"Search is getting noisier, not clearer": Is curation the answer to better Squarespace websites? | Tech Radar

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"Search is getting noisier, not clearer": Is curation the answer to better Squarespace websites?

I caught up with Miles Nobel to get his thoughts on how curation can create a competitive edge in website building

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Platforms like Squarespace offer small businesses and website professionals a vast and valuable website-building resource. But more choice isn't always better.

We've all sat in a restaurant, stomach rumbling as we browse an endless menu. Everything sounds great, but it's hard to know what is really good. So, we look for reviews, we ask a friend, and try to catch a glimpse of what others have ordered.

The same can be said for building websites. You aren't short of tools and apps, but knowing which ones are worthwhile can be tricky. Reviews and download numbers can be misleading.

This is the problem Square Locator aims to fix. Offering a curated list of the best tools within Squarespace's ecosystem. I caught up with Miles Nobel from Square Locator to get his thoughts on why curation is now more important than ever.

First, tell us a little about Square Locator. What is it? How did the idea come about? How does it work?

I've been building websites for over 20 years, and for the last decade or so my agency has specialised in Squarespace. Across hundreds of client builds, the same thing kept happening: a client would need something Squarespace didn't do out of the box, and I'd spend an evening trawling a dozen different creator websites trying to remember who made the good version of that plugin.

The Squarespace community is full of brilliant independent creators, but they're scattered across the internet with no central place to find them. Square Locator is my attempt to fix that. It's a curated directory of the plugins, templates, and tools I'd actually recommend, organised so you can filter by what you need, whether that's industry, style, or a specific bit of functionality.

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Squarespace is already known for offering a more closed ecosystem than competitors such as Word Press, so why does it need a third-party marketplace?

The closed ecosystem is exactly why. Word Press has an official plugin repository with over 60,000 options. Squarespace deliberately doesn't, which keeps the platform stable and secure, and that matters more than ever nowadays.

It's also why I moved my agency to Squarespace in the first place. Over the years, I've built sites on Word Press, on Textpattern, and completely from scratch, and too much of that time went on maintenance rather than design: plugin conflicts, security patches, sites breaking after updates, and clients too nervous to touch their own website in case something broke.

With Squarespace, I hand a site over, and I don't need to worry. It's secure, it's stable, and it frees me up to spend my time being creative instead of wrestling with security plugins, server maintenance, and major updates.

But it does mean the moment you want something beyond the standard toolkit, you're on your own. And in my experience, almost everyone reaches that point sooner or later.

Of the hundreds of Squarespace sites I've built, I can barely think of one that didn't include some custom code or third-party functionality. A website isn't just a functional tool. People respond to websites emotionally, the same way they respond to advertising, and standing out usually means going beyond a template's defaults. The creators making the plugins, tools, and templates that help web designers build truly unique websites deserve to be findable.

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Why is curation so important right now? What does curation offer that a more general search doesn't?

Curation is really just someone taking responsibility for the recommendation.

Curation is really just someone taking responsibility for the recommendation.

Search is getting noisier, not clearer. AI-generated content has flooded the results, and a Google or AI search will happily show a website selling plugins that no longer work ahead of the creators making fantastic tools that are relevant and actively maintained.

Curation is really just someone taking responsibility for the recommendation. I've personally bought and used products from most of the creators featured on Square Locator, often on paying client projects. Square Locator is curated, which is very different from a search algorithm ranking whoever wrote the best SEO copy. It's human-led, so users only ever see up-to-date plugins and hand-picked templates.

Where does Square Locator draw the line on what gets included and what doesn't? What's the criterion that an application has to meet to become 'trusted'?

A product needs to do at least one of three things: solve a genuine problem, do something nobody else does, or do a common thing exceptionally well. Copycat products and slightly-worse versions of something that already exists don't make it in, even if they're perfectly competent.

The other thing I look at is the creator behind the product. Do they maintain their plugins when Squarespace pushes updates? Do they answer support emails? A plugin that works today but breaks silently in six months is worse than no plugin at all, so track record matters as much as the product itself.

As the Squarespace ecosystem continues to evolve and grow, how do you plan on keeping Square Locator relevant and stopping it from becoming the problem you are trying to solve?

I'd rather have 30 products people can trust than 3,000 they have to wade through, because at that point I've just rebuilt the problem with extra steps.

I'd rather have 30 products people can trust than 3,000 they have to wade through, because at that point I've just rebuilt the problem with extra steps.

As a web designer, I keep up to date with the latest releases from Squarespace on a daily basis, so if Squarespace builds a feature natively that a creator plugin was originally made to solve, that plugin comes off Square Locator because it's no longer relevant.

I test template designs before listing them, and desktop-only designs don't belong in a mobile-first world. The same goes for upskilling: outdated training courses made for older versions of the platform, like Squarespace 7.0, are removed immediately rather than left up to catch search traffic.

I'd rather have 30 products people can trust than 3,000 they have to wade through, because at that point I've just rebuilt the problem with extra steps.

Directories often struggle with monetisation; the moment they accept payment for placement, trust in the directory diminishes. How do you plan on keeping Square Locator financially viable whilst remaining unbiased?

Nobody pays to be listed. The moment a placement can be bought, every recommendation on the site becomes worthless, because the user can no longer tell the difference.

Some products use affiliate links, which I disclose, but inclusion is decided first, and commission is whatever it happens to be. I've turned down products with generous affiliate terms because they weren't good enough, and Square Locator features products that pay nothing at all to be listed. The entire value of the site is that the recommendations are real.

What advice would you offer Squarespace users when it comes to finding the best, most trustworthy tools for their websites?

Look for a live demo, not just screenshots. If a creator won't show you the plugin running on a real Squarespace site, ask yourself why.

Check when it was last updated, because Squarespace changes regularly and an unmaintained plugin will eventually break.

Read the support terms before you need them; the good creators offer proper support windows and clear installation guides.

And check what happens on mobile, since plenty of plugins demo beautifully on desktop and fall apart on a phone.

One more thing: resist the urge to install everything! Every plugin adds code to your site. Three well-chosen tools will serve you better than fifteen overlapping ones slowing your pages down.

What advice would you offer developers who are creating great tools but are struggling to get them noticed?

Developers love clever names, but 'Mega Menu for Squarespace' will be found by the person who needs it, and 'Nav Flow Pro' won't.

Developers love clever names, but 'Mega Menu for Squarespace' will be found by the person who needs it, and 'Nav Flow Pro' won't.

Solve a problem people are actually searching for, and name your product after that problem. Developers love clever names, but "Mega Menu for Squarespace" will be found by the person who needs it, and "Nav Flow Pro" won't.

Show the product working. A live demo converts better than any sales copy, and a short video of the installation process removes the biggest fear a non-technical buyer has, which is that they'll break their own website.

The creators who've built real followings in this space are the ones whose plugins still work after every Squarespace update, and word of that spreads. And finally, talk to the agencies and designers building Squarespace sites every day. One agency that trusts your work will put it in front of more clients than months of social media posts.

Owain has been building websites and online stores for his own and his client's businesses for over 8 years. Having taken on a role at Tech Radar Pro in 2023, he now leads on all website builder and CRM content, spending his days researching, testing, and reviewing some of the best website building and CRM platforms on the market. He also has a passion for helping people get a great deal on website builders, delivering the best coupon and promo codes on the market. With an extensive background in business, Owain holds a BA(Hons) in Business and Marketing and has written for several leading publications including Marketing Profs, Website Builder Expert, Digital Doughnut, and Neal Schaffer.com.

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• Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
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• Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
• Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards