Squarespace: When Templates Become Prison Cells

Squarespace sells a dream: gorgeous templates that anyone can use to build a professional website. And they're not lying - the templates ARE gorgeous. The problem comes when you try to make them yours.

The Template Trap

Squarespace templates work beautifully - as long as your business fits perfectly into the template's assumptions. Need exactly what the designer envisioned? Great. Need something different? Problems.

We've heard this story dozens of times:

• "I just want to move this section above that one" - Can't do it
• "I need a third column in this row" - Template only supports two
• "Can I make the header sticky?" - Not in this template
• "The font I need isn't available" - Sorry, pick from our limited selection

Each limitation seems small. But they add up to a website that looks like everyone else's and doesn't quite fit your brand.

You've Seen This Site Before

Squarespace has around 3 million active websites. With only ~100 templates, that means each template powers roughly 30,000 websites. Browse competitor websites in your industry - how many look eerily similar?

The Brand Identity Crisis

Your website is often the first impression customers have of your business. What does it say when your website looks like a template?

• "We're just starting out" - Even if you've been in business for 20 years
• "We're not different" - Even if your service is unique
• "We didn't invest in this" - Even if you spent hours tweaking colors

Premium businesses need premium presence. A template can't communicate the unique value you bring.

The Custom Code Illusion

"But Squarespace lets you add custom code!" Yes, technically. But:

• It's limited - You can inject code, but you can't change core functionality
• It breaks - Squarespace updates can break your customizations
• It's unsupported - Custom code issues are "not covered by support"
• It requires developers - At which point, why use Squarespace?

We've rescued clients who spent thousands on Squarespace developers trying to make templates do things they weren't designed for. They would have saved money starting with a custom solution.

The Mobile Problem

Squarespace templates are "responsive" - they adapt to different screen sizes. But "responsive" doesn't mean "optimized".

Template designers make assumptions about how content should stack on mobile. These assumptions might not match your priorities:

• Your phone number buried three scrolls down
• Your key selling point hidden behind a hamburger menu
• Images sized wrong for mobile viewing
• Buttons too small to tap easily

60%+ of your visitors are on mobile. A template designed desktop-first will never give them the optimal experience.

The Performance Problem

Squarespace templates are built for flexibility, not speed. They include code for features you might use, whether you use them or not. This results in:

• Larger file sizes than necessary
• More HTTP requests
• Slower load times
• Lower Core Web Vitals scores

Google factors page speed into search rankings. A bloated template is actively hurting your SEO.

When Templates Make Sense

We're not saying templates are always wrong. They work for:

• Personal portfolios - When you just need to showcase work
• Event pages - Short-term sites with simple needs
• MVP testing - Validating an idea before investing in custom development
• Hobby projects - When you're not trying to win customers

But if your website is a core business tool - if customers find you, evaluate you, and decide to contact you based on your website - a template is compromising your results.

The Alternative

Custom doesn't mean expensive anymore. Modern static site generators and edge hosting have made custom websites:

• Faster - No database, no bloat, edge-delivered
• More secure - No CMS to hack
• Truly custom - Every pixel exactly where you want it
• Brand-aligned - Designed around YOUR business, not a template's assumptions

And because there's no platform lock-in, you own your website. Not Squarespace, not WordPress - you.

The Bottom Line

Squarespace templates are beautiful prisons. They look great from the outside, but once you're in, you're constrained by someone else's vision of what your website should be.

For serious businesses, the question isn't "how can I make this template work?" It's "what does my business actually need?" The answers are rarely the same.

Your brand deserves better than a template. Your customers deserve better than a generic experience. And you deserve a website that actually helps you win business.