Automate the Copyright Date in Your Squarespace 7.1 Website Footer
Happy New Year! The start of each year comes with a few annual tasks you need to take care of in your business, and ensuring your copyright information is up to date is essential!
I'm here to help you streamline the process. In this post, I’m sharing a crucial tip for your website's footer: automating the copyright date in the Squarespace 7.1 Fluid Engine Editor.
I’ll walk you through the process of how to do this below, but if you prefer watching a tutorial, be sure to view the companion video on my YouTube channel.
Reminder to Update Copyright Date:
Running an online business requires keeping tabs on a seemingly endless list of tasks and responsibilities. It's easy to overlook certain details, especially if they only come up annually.
Updating the copyright date in your website's footer is one of those annual tasks that can slip through the cracks. However, it's vital to maintain an accurate copyright date to protect your intellectual property rights. Without regular updates, your website may convey outdated information, which can look a bit unprofessional, and people may infer you’re not really on top of things.
Manual Updating of Copyright Date:
The traditional method of updating the copyright date involves manually editing the text block in your Squarespace website's footer. It's as simple as opening the text block, typing in the current year, and saving the changes.
However, relying on our memory to do this every year can be unreliable unless you use a checklist or have reminders set up in your calendar to go off each year! And props to you if you got this covered, but…
What if you code automate this task with a little copy/paste action and never think about it again?
Automating Copyright Date Using CSS Code:
To automate this process in Squarespace, instead of using a text block, you can use a snippet of custom CSS code in a code block. With a quick copy & paste, you can rest assured that your website's copyright date will automatically update to the current year without any manual intervention.
Let's walk through the steps to set this up.
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. In your Squarespace website, navigate to the footer section.
2. Enter Edit mode, and add a code block where you want it. (Typically, centered along the bottom of your footer section)
4. Now, copy the code snippet below.
<center><p> © <script>document.write(new Date().getFullYear())</script> Your Company Name.. All Rights Reserved. </p></center>
5. Replace the default code in the code block with the provided code snippet.
6. Take a moment to understand the code structure and update the text portion accordingly. You can modify the code to align the copyright information, choose the font style, and modify the text to meet your needs. (Check out the video at minute 2:50 for a full explanation!)
7. Save the changes and exit Edit mode.
8. Preview your website to ensure the copyright date now displays the current year.
Fixing the Extra Space Issue:
After adding the code snippet, you might notice an extra bunch of space in your footer that you cannot adjust. This space is reserved for the pop-up block automatically generated for the script preview you see when you are in edit mode.
To remove this space, follow these steps:
1. Copy the code snippet below:
//Hide Embed Block Info Bar//
.sqs-block .sqs-blockStatus, .sqs-block .removed-script {
display: none!important;
}
2. Navigate to the Custom CSS page:
Pages > Website Tools > Custom CSS
OR:
Hit the ‘/’ key and type ‘CSS’ in the search bar.
3. Paste the code snippet into the CSS box.
4. Save the changes and refresh your page.
5. Go back to your footer and enter Edit mode.
6. The pop-up block should no longer be visible, and you should be able to resize the code block and your section as necessary to remove the extra space.
7. Save your changes.
Pro tip: this will apply to any code/embed block on your site - so if you’ve run into this extra space you couldn’t get rid of elsewhere on your site - this should fix it!
Wrapping it all up
Congratulations! You've successfully automated updating the copyright date in your Squarespace website and learned how to eliminate those pesky gaps of extra space that show up after code blocks!
By leveraging your copy/paste skills and the power of a little CSS code, you no longer need to worry about manually editing the copyright information every year. This small but significant change saves time and ensures your website reflects the current year accurately.
Thank you for following along and taking the time to learn how to update your Squarespace website easily. If this was helpful, consider joining my email list to get more tips, tricks, and resources for your website.
Wishing you a successful year ahead!
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