The Complete Guide to Squarespace Filtering
The Complete Guide to Squarespace Filtering
If you’re building a content rich website on Squarespace, filtering eventually becomes important.
At the start, everything feels manageable. A handful of blog posts. A few events. A small portfolio.
But as your content grows, so does the need for structure.
Visitors don’t want to scroll endlessly. They want to narrow content quickly and find what’s relevant to them.
This guide explains how filtering works in Squarespace, where the limitations are, and how to enhance it properly without rebuilding your site.
Contents
How Filtering Works in Squarespace
Why Filtering Matters on a Growing Website
Filtering improves usability.
It helps visitors find relevant content faster, reduce scrolling and navigate large collections more easily. Whether you run a resource heavy blog, manage regular events or showcase a growing portfolio, filtering makes your site feel more intentional and professional.
The way filtering works in Squarespace depends on the type of collection you’re using.
How Filtering Works in Squarespace (Natively)
Squarespace includes some filtering functionality — but it varies depending on the page type.
Blog Pages
Blog collections allow you to assign categories and tags to posts. When a visitor clicks a category, Squarespace loads a filtered archive page showing posts within that grouping.
It works, but it relies on page reloads and simple archive links rather than dynamic filtering.
For a deeper breakdown, see my full guide on How to Add Filters to a Squarespace Blog
Events Pages
Events collections also allow categories to be assigned. Each category generates its own archive URL, which acts as a filtered view of your events.
However, the interface is basic and not presented as an interactive filter bar.
You can read more about this in How to Add Filters to a Squarespace Events Page
Portfolio Pages
Portfolio collections are more limited.
Currently, Squarespace does not support categories or tags on portfolio pages in the same way it does for blogs and events. That means there’s no native filtering structure available.
If you have a growing portfolio, this can become restrictive.
You can explore this further in How to Add Filters to a Squarespace Portfolio Page
Product Filtering in Squarespace
If you’re running an online shop, filtering works slightly differently.
Squarespace Commerce allows customers to filter products by categories and certain attributes, depending on your template and configuration. This works reasonably well for basic shop structures, especially if you’re organising products into clear categories.
However, the filtering interface is still fairly standard and may feel limited if you need more advanced or styled filtering options.
If you’re specifically looking to enhance product filtering in Squarespace, you may need a specialist ecommerce solution. I recommend using a dedicated product filtering plugin for shop pages, a popular plugin is the universal product filtering plugin
The Limitations of Native Squarespace Filtering
Across all collection types, native filtering tends to rely on simple categories and tags rather than dynamic filtering. The visual presentation is minimal. Filtering reloads the page. And in the case of portfolio pages, structured filtering is not available at all.
For small websites, this may not be an issue. But as your content expands, these limitations become more noticeable.
When Do You Need Enhanced Filtering?
Enhanced filtering becomes valuable when your content starts to grow and visitors need clearer navigation.
If your blog contains multiple topics, your events span different categories, or your portfolio showcases varied services, filtering quickly moves from optional to essential.
The goal is not to complicate your site. It’s to make it easier to use.
Native Filtering vs Enhanced Filtering
Native filtering is functional. It works through categories and archive pages.
Enhanced filtering builds on that structure and presents it through a modern interface - typically styled buttons or dropdowns that allow visitors to narrow results more intuitively.
It keeps your underlying Squarespace structure intact while improving usability and presentation.
Rather than replacing Squarespace, it enhances it.
How to Add Modern Filtering to Squarespace
If you want filtering that feels integrated and intentional, you’ll need to introduce additional functionality.
The Genius Squarespace Filter Plugin was built specifically to enhance filtering across blog, event and portfolio pages.
It works alongside your existing collections and allows you to create styled filter interfaces that feel part of your design.
Installation involves adding a small code snippet, but no advanced development knowledge is required. You can explore how it works here
And you can view live demos for blogs, events and portfolio filtering to get a feel for the style and function.
FAQ’s About Squarespace Blog Filtering
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Yes, for blog, event and product collections via categories and tags. Portfolio pages do not support native filtering.
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Not natively. Dynamic filtering requires an enhanced solution or custom code.
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Yes. Product filtering is handled within Squarespace Commerce and may require specialised ecommerce plugins for more advanced functionality.
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If implemented correctly, filtering works alongside your existing collection URLs and does not remove native archive functionality.
Final Thoughts
Squarespace keeps things simple, which is one of its strengths.
But as your website grows, filtering becomes more important.
Blogs and events offer basic archive filtering. Portfolio pages do not. Product filtering exists within Commerce but may need enhancement depending on your store structure.
If you want your site to feel easier to explore and more professional, enhancing your filtering system is one of the most impactful upgrades you can make.
You can explore the full features of the Genius Squarespace Filter Plugin here.
It improves usability without requiring a redesign or platform change - and for content rich websites, that can make a significant difference.
Check out my video overview of how the Genius Squarespace Filter Plugin works:
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