A banner image displays near the top of the page, adding a visual element that sets the tone for your site. This guide reviews the steps for adding and styling banner images.
Tip: As an alternative to our built-in options, you can add an image block to the top of a layout page on any Squarespace site.
Image formatting tips
Check the formatting for your images before uploading to your site. For banner images, follow these guidelines:
- Use images between 1500 pixels and 2500 pixels wide.
- Ensure images are wider than they are tall.
- Use images with abstract patterns and without borders.
- Don't use images with text in the actual image file. Instead, add text over the image.
- For image file types and complete image requirements, visit Formatting images for the web.
- If you want a text-only message at the top of your site, add an announcement bar instead of a banner.
Add a banner image
How to add banner images and the layouts you can create with them depends on your site's version.
You can create banner images on any page by adding a block section to the top of the page, then adding a background image. You can add content overlaying the banner, or add more sections for page content below. It's not possible to add banner images to individual blog posts, events, or products.
For detailed steps on adding a background image to a section, visit Section background images.
Different templates support different types of banner images:
- Page banner - Displays at the top of individual pages. Added as the page featured image.
- Collection item banner - Displays above individual blog posts, products, and events. Added as the item's featured image.
- Site-wide banner - Can display on every page. Added in site styles.
See a comparison table of banner options by template.
Add a page banner
To add a page banner:
- In the Home menu, click Pages.
- Hover over the page title and click
, then click Media.
- Click Add Image to upload an image from your computer, or click Search For Images to reuse an image or add a stock image. Some templates also support video banners.
- Click and drag the focal point to set the center point of the image. This helps with cropping in most templates.
- Click Save to publish your changes.
- Use Site styles to style your banner.
To edit an existing banner, hover over the page and click Banner, or reopen page settings with .
To learn more about which templates support page banners, see Banner options by template.
Add a collection item banner
Collection item banners display above individual blog posts, products, and events.
To add a collection item banner, open the editor for that item, then add a featured image in the Options tab. For detailed steps, visit Adding featured images.
Some collection items display page banners instead. For example, a blog post might display the blog page banner. To learn more about which templates support collection item banners, see Banner options by template.
Add a site-wide banner
Site-wide banners are available in the Five template and some discontinued templates. They display on any pages that don't have a page banner added.
To add a site-wide banner, click its style tweak in site styles.
- In Five, the tweak is Header Background Image.
- In discontinued templates, the tweak may have a different name.
After you've added the image, style it with the options that appear.
Note: Site-wide banners should never be larger than 2500 pixels, as this can cause issues on mobile.
Banner options by template
These template families support one or more banner types:
Template family |
Pages |
Video banners |
Collection items |
Other options |
Adirondack |
Layout |
Yes |
Blog posts |
Fade effect on scroll |
Bedford |
Layout |
Yes |
Blog posts |
|
Brine |
Layout |
Yes |
n/a |
Banners can display behind the header Parallax scrolling |
Farro | n/a | No | Blog posts | n/a |
Five |
Layout |
Yes |
Page banners display on blog posts, events, products |
Site-wide banners |
Montauk |
Layout |
Yes |
Page banners display on blog posts, events |
Banners don't crop vertically |
Pacific |
Layout |
Yes |
n/a | |
Skye | n/a | No | Blog posts | n/a |
Supply |
Layout |
No |
Blog posts |
Banner displays on the right, except on mobile. |
Tremont |
Layout |
Yes |
n/a | |
York |
Layout |
No | n/a |
Fade-in effect |
Add text to a banner
Depending on your site, you can add text or other content overlaying banner images. Because the text that you add adapts to fit any screen size or mobile device, this is a great way to add text to your banner.
We don't recommend using a banner image that has text within the actual image file for a couple reasons:
- Computers can't read this text, so search engines won't index it for results.
- When your banner changes shape to adapt to different browser widths, parts of the text will get cropped.
How you add banner text depends on your site's version.
To add text or other content:
- Click Edit on the page with the banner.
- If you added a Blank section, it includes a text block already. Click into the block to add text, then use the Format drop-down to choose a paragraph style.
- Click an insert point to add more text blocks or other content.
- Hover over Done and click Save.
Different templates support different types of text overlays:
- Page title and description - Displays the title and description added in the page settings over page banners.
- Collection item banner text - Displays text from collection item settings over blog posts, events, or product items.
- Index page banner text - Displays description text overlaying the banner, or page content can overlay the banner, depending on the template.
- Intro area overlay text - text blocks and other block content overlay the header area of the page where the banner displays.
To learn more about which templates support which types of overlay text, see Banner text options by template.
Add intro area overlay text
Templates in the Brine family support an intro area that displays over the banner. You can customize this area with blocks, such as a text block or button block.
Add a page title and description
Most templates display the page title and description over page banners. To add text to a banner in templates:
- In the Home menu, click Pages.
- Hover over the page title in the left panel and click
.
- Add text to the Page Title and Page Description fields in the General tab.
- Click Save, then refresh the page. Banner changes sometimes don't appear in the site preview until you refresh the page.
Keep in mind:
- For these templates, page descriptions shouldn't be used purely for adding SEO-based content. Using page descriptions for the banner won't have a negative effect on SEO.
- To display a different title in search results and social shares, add an SEO title.
- You can create extra height in most templates by adding blank spaces to the description. Press Return or Enter around the description text to show more of the image. This can help fix cropping issues and increase the height of the banner for a dramatic effect.
Add collection item banner text
Collection item banners typically create their overlay text from the settings for that blog post, event, or product. Use the links below to learn more about adding text to each item type:
Troubleshooting
If your text doesn't display, try these troubleshooting steps:
- Refresh the page.
- Check the template table to confirm your template supports banner text for that page type.
- Open site styles and check if your template has style options that hide the banner or banner text.
- Ensure you have a banner image added, as some templates require a banner image to display the text.
- Review your template's guide.
Banner text options by template
Here are the banner text options in these template families:
Template family |
Page banners |
Collection item banners |
Adirondack |
|
|
Bedford |
|
|
Brine |
|
|
Farro |
|
|
Five |
|
|
Montauk |
|
|
Pacific |
|
|
Skye |
|
|
Supply |
|
|
Tremont |
|
|
York |
|
|
This video applies to version 7.1.
Style the banner
How you style the banner depends on your site's version.
Banner image
To style the banner image, click Edit on the page, click the pencil icon on the banner's section, then click Background. You can set the Background Width and the Overlay Opacity.
For Background Width:
- Full Bleed extends the image from one edge of your browser window to the other, spanning the width of your site.
- Inset indents the image slightly and creates a border around the image.
When the image is set to Inset, you can set the border color.
Note: If you upload a .png file with a transparent background, the browser will always display a white background behind the image. To change this background color, you'll need to edit the image in a third-party image editing software before uploading it to your site.
Banner text
Your site's style settings in the Design panel set how text displays in your banner section.
- To change your site's fonts, choose a font pack and base size in the Fonts panel. Scroll to Assign Styles to style specific text. To learn more, visit Changing fonts.
- To change your font color, choose a palette and theme in the Colors panel. Open your Section Theme and click the pencil icon to style specific elements within that theme. To learn more, visit Changing colors.
Use the tweaks in site styles to adjust fonts, colors, and other banner elements. Banner style tweaks usually affect every banner on your site.
Learn about the banner styling options in your template's guide:
Transparent images
If you use a .png file with a transparent background, the following tweaks adjust the color that displays behind the banner:
- Adirondack - Content Background Color
- Bedford - Banner Overlay Color
- Brine - Overlay Color in the Main: Overlay section
- Farro - Post Background Color. The Overlay Color also affects the color.
- Five - Header Background
- Montauk - Canvas Background
- Pacific - Overlay Color
- Skye - Site Background
- Supply - Page Color
- Tremont - Site Background Color
- York - Background Color in the Banner section
Usually, the color displays at 100% opacity. If you're having trouble getting the color you want, change the transparency.
Change the banner size
How you change the height or width of your banner depends on your site's version.
To change the banner's height:
- Click Edit on the page, then click the pencil icon on the banner's section.
- In the Format tab, under Section Height, select a preset height or click ... to set a custom height.
- Hover over Done and click Save.
The section height affects how the background image crops on both computers and mobile devices. We recommend testing different heights to get the look you want.
Banner height also depends on the amount of content on the section. To increase the banner height without adding visible content, add spacer blocks.
Although banners typically span the width of the site, you can style the banner image to include a border around it. This gives the appearance of reducing the banner width.
Use the table below to learn how change the banner size in these template families. Note that it's not possible to change the banner width in most templates.
Template family |
How to change the size |
Adirondack |
Height tweak |
Bedford |
Page and video banners - Add line breaks to the page description. Learn more. Slideshow banners, Blog slideshow banners, and Collection item banners - Fixed height |
Brine |
Add line breaks to the intro area. Index banners have separate height options. |
Farro |
Use the Header tweak in the Blog: Item section to adjust the banner size. |
Five |
Use the Banner Area Height or Banner Area Spacing tweaks. (Banner Area Height doesn't affect mobile.) |
Montauk |
Fixed height, set by the original image. Page banners always display at the width of the site content. They don't crop vertically. |
Pacific |
Add line breaks to the page description or use the Padding tweak. Learn more. Index banners have separate height options. |
Skye |
Use the Banner Image Width tweak to adjust the banner width. The height is set by the original image, proportional to the width. |
Supply |
Page width is fixed, so the banner fills the remaining width of the browser. |
Tremont |
Page Banner Image Height tweak |
York |
Height tweak |
If your banner doesn't look right, visit Troubleshooting cropping issues.
Add a button to a banner
Encourage visitors to click a link to a specific page, donate to your organization, or sign up for your newsletter by adding a button to your banner. How you add the banner button depends on your site's version:
Follow the instructions above to create a banner image. To add a button overlaying the banner, add a button block to the section's content.
These template families include special overlay options for adding buttons over banner images and videos on individual pages:
- Bedford - Format the page description text to create a button in the last line.
- Brine - Add a button block to the intro area on a page with a banner.
Banners on mobile
Banner images will always experience some cropping on mobile devices.
To learn how banners appear on mobile devices, visit How will my site appear on mobile devices?
Remove a banner image
How you remove a banner image depends on your site's version.
To remove a banner image:
- Click Edit on the page, then click the pencil icon on the banner's section.
- Click Background.
- Click Delete.
- Hover over Done and click Save.
- Page banners - In the Media tab of the page settings, click Remove Image.
- Collection item banners - Open the individual item (blog post, product, or event), click the Options tab, then click the trash can icon.
- Site-wide banners - Open the specific tweak in site styles and click Remove.
Watch a video
This video applies to version 7.0.