Should I Switch From Squarespace 7.0 to Squarespace 7.1?
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In early 2020, Squarespace introduced its new 7.1 version to the world. Over the past two years, they have been tweaking and improving its content editor, which has recently seen the introduction of its exciting Fluid Engine. But today, I want to hopefully help those working on version 7.0 or have websites in 7.0 and have started wondering, "Should I make the switch?"
To start, it must be clear that I am only going to talk from my personal view and that we may have pros and cons to switching from Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1.
For starters, if you are not making structural changes or planning a redesign soon, keep your site at 7.0. You are staying caught up. The Squarespace team is still getting rid of it for a while (well, I believe they're not). It can still provide an excellent foundation for creating an eye-catching, professional website.
How is Squarespace 7.1 different than 7.0?
The first big difference is that it will be fine with whatever template you choose. The latest version of Squarespace makes picking a template very straightforward: you will pick the design you like and not worry about whether it has a particular function. Squarespace also recently added stackable page segment features to Squarespace 7.1, letting you select a look identical to the nested index page from the Brine package.
You may also notice the style settings have changed, so now you can set global styles for your site and customize sections of each page so that each section has a different font colour, background colour, etc. If you have been using 7.0, it may seem strange. After getting a custom to it, you will appreciate the function as it speeds up selecting the colours and fonts.
Some areas have yet to be changed, for example, the SEO settings for both are consistent, and most of the other general site settings are nothing new to get used to. So the two big standouts are the template selection and the new global style options.
How do I move between Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1?
Unfortunately, Squarespace does not have the option to have content imported from one version to the other. I know that is not a great feeling when you are itching to use the new 7.1 features. But moving from one site to another is more manageable than you would think.
Thankfully, suppose you already have a website. In that case, it will mean you already have the content, images and design figured out, which will speed up the process. But it is a process, I switched to a site with 50+ pages and 20+ blogs, and at first, it was daunting, but as I got on with it, the actual transfer seemed quite pleasant and therapeutic.
I came across another option; this one was a Chrome extension, and paying for a subscription would allow you to easily import/export content across Squarespace websites. If you were looking to do one website, there is a trial, and here you would get five days that could get the job done for you, but you should also check out their features as it provides a lot more than that.
I thoroughly support Squarespace's latest version, but it is only for some. Before you move your website from Squarespace version 7.0 to version 7.1, here are a few things to consider:
Squarespace 7.1 is not an automatic conversion: You will want to set up a new site before transferring to Squarespace 7.1.
Mirror links from the old to the new website: When you migrate your site to Squarespace 7.1, it's simple to mess up your URLs and redirects.
My conclusion
There is a good deal to digest, and it is essential to digest it all. Remember that moving from 7.0 to 7.1 is a process; you can do it quickly. Unless you have given yourself a time frame, read more and find other articles that help cover the questions you're still looking for answers to.
I am happy with my decision to switch to Squarespace 7.1. The first step was dauting, and it took adding multiple pages to get excited about choosing the new 7.1 websites for the business. But it was well worth the fine-tuning period for this website. It also made my workflow even more efficient and gave me greater flexibility with the page layouts. Being able to re-think a page that may have been forgotten was refreshing. For example, I had to copy and paste content, so I had the opportunity to tweak content and ensure the URL slugs were correct.