How to add a sidebar to your Squarespace 7.1 blog
Squarespace’s latest 7.1 templates offer sleek designs but often lack built-in sidebars. As a result, some bloggers have abandoned sidebars altogether. However, they’re still widely used to improve site navigation and boost user engagement.
According to analytics from ElegantThemes, 8 out of 10 of the most popular websites actively use sidebars to enhance user experience. The key is choosing purposeful sidebar content to highlight for your audience.
For Squarespace sites lacking native sidebar support, the sidebar plugin provides that customizable extra space for opt-ins, related posts, products, and more. Thoughtfully pair it with elements like site search or a table of contents, and your sidebar can guide readers to the most relevant content.
So before abandoning your sidebar completely, consider reviving it as a valuable piece of real estate to intentionally complement your Squarespace blog.
3 Easy Ways to Add a Sidebar to Your Squarespace Site
If you want to add sidebar functionality, here are three straightforward options:
1. Use a template with built in sidebar
If you're using one of the following templates - they all have sidebars enabled for blog posts.
Avenue (blog posts)
Bedford, Anya, Bryant & Hayden (blog posts)
Forte (blog posts)
Galapagos (blog posts)
Ishimoto (blog posts)
Montauk, Julia, Kent & Om (blog posts)
Skye, Foundry, Indigo, Ready & Tudor (blog posts)
Wells
Wexley (blog only)
Make display edits in the style editor.
2. Build a DIY “Faux” Sidebar
A faux sidebar means creating a page with summary blocks and creating sidebar that way.
Another method I’ve seen for blog posts is to have a blog “sidebar template” that you duplicate for each post.
Here’s a popular tutorial on how to do it.
3. Install the Squarespace sidebar plugin (Recommended)
This is by far, the easiest, most flexible and versatile way to add a sidebar to your site (not just your blog).
How does it work?
With this plugin you can assign different sidebars to different pages and blogs. You’ll get an actual sidebar wherever you want on your site. including shop pages.
The setup instructions includes a customization dashboard so you can style your sidebar without actually touching any CSS.
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