Preparing to migrate to Squarespace 7.1
While many features are available in both Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1, version 7.1 offers more flexibility in customizing designs. That’s why I helped a client update her website to Squarespace 7.1 before we worked on rebranding.
Don't worry. There's no need to move to Squarespace 7.1.
You don't need to upgrade your website any time soon. There are no announced plans to move away from Squarespace 7.0. If you remain with Squarespace 7.0, you'll still have access to new features that have been applied to both versions.
But if you’re ready to update your website, here are the steps I recommend to prepare your Squarespace 7.0 website for an update and then use the update tool to move it to Squarespace 7.1.
Be aware that the update is permanent — you can’t downgrade back to Squarespace 7.0 after the update.
You must already be on a paid plan to use the Squarespace update tool. The update tool isn’t available for a trial website.
Does your 7.0 website use the right template?
Your 7.0 website must be derived from either the Bedford or Brine template families to update it to 7.1 with the Squarespace update tool. If it doesn’t use a compatible template, you’ll need to switch to a different Squarespace 7.0 template, as described in Step 2 below.
Templates that are update-compatible
If your Squarespace 7.0 website uses one of these templates, it is compatible with the update tool and you can skip the step of installing a different Squarespace 7.0 template:
Anya, Aria, Basil, Bedford, Blend, Brine, Bryant, Burke, Cacao, Clay, Custom Template, Ethan, Fairfield, Feed, Foster, Greenwich, Hatch, Hayden, Heights, Hunter, Hyde, Impact, Jaunt, Juke, Keene, Kin, Lincoln, Maple, Margot, Marta, Mentor, Mercer, Miller, Mojave, Moksha, Motto, Nueva, Pedro, Polaris, Pursuit, Rally, Rover, Royce, Sofia, Sonny, Sonora, Stella, Thorne, Vow, Wav, West
About template families in Squarespace 7.0
Which template does your website use?
If you don't know which template your Squarespace 7.0 website uses, open the Pages section of your website editor and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the Version number. If your website is using Squarespace 7.0, you'll also see the template it's using.
Finding your website’s version and template.
Prepare to move to Squarespace 7.1
Step 1. Tidy up your website
Before you migrate to Squarespace 7.1, it’s a great time to clean up your website. Remove obsolete pages and redirect them with URL mappings to an active page. Update photos and content. Fix broken links.
2. Prepare content and install a compatible Squarespace 7.0 template (if needed)
You’ll need to install a different Squarespace 7.0 template if you're not using a template derived from the Bedford or Brine families, as described above.
If you already have a compatible template on your Squarespace 7.0 template, you can skip this step and move to the next step.
Switching templates in version 7.0
Fix any content that will be lost after the switch to a different Squarespace 7.0 template.
Unlike the newer version of Squarespace, Squarespace 7.0 template families have different underlying architecture. Some templates have features that will be lost when you install a different Squarespace 7.0 template.
For example, in changing from the Five template to Bedford for my client, we needed to move all text from header sections to regular text sections so it wouldn't be lost in the change from Five to Bedford.
Choose a template from the compatible Brine or Bedford template families listed above and preview it on your site.
Make the new template live.
Remove the Demo pages and restore your live website pages in the navigation.
Review the site and fix anything that looks strange about the text formatting or photo placements.
Prepare to update to Squarespace 7.1
Some features aren't available after you update to Squarespace 7.1, such as blog sidebars, header taglines, the Share button, a Search block in the header bar.
Be aware of those unsupported features and make changes to your website before migrating.
Differences between version 7.0 and 7.1
Make a copy of the 7.0 website
Duplicate the website so you have a visual reminder of what your website looked like on 7.0. You can copy a website of up to 100 pages. The copied website will be a trial website; you can discard it after you’ve finished migration and verified that everything looks ok on the upgraded site.
Update your website to Squarespace 7.1
Use the Squarespace update tool to move your website from 7.0 to 7.1. You can’t undo the update after you click Publish Update.
Review your updated website.
The migration tool works very well, but you should review how things look and fix any styling or formatting that needs adjusting.
Getting more help
Help from Squarespace
Moving from Squarespace version 7.0 to version 7.1
Help from me
I can also help you with a 7.0-to-7.1 version update. Schedule your free 30-minute consultation so we can talk about it.
