How to Prepare Clients for Fluid Engine and Finish Layer
Fluid Engine is the design editor that powers every Squarespace 7.1 site. Since its release in 2022, there have been several key updates, including new pro features designed to help you build beautiful, studio-quality sites for clients.
As a web designer, you’re in an ideal position to educate potential and existing clients on the newest Squarespace features to win new business. Here’s what’s new from the past few years, plus talking points and language to turn that conversation into a design refresh project.
Select a section to begin:
What's new with Squarespace Fluid Engine in 2026
Squarespace Fluid Engine powers new design, ecommerce, and marketing features built to help you and your clients sell products and services on Squarespace.
The most significant update is Finish Layer, a pro feature suite that includes Block Animations, Block Transforms, custom font uploads, and more.
A couple things to consider:
If a client’s site still runs on the classic editor (version 7.0), they can’t access Fluid Engine or Finish Layer tools until they upgrade to 7.1. Learn how to migrate Squarespace sites to 7.1.
You can only use Fluid Engine and add Fluid Engine sections to version 7.1 sites. A few structured content types—blog posts, event descriptions, and product descriptions—still use the classic editor by design.
How do you explain Squarespace Finish Layer to clients?
Focus on communicating how Finish Layer features will elevate your client’s website and encourage conversions. Here are some talking points you can share about the value of each feature:
Block Transforms: Add depth and a bespoke feel to your site by adjusting how individual blocks look. For example, you can rotate or scale a purchase button to make it more visually prominent and draw attention to CTAs.
Block Animations: Give your site movement and personality without using custom code, so it feels current without a bigger budget. Add a subtle fade-in as visitors scroll past your service list, or pair animations with Block Transforms for an even more distinctive, on-brand feel.
Font Uploads: Align your site with your brand identity by uploading any font, no code required, instead of settling for a close-enough option from the built-in library. If your brand guidelines call for a specific typeface, you can upload it directly and use it site-wide, right down to the CTA button text.
Mobile Overrides: Give mobile visitors a tailored experience without affecting the desktop layout. With Mobile Overrides, you can customize blocks specifically for mobile without affecting those properties in desktop view. This could be shrinking an oversized hero image or stacking side-by-side content vertically so it doesn’t feel cramped on a phone screen.
Stacks: Keep complex layouts organized and consistent as a site grows, without manually realigning every block. Stacks group related blocks into cohesive compositions, so spacing and sizing stay locked in. This is great for ensuring customer testimonials remain evenly spaced, regardless of how many you add.
Layers: Add visual depth by layering blocks in front of and behind each other. This creates a more dynamic, expressive page than a flat layout. For example, you could layer a bold headline over a background image so it feels integrated into the hero image rather than sitting on top of it.
Block Hiding: Show or hide specific blocks depending on whether someone’s visiting from mobile or desktop, so you can simplify a busy layout for smaller screens without losing any detail on desktop. For example, you might want to hide a secondary image on mobile to keep the page from feeling cluttered while keeping the full visual on desktop.
Learn more about the key features of Finish Layer.
How do you demo Fluid Engine and Finish Layer for clients?
One of the ways you can highlight how you use the features of Fluid Engine and Finish Layer is by creating a demo. Walk through an existing site build with the editor, or create a new one. With the demo, you can help clients see your design expertise and unique creative approach. Plus, creating a demo can be an effective way to learn the tools through first-hand experience.
How other designers demo their builds
For inspiration on how to record a site demo, watch how Circle partners approach site walkthroughs for Circle Day site showcases:
What should you say to clients about Fluid Engine and Finish Layer updates?
Sharing new Squarespace features with clients serves two purposes. It’s a natural way to re-engage past clients, and it shows off your expertise in bringing their visions to life with the platform. If Squarespace is your primary website builder, staying on top of updates like these is how you prove that expertise to your clients.
Use this email template to let clients know you’re available to update their site with Fluid Engine and Finish Layer’s latest features.
Subject: New Squarespace tools for [Client business]
Hi [Client name],
I hope you’re doing well! Since we last spoke, Squarespace released new no-code features that can make your site even more effective:
Improved mobile experience: I can better optimize your site for conversion on mobile devices, where most of your visitors are, without changing how it looks on desktop.
More expressive design tools: I can add movement and depth to your site’s design, making it feel more premium and guiding visitors toward key actions like booking an appointment or making a purchase.
Brand-consistent fonts: I can upload your brand’s exact fonts across the site, so every page matches your brand identity consistently.
These features require no custom code, so once I’ve set them up, you can make changes yourself whenever you need to. I’ve recorded a quick demo to show you the features in action (see attached).
Let me know if you’d like to book time with me so I can share more and answer your questions.
Best,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]
[Your email address]
Frequently asked questions
What is Squarespace Fluid Engine?
Fluid Engine is Squarespace’s drag-and-drop website editor for version 7.1 sites. With Fluid Engine, you can control every design detail to create a captivating online presence for selling products and services, accepting donations, booking appointments with visitors, and more. Learn more about Squarespace Fluid Engine.
What is Squarespace Finish Layer?
Finish Layer is a suite of pro Squarespace features for creating more immersive and expressive sites without any code. These features, like Block Transforms, Animations, Font Uploads, and Stacks, are available in the Squarespace editor, offering intuitive tools for building more dynamic, engaging sites that look great across devices. Finish Layer is only available for Squarespace 7.1 sites. Learn more about Squarespace Finish Layer.
How do I know if my Squarespace site is version 7.0 or 7.1?
You can find a site’s version by navigating to the bottom of the Pages panel. If your site editor features the Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor, your site is on version 7.1. Read more about determining if your site is version 7.0 or 7.1.
How do I add custom fonts to Squarespace?
To add custom fonts to Squarespace, enter your site editor and open the Site styles panel, then click the arrow ( >) next to Fonts. Choose a font format, select the font dropdown menu, then click the upload icon and select a supported font file (.otf, .ttf, .woff, or .woff2) you want to upload. Watch a demonstration to see how to upload custom fonts to Squarespace.
How do I add animations in Squarespace?
There are two ways to add animations in Squarespace: site-wide or on a per-block basis. To add site-wide animations, open the Animations panel, choose an animation style and speed, and save. To animate blocks, select a block, select Edit, select the Animation tab, and choose a trigger and corresponding animation. Learn more about adding site-wide animations and animating individual blocks.
Related resources:
Behind the Build: How Designers Create Squarespace Sites for Different Industries (Circle Day 2025)
Behind the Build: How Six Web Designers Make Impactful Homepages on Squarespace (Circle Day 2024)
This article was published on June 21, 2022. It has since been updated.
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