Tabs Pro (Update) and Squarespace + eCommerce

Hey friend,

This week, we have lots going on. I’m re-releasing one of my older and most popular plugins — Tabs(!!). Additionally, Christy Price and I just released the first episode of season 3 of our podcast, Somewhat Useful, all about e-commerce and Squarespace (shoutout to Termaggedon for sponsoring).

But first, the new and improved Tabs plugin.

This upgrade is free to anyone who has already bought a previous version of tabs, just log into the same installation page and you’ll get access to the new one. You can watch a quick demo video of it here on YouTube.

I’ve spent the last month or so rebuilding this plugin from the ground up, and honestly I’m pretty excited about how it turned out. The code itself is a lot cleaner now (which is probably more exciting to me than it is to most of you), and we’ve also added a lot of new style presets and functionality. In fact, there’s so much packed into this plugin, we ALMOST broke it up and sold it as two separate plugins — Normal Tabs AND Vertical Tabs. But alas, I like to make people happy, and we felt like keeping this plugin all together gives a nice two-for-one kinda vibe — there’s just so much you can do with it and so many ways it can be used on a website.

Now that I’m done with it, I’m really pumped to have this new version of Tabs out in the world, and honestly a little relieved to replace the old one. There isn’t anything wrong with the previous version of tabs — it will continue to work on people’s websites and do the job just fine — but Squarespace has changed a good bit, and so have design and functionality expectations for a “Tabs” component over the last few years. It was time for an upgrade.

It still feels kinda wild to me that I’ve been able to make a business around building these little plugins for y’all, and especially to think that I’ve been doing it for over 4 years now. One of the biggest things I’ve realized this year is how much work it is to not only keep releasing and selling new plugins, but to also maintain and upgrade the ones we’ve already got. I’ve reached the point in this business where I can’t just muscle-and-feel my way through. I can’t decide what to work on next based on what seems like the most fun. So currently, we’re working on building more systems and processes to help us keep up with everything and make sure that everything we sell is great when we release it, and just as good two years later.

It’s a lot to keep up with, and a lot of code to re-write, but I’m leaning into it, and actually I’m finding that it’s pretty rewarding. Kinda like spending a whole Saturday cleaning out your basement — not something you’re excited to start, but super satisfying once it’s done. There’s something to be said for making sure the parts of your business that other people don’t see (your business basement, if you will) are just as top-notch as the more visible and customer-facing aspects.

Never fear, we’ve still got some fun new plugins coming your way very soon (the countdown is on… hint hint!), but I am going to continue going back to the archives and rebuilding some of my “oldie but goodie” plugins, too. Next up for an upgrade: Mega Menu!

I’m seriously excited to see how y’all use the new Tabs plugin though. If you end up using it and love how it works on your site, please share — email me, tag me, call me, beep me if ya wanna reach me (iykyk).

Also, to all my American friends, Happy 4th of July next week! I hope you’re able to enjoy some time away from work, or be super productive while working without any interruptions; you’re free to choose either way 🇺🇸

Keep Building,
Will

Tabs Pro (Plugin Update)

Add a style-forward tabs component to your Squarespace website that’s easy to edit and fun to customize.

There was a LOT that goes into this one, but honestly, my writing can’t do it justice. Just check out the demo page here, or watch the demo video here.

PURCHASE

Can Squarespace REALLY do eCommerce?

Let’s be real, if you’re considering eCommerce on the web, you’ve probably considered Shopify. But Squarespace just feels right in a lot of ways. Are these feels justified? Can Squarespace handle the eCommerce needs of today? Listen in to hear what a SUPER useful expert, Kristine Neil, has to say.

Listen on Apple Podcast
Listen on Spotify
Listen Everywhere Else

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And if you’re a web designer, you can get something extra.

Code Curious

Code Curious is my membership for professional Squarespace designers. As a member, you get exclusive access to the Code Catalogue (with over 100 copy-and-paste code snippets), the Targeting Library (over 270 Squarespace CSS Selectors), and exclusive tutorials.

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