Squarespace 7.0 Versus 7.1: A Nearly Seamless Transition

Change can be a very good thing. 

Recently, I translated Anne LaFollette’s website from version 7.0 to 7.1. The experience was less bumpy than I anticipated. This update comes equipped with fantastic new features that save time and reduce redundancies. It has really stepped up to the plate. 

Six months ago, Squarespace introduced a revolutionary tool, changing the website-converting game. Before using this tool, you had to rebuild your website on the new platform. Now, implementing this tool updates the backend of your site so it has all of 7.1’s features. 

Of course, no conversion is without some funkiness. For example, there are modules in 7.0 that aren’t in 7.1. If you have a specific slideshow style via 7.0 that’s not on 7.1 yet, the translating process is a bit clunky. 

Additionally, your old site must have the Brine or Bedford templates before using the updating tool. Thankfully, Anne had the Brine template, ensuring a fairly smooth conversion.

I love that with this update, you can have a different layout for mobile versus desktop view. Other fun benefits include having an underlying grid in the background while dragging and dropping design elements. This helps you quickly design a page. No muss, no fuss. You can also cut and paste the same elements into the same section. 

Have any designs you love? You can save them to your “favorites.” But that’s not all! The 7.1 update allows you to add elements to your “favorites” from other parts of your site. 

Once I translated Anne's site to the new platform, cleaning it up only took five to seven hours. This saved me so much time and helped me work more efficiently. I could hone in on elements of her site that needed updating anyway. 

While converting from 7.0 to 7.1, be mindful of the following: Make sure your colors are the same as your color palette. Also, keep an eye on your fonts. If you have any custom ones, they may need to be re-uploaded. The key here is to evaluate every facet of your site to ensure everything looks great. 

I highly recommend updating to 7.1 if you haven’t already done so. Now, I need to do it for my site…