5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Customizing a Squarespace Template

Editor’s note: I see great templates turn into “DIY soup” during edits. Big Cat Creative specialize in Squarespace templates, so I asked them to break down the five mistakes that cause that—and what to do instead.

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The reason you buy a template is so you can start with a design that is already good. It's supposed to look better than designing it yourself from scratch! (Right!? 😅)

But if you're not careful, and if you don't have a plan going in, your template could turn into a bit of DIY mess.

At Big Cat Creative, we've helped thousands of small businesses and creatives design stunning websites using our premium Squarespace Templates. So, we've seen it all. The beautiful, the fun, the bold, and the... well... almost-there.

Our goal is for everyone to have a website that they love and are proud of. Using a Squarespace Template is a great way to make this happen. You get to invest in professional level website design at a fraction of the cost, and you learn so much along the way.

But, if you're using a template, you're probably not a designer (that's the point!). And if you rush through the process, your websites could end up looking a bit disjointed, messy, and DIY'd (not in the fun, scrapbook way).

As a non-designer, it's hard to put your finger on just what it is that is making your site look not as put together as it should.

Luckily, usually it's only a few small tweaks that will make it all come together and look legit.

So whether you’re just shopping templates, mid-edit or almost ready to launch, we're here to give you some tips that will help you get the most out of your template, produce something that actually looks good, and feel proud of the website you built!

MISTAKE #1: Over-Customizing Until It Doesn’t Look Like Anything like the Original Template Anymore

We get it. You want your site to feel like you. And you should customize it!

But when you move every block, change every section, and swap out every layout, you lose the visual structure and conversion strategy that made the template so powerful (and beautiful) in the first place.

If you haven't bought a template yet, consider this when you're choosing:

Will this template work with the layout and structure of my content? We always recommend finding a template that aligns best with the structure that you need.

This means you'll need to go in with an idea of what you need. Make a bit of a game plan first: Map out the pages you need, then roughly what you want on those pages.

We wouldn't recommend choosing a template based on colors, fonts and images. Because these are the things that can be changed most easily. In Squarespace, changing colors and fonts across your entire site is often just a few clicks.

Changing layout structure and moving blocks however is very time consuming, and a fast track to messing up the layout of the template.

Some layout tweaks are usually needed, but you'll get to where you want to go faster, and get a way better final result, if you choose a template that doesn't need to much tweaking in the first place.

What to do if you already have a template and the layout sections aren't working?

Instead of editing the template sections, try looking around your site for sections that have already been included in the template that you can duplicate and move to where you need. This way you know the section looks good already, and it will save you time!

Really stuck on a bit of your content that just won't fit in the template? At Big Cat Creative, we offer support for this sort of thing! With our templates, you get free email support included where we can give you design and technical advice to get you un-stuck!

MISTAKE #2: Only Updating Some of Your Brand Colors

One of the easiest ways to break the cohesive, pro-level look of your site is by changing some of the template colors, but not all of them.

You may have updated the main color themes, but if any buttons, fonts, or shapes still have the template demo colors, it shows.

What to do:

Before you start customizing, make sure you have a clear brand color palette.

(Psst—Big Cat Creative templates come with built-in Canva color guides that will help you create your own color palette you can slot into the template easily!).

Then, update every area of your site to reflect it. This is usually pretty easily done within Squarespace's built-in Color Palette editor. But as you work through the design of each page, pay attention to accent colors, shapes and other on-page elements, as these still might have some of the template colors.

You'll hear us say this a lot, but, consistency is what makes a site feel professional! So if you're consistent with your color palette, it'll make a huge difference.

💡 Tip! You actually don't have to change the template color palette. If creating a color palette is overwhelming, and you dont have a custom palette for your brand yet, just keep the colors the template comes with. They already look good!

MISTAKE #3: Skipping the Final Launch Checklist

You’re “done”… but your site still has broken links, leftover demo text, or unnamed pages 😬

A lot of people get through the build, hit publish, and walk away. And we totally get it.

The build can be pretty time consuming. Even with the most beautiful template, and the best resources and support (we're pretty confident we hold that title!), building a website is a big mental load. It's rewarding, and can be really fun, but it can also be tough.

So, we see a lot of people pushing "launch" on a site that's 90% there.

And look, if that's all you have left in the tank, that's better than nothing. But if you're trying to take your site from slapped-together to showstopper, then pleaseee put the finishing touches on it!

What to do:

Run through a proper "launch checklist" before you go live. That means:

• Checking for spelling mistakes

• Testing every button and link

• Reviewing your site on mobile and tablet

• Making sure there's no demo content leftover

• Adding SEO titles and descriptions

• Updating your favicon

• And yes—we have a full "Final Launch" checklist with tutorials on how to do ALL of this included in our templates 🤗

MISTAKE #4: Using Low-Quality or Inconsistent Imagery

Even the best-designed template can’t shine if your photos are doing it dirty 😩

You don’t need to hire a pro photographer (though if you can, go for it!). But you do need to be intentional about the imagery you use.

Grainy selfies, random stock photos, or a mishmash of styles can make your site feel messy and unprofessional.

What to do instead:

• Choose high-quality, high-resolution photos that reflect your brand’s vibe

• Stick to a consistent look and feel—consider lighting, tone, editing style, and composition

• Curate visuals that match your message and connect with your dream clients

You want your images to support your design—not distract from it. Think of them as the outfit your site is wearing. If the design is the structure, the photos are what bring it to life.

Oh yeah, and, if you get a template from Big Cat Creative, we have a whole lesson on how to choose high quality, cohesive imagery, and the best places to source them from (from free to paid!).

MISTAKE #5: Choosing the Wrong Fonts

Fonts are a huge factor in the success of your web design. The right fonts will elevate your design to professional level. The wrong ones can make your whole site feel outdated or hard to read (no matter how gorgeous your layout is).

Here are some quick font rules to live by when customizing your site:

• Avoid overly decorative or trendy fonts for headings. Script fonts, hand-written styles, and super stylized type can be hard to read and often look amateur when overused. It can be great in small amounts as design elements, rather than text that actually needs to be read.

• Go with something more timeless. Fonts go in and out of fashion as fast as skinny jeans. To avoid looking outdated, go with a more timeless and less trendy type. The most expensive-looking sites often use the simplest fonts.

• Avoid mixing too many font styles. One for headings and one for body text is usually enough.

💡 And as always, if you don’t have established brand fonts, feel free to just stick with the template’s original font pairing. It's yours to use, and it was chosen for a reason (because it looks goooood 💅).

So, how do you build a site that actually looks great?

There's no better feeling than being proud and excited to share you site. Putting yourself out there is hard! Having a beautiful site makes it SO much easier.

And we really believe that using a premium Squarespace template is one of the smartest moves you can make as a solopreneur.

It will save you so much money on custom design fees, you'll learn SO much through the process, and you really can create something beautiful.

But, it's important to avoid these common mistakes to help you keep the pro-level polish and bring your unique brand personality to the forefront.

Remember: you don’t need to be a designer to have a beautiful, strategic website—you just need the right tools, guidance and a bit of DIY spirit ✨

Big Cat Creative Squarespace templates come packed with designer-curated fonts, cohesive color guides, image inspo, a final launch checklist, step-by-step tutorials and 1:1 support—everything you need to launch a high-converting site you actually love.

We want you to be proud of your website, and the fact that you built it!

Best Survey Tools for Squarespace: What to Use When Squarespace Forms Aren’t Enough

Squarespace Forms are fine until they are not.

If you need a simple contact form, newsletter signup, or basic intake form, the native Squarespace Form Block can usually handle it. It is already built into Squarespace, it matches your site styling, and it can send submissions to email, Google Drive, Mailchimp, Zapier, or Squarespace Email Campaigns depending on your setup.

But once you need a real survey, quiz, application, onboarding form, payment form, or conditional workflow, Squarespace Forms can start to feel limited.

That is where third-party form tools come in.

The right tool depends less on which form builder is “best” and more on what job the form needs to do.

Use Squarespace Forms if the form is simple

Start with the native Squarespace Form Block if you only need a basic form.

For example:

A contact form
A newsletter signup
A simple inquiry form
A lightweight RSVP
A short internal questionnaire

The benefit is obvious: you do not have to embed anything, style anything from scratch, or send visitors into a third-party experience. The form lives directly inside your Squarespace site.

The limitation is that Squarespace Forms are not really built for advanced surveys. Once you need branching logic, scoring, calculations, multi-step experiences, advanced reporting, or a more polished respondent experience, it usually makes sense to use a dedicated form tool.

You can also connect Squarespace forms to other apps through Zapier, but that integration only works with form blocks, newsletter blocks, and cover page forms. It is useful, but it does not turn Squarespace into a full survey platform.

Best for: simple native forms where convenience matters more than advanced functionality.

Use Tally if you want the easiest flexible form builder

Tally is one of the best options for Squarespace users who want more flexibility without making the form-building process feel heavy.

It feels more like writing a document than building a complicated form. You can create forms quickly, add conditional logic, use hidden fields, collect files, redirect people after submission, and embed the form into Squarespace with a code block.

This makes it a strong choice for lead capture, client intake, feedback forms, applications, and simple quizzes.

The main reason I’d look at Tally first is that it gives many small businesses and solo operators enough power without forcing them into an expensive or overly complex setup. Its pricing is also generous: the free plan includes unlimited forms and submissions under fair-use guidelines, and Tally Pro is currently $29/month.

Best for: flexible lead capture, client onboarding, applications, and clean embedded forms.

Use Typeform if the experience matters most

Typeform is still one of the best-known options for forms that need to feel polished and conversational.

Instead of showing a long traditional form, Typeform presents questions one at a time. That can make the experience feel more personal, especially for quizzes, customer research, feedback surveys, and application forms where the tone matters.

It can be a good fit when the form is part of the brand experience, not just a data collection tool.

The tradeoff is price and limits. Typeform can get expensive depending on response volume and features, so it is usually better for forms where the presentation and completion experience are worth paying for. You can check its current plans on the Typeform pricing page.

Best for: stylish surveys, quizzes, applications, and customer experience forms.

Use Google Forms if you just need something free and basic

Google Forms is not the most beautiful option, but it is hard to beat for simple internal surveys.

It is free, familiar, easy to build, and simple to share or embed. If you are collecting internal feedback, running a school survey, gathering basic event responses, or sending a quick questionnaire to a small group, Google Forms may be enough.

Google also provides instructions for how to embed a Google Form on a website, which makes it usable inside Squarespace through an embed/code block.

The downside is that it usually feels like Google Forms. You do not get the same level of visual control, brand polish, or embedded experience you would get from tools like Tally, Typeform, Paperform, or Jotform.

Best for: internal surveys, quick polls, school projects, and low-stakes data collection.

Use Paperform if the form is closer to a landing page

Paperform is useful when your form needs to do more than ask questions.

It can work well for forms that include explanations, images, payments, booking details, product choices, or calculations. In that sense, it sits somewhere between a form builder and a lightweight landing page builder.

That can make it a strong fit for events, paid workshops, service applications, registrations, quote requests, and more involved client intake flows.

If the form needs context around it, Paperform may be a better fit than a bare form embed. You can compare current plans on the Paperform pricing page.

Best for: event forms, paid registrations, quote requests, service applications, and forms that need more explanation.

Use Jotform if you need lots of features

Jotform is one of the most feature-packed form builders available.

It has a large template library, conditional logic, file uploads, payment fields, signatures, approvals, tables, and many integrations. If you have a very specific form requirement, Jotform has probably built something for it.

That flexibility can be useful, but it can also make Jotform feel heavier than necessary for simple Squarespace forms.

I would look at Jotform when the form has operational complexity: applications, waivers, payments, document collection, approvals, signatures, or workflows that need more than a clean front-end experience. You can review the current limits and plans on the Jotform pricing page.

Best for: complex forms, payments, file uploads, signatures, approvals, and operational workflows.

So which one should you use?

Here is the simple version.

Use Squarespace Forms when the form is basic and you want to keep everything native.

Use Tally when you want a clean, flexible form that embeds easily and does not feel overbuilt.

Use Typeform when the respondent experience is part of the value.

Use Google Forms when you need something free, fast, and internal.

Use Paperform when the form needs to act more like a landing page, registration page, or payment flow.

Use Jotform when the form needs advanced features or operational complexity.

The mistake is assuming every form on a Squarespace site needs to be solved the same way.

A contact form, client intake form, paid workshop registration, customer survey, application form, and quiz may all look similar from the outside, but they are doing different jobs.

The best tool is the one that matches the job.

Plugin	Best For	Logic Jumps	Custom Branding	Free Plan	Price (Paid)
Tally.so	Simplicity + flexibility	✅	✅	✅	$29/mo
Typeform	Stylish UX	✅	✅	✅	$25/mo
Google Forms	Basic, no-frills surveys	✅	❌	✅	Free
Paperform	Surveys + payment/forms	✅	✅	✅	$24/mo
Jotform	Feature-rich form builder	✅	✅	✅	$34/mo
Squarespace Form + Zapier	Native + automated workflows	❌ (basic)	Limited	✅	Varies

10 Years of SQSP Themes

Ten years ago, I wasn’t trying to build a company. I was trying to make a living—living.

I wanted proof that it was possible to create something once and have it pay me back over time.
Something that didn’t tie me to a client’s schedule or an employer’s expectations. Something that let me be home. Be present. Be free.

That was the seed behind SQSPThemes.

But the real pressure came from something else: my daughter has special needs, and my wife and I knew we wanted to homeschool our kids. We needed flexibility. We needed presence. We needed a business model that didn't require me to be "on" 60 hours a week.

The freelance hustle wasn't just unsustainable—it was incompatible with the life we wanted to build.

So I had this crazy idea: what if I could create something that worked while I slept? What if I could build once and sell forever? What if there was a way to serve people without being chained to my laptop?

The emotional urgency behind SQSP Themes wasn't about getting rich. It was about getting free.

How It Actually Grew

I started simple. Squarespace was exploding, but their plugin ecosystem was practically non-existent. Customers were Googling things specific problems and finding nothing.

So we built the things they were already looking for.

The growth was beautifully boring:

• SEO: I wrote about problems people actually had

• Affiliates: I built relationships with other brands

• Product-led growth: Happy customers told other designers

No paid ads. No fancy launches. No growth hacking. Just solving real problems for people who were actively searching for solutions.

What made it work was a very simple model:

• One-time purchase, lifetime value

• Digital delivery, no shipping or inventory

• Lean operations, no team to manage

• Repeat customers who trusted the brand

By year three, I was making more from plugins than freelancing. By year five, I could ignore my phone for a week and the business kept running. By year seven, I was working a few hours a month.

It wasn't sexy (well, ok maybe it is). But it was exactly what I needed.

What I'd Do Differently

If I could go back and rebuild SQSP Themes from scratch, knowing what I know now, I'd make three changes:

I'd implement a subscription model from day one. Customers are already paying $200-300 for our business bundles. They're telling us they want comprehensive access to everything. A $19-39/month subscription would have been a no-brainer for most of our customer base. Instead of $1.2M in lifetime revenue, we probably could have hit $1.2M annually.

I'd have turned back on the service lever. The agency inquiries never stopped coming. "Can you build this custom?" "Can you handle our client implementation?" "Can you white-label this for our team?" I said no to almost everything because I was obsessed with the product-only model. But there was easily another $500K+ annually in high-margin service revenue I left on the table. Custom implementations, done-for-you setups, agency partnerships—the demand was there, I just wasn't paying attention.

I'd believe in the upside sooner. For years, I treated this like a lifestyle business that happened to be profitable. I was so focused on keeping it simple that I missed opportunities to scale. There's nothing wrong with lifestyle businesses—but I left a lot of growth on the table by thinking too small.

What It Gave Me

I started this business in search of proof.

Material proof that what we do spiritually and emotionally ripples out into the digital and physical world.

It gave me proof that alignment between who you're becoming and what you're building creates something sustainable. That you don't have to choose between inner growth and outer success.

It gave me the time to be present when my daughter needed extra support. The flexibility to homeschool my kids without financial stress. The mental space to think about what I actually wanted instead of just what paid the bills.

Most importantly, it gave me the confidence to step away. When you build something that can run without you, you prove to yourself that you're not just trading time for money—you're creating real value.

That's freedom.

The Next Chapter

Now I'm in a new season.

My kids are getting older and need different things from me. My wife and I are launching new projects that require more focus. After a decade of building in public and growing organically, I'm being called to step back and be more intentional about where I spend my energy.

SQSP Themes has been an incredible foundation for this next chapter. It's taught me that you can build something meaningful without sacrificing what matters most. The business runs itself, the customers are happy, and there's still so much room to grow in ways I never pursued.

I'm excited to see what this next decade brings—both for me personally and for the businesses that are just getting started in this space.

To everyone who bought a plugin, shared a resource, joined the Facebook group, or just followed along on this journey—thank you. You didn't just support a business, you supported a dream of what work could look like.

To the designers and agencies who trusted our tools with their client projects—thank you for letting us be part of something bigger.

To the affiliate partners who believed in what we were building—thank you for growing this thing beyond what one person could do alone.

And to anyone reading this who's trying to prove something of their own: it's possible. Start simple. Stay consistent. Build something that matters.

Ten years from now, you might be writing your own reflection post.

Want to connect or share your own journey? Hit reply or reach out. I love hearing from fellow builders who are designing businesses around the lives they actually want to live.