Common Squarespace Mistakes That Hurt Your Website’s Performance
Squarespace makes it super easy to build a beautiful website, but even the best platforms can't protect us from our own mistakes. And trust me, I've seen it all—from slow load times to confusing navigation that sends visitors running. The good news? Most of these issues are totally fixable!
Let’s break down some of the most common Squarespace mistakes that could be hurting your website’s performance—and how to fix them so your site shines.
1. Ignoring Mobile Optimization (Because Everyone’s on Their Phone)
It’s 2025—most of your visitors are checking out your site from their phone, not a desktop. If your website doesn’t look great on mobile, you’re losing potential customers.
The Fix: Always preview your site in mobile mode before publishing. Go to Design > Site Styles and adjust fonts, buttons, and images to ensure they’re responsive and easy to tap.
2. Uploading Massive Images That Slow Your Site Down
A picture might be worth a thousand words, but if your images are huge, they’re also costing you valuable site speed. Slow load times = frustrated visitors who bounce before they even see your content.
The Fix: Resize your images before uploading using tools like TinyPNG. Aim for under 500KB per image without sacrificing quality.
3. Forgetting to Customize Page Titles & Descriptions (A.K.A. SEO Disaster)
Squarespace does not magically optimize your site for search engines—you have to tell Google what your site is about. Leaving default page titles and descriptions in place is like waving a “Don’t Rank Me” flag.
The Fix: Go to Marketing > SEO and customize your page titles and meta descriptions with relevant keywords that describe your business.
4. Overloading Your Navigation Menu
This is easily my biggest pet peeve regarding websites…. Spoiler alert, it’s a lot of other people’s pet peeve too.
If your main navigation looks like a never-ending list of pages, your visitors are going to feel overwhelmed. Too many choices lead to confusion, and confused visitors don’t stick around.
The Fix: Keep your main menu simple—stick to essential pages like Home, About, Services, and Contact. Use dropdowns or a footer menu for extra links.
5. Not Using Call-to-Action Buttons (AKA Leaving Money on the Table)
Visitors won’t magically know what to do next unless you tell them. If your site lacks clear, compelling calls to action (CTAs), you’re missing out on leads and sales.
The Fix: Add buttons like “Book a Call,” “Shop Now,” or “Sign Up” in key places on your site—your homepage, service pages, and even your blog posts.
6. Using Too Many Fonts and Colors (Hello, Chaos!)
Your website should look polished and cohesive, not like a digital scrapbook of every font and color in existence. Too many design elements create visual clutter and make your brand feel unprofessional.
The Fix: Stick to 2-3 fonts and a cohesive color palette. You can adjust these in Design > Site Styles for a polished, branded look.
7. Forgetting to Test Your Contact Form (Oops!)
Imagine a potential client tries to reach you… and your contact form doesn’t work. Yikes! This happens more often than you’d think, and it’s a huge missed opportunity.
The Fix: Regularly test your contact form by sending yourself a message to ensure everything is working smoothly.
8. Not Setting Up Analytics (Flying Blind is Never a Good Idea)
How do you know if your site is working if you’re not tracking your traffic? Without analytics, you’re guessing instead of making data-driven decisions.
The Fix: Connect Google Analytics or use Squarespace’s built-in analytics to track your visitors, page performance, and conversions.
9. Ignoring Broken Links (Dead Ends Frustrate Visitors)
Few things are more annoying than clicking on a link and getting a 404 error. Broken links make your site look neglected and can hurt your SEO.
The Fix: Regularly check for broken links using Squarespace’s built-in Broken Link Checker.
10. Launching Without a Clear Strategy (Because Websites Need a Plan)
A website isn’t just something pretty to look at—it needs to work for your business. If you don’t have a clear goal for your site, you’re just throwing pages together and hoping for the best.
The Fix: Before launching, map out your customer journey. What do you want visitors to do? Make sure your site structure, content, and calls to action guide them toward that goal.
The Bottom Line
Your Squarespace site should be working for you, not against you. By avoiding these common mistakes and making a few strategic tweaks, you can improve your site’s performance, boost engagement, and turn visitors into loyal customers.
Need a website that’s beautiful, easy to customize, and optimized for success? Contact me today and let’s set up a time to chat!
