Simplify the Switch: How to Upgrade from Squarespace 7.0 to Squarespace 7.1
Squarespace 7.1 was released in early 2020, and it has some wonderful advanced features and enhanced functionality.
However, for anyone using version 7, and upgrade is not a simple click away. 7.1 is structurally different, so you’ll need to rebuild your website using the latest version.
Upgrading your site is more of a redesign than a copy, and that's a good thing! It's a chance to refresh your content and images, make sure all of your links are working, and 7.1 has SO much more flexibility on mobile than version 7 did; definitely a plus.
It might sound daunting, especially if you're not familiar with the new version, but in this blog post, you’ll get my best advice on how to upgrade from Squarespace 7.0 to Squarespace 7.1.
Understand the Differences between Squarespace 7.0 and Squarespace 7.1
Before you start doing the work of upgrading your website to Squarespace 7.1, it’s important understand the differences between the two versions.
Squarespace 7.1 comes with several advanced features, including flexible Fluid engine page sections, a new style editor with 10 color themes, and we finally have the ability to edit the mobile layout of our site without changing the desktop version. 🎉
Image blocks are different now too, because we have shapes and the ability to create layers of content, so you can recreate image block layouts!
To learn more about the features available in version 7.1, you can check out my course, Getting Started with Squarespace:
I also have a playlist on my YouTube channel that’s a collection of tutorials to help you setup your site on the latest version.
Once you’re familiar with what the latest version can and can’t do, follow these basic steps to make the switch:
Step 1: Map out your pages
Create a spreadsheet or document with a list of your URL’s and content. Consider using a third-party scraping tool like ScreamingFrog (not affiliated, just a fan!)
Step 2: Create your elements + layouts
An element page is a page in the not linked section of your site that has an example of everything. All the heading text types, paragraph text with links and bold and italic font, forms, image blocks, button types, and anything else you might use like an accordion block or a quote. Set this up in a page section, and then duplicate it to apply a different color theme so you can see how all the elements interact with each other.
I also recommend creating you own template! Here is how: Create a page in the not linked section - and on that page, build out the sections you'll likely use more than once. Once you have it close-enough-to-perfect, on desktop and mobile, you can save these sections and easily use them when building out pages. This process saved me a TON of time and I bet it will help you too!
Step 3: Copy your content
On-page content, SEO data, copy it all! This is a great time to optimize alt tags for images. You can keep track of it all in my Squarespace Website Workbook, available at insidethesquare.co/workbook
Step 4: Style your site
Wait until you have moved everything over before you start to play with the style of your site. Remember to pair color themes and utilize CSS to create customizations that the design menu can’t handle.
Step 5: Test before you launch.
This is HUGE. Check out the mobile version of your site. Have a friend click around or hire someone on Fiverr to do a screen recording of them clicking every button and exploring every page.
Step 6: Launch & index
Once you are ready to connect your domain, reach out to Squarespace support even if you know what you are doing! They will be super helpful and can make sure all your digital i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. After you launch, don’t
forget to reindex in Google Search Console & the Facebook Debugger tool!
Get the support you need right now
If you want to brainstorm the best way to rebuild your site on the lastest version of Squarespace, you can book a strategy session with me! We’ll spend an hour together, creating a road map you can follow to build your new site as efficiently as possible. To get a spot on my calendar, click here to book a Squarespace strategy session.
