Designing A Squarespace Website When You Don't Have Photographs

Images can grab your visitor's attention the moment they visit your site, however, if you don't have images available, you can still create a beautiful website that will engage with visitors. Whether you're building a writer's portfolio, present scientific data or launching your business, you can create a beautiful Squarespace website without custom images or graphic design. Here's how.

First Step: Choosing Your Squarespace Website Template

One of the significant advantages Squarespace offers is that it is a template-based platform While you can build a text-based site with any Squarespace website template, some are specifically designed to work better with simple text, putting your words front and center. 

The following are some templates to start your search. Start with any of these, switch over from another template or check out their demo sites for inspiration. Here are a few to look check out:

• Pursuit– Pursuit features a stacked index page that creates a single page site with multiple sections. A large header at both the top and bottom of the page anchor your information, while a two-column design creates visual interest. This template is part of the Brine Family.

• Montauk– If you're looking for a “clean layout, give Montauk a look. Its layout, and information header guide visitors to the information they're seeking, while banners use a few neutral images effectively. Check out the entire Montauk Family of templates here. 

• Taylor – Taylor uses a mix of different layouts and font styles to grab the readers attention. Short easy to read chunks of text and a helpful footer keep your visitors focused on the content that matters. Taylor is part of the York familyof templates.

Next, Add your Content

Squarespace gives you many ways to add content to your website pages. Two of the best options are:

Regular page

This is basically slate. You can customize text blocks to add content, and you also have other options like form, newsletter and button blocks.

Blog Page

Beyond simply blogging, a blog page can be a great landing page. You can link to examples of your work by setting up a blog page, then adding posts for each piece of content you want to feature. You can continue to add new examples as your portfolio grows.

Creating Interesting Layouts

After adding content to a post, you can move blocks to create columns, and different layouts to break up your page. This is the perfect way to break up blocks of text to make your content easier to scan. You can format by adding headers, bullet points, different text sizes, colors, and fonts. 

There are also some additional elements you can add to your site that aren't text blocks or images, like:

• CTA buttons
• Changing background colors
• Separating ideas using line blocks
• Links to your social media profiles
• Branding your site with a unique logo
• Create charts and graphs.

While these are all interesting and effective design elements, adding a few images to your site can make a significant impact on visitors level of engagement. 

Options For Adding Stock Images To Your Squarespace Website

While custom images like headshots, or product images are an excellent way to engage visitors. If you don't have access to proprietary images, there are plenty of options available that can provide you with free or low-cost, professionally shot images for your site. 

Squarespace has partnered with Unsplash to give their users access to free stock photography for use on their Squarespace website. Simply search Unsplash's collections from anywhere you can add an image on Squarespace, including image blocks, gallery blocks, gallery pages, cover pages that support images, banners, backgrounds, and mobile fallback images.

Unsplash images can be copied, modified, downloaded and distributed for free, even in commercial applications. No license is required.

If you're looking for something a bit more custom, Squarespace also has partnered with Getty Images. There, you can license editorial and stock photography from their selection of millions of images, for use on your website. Images can be previewed on your site until you find the one(s) you like. You then pay for the image and receive a watermark free, high-resolution version. Licensed photos can be reused as many times as you want on your Squarespace website. 

Using Canva For Graphic Design Elements On A Squarespace Website

If you're considering creating a custom website, Canva is an excellent tool. You can create beautiful, dynamic designs by choosing from over a million layouts, stock photographs, and illustrations. Search from the best graphics, photos, and fonts the use Canva's drag and drop tool to create your design. 

Canva is an intuitive interface that allows you to screen images, templates, photos, and more. By just clicking on the menu bar, you can choose the elements you'd like to search. They appear in a scrollable window next to the drag and drop area. You can preview layouts, or create your own from scratch. It's an excellent platform if you are looking for something a little more customized to match your brand.

Squarespace websites, whether you create them on the platform, or using a third-party app like Canva, are the perfect way to promote your business. Whether your site is text-based, features stock photography, or uses custom images, Squarespace offers you the ability to quickly and easily create a website that can help you to develop your brand, generate more qualified leads, and close more sales, with or without images.

Additional Information on Squarespace Website Construction

Search Engine Optimization: Building A Squarespace Website For SEO

Squarespace Index VS Folders: Website Information Architecture

Marketing Your Business Using a Pop-Up on a Squarespace Website