Squarespace 6 For Dummies E-Book

Kris Black

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 390

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Build your own blog, website, or portfolio with Squarespace

Squarespace lets you create visually rich web pages with any configuration of text, images, or blocks you wish, just by dragging and dropping. Even if you've been using earlier versions of Squarespace, the features in version 6 will amaze you - and bring you straight to this must-have guide for practical information! If you're a do-it-yourself website builder, get up to speed fast on all the next-generation Squarespace tools, including cool new features for mobile sites, SEO, social networks, and more.

• Brings you up to speed on Squarespace 6 and its revolutionary LayoutEngine tool for building visually-rich web pages
• Deciphers the very latest features for page-building in today's markets, including mobile, social media, and using SEO
• Delves into using auto-publish for social networks, using built-in mobile websites, syncing with social networks, gathering real-time statistics, managing your site from your smartphone or mobile device, and much more
• Covers the essentials, such as using templates, drag-and-drop image uploads, image-editing with Aviary, and using Page Builder to create, share, and reblog content

Build awesome, professional websites for your business in no time with Squarespace 6 For Dummies.

Leseprobe

Squarespace 6® For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Squarespace is a registered trademark of Squarespace, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013936421

ISBN 978-1-118-57538-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-57506-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-57529-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-57543-7 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Kris Black has been creating interactive experiences since his junior year in high school, far back in 1993, using Apple’s HyperCard program, which allowed him to create stacks of digital cards containing information, much like web pages within a website. He wasn’t introduced to HTML, the code behind the web, until he took a computer science 101 course in 1998.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina, Kris began his career as a graphic designer for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) and did web design in his spare time as a hobby. After he was promoted to Art and Photography Director at SC DHEC, he decided it was time for a change. He began freelancing, building websites for clients using several different popular — and unpopular — blogging and website building tools. In 2004, after many frustrating and sleepless nights, Kris began favoring a lesser-known website building tool called Squarespace.

In 2009, Kris was offered the opportunity to work for Squarespace, Inc. as a customer support specialist. Assisting customers helped Kris gain an even deeper knowledge about using Squarespace.

In mid-2011, after leaving Squarespace, Inc. Kris continued creating and developing websites for his clients under a new business, black&hue, LLC with his business partner. He continues to use Squarespace exclusively for all site projects because he believes it offers his clients the best experience for building and maintaining their websites.

Kris and his wife live in Columbia, South Carolina. They have two creative and wonderful children who are beginning to understand what their daddy does on the computer all day.

Dedication

For Stacey, Mya, and Jaxin.

Author’s Acknowledgments

I want to thank a few people who’ve had to make sacrifices for me to write this book.

Mom, Dad, Caroline, and Jennifer, I couldn’t have chosen better parents and loving sisters.

I want to thank my kids, Mya and Jaxin. Despite your youth, you amazed me at how understanding you were when I told you I had to work instead of playing. Now that I’m done, let’s have some fun.

Susan Pink, my editor, sacrificed her sanity editing this book. Susan, without you I would not have signed the contract to write this book. Thank you for taking this journey with me a second time.

To Amanda Wagasky, my day job supervisor, thank you for understanding on those mornings I texted or e-mailed you saying I needed one more hour (or four hours) to wrap up what I was working on for the book.

Stephanie J.M. Copple, we started our part-time business, black&hue, LLC, just before I accepted the contract to write this book. Thank you for your patience waiting for me to complete the book so that we can pursue our dreams of helping others.

Stacey, my wife and best friend, you stand by me through all my crazy ideas, dreams, and pursuits. Thank you for guiding me through our lives together because without you I would be lost and wandering aimlessly through life. I love you with all I am.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We're proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions and Editorial

Project Editor: Susan Pink

Acquisitions Editor: Amy Fandrei

Copy Editor: Susan Pink

Technical Editor: Michelle Krasniak

Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen

Editorial Assistant: Annie Sullivan

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cover Photo: © iStockphoto.com/1xpert

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Sheree Montgomery

Layout and Graphics: Jennifer Mayberry

Proofreaders: Lindsay Amones, Melissa Cossell, Christine Sabooni

Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Squarespace 6 For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/squarespace6 to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Getting Started with Squarespace 6

Part II: Designing Your Website

Part III: Building Your Website

Part IV: Personalizing Your Website

Part V: Extending Your Website

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started with Squarespace 6

Chapter 1: What Squarespace Can Do for You

Knowing Your Options

Do-it-yourself options

Online versus offline

Building a Website with Ease

Sign up in less than a minute

Don’t worry about hosting

Get support 24/7

Exploiting the Versatility of Squarespace

Personal site users and bloggers

Business site users

Website developers

Chapter 2: Getting Ready to Build Your Website

Setting Goals

Defining your target audience

Focusing your message

Create an outline

Finding a style

Establishing the project’s timeline

Adding and updating content

Maintaining your website

Planning Your Site’s Functionality

Static content

Item-based content

Web forms

Social media integration

Establishing Your Website’s Primary Function

Blog site

Portfolio site

Business site

Chapter 3: Signing Up

Signing Up for a Squarespace Account

Choosing the Right Squarespace Pricing Plan

Standard plan

Unlimited

Business

Logging into Your Website

Pressing Esc

Going to Squarespace.com

Going to the login page

Chapter 4: Finding Your Way around Squarespace

Visiting the Editing Areas

Preview area

Content Manager area

Activity area

Site Settings area

Commerce area

Using Core Features of Squarespace

Uploading images to Squarespace

Linking to pages, files, and other websites

Editing images in Squarespace

Part II: Designing Your Website

Chapter 5: Considering Your Template Needs

Exploring the Different Templates

Reading the Read Me Page

Taking Advantage of the Blank Canvas

Changing Your Template

Chapter 6: Web Design 101

Understanding Basic Design Elements

Determining a Color Scheme

Finding RGB and hex codes

Peeking at code

Exploring Web-Safe Fonts and Font Styles

Selecting Fonts for Your Site

Choosing Images for Headers and Backgrounds

Recognizing Appropriate Sizes and Values

Controlling widths

Setting an appropriate text size

Chapter 7: Customizing with Style Editor

Locating Style Editor

Selecting an Element in Your Site

Changing Your Site’s Colors

Choosing a color on the wheel

Adding transparency with the slider

Hiding an element

Customizing Fonts

Choosing a font from the (long) list

Choosing the right size

Deciding on bold or italics

Fine-tuning line height and letter spacing

Transforming text with case changes

Adjusting Sizes and Values with Sliders

Modifying the Template with Other Options

Saving Your Template

Testing Your Template

Resetting Your Customizations

Reverting changes before saving

Resetting all changes

Part III: Building Your Website

Chapter 8: Working with Pages and Collections

Defining Page Types

Item-Based Pages

Blog page

Events page

Gallery page

Products page

Pages

Folders

Links

Index Page

Chapter 9: Creating Pages in Your Site

Locating Content Manager

Determining Your Site’s Navigation

Positioning pages in your navigation

Deleting pages from your navigation

Adding pages to your navigation

Configuring Pages with Basic Settings

Choosing your navigation and page titles

Including a description of the page

Changing the URL of the page

Setting a password for the page

Uploading a thumbnail for the page

Setting a page as your home page

Disabling a page

Enabling a page

Configuring the Basic Settings for a Blog Page

Choosing the number of posts per page

Establishing an e-mail address for posting

Installing the Quickpost bookmarklet

Utilizing Unlinked Pages to Add Hidden Content

Modifying Settings for Folders and Link Page Types

Modifying folders

Modifying link item settings

Chapter 10: Building Your Pages with Items and Blocks

Exploring How Pages, Items, and Blocks Work Together

Working with Page Items

Adding an item

Removing an item

Setting the status of your page item

Running Through the Edit Settings

Item section

Options section

Location section

Social section

Adding content to a page item

Working with Blocks

Adding a block to your page

Removing a block

Rearranging Blocks Using LayoutEngine

Separating blocks into rows

Creating columns of blocks

Inserting blocks

Floating blocks within content

Part IV: Personalizing Your Website

Chapter 11: Creating Content with Content Blocks

Understanding Content Blocks

Text Block

Markdown Block

Quote Block

Code Block

Form Block

Customizing form elements

Moving form elements

Storing your form submissions

Switching storage options

Customizing the advanced settings of a form

External Link Block

Amazon Item Block

Product Block

Space Block

Horizontal Rule Block

Chapter 12: Adding Multimedia with Content Blocks

Understanding Multimedia Content Blocks

Image Block

Gallery Block

Uploading images to the gallery block

Pulling images from a Gallery page

Choosing a display option

Video Block

Embed Block

Audio Block

Map Block

Chapter 13: Navigating with Structure Blocks

Understanding How Structure Blocks Work

Search Block

Collection Link Block

Calendar Block

Summary Block

Tag Cloud Block

Author Index Block

Tag, Category, and Month Index Blocks

Chapter 14: Automating Updates with Social Blocks

Understanding How Social Blocks Work

Connecting a Social Account to a Social Block

Creating Galleries from Photo-Sharing Sites

Streaming Your Latest Tweets

Checking in with Foursquare

Listing Your Social Accounts

Part V: Extending Your Website

Chapter 15: Configuring Site Settings

Getting to Know Your Site’s Settings

Configuring Basic Site Settings

Configuring General Settings

Third-party services

Overall site configurations

Comment settings

Setting the Time and Geography

Adding Connected Accounts

Publishing Pages to Your Facebook Page

Activating Share Buttons

Inviting Contributors to Your Site

Adding a contributor

Removing a contributor

Modifying a contributor’s invitation

Modifying a contributor’s permissions

Using Your Own Domain

Transferring a Squarespace-managed domain

Registering your free domain from Squarespace

Pointing an existing domain to Squarespace

Switching Templates

Importing and Exporting

Importing content from another website

Exporting your content from Squarespace

Injecting Code into Your Site

Redirecting a URL with Advanced Settings

Checking Out Developer Information

Reviewing Your Active Sessions

Upgrading Your Trial Account

Updating Your Billing Information

Getting Help from Support 24/7

Chapter 16: Monitoring Site Activity

Tracking Site Activity

Observing Your Traffic

Finding Where Visitors Come From

Discovering Your Popular Content

Finding How Visitors Search for You

Getting the Details of Site Visitors

Managing Comments on Your Site

Replying to comments

Deleting comments

Approving comments

Handling flagged comments

Chapter 17: Setting Up Shop with Commerce

Preparing to Set Up Shop

Adding Products to Your Site

Adding an item to a products page

Configuring a product item

Removing a product

Rearranging products

Configuring Your Store

Store settings

Orders

Inventory

Shipping

Coupons

Taxes

E-mail notifications

Chapter 18: Going Out with Squarespace

Accessing Your Site Anywhere, Anytime

Taking your site mobile

Configuring your mobile account

Touring the Blog Post Screen

Adding a blog post

Managing blog posts

Managing comments

Checking statistics

Capturing Ideas with Note

Connecting your Squarespace account

Sending a note

Changing Note settings

Modifying the account list

Configuring accounts to receive notes

Setting accounts as default destinations for your notes

Reviewing previous notes

Showing Your Work with Portfolio

Connecting your account

Viewing your images

Customizing Portfolio settings

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten Features of a Good Website

Organized Content

Content Optimized for Search Engines

About Page

Contact Page

Custom Domain

Custom E-Mail Address

Branding

Design Related to Content

Social Media Integration

Regular Updates and Maintenance

Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Attract Attention to Your Site

Promote through Social Media

Connecting your site to your social accounts

Updating your social profiles

Helping others share your content

Take Advantage of E-Mail Marketing

Write an Elevator Pitch

Try Word of Mouth

Use Stationery

Include an E-Mail Signature

Advertise

Comment on Other Sites

Write for Other Sites

Use an Easy-to-Remember Custom Domain

Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Make or Save Money

Get a Squarespace Discount

Find a Coupon Code

Start a Conversation

Sell Out

Start Shopping

Sell Yourself

Create a Portfolio

Develop a Brochure Site

Provide Exclusive Content

Blog for Dollars

Cheat Sheet

Connect with Dummies

Introduction

Hello. Welcome to Squarespace 6 For Dummies.

Being a Squarespace user prior to the summer of 2012 was like being a Mac user in the 1990s. It was like belonging to an elite cult of website owners, designers, and developers who understood the true importance and capability of this awesome platform.

When Squarespace 6 was released mid-2012, a paradigm shift happened for people looking to build a website in today’s society of fast-paced, always on-the-go people. No longer was Squarespace just for the enlightened. Squarespace was completely overhauled, with templates built to not only look good on your desktop but be responsive and adapt to screens on mobile devices.

I’ve been using Squarespace since 2004, pretty much since its birth. I’m a self-taught web professional, with my first introduction to building sites on the web in 1998. Since then, I’ve built sites on just about every platform with every software solution. I still hand-code websites, occasionally use desktop publishing software such as Dreamweaver, and work with enterprise-level software costing tens of thousands of dollars.