Test Post 1
How to use this guide
This guide builds the Blackrock Safety Group website on Squarespace from a brand-new, empty project, one click at a time. Use it start to finish the first time, then come back to any lesson as a reference.
How each lesson is laid out
Each lesson is split into short Parts (A, B, C…).
Each Part is a numbered list. One number = one action (one click, or one thing to type).
Each Part ends with a Check: what you should see before moving on. If it doesn't match, stop and fix it, or send me a screenshot.
Bold words are the exact button or menu names to click. Grey boxes are exact words to type.
Squarespace sometimes renames buttons slightly. If a label is different, choose the closest match.
Build order and time
Phase
Lessons
Roughly
1. Foundations
1 (create the site), 2 (colours, fonts, buttons)
5 hours
2. Structure
3 (pages, menu, header, footer)
1 hour
3. Core pages
4 Home, 5 Services, 6 About, 7 Contact
12 hours
4. Blog
8 Insights
3 hours
5. Findability and compliance
9 SEO, 10 Irish legal, 11 accessibility
5 hours
6. Launch
12 launch checklist and upkeep
2 hours
Golden rule for every page: within five seconds a visitor should know what you do, who it is for, and what to click next.
Squarespace basics: where everything is
Keep this table handy. Every lesson uses these moves.
I want to…
Do this
Start editing a page
Pages (left menu) → click the page → Edit (top left of the preview)
Add a new section
Hover the bottom edge of an existing section → click Add section → Add blank (or pick a simple layout and delete its blocks)
Change a section's colour
Hover the section → Edit section (pencil, top right) → Colours tab → click a theme
Change a section's height
Edit section → Format tab → Section height (switch Fill screen off)
Add text, a picture, a button or a box
Add block (top left of editor) → Text, Image, Button or Shape
See the grid while placing things
Click inside the section and press G. Press G again to hide it
Put one block behind another
Click the block → … (More) or right-click → Send to back
Change a heading's size
Select the words → style dropdown in the text toolbar → Heading 1/2/3 or Paragraph 1/2/3
Make a link
Select the words → link icon (chain) → type the address → Apply
Edit the phone layout
Click the phone icon at the top of the editor. The phone layout is separate; arrange it after the desktop
Change site-wide colours, fonts, buttons
Site Styles (paintbrush icon, top right)
Save your work
Save (top left), then Exit
Reuse a section on other pages
Right-click the section → Save section; later Add section → Saved sections
The last section of this guide, Decisions for JP, lists the choices where you pick between options.
What "best in category" means in 2026
The winning B2B services site in 2026 is calm, fast and specific: it reads clearly to a site manager on a phone, and to the AI tools that now answer many searches before anyone clicks. Consumer sites are chasing bold colour and layered animation; B2B is moving the other way, towards clarity, readability and trust signals (Creative Pace).
2026 trend
What it means for Blackrock Safety Group
Where you build it
Clarity over decoration
One message per section, short paragraphs, plain language. No jargon like "holistic safety solutions".
Lessons 4-7
Trust signals up front
Qualifications (MSc, UCC diplomas), 15+ years, Tier 1 background, sector logos, testimonials once you have them.
Home, About
Navigation by need
Visitors find services by industry (construction, manufacturing, pharma) as well as by service.
Lesson 3, Services
Answer-first content (AEO/GEO)
Each service opens with a two-sentence direct answer, then detail, then FAQs. AI tools pull these answers into summaries.
Lessons 5, 8, 9
Google Business Profile as "second homepage"
Your GBP is often the main data source for AI local answers; reviews that name the service matter (Knapsack Creative).
Lesson 9
Structured data
LocalBusiness and Service schema tell search engines who you are and where you work.
Lesson 9
Privacy-first design
Clear consent, minimal data collection, a readable privacy notice (Bop Design).
Lesson 10
Accessibility as standard
Contrast, alt text, captions. Also helps search engines read the page.
Lesson 11
Legally sourced images
Licensed stock or your own site photos only; be careful with AI images.
Lesson 2
Subtle micro-interactions
Button hover states and gentle fade-ins only. Skip heavy scroll animation: it slows phones on site.
Lesson 2
What we deliberately skip: pop-ups on arrival, auto-playing video, chatbots, stock photos of people in spotless hard hats. Your buyers are safety managers and contractors; they spot fake site photos instantly.
Lesson 1: Squarespace setup
Goal: a new Squarespace site using the Almar template, emptied of demo content, on the Core plan, with your domain, email and basic settings in place.
Which plan and why: choose Core, billed annually. It is the cheapest plan with code injection (needed for the SEO code in Lesson 9), the announcement bar, the mobile information bar and a free first-year Google Workspace mailbox (Squarespace pricing).
Plan
US list price, annual (per month)
What matters for you
Basic
$19
No code injection, no announcement bar. Too limited.
Core (choose this)
$29
Code injection, advanced analytics, form conversion insights, 1 year free Google Workspace mailbox
Plus / Advanced
$49 / $99
Lower card fees for online selling. Not needed.
Check the euro price (including VAT) at checkout. Annual billing includes a free domain for the first year.
Part A: Create the site with Almar
Go to squarespace.com.
Click Get started.
Sign in, or create an account using your business email.
If asked how you want to start, click Choose a template (not the AI builder).
In the template search box, type Almar.
Click the Almar template to open its preview.
Click the phone icon in the preview to see it on mobile, then click back.
Click Start with Almar (or Start with this design).
When asked for a site title, type Blackrock Safety Group.
Answer or skip any onboarding questions until the editor opens.
Check: the Squarespace editor is open, showing Almar's demo homepage.
Part B: Save the useful Almar sections, then clear the demo
Click Pages in the left menu, then Home.
Scroll down the preview to Almar's logo strip section (if it has one). Right-click it and click Save section. Name it Logo strip.
Do the same for Almar's testimonial section. Name it Testimonial.
Click Edit (top l