MODULE 5: BLOGGING
Welcome to Module 5! Blogging is still one of the absolute best ways to build authority in your niche, connect with your audience, and drive free, organic traffic to your website through SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Unlike normal pages that you build one by one, Squarespace handles blogs using something called a Collection. A Collection is basically a master folder that automatically organizes, dates, and displays all your individual blog posts for you.
Here is how to navigate and manage your Blog Collection!
Step 1: Finding Your Blog Page
Go to your main Squarespace dashboard and click on Website (or Pages).
Look for the page that has a small "Pen" icon next to it (it is usually called "Blog," "Journal," or "Articles").
Click on the title of that page.
Step 2: The Blog Dashboard
Once you click on your Blog page, you will see a completely different menu appear on the left side. This is your Blog Dashboard!
Instead of showing the Fluid Engine editor, this menu lists all of the individual blog posts inside the collection.
If your template came with demo posts, you will see them listed here.
Step 3: Managing Existing Posts
To Edit a Post: Simply hover over the title of any post in the left-hand list, click the "..." (three dots), and select Edit.
To Delete a Post: If you want to clear out the demo content, hover over the post, click the "...", and hit Delete.
To Duplicate a Post: This is a huge time-saver! If you create a layout you love, you can click the "..." and select Duplicate to use it as a template for your next article.
Step 4: Starting a Brand New Post
Ready to write your first article?
In the top right corner of the left-hand Blog Dashboard, click the "+" (Plus Icon).
A blank blog post will immediately open up, and you are ready to start typing!
💡 DESIGNER SECRETS FOR BLOG MANAGEMENT:
Drafts vs. Published: When you click the "+" to start a new post, Squarespace automatically saves it as a Draft. You don't have to write the whole thing in one sitting! You will see it marked with a grey "Draft" tag in your list until you are ready to hit publish.
Scheduling Posts: Want to write a batch of posts on the weekend and have them publish automatically throughout the month? You can! When you are ready to publish, click the "..." next to the draft, select "Settings," and change the status from "Draft" to "Scheduled." Pick your date and time, and Squarespace will do the rest.
The Global Blog Page vs. Individual Posts: It helps to understand the difference. The "Blog Page" is the main gallery where people see the grid of all your articles. The "Individual Post" is the actual page where they read the article. We will learn how to design the individual posts in the very next lesson!
Ready to start writing? Let's dive into Lesson 23: Formatting a Blog Post, where we will learn how to make your articles look beautiful and easy to read.
Unlike normal pages that you build one by one, Squarespace handles blogs using something called a Collection. A Collection is basically a master folder that automatically organizes, dates, and displays all your individual blog posts for you.
Here is how to navigate and manage your Blog Collection!
Step 1: Finding Your Blog Page
Go to your main Squarespace dashboard and click on Website (or Pages).
Look for the page that has a small "Pen" icon next to it (it is usually called "Blog," "Journal," or "Articles").
Click on the title of that page.
Step 2: The Blog Dashboard
Once you click on your Blog page, you will see a completely different menu appear on the left side. This is your Blog Dashboard!
Instead of showing the Fluid Engine editor, this menu lists all of the individual blog posts inside the collection.
If your template came with demo posts, you will see them listed here.
Step 3: Managing Existing Posts
To Edit a Post: Simply hover over the title of any post in the left-hand list, click the "..." (three dots), and select Edit.
To Delete a Post: If you want to clear out the demo content, hover over the post, click the "...", and hit Delete.
To Duplicate a Post: This is a huge time-saver! If you create a layout you love, you can click the "..." and select Duplicate to use it as a template for your next article.
Step 4: Starting a Brand New Post
Ready to write your first article?
In the top right corner of the left-hand Blog Dashboard, click the "+" (Plus Icon).
A blank blog post will immediately open up, and you are ready to start typing!
💡 DESIGNER SECRETS FOR BLOG MANAGEMENT:
Drafts vs. Published: When you click the "+" to start a new post, Squarespace automatically saves it as a Draft. You don't have to write the whole thing in one sitting! You will see it marked with a grey "Draft" tag in your list until you are ready to hit publish.
Scheduling Posts: Want to write a batch of posts on the weekend and have them publish automatically throughout the month? You can! When you are ready to publish, click the "..." next to the draft, select "Settings," and change the status from "Draft" to "Scheduled." Pick your date and time, and Squarespace will do the rest.
The Global Blog Page vs. Individual Posts: It helps to understand the difference. The "Blog Page" is the main gallery where people see the grid of all your articles. The "Individual Post" is the actual page where they read the article. We will learn how to design the individual posts in the very next lesson!
Ready to start writing? Let's dive into Lesson 23: Formatting a Blog Post, where we will learn how to make your articles look beautiful and easy to read.
22. Managing the Blog Collection
If you want to add that modern, high-end "custom website" feel to your template, this is the block for you!
Writing a great article is only half the battle; how it looks determines whether people will actually read it! Nobody wants to stare at a giant, intimidating wall of text.
Formatting your blog post with images, bold headings, and quotes makes it easy to read and highly shareable. However, building a blog post in Squarespace is slightly different than building a normal page. Here is everything you need to know.
Step 1: The "Classic" Editor (Crucial Difference!)
When you open a new blog post, you might notice that the grid lines from the Fluid Engine don't appear.
That is because blog posts use Squarespace’s Classic Editor.
Instead of dragging and dropping anywhere on the screen, you stack your content linearly from top to bottom. This ensures your articles are always perfectly formatted for readers, especially on mobile devices!
Step 2: Adding Your Title and Text
At the very top of the page, click into the giant text box that says "Add a title." This is your main headline (H1). Keep it catchy!
Right below the title, click into the blank space and start typing your article. You will use the exact same text toolbar we learned in Lesson 12 to make words bold, italicized, or turn them into links.
Step 3: Adding Images and Other Blocks
To break up your text, you will want to add photos, videos, or quotes.
Hover your mouse directly over the blank space below a paragraph.
You will see a horizontal blue line appear with a "+" (Plus Icon) in the middle. This is called an "Insert Point."
Click the "+" icon to open the block menu.
Select Image, Video, Quote, or any other block you want to add. It will perfectly drop right into that spot in your article!
Step 4: Wrapping Text Around an Image
Want your text to elegantly wrap around a photo like it does in a magazine?
Add an Image block below your text.
Click and hold the Image block, and drag it up into the paragraph of text.
Watch the blue highlight line! If you drop the image when the blue line shrinks to a small square on the left or right side of your text, the words will wrap perfectly around the photo.
💡 DESIGNER SECRETS FOR BEAUTIFUL BLOGS:
The "Two Sentence" Rule: On a desktop computer, a paragraph might look short. But on a mobile phone, that same paragraph looks twice as long! Try to hit the "Enter" key and start a new paragraph every 2-3 sentences. Lots of white space keeps readers scrolling.
Use H2 and H3 Headings: Don't just make your subheadings bold. Highlight them and change them to Heading 2 or Heading 3 in your text toolbar. Not only does this look more professional, but it is incredibly important for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), as it tells Google exactly how your article is structured.
The Quote Block: Using the Quote block is a fantastic way to break up a long post. Pick the most interesting sentence from your article, drop it into a Quote block in the middle of the page, and make it larger. It acts as a visual "speed bump" that catches the reader's eye!
Writing a great article is only half the battle; how it looks determines whether people will actually read it! Nobody wants to stare at a giant, intimidating wall of text.
Formatting your blog post with images, bold headings, and quotes makes it easy to read and highly shareable. However, building a blog post in Squarespace is slightly different than building a normal page. Here is everything you need to know.
Step 1: The "Classic" Editor (Crucial Difference!)
When you open a new blog post, you might notice that the grid lines from the Fluid Engine don't appear.
That is because blog posts use Squarespace’s Classic Editor.
Instead of dragging and dropping anywhere on the screen, you stack your content linearly from top to bottom. This ensures your articles are always perfectly formatted for readers, especially on mobile devices!
Step 2: Adding Your Title and Text
At the very top of the page, click into the giant text box that says "Add a title." This is your main headline (H1). Keep it catchy!
Right below the title, click into the blank space and start typing your article. You will use the exact same text toolbar we learned in Lesson 12 to make words bold, italicized, or turn them into links.
Step 3: Adding Images and Other Blocks
To break up your text, you will want to add photos, videos, or quotes.
Hover your mouse directly over the blank space below a paragraph.
You will see a horizontal blue line appear with a "+" (Plus Icon) in the middle. This is called an "Insert Point."
Click the "+" icon to open the block menu.
Select Image, Video, Quote, or any other block you want to add. It will perfectly drop right into that spot in your article!
Step 4: Wrapping Text Around an Image
Want your text to elegantly wrap around a photo like it does in a magazine?
Add an Image block below your text.
Click and hold the Image block, and drag it up into the paragraph of text.
Watch the blue highlight line! If you drop the image when the blue line shrinks to a small square on the left or right side of your text, the words will wrap perfectly around the photo.
💡 DESIGNER SECRETS FOR BEAUTIFUL BLOGS:
The "Two Sentence" Rule: On a desktop computer, a paragraph might look short. But on a mobile phone, that same paragraph looks twice as long! Try to hit the "Enter" key and start a new paragraph every 2-3 sentences. Lots of white space keeps readers scrolling.
Use H2 and H3 Headings: Don't just make your subheadings bold. Highlight them and change them to Heading 2 or Heading 3 in your text toolbar. Not only does this look more professional, but it is incredibly important for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), as it tells Google exactly how your article is structured.
The Quote Block: Using the Quote block is a fantastic way to break up a long post. Pick the most interesting sentence from your article, drop it into a Quote block in the middle of the page, and make it larger. It acts as a visual "speed bump" that catches the reader's eye!
23. Formatting a Blog Post
Your blog post is written, beautifully formatted, and ready for the world to read. But before you hit "Publish," there is one final, crucial step: setting up the backend details.
If you want your visitors to easily find topics they care about, and if you want your main Blog Page to look incredibly clean and professional, you need to set up your Categories, Tags, and Excerpts.
Here is how to access these settings and what each one does:
Step 1: Open the Post Settings
Go to your Blog Dashboard (the list of all your posts on the left side of the screen).
Hover over the draft you just wrote, click the "..." (three dots), and select Settings.
A large menu will pop up with a few different tabs at the top.
Step 2: Categories vs. Tags (The "Options" Tab)
In the pop-up menu, click over to the Options tab. Here you will see the boxes for Categories and Tags. What is the difference?
Categories (The Folders): Think of these as the broad, overarching themes of your business. If you are a designer, your categories might be Web Design, Branding, and Marketing. A post should usually only have one category.
Tags (The Details): Think of these as the specific keywords inside the article. If your category is Web Design, your tags for a specific post might be Squarespace, Fonts, and Mobile Layout. A post can have multiple tags!
To add them, simply click the "+" icon next to Category or Tag, type your word, and hit enter.
Step 3: Adding a Featured Image
Still in the Settings menu, look for the Image or Content tab (depending on your Squarespace version).
You must upload a Featured Image here!
This is the thumbnail photo that will show up on your main blog grid, and it’s also the photo that will appear if someone shares your article on Facebook or Pinterest.
Step 4: Writing the Excerpt (Do Not Skip!)
If you look right below the Featured Image, you will see a box for the Excerpt.
The excerpt is the short "teaser" paragraph that shows up under your image on the main blog page.
Why it's crucial: If you leave this blank, Squarespace will automatically pull the first few sentences of your actual blog post. This usually looks messy, might cut off mid-sentence, and ruins the clean grid design of your template!
Always type a custom 1-2 sentence summary of your article here to keep your main blog page looking perfectly uniform.
💡 DESIGNER SECRETS FOR BLOG ORGANIZATION:
The "3 to 5 Categories" Rule: Do not create a new category for every single post! If you have 20 categories, your visitors will get overwhelmed. Try to limit your entire blog to 3 to 5 main categories at maximum. This makes it so much easier for readers to navigate your content.
The "Read More" Hook: When writing your Excerpt, treat it like a movie trailer. Don't give away the answer to the article! Tease the problem and promise the solution so the visitor is forced to click "Read More." (Example: "Struggling to get your site to look good on a phone? Here are three simple tricks to fix your mobile layout in under five minutes.")
Double-Check Your URL: Before you close the settings menu, look at the Post URL box. Make sure the link is clean and readable (e.g., /blog/fluid-engine-tips). If the URL is just a bunch of random numbers, type in a new, keyword-rich link!
Settings all filled out? Click Save at the bottom of the menu!
You are now officially a Squarespace blogging pro. Let’s wrap up Module 5 with a quick lesson on how to manage the main blog grid page in Lesson 25: Customizing the Main Blog Page.
If you want your visitors to easily find topics they care about, and if you want your main Blog Page to look incredibly clean and professional, you need to set up your Categories, Tags, and Excerpts.
Here is how to access these settings and what each one does:
Step 1: Open the Post Settings
Go to your Blog Dashboard (the list of all your posts on the left side of the screen).
Hover over the draft you just wrote, click the "..." (three dots), and select Settings.
A large menu will pop up with a few different tabs at the top.
Step 2: Categories vs. Tags (The "Options" Tab)
In the pop-up menu, click over to the Options tab. Here you will see the boxes for Categories and Tags. What is the difference?
Categories (The Folders): Think of these as the broad, overarching themes of your business. If you are a designer, your categories might be Web Design, Branding, and Marketing. A post should usually only have one category.
Tags (The Details): Think of these as the specific keywords inside the article. If your category is Web Design, your tags for a specific post might be Squarespace, Fonts, and Mobile Layout. A post can have multiple tags!
To add them, simply click the "+" icon next to Category or Tag, type your word, and hit enter.
Step 3: Adding a Featured Image
Still in the Settings menu, look for the Image or Content tab (depending on your Squarespace version).
You must upload a Featured Image here!
This is the thumbnail photo that will show up on your main blog grid, and it’s also the photo that will appear if someone shares your article on Facebook or Pinterest.
Step 4: Writing the Excerpt (Do Not Skip!)
If you look right below the Featured Image, you will see a box for the Excerpt.
The excerpt is the short "teaser" paragraph that shows up under your image on the main blog page.
Why it's crucial: If you leave this blank, Squarespace will automatically pull the first few sentences of your actual blog post. This usually looks messy, might cut off mid-sentence, and ruins the clean grid design of your template!
Always type a custom 1-2 sentence summary of your article here to keep your main blog page looking perfectly uniform.
💡 DESIGNER SECRETS FOR BLOG ORGANIZATION:
The "3 to 5 Categories" Rule: Do not create a new category for every single post! If you have 20 categories, your visitors will get overwhelmed. Try to limit your entire blog to 3 to 5 main categories at maximum. This makes it so much easier for readers to navigate your content.
The "Read More" Hook: When writing your Excerpt, treat it like a movie trailer. Don't give away the answer to the article! Tease the problem and promise the solution so the visitor is forced to click "Read More." (Example: "Struggling to get your site to look good on a phone? Here are three simple tricks to fix your mobile layout in under five minutes.")
Double-Check Your URL: Before you close the settings menu, look at the Post URL box. Make sure the link is clean and readable (e.g., /blog/fluid-engine-tips). If the URL is just a bunch of random numbers, type in a new, keyword-rich link!
Settings all filled out? Click Save at the bottom of the menu!
You are now officially a Squarespace blogging pro. Let’s wrap up Module 5 with a quick lesson on how to manage the main blog grid page in Lesson 25: Customizing the Main Blog Page.
24. Categories, Tags & Excerpts
