Can You Add Filters to Squarespace?

Does your Squarespace site need a better way to help visitors find what they’re looking for? Maybe you want customers to filter your product catalog by size or color, or let readers sort blog posts by category or date, or display multiple portfolio categories at once. Squarespace has limited built-in filtering—especially outside Commerce—but with the Squarewebsites Universal Filter Plugin, you can add powerful filters to almost any collection on your site. Below, we’ll outline your options and explain why this plugin is the go-to solution.

1. Squarespace’s Built-In (But Limited) Filtering

• Product Filtering (Squarespace Commerce, 7.1):
  If you have a Squarespace 7.1 online store, you can enable basic filters in the Store Page Settings. Customers can narrow products by tag, category, or other attributes. It’s handy, but it only applies to Commerce products. Plus, it lacks advanced logic or complex multi-criteria filtering.

• Tag/Category Pages for Other Content:
  Outside of products, Squarespace basically relies on tags and category archive pages. Sure, you can link readers to “/blog?tag=Travel,” but that’s not a real-time filter—it’s just a separate archive page.

• No Universal Dynamic Filtering:
  There’s no built-in way to let visitors click checkboxes or dropdowns and instantly see the relevant posts, images, or items. You either settle for separate category pages, or you wrestle with advanced code to approximate real filtering.

Bottom line? If you’re only filtering a handful of products, built-in options might suffice. But for a more polished, intuitive filter system—especially for blog posts, galleries, or large product catalogs—a dedicated plugin is your best bet.

2. Common Workarounds—and Their Drawbacks

1. Multiple Summary Blocks
   Some site owners place multiple Summary Blocks on a page (one per category/tag) and let visitors jump around. It can simulate filtering but quickly becomes cumbersome (especially if you have many tags or categories). There’s also no combined searching or multi-criteria filter.

2. Manual Code Injection (Isotope, MixItUp, etc.)
   If you’re comfortable with HTML/CSS/JavaScript, you might embed a library like Isotope or MixItUp. That’s powerful but requires coding skills, ongoing maintenance, and can break whenever Squarespace updates its backend. It’s a big time sink for most people.

3. Limited “Search” Solutions
   Some site owners rely on Squarespace’s default search bar. The trouble: it’s site-wide, slow, and not great at pinpointing items within a single collection (e.g., “only show me blog posts about Italy in 2023”). Third-party site search widgets can help but don’t integrate as smoothly or offer multi-factor filtering.

In short, these manual fixes can be time-consuming, inconsistent, or too technically challenging.

3. The Easiest Method: Squarewebsites’ Universal Filter Plugin

Here’s where the Squarewebsites Universal Filter Plugin truly shines. Rather than jury-rigging code or juggling multiple summary blocks, you get a full-featured, dynamic filter interface—no heavy coding required.

A. True Universal Filtering

• Products, Blog Posts, Events, Galleries, Portfolios—All in One
  The plugin can target any Squarespace collection, so you can filter nearly anything on your site.

• Multi-Criteria Options
  Combine categories, tags, search boxes, or price ranges—whatever suits your content.

B. Code-Free Setup

• Simple Installation
  You paste a script into Settings → Advanced → Code Injection (requires a Business or Commerce plan).

• Point & Click Configuration
  The plugin’s docs and config generator tool guide you through customizing which filters to display—like category dropdowns, tag checkboxes, search fields, or sorting by price or title. No advanced coding needed.

C. Real-Time, Dynamic Filtering

• Instant Results
  Instead of loading a new page, items show or hide as visitors pick filters (great for user experience).

• Beautifully Responsive
  The filter automatically inherits your site’s styling. You can tweak colors, spacing, or layout with basic CSS if desired.

D. Keeps Growing With You

• No More Workarounds
  If you add new products or blog posts, the plugin continues to work seamlessly as long as you tag/categorize them properly.

• Ongoing Updates & Support
  Squarewebsites actively maintains the plugin to stay compatible with Squarespace changes. If you need help, they provide basic support (and advanced customization if needed).

4. Why Not Just Use Built-In Squarespace Filters?

• They’re Commerce-Only (for 7.1) and fairly basic (by category or tag).

• No Global or Multi-Collection Support. A universal plugin can handle blog posts, galleries, and more.

• No Real-Time Search. The built-in filter can’t combine multiple criteria (like “clothing in red, size medium, under $50, with a rating above 4 stars”).

If you have a large store or a blog with various tags and categories, the default approach can’t match the flexibility or polish of the Universal Filter Plugin.

5. Getting Started With the Universal Filter Plugin

1. Purchase the plugin at Squarewebsites.

2. Install by adding the plugin script to Code Injection.

3. Configure your filter options (e.g., categories, tags, search box) through the user-friendly config tool included in the plugin docs.

4. Style & Test. Adjust colors/spacing if needed; refresh your site to see the dynamic filter in action.

In just a few steps, you’ll have an intuitive filtering system that saves visitors time and instantly organizes your content.

6. Conclusion

When it comes to helping users sift through content—be it a store, a blog, or a portfolio—Squarespace’s native options only go so far. Manual methods can work in a pinch but often require advanced coding or constant upkeep.

That’s why we recommend the Squarewebsites Universal Filter Plugin: it’s powerful, easy to install, fully supported, and works across practically all Squarespace collection types. You’ll get a polished, real-time filtering experience—no coding nightmares or kludgy summary blocks required.

Ready to give your visitors a smoother, more efficient way to find what they need? Check out the Squarewebsites Universal Filter Plugin and transform your Squarespace site into an organized, filter-friendly hub.

Further Reading

• Squarespace Product Filtering (Official Guide) – Basic commerce filters in 7.1.

• Squarewebsites Universal Filter – The top-tier plugin for advanced filtering.

• How to Tag & Categorize Content – A must for powering dynamic filters.