We Customized Our Square Online Website, To Show You the Best Methods

Square Online is an easy-to-use ecommerce platform and if you’re planning to build an online store, you’ve probably already come across it. 

Unlike similar website builders in the market, Square Online doesn’t use themes. With platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce, users can choose a theme to customize the appearance of their website. 

Square Online, however, works slightly differently. Instead of a library of themes, they offer two different layout options: Shop Online and Order Online.

If you’re worried that this means a lack of customization then we’re here to put your mind at ease. In this article, we’ll explain exactly how you can customize your Square Online website without the option of choosing a bespoke theme.

Square Online: An Overview

Square Online is an online store builder that focuses on creating simple and user-friendly ecommerce websites. 

Perfect for smaller businesses or brick-and-mortar stores who are looking to kick-start their online presence, Square Online has various features such as managing stock levels and tax calculations that are invaluable to store owners.

The Square Online dashboard is simple and straightforward, and gives you the chance to track activities such as abandoned cart recovery, customer journeys, and sales figures. There’s also plenty of inbuilt marketing features to help you with your email marketing and advertisements. 

How to Get Started

Choosing your initial store design is the first step in customizing your Square Online website. 

You’ll need to come up with a name for your website to get started. Think carefully about this – it should be something that’s easy to remember and a reflection of what your website will offer. 

Of course, you can always change your name further down the line, but that can take a lot of work. It’s always best to choose something that you’ll be sure to stick with! 

At this stage, you’ll also be able to decide what features and pages you want your website to include. There are plenty to choose from, and adding them is super simple. For example, if you want a testimonials section all you have to do is click the ‘Testimonial’ button, and it’ll appear in your website layout. 

In addition to choosing your pages, you can also add further features to your design such as your Instagram feed, location, and featured product highlights. 

Square Online also gives you the ability to add your logo to your online store, usually in the header of your online store. 

One of the most important steps of the initial customization process, however, is altering the style of your design. The style section of Square Online allows you to change the colors and fonts used throughout, so you can have your branding running through every page.

How to Switch Your Square Layout

Square Online offers you two Layout choices: Shop All and Order Online. 

Shop All templates are for ecommerce retail brands that want to create a website to sell products to customers. Order Online templates, however, are for restaurants that want to use their Square Online store to showcase menus and take orders. 

The great thing about this approach is that Square Online has formulated the best ecommerce practices and layouts into one theme depending on your industry. This means that you can be confident that your website will perform well for your target market.

Switching between the two templates is simple. All you need to do is navigate to the ‘Page’ drop-down menu within the editor dashboard, and select ‘Category Pages’. Clicking on the three buttons here will give you the option to ‘Switch Template’. Simply select the template option you want to switch to and et voila – all done! 

How to Customize Your Store Design

Once you’ve chosen the basics of your Square Online design, you’ll be taken to the Store Editor, which allows you to really put your own stamp on your site. 

Within the Site Design tab, you can alter the layout of your pages to display the products or content as you desire, as well giving you the option to further customize your colors and fonts. 

One of the key features available here is the ability to add your own images to your Square Online website. You can input your own text and alter the background color and appearance of individual sections. 

As you customize your store design, you’ll be able to alter both the homepage and product pages so that they feature your branding, and match your ideas. 

Once you’re happy with the setup and appearance of your web pages, you can begin adding your products and setting your shipping rates and services. 

For each individual product you add, you can alter the title, price, description, and images. 

How to Customize a Square Online Website: Summary

Square Online may have limited customization capabilities when it comes to choosing a bespoke theme, but that doesn’t mean you can’t customize your online store to look exactly how you want.

Ideal for smaller businesses or those just starting out, Square Online is the ideal platform for anyone wanting a simple but comprehensive online store design. 

The two different theme options, Shop All and Order Online, are precisely designed to complement retail and restaurant business models, so there really is something for everyone! 

To recap, Square Online allows you to:

• Have your brand and colors and fonts running throughout your website.
• Add your own images and content.
• Feature your company logo and name.
• Alter the layout of individual pages and sections. 

If you feel ready to get started, why not read our guide to How to Sell Online?

Want a little more info on how Square Online works? Check out our Square Online Review! 

Written By

Lucy Nixon

Hi, I’m Lucy and I’m one of the content writers for Website Builder Expert. Through almost a decade in the digital marketing industry, I’ve built up knowledge on everything from growing ecommerce businesses to building websites.

I write many of the articles here on Website Builder Expert and love breaking down tricky topics into digestible and engaging content for readers.

Breaking down the jargon and uncovering the best platforms, tools, and strategies, I’m a meticulous researcher who’s committed to providing our readers with tips and advice that’s tried and tested.

My passion for writing began age 9 when I joined my school football team. After running away from the ball more times than I ran to it, we quickly realised I was much better placed to write up the match reports. After that, the rest was history…Lucy began writing for Website Builder Expert back in 2021 and since then has written an array of articles for the site on everything from the best website templates to tips for starting a bath bomb business online.

Following a career in digital marketing that saw her help clients grow online, Lucy is well-placed to offer tips and guidance through the Website Builder Expert articles. In fact, much of the content she writes draws on her own experience in the industry.

Lucy takes copywriting seriously and is on a mission to make growing online and reaching digital success accessible for everyone, no matter what your skill level or technical know-how.

There’s never been a better time to commit to your online presence and Lucy loves sharing her own experience to provide brands and small business owners with the resources they need to turn their online dreams into a reality.

She doesn’t just write either. A firm believer that readers make the best writers, if she’s not writing about digital marketing, she’s reading about it. From the latest algorithm updates to the new technology claiming to transform the digital world, Lucy keeps her finger on the pulse.

You’ll find some of Lucy’s words below, and be sure to keep an eye out for her latest articles on the website.

More about