly states what you do and who you serve, and include a strong call to action (CTA) to guide visitors toward the next step, whether that’s booking a call or buying a product.
It’s important to remember that EVERY page on your site should guide visitors to the next step and not finish on a dead-end. Where do you want them to go next? For example, your About Page is priming people to work with you, so give them a CTA inviting them to take a peek at your offers. Your Services Page then might lead them to book a call or to find out more on individual sales pages…see?
And don’t forget - your CTAs should be clearly visible with working links, not hyperlinks buried in large paragraphs of text that people will most certainly skim over and most definitely not bother clicking!
UX Tip: Use a distinctive and obvious button with action-oriented CTAs like “Get in touch today” or “Start your project” to make it easy for visitors to take that next step.
Avoiding these common mistakes will help your website not only look great but work effectively to build connection and trust with your people, and help them make an easy decision to work with you!
Want a foolproof way to get a beautiful, functional website without the hassle of DIYing from scratch?
Check out my Squarespace templates, designed to make your business shine while avoiding these pitfalls. Let’s get your website working for you, not against you with user-friendly layouts, mobile responsiveness, a step-by-step SEO guide and more with a template designed to connect and convert.
