How to Utilize and Style Summary Blocks for Blogs and Products in Squarespace
We have seen how Summary Blocks are one of the most powerful, versatile ways to display blog posts, products, or other types of content within Squarespace sites. They offer the ability to build grids, lists or carousels of content that can be styled to fit the design of your site. Here is a step-by-step on how to use and style Summary Blocks for blogs and products in Squarespace:
How to use the summary block in Squarespace
Squarespace Summary Block – The Summary Block is a powerful block that allows you to dynamically pull in content from your collections (that is, your blog posts, products, or portfolio items). To enable, add a block from the page editor then choose Summary Block. Once inserted, select the collection you’d like to feature and choose a layout style—your options are usually grid, list, carousel, and others—to complement your design aesthetic. You can make additional adjustments for display by changing image sizes or text layout, along with the number of displayed items. The Summary Block will automatically refresh whenever you update the selected collection, minimizing the need for repetitive manual updates each time you add a new post to your website.
Using Summary Blocks for Blogs
Best Summary Block Layouts for Blog Navigation
1 . Grid Format is perfect for lifestyle, portfolio , or magazine-style blogs.
2. The List Layout is ideal for structured articles, news, or tutorial blogs.
3. Carousel Format: Best for showcasing featured/tended posts.
Optimizing Blog Discoverability with Summary Blocks
To benefit from this and improve navigation on your blog, use category-based Summary Blocks that sort out which tag or category to filter automatically. Adding excerpts and high-quality featured images leads articles to be more visually appealing and thus more clickable.
If you have a sidebar or a series of blocks at the end, Summary Blocks help readers go deeper into other related articles.
Events:
Given that the event calendar listing page operates identically to the blog posts page, there's no need to repeat the same steps.
On your home page, consider incorporating a Summary Carousel for various categories such as Upcoming Events, Live Music, Workshops, Speakers, Live Events, Classes, or any other purpose you utilize the Events Calendar for on your site!
Keep in mind that if you opt not to select a Category for filtering, the Summary Carousel will showcase everything within the 1-30 items specified in the Display tab.
Shop:
A similar approach can also be used from the Blog section above, and it won't differ much from adding a Summary Carousel.
Picture a merchandise shop for your business, band, or whatever you’ll be doing. After every single listing, use a Summary Carousel to display other items you think the viewer would be interested in, even more so since they clicked on that listing already.
So, if you sell T-shirts with your logo on it and as an upsell also sell caps with the same logo, tell the Summary block to display your collection of hats at the bottom of the T-shirt products, and keep shopping!
For more specific digital items like downloads, think about highlighting a different category related or relevant to the one listing that may catch the viewer's attention and get them clicking through to explore your shop.
Consider this as a Call to Action button at the end of the page. It helps show the user how to walk through that section of your website and leads them to the next steps you’d like them to take.
Here Are Some Unique Style Of Squarespace Summary Block
Balanced summary block - Ghost Plugin
Certainly! The Balance Summary Block by Ghost Plugins offers a simple yet elegant style, providing the flexibility to set the number of items shown per row, with options of 1, 2, or 3.
Key Features:
Customizable Rows: Easily configure the layout by choosing between 1, 2, or 3 items per row, allowing you to tailor the display to your preference.
Image Zoom Effect: Enjoy a nifty image zoom effect on hover, adding a touch of interactivity and engagement for users exploring your content.
Curved Borders: Each item is outlined with curved borders, contributing to a sleek and modern aesthetic that enhances the overall visual appeal of your summary block.
This balance of simplicity and visual flair makes the Balance Summary Block an excellent choice for showcasing content in a way that is both user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
Ghost Plugins provides a range of offerings, including Super Plugins available for a fee and Free Plugins. While you can find a few highlighted favorites here
Beautiful Summary Block - Ghost Plugins
This plugin enhances your summary block style by adding a background, drop shadow, and a stylized gradient button. It is compatible with both Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1 versions and is available for free, allowing you to level up the visual appeal of your summary blocks with ease.
Overflow Carousel Items - Will Myers
This feature allows your carousel items to elegantly scroll in from the side of the page, creating a visually appealing overflow effect. It is compatible with Squarespace 7.1 and the Brine Family in Squarespace 7.0. The cost for this enhancement is $20. Upgrade your website's aesthetics with this dynamic scrolling effect for your carousel items.
Lazy Summaries - Square Websites
The Lazy Summaries plugin offers a valuable function by increasing the limit on summary blocks from 30 items to an unlimited number. Additionally, it provides extra features for various display settings, including pagination and mobile view options.
While this plugin is part of their PRO extension, you also have the option to purchase it separately as a standalone product. Enjoy the convenience of showcasing an extensive list of items in your summary blocks with enhanced customization settings for pagination and optimal mobile viewing.
