Getting Oriented in Squarespace (Without Clicking Every Button First)
So you’ve just moved your website to Squarespace. You log in, and… hello, dashboard. A dozen menu items on the left. Words like “Commerce,” “SEO,” and “Code Injection.”
If your first instinct was to click around wildly or immediately close your laptop — you’re not alone.
This post is your calm entry point. No deep dives. No jargon. Just a simple overview of what to focus on first (and what you can completely ignore for now).
Here’s What You’re Looking At (and What It All Means)
When you log in, you’ll see a sidebar with all the main controls for your site. Let’s zoom in on the only four sections you need right now:
1. Pages
This is where the actual content of your website lives — your homepage, About page, contact page, etc. If someone can see it on your website, it’s in here.
2. Styles
Here’s where your fonts, colors, and visual vibe live. You don’t need to customize everything yet. Just know that this is where you’ll go when you’re ready to make it look like you.
3. Assets
Assets is a library where all the files you upload or use are kept. This is where you can go to organize your photos, or find a file you think you uploaded but aren’t sure about.
and
4. Settings (the little gear icon at the bottom)
The back-end basics: site title, connected domain, and other background setup pieces. If you need to update your email, link your Instagram, or set your timezone — this is the spot.
Ignore these for now: Marketing, Commerce, Scheduling, Analytics. We’ll get to those (if you even need them). They’re not essential for getting your core site live.
Reaady? Start by Editing What’s Already There
Let’s pause and say this clearly:
You can’t break your site.
Squarespace autosaves your work. Nothing goes live until you hit “Publish.” You can also duplicate pages before making big changes, so you’ve got a built-in safety net.
If your biggest fear is clicking something wrong — you’re doing fine. That just means you care about doing it right.
If you’re a customer of mine, you have a “Sandbox” to play in!
The sandbox is a page that is NOT visible OR discoverable where you can practice, make a mess, or do whatever you want to without ANYONE seeing it. (Thanks to Christy Price for this amazing idea!) If you don’t have a ready-made sandbox page, that’s okay! You can make one yourself.
To add your own Sandbox page where you can play around without consequences, you’ll want to first duplicate the page.
Before You Edit: How to Duplicate a Page or Save a Section
Worried about messing something up? It’s smart to create a backup before making changes — especially if you’re experimenting.
To duplicate a page:
Go to Pages
Hover over the page you want to copy
Click the gear icon (⚙) > scroll down and select Duplicate Page and click close
You can rename the page by double clicking on the name
This gives you an exact copy you can rename, experiment with, or revert to later.
To make sure the page is not visible to others:
Go to Pages
Hover over the page you want to make invisible
Click the gear icon (⚙) > scroll down and unselect Enable Page and click Save
Drag the page down to the section labelled “Not Linked” so that the page won’t be listed in the Navigation menu
To save a section:
Hover over the section you like
Click the "Save Section" option (appears as a bookmark icon or under section settings, depending on version)
You can reuse this saved section elsewhere on the site, or store it as a backup
This is a huge stress-reliever if you’re updating layout or trying something new — you’re never starting from zero.
What to Expect in the Next Posts
This post was your gentle orientation. In the next few posts, we’ll walk through simple but powerful edits:
How to update text and photos
How to use blocks
How to adjust your navigation
How to publish when you’re ready
One task at a time. Zero pressure. No perfection needed.
Need a Quick Start Guide?
Want a printable version of what to click first?
Coming soon: a free Squarespace Cheat Sheet for Therapists (PDF).
