Building a Squarespace Website: 10 Common DIY Mistakes
Most people start building a Squarespace website because they’re genuinely excited to get their passion project off the ground. And DIYing your website often makes sense at the beginning. It’s practical, affordable, and gets something out into the world.
For a while, that’s enough.
The problems rarely show up straight away. They tend to appear later, once your business has settled and grown. Your work improves. You get clearer about the clients you want. You gain confidence. Slowly, you start to notice that the Squarespace website you built yourself doesn’t quite feel like it’s keeping up.
It’s rarely terrible. More often, it just feels slightly off. Something you keep meaning to fix. Something you tweak in the evenings. Something you’re not entirely proud to share without a bit of explanation.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. These are very common signs that a business has grown beyond its original DIY Squarespace website.
In this post, I’ll talk through the patterns that tend to appear when building a Squarespace website without support, and why they matter more than most people realise..
1. The first impression doesn’t feel settled
People form an opinion about a website very quickly, often before they’ve read much at all.
When building a Squarespace website DIY, that first impression is often affected by things like:
using too many fonts, or fonts that feel dated
typography that changes from page to page
layouts that feel busy, cluttered or overly text-heavy
spacing that doesn’t quite feel considered
Each of these on its own might seem small. Together, they can make a site feel less confident than the business behind it.
2. Images don’t feel like they belong together
Imagery is another area where DIY Squarespace sites often struggle.
It’s common to see:
professional brand photos mixed with stock images
photos taken at different times, in different lighting
images that don’t clearly support the message of the page
When images sit side by side without a shared tone or purpose, the site can feel disjointed, even if the written content itself is good.
3. There’s a lot to read, but not much guidance
Many business owners try to explain everything at once. It usually comes from a good place — you want people to understand what you do and why it matters.
The result is often:
long blocks of text
important points buried halfway down the page
visitors unsure where to focus
Clear page structure helps people take things in without effort. Without it, even thoughtful copy can go unread.
4. Headings don’t help people move through the page
Headings play a bigger role than most people think, especially when building a Squarespace website that needs to work hard for a business.
On DIY sites, headings are often:
vague
repetitive
more decorative than useful
Good headings help people feel oriented. They allow someone to scan a page and quickly understand whether it’s relevant to them.
5. The emotional context is missing
People don’t visit your website just to gather information. They usually arrive with a question, a concern, or a decision they’re trying to make.
DIY Squarespace websites often focus heavily on:
what’s included
how things work
credentials and experience
Those things matter. But when the emotional context is missing, the site can feel a little distant, even if the service itself is very personal.
6. It’s not always clear what to do next
Even when someone likes what they see, they still need direction.
Common issues include:
contact links that are easy to miss
several calls to action competing with each other
wording that feels generic or non-committal
If the next step isn’t obvious, many people leave with the intention of coming back later - and often don’t.
7. The site has grown without a clear structure
DIY Squarespace websites tend to evolve gradually. Pages get added as services change, ideas develop, or the business grows.
Over time, this can lead to:
navigation that feels cluttered
important information buried several clicks deep
pages that overlap or repeat each other
When site structure isn’t clear, the whole experience feels harder than it needs to be.
8. Small technical issues quietly chip away at confidence
Most visitors won’t consciously notice technical issues, but they do respond to how a site feels.
Things like:
slow loading caused by large image files
pages that don’t work well on mobile
basic Squarespace SEO setup that isn’t clearly aligned with each page
Together, these issues can quietly undermine trust.
9. People make decisions very quickly
Most people don’t read websites carefully. They skim, scroll, and make quick judgements.
Very early on, they’re deciding:
does this feel professional?
does this seem relevant to me?
do I trust this business?
DIY sites often assume visitors will take their time. In reality, clarity needs to be felt almost immediately.
10. Experience and reassurance aren’t always easy to spot
Many business owners underestimate how much reassurance people look for online.
On DIY Squarespace websites, things like:
testimonials
experience
recognition or accreditations
are often mentioned briefly or tucked away on a separate page. Trust builds more easily when those signals are visible as someone moves through the site, rather than hidden until the end.
Final Thoughts
DIY websites often do exactly what they’re meant to do at the beginning. They get a business off the ground. They help you learn and they give you a presence.
Over time, though, it’s very common for a website to stop feeling like a good fit. You might find yourself constantly tweaking it. You might feel slightly hesitant sharing the link. You might sense that it no longer reflects where you are.
DIY works - until it doesn’t. And noticing that shift is often the clearest sign that your business has moved forward. I’ve explored that crossroads in more detail here: Hire a Squarespace designer or DIY?
