You don’t need a developer, a six-week custom build, or a secret stash of coding knowledge to make your Squarespace website feel custom

If you’re using a template and wondering why your site still feels a bit… basic? This one’s for you.

The truth is: it’s not just about what template you choose. It’s how you use it.

There are a few simple (but wildly effective) tweaks that can make your Squarespace website feel intentional, elevated, and totally you, without touching a single line of code.

Let’s walk through the top things you can do right now to make your Squarespace site feel custom.

1. Nail Your Colour and Font Consistency

First things first: set your foundations.

This might sound obvious, but so many sites feel “off” simply because they haven’t nailed consistent styling.

Go into your Design > Site Styles and make sure:

1. You’re using no more than 2–3 fonts (a heading font, body font, and maybe a fun accent font if you’re feeling bold)
2. Your colour palette is defined and used with purpose

We see it all the time: people pull in random colours manually on each section or switch between font sizes and styles without intention. It chips away at the cohesiveness of your brand.

✨ Pro tip: If you’re not sure where to start with fonts and colour pairings, our Brand Kits can help, they’re built to bring consistency and clarity to your whole visual system.

2. Use High-Quality, Cohesive Imagery

Good imagery is one of the fastest ways to make your site feel expensive, even if it’s built on a basic template.

You don’t need a brand shoot right away (though we’re big fans of those). But you do need to be picky. Really picky.

Here’s what to look for:

1. Natural lighting and high resolution
2. Cohesive style — same tone, same energy
3. A mix of wide shots and close-ups to keep your layouts visually interesting
4. Photos that actually reflect the tone of your brand

If you’re using stock imagery, avoid the overused, obvious stuff. Here are a few of our favourite less-cheesy stock image libraries (affiliate links):

1. Haute Stock
2. Styled Stock Society
3. Moyo Studio
4. Pexels (Free!)

✨ Pro tip: Stick to one or two sources for stock imagery so your visuals don’t feel like they’ve come from 10 different brands.

3. Give Your Content Room to Breathe

If your site feels cluttered or overwhelming, spacing is probably the culprit.

Squarespace templates often default to tight layouts, which means it’s up to you to build in breathing space.

This doesn’t mean leaving everything blank; it means intentional whitespace that helps your content feel clean, digestible, and professional.

Go through your site and check:

1. Are your text blocks running too close together?
2. Are your images sitting right on top of your headings?
3. Do your sections feel cramped, or do they guide the eye with ease?

Adding padding, margins, and breaks between sections is one of the easiest ways to elevate your design and your user experience.

✨ Pro tip: Less is more. Don’t try to squeeze everything into one scroll. Let your content land.

4. Add Animation (The Easy Way)

This is the step most people skip and the one that makes the biggest difference.

Animation is what takes your site from standard to stand out. It gives your brand personality, movement, and a polished, professional feel.

But here’s the thing: Squarespace doesn’t offer much in the way of built-in animation. And coding it from scratch? Not everyone’s got time (or energy) for that.

That’s exactly why we created our Squarespace plugins, they let you easily add subtle scroll effects, text fades, image reveals, and more, without touching a single line of code.

All you have to do is:

1. Copy and paste the code block
2. Follow the included setup guide
3. Watch your site come to life

✨ Pro tip: Don’t overdo it. Animation should enhance your content, not distract from it.

Final Thought

You don’t need to start from scratch or hire a developer to build a beautiful, bespoke-feeling Squarespace site.

With a few smart tweaks consistent colours and fonts, intentional imagery, breathing room, and a touch of animation, your website can feel elevated, custom, and uniquely you.

If you’re ready to bring a little magic to your Squarespace site, explore our website plugins and brand kits designed for creative business owners who want to stand out without the stress.

Because your website shouldn’t just work, it should wow.