My favorite Squarespace plugin resources!
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If you’ve been at this Squarespace thing long enough to feel pretty comfortable using the platform, then you might be at the point where you want to be able to do some things a little different than the template allows.
Or, maybe you’re just a “think outside the bun” kinda girl and you want to jazz it up a bit. Get it further away from the template than you otherwise could, IF you knew how to code.
Yeah, me too. Been there, done that & I’m not a developer; I’m a designer.
And if you’re here reading this, I’m guessing you are too.
Plugins (mostly CSS) will be your new best friend, ––just don’t use too many at one time… it can become confusing.
I’m sharing my trusted resources for these here, so keep reading to find out what my go-to shops & resources are!
How do (most) Squarespace plugins work?
First things first, because this term will be used a lot in this post:
CSS = Cascading Style Sheets
It’s a term for the type of code that specifically directs/targets the style of the content. That’s it; that’s all you need to know for this!
Most of the time these plugin shops will show you a demo in the product listing of what the “plugin” does, live on their own site.
When you’ve purchased it, they send you the copy-and-paste CSS for it and the better shops instruct you (well) on how to “install” it on your Squarespace site.
There’s not always a download or upload of code files, either; sometimes just a quick copy/paste, others a plugin you install in one of a few different ways depending on the functionality.
For CSS-based plugins, you copy the bit of code they give you and paste it into the Custom CSS in the Design area in the backend of your Squarespace site.
Once you’ve pasted it in, the shop’s instructions usually tell you what parts you can edit, such as color codes and font choices; and what NOT to edit. (Some I’ve purchased before actually wrote this into the CSS, so as you scroll down & change colors, fonts etc, I’d see a line in the code that literally said it wasn’t recommended that we make any changes below this area.)
Usually that’s it, but sometimes there’s a tiny bit of HTML (code) to paste into the Code Injection area in the Advanced Settings, or a code block to embed on the page to target a specific block above or below it.
Sometimes there’s even a .js or .css file to upload to the site’s assets, but that’s for more robust functionalities –not styling, typically.
It sounds more confusing than it actually is, so don’t freak out! Plus all of the shops & resources I’m sharing today have their own support, so if you DO get stuck you can reach out to them for help with your purchase.
✨ Most of these resources offer their inventory at extremely affordable prices too, and some of them even offer business licenses if you like it so much that you may want to use it for your clients’ websites also!
6 of my favorite Squarespace Tools & Resources
❶ SquareKicker*
A no-code design plugin tool specifically for Squarespace 7.1 websites & recommended by Squarespace in the Circle Member forum resources, along with many others in this list.
it writes custom code for you, based on how you choose the plugin's options & settings, so it really feels code-free!
powerful design changes at your fingertips expand how your Squarespace designs can look or become interactive, including animation effects & a lot more!
only pay for the month when you need to publish new changes with the plugin
previous & current changes made with the plugin during an active subscription STAY even when the subscription is canceled/paused
changes made during an inactive subscription period do not show on the published website, only while logged into Squarespace
It’s a phenomenal addition to any 7.1 website & their support is SUPER helpful if you need it. The owners, Nick & Hannah –and all of team SK are superb. I’ve been using it since 2020, and I can’t think of a single complaint!
LEARN MORE:
→ the best no-code Squarespace plugin
→ my honest review after using SquareKicker for 2 years
❷ Spark!
Like SquareKicker, this plugin is one that installs as a code-writing design tool and writes the code for you based on what customizations you want to make with it. I’ve never used it myself but have heard great things about it! This tool is mentioned in Circle Member forum resources, by Squarespace, and the developer is very reputable so I can imagine it’d be a very useful tool to add to your toolbelt if you’re interested.
I don’t know how/whether/if it might conflict with SquareKicker, but I’m curious to find out, so if you’ve used both together please leave a comment below & let all of us know!
❸ Elfsight*
Elfsight is more of a widget shop. Want to sync your YouTube video feed to a widget on Squarespace? Or your Google Reviews? Install a countdown timer banner with a button? Event calendar? They have 50-100 widgets designed to embed on Squarespace (and other website platforms, too, I believe) and a fantastic resource to check when you need an extra feature that Squarespace doesn’t offer.
Their pricing is based on traffic, and often you can install the widget for free until you reach that limit; from there you pay a small fee monthly to keep it on your site. The widgets are edited in their editor, within your Elfsight account, and then they give you an embed code to place inside a code block on your website. Easy and responsive for mobile.
❹ Ghost Plugins
This is a really robust place to check for copy-and-paste Squarespace plugins & a large portion of them are totally free with no signup required; they also have a growing library of paid plugins at super affordable rates. Until I started learning to write my own code, this website was (& still is) a really great and helpful resource.
They have a “Legacy” library that’s very large (literally has hundreds of plugins) for both 7.1 and 7.0, –but with the introduction of Fluid Engine some of the code in their older legacy plugins no longer work with the changes Squarespace made to the base code those plugins had targeted, so they’re currently building their new library for Fluid which is fantastic! Everything these guys do is kickass, so it’s all still a great resource depending on the age of the website you’re trying to customize.
❺ RoughWater Media’s Squarespace SEO Plugin
“SEOspace”
Finally! A “Yoast” for Squarespacers!! They’re in a private Beta round (as of posting) and will launch it to the public sometime in Q1 this year! So make sure you sign up for updates on their public launch.
This will be a Chrome extension that is NOT actually installed on your website, but just looks at your website from your browser. It will give you a 20+ point checklist and use a rating system with scores, similar to Yoast for Showit & Wordpress, providing suggestions on what can be improved in the page’s SEO & tell you what you’re already doing really well.
I could NOT be more excited to try this out!!
❻ SquareWebsites
This is a small but MIGHTY plugin shop that has about 15 plugins including several I’ve purchased: custom pagination for blog/collection pages, the Universal Filter, and their “famous” Chrome extension subscription that helps you easily migrate content from 7.0 sites to 7.1 sites.
I finally bought the Chrome extension in late 2020 —& wish I had purchased it YEARS ago. It’s that good & does so much more than migrate data between sites & platforms. Worth. Every. Penny. Even after it changed from a one-time payment to a subscription model, I keep paying for it every year because Michael, the owner & developer, is wonderful & his invention in this extension is crazy-good, especially if you’re also a web designer yourself.
I will say, some of their awesome features like copying page content & inserting it elsewhere doesn’t work in Fluid Engine’s editor (Classic Editor works best) –but Squarespace has given us Saved Sections so that’s not a big deal anymore –and I assume team SW is working to bring more functionality to Fluid Engine’s editor anyway.
LEARN MORE:
→ SquareWebsites Tools Pro Chrome extension - what is it, what can it do & is it worth it? (yes!)
10+ More Squarespace Plugin Shops + Resources I love!
Omari has some really nice and unique plugins here which are more focused on adding functionality to your website, than styling blocks on your site.
If you’re a professional designer like me, his bundle (which gets ya all his plugins for 1 much lower price) is phenomenal! He has solutions for countdown timers, accordions with content inside, RSS feeds for connecting something like a YouTube channel to a Summary block, and A LOT more!
There’s also a really neat “Lightbox Anything Plugin” which allows you to create a lightbox…for, well, nearly anything! I’ve used this one for a few past clients & it’s a great feature that comes in handy in all kinds of places, as I show in this post about lightboxing videos.
His website is an incredible resource with a handful of really powerful plugins for 7.1 and a fantastic code-focused blog with free tips & code snippets with installation instructions. I’ve used a few of his plugins on client sites in the past & often refer people to his website as yet another amazing resource!
One of my favorites is his blog teaching (free) how to add a search icon to a header navigation in 7.1 –yes, that’s how I have one in mine!
Another great reputable Squarespace resource with a handful of plugins that pack a real punch!
This is where I got my handy Automatic Table of Contents feature from that’s on most of my blog posts, in case you’re curious. 😉
Not only is her blog suuuuuper helpful, literally you walking you through each step of the code installation & what each bit of the code does in stages. Her code shop also has trainings & plugins for a ton of stuff.
She also offers a great “Snippet Directory” which has TONS of CSS snippets that are really useful, and she has a members club for an all-access pass to everything.
Another great resource for Squarespace shops, specifically filling the feature-gaps for things Squarespace doesn’t include, like age verification popups, breadcrumbs, cart UX fixes, currency displays, and more.
With just two offers, her shop is simple but one you can’t forget! She has a Chrome Extension you might be familiar with (Squarespace ID Finder) and a plugin that installs a blog footer with custom content –across every blog post in any/individual blog collection pages. I’ve used this Blog footer plugin twice and it’s SUCH a useful tool for content marketers using Squarespace for their CMS (content management system).
This site has both plugins for features & customizations and a Chrome extension that helps deal with Fluid Engine’s lack of a tablet breakpoint.
I’ve used a couple of their plugins for clients in the past. They have some unusual options that are more features than simple customizations, so definitely worth checking out!
Becca created a really great resource of short, easy-to-implement, tutorials for Squarespace and her Custom CSS cheatsheet is LITerally 100+ pages last I recall. From her famously succinct 5-ish minute tutorial videos & code snippets in her posts to the cheatsheet & more, Becca’s always a great source of CSS info and super active in the Squarespace community in general.
Rache has a great shop with some really unique & powerful features, and she doesn’t just give you the code & let ya run loose with it. In many cases each plugin comes with a detailed mini-course on how to install & use it too.
Get these plugins while the shop is still live, because word on the street is that Rache is RETIRING the shop soon, to focus more on helping her students inside Standout Squarespace* and Standout Shopify!
I’ve not purchased from this shop, but it’s listed as a resource for us Circle Members, by Squarespace and looks like a great option to check out!
⓲ AtList
Want an attractive-looking map that shows multiple locations on it? It’s a subscription, but it’s gorgeous, easy to us, maintain and & embed in your Squarespace websites (or other platforms too!)
Want a beautiful directory on your Squarespace site, where members can add/edit their own profiles & help you manage & maintain it?? CommunityBox is (yet) another subscription, but works great for exactly this purpose!
Ready to learn more?
If you’re code-averse, SquareKicker is an excellent option that writes SO many coded customizations for you & updates/maintains the customizations even if Squarespace updates the code on their end.
If you’re code-curious, Rache of SquareStylist actually has a seriously badass course teaching how to code on Squarespace, specifically & you cannot imagine how comprehensive it is. Worth every penny!
