By Roland van den Hout, co-founder of SQSMODS
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We never set out to build a plugin store. We were simply trying to solve a problem for a client.
They needed functionality that wasn't available in Squarespace's native toolkit, so we built it.
Within weeks, a handful of other developers reached out to ask if they could use it. Then more followed.
They weren't reaching out because we'd marketed anything. They were reaching out because they'd hit the exact same wall.
That's when we realised something bigger was happening.
Squarespace had real gaps. Not edge cases or nice-to-haves, but genuine friction points that developers and site owners kept running into. Once we started paying attention, plugin ideas came from everywhere. Client requests. Our own observations while building sites. Things we'd see on other platforms and think, "Why doesn't Squarespace have this?"
One plugin became two. Two became five. Five became dozens.
We never wrote a business plan for any of this. We kept building because limitations kept emerging and people kept asking for solutions.
SQSMODS emerged from that momentum. Not from some grand strategy, but from recognising a genuinely underserved market and having the ability to serve it.
Building Solutions, Not Features
That's still how we work today.
Every plugin we build exists because we, or our clients, encountered real friction while building a website. Every feature solves an actual problem, not one we imagined from a spreadsheet.
We don't start by asking what would look good in a marketplace. We start by asking what's slowing people down, what's frustrating users, or what's missing from a project.
If a solution improves the experience for one client, there's a good chance it will help other Squarespace users too.
Over time, that simple approach has shaped everything we've built.
The Story Behind Expand 2.0
One of the best examples of this approach is Expand 2.0.
We had a client with a large number of service offerings. The traditional approach, creating separate pages for every service, meant visitors were constantly jumping between pages to find the information they needed.
We diagnosed the friction and recommended a different structure.
Instead of sending users from page to page, we kept everything on a single page and organised the content into digestible sections that visitors could expand as needed.
The result was a cleaner user experience, better content organisation, and a more engaging way to explore the content.
The client loved it.
When we released it to the SQSMODS community, they loved it too.
What started as a UX observation on a single project became one of our most popular plugins.
That pattern has repeated itself many times over the years. A challenge appears on a client project, we build a solution, and then discover that many other developers have been facing the exact same issue.
Letting Adoption Prove the Idea
That philosophy sits at the heart of SQSMODS.
We don't chase trends or try to predict what developers might want next. We focus on solving real problems, releasing those solutions to the community, and letting adoption tell us whether we got it right.
Every plugin in our store exists because it solved a problem we encountered.
Every update is shaped by feedback from the community.
Every improvement comes from listening to how people actually use our products in the real world.
That's how SQSMODS started, and it's how we'll continue building in the future.
The best ideas rarely come from brainstorming sessions. More often, they come from paying attention to the frustrations people experience every day and taking the time to solve them properly.
For us, that's where every SQSMODS plugin begins.
About the Author
Roland van den Hout is the co-founder of SQSMODS, a growing collection of plugins and enhancements built specifically for Squarespace. His work focuses on solving practical challenges faced by Squarespace designers, developers and website owners through thoughtfully designed tools and features.
Editor's note: if you are starting a new Squarespace build, browse our Squarespace templates hub and the templates for designers collection first, then add SQSMODS plugins like the ones above once the structure is in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SQSMODS?
SQSMODS is a collection of plugins and enhancements built specifically for Squarespace. It grew out of functionality built for a single client that other developers then asked to use, and the range has since expanded from one plugin to dozens.
Who founded SQSMODS?
SQSMODS was co-founded by Roland van den Hout, whose work focuses on solving practical challenges faced by Squarespace designers, developers and website owners. The company was never planned as a plugin store: it emerged from client work and grew as more people asked for the same solutions.
How does SQSMODS decide which plugins to build?
Every SQSMODS plugin starts with a real problem encountered on a client project or while building a website, rather than an idea chosen for a marketplace. Ideas come from client requests, observations made while building sites, and features seen on other platforms that Squarespace lacks. Each solution is then released to the community, and adoption shows whether it was the right call.
What is Expand 2.0?
Expand 2.0 is an SQSMODS plugin that keeps content on a single page and organises it into sections that visitors can expand as needed. It was built for a client with a large number of services whose visitors were jumping between separate pages, and after release to the community it became one of the most popular SQSMODS plugins.
How are SQSMODS plugins improved after release?
Updates are shaped by feedback from the SQSMODS community, and improvements come from watching how people actually use the plugins on real websites. The same approach applies to every plugin in the range.
Where can I find SQSMODS plugins on SquareLocator?
SquareLocator lists SQSMODS plugins, including Expand 2.0, in its Squarespace plugins collection filtered to SQS Mods. If you are starting a new build, choose a template first and add the plugins once the site structure is in place.
