How to add a Stylish Hover Effect to Blog Post Titles in Squarespace 7.1

Jun 29

In today’s web design environment, first impressions are everything. Adding the most subtle and effective interactions (think hovering over titles of blog posts, for example) to your Squarespace 7.1 site can lift the visual quality and user experience of your site, whether you’re a blogger, a creative, or a business using Squarespace.

In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to make an elegant image overlay with a centered title on hover by writing some simple, performant, and responsive CSS. No plugins, no JavaScript, just pure native code and design awesomeness.

Why add a hover effect on your blog titles?

A hover effect is not only useful for looking great, but it also helps users to know if the content is clickable or not. Here’s why it’s a smart design move:

Improves readability by displaying the title over an image with a contrast overlay.
Improves User Experience with visual hover feedback on your blog items.
Keeps your design simple, displaying titles only when essential.
Visualizes hierarchy while not cluttering your screen.

What You’ll Achieve

When applied, this feature will:

Show an overlay hover on the blog post image.
Show the title of the blog post in the center of the image using a nice fade in.
You may also wish to zoom the image just a little bit for extra visual depth.

This formula easily applies to blog list pages, summary blocks, or custom blog grid sections created in Squarespace 7.1.

Implementation: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access Your CSS Panel

Log in to your Squarespace account.
Navigate to Pages → Custom code → Custom CSS

This is where we’ll paste the code that controls the hover behavior.

Step 2: Paste the CSS Code


/* Blog Hover Effect - Overlay & Title Fade */
.blog-basic-grid--text {
  position: absolute;
  top: 50%;
  left: 50%;
  transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
  text-align: center;
  color: white;
  opacity: 0;
  transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
  z-index: 2;
}
.blog-basic-grid article:hover .blog-basic-grid--text {
  opacity: 1;
}
.blog-basic-grid .image-wrapper::after {
  content: "";
  background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  opacity: 0;
  transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
  z-index: 1;
}
.blog-basic-grid article:hover .image-wrapper::after {
  opacity: 1;
}
.blog-basic-grid .image-wrapper {
  position: relative;
  overflow: hidden;
}
.blog-basic-grid .image-wrapper img {
  transition: transform 0.3s ease;
}
.blog-basic-grid article:hover .image-wrapper img {
  transform: scale(1.05);
}
/* Responsive Support */
@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {
  .blog-basic-grid--text {
    font-size: 16px;
    padding: 0 12px;
  }
}

Customize It to Fit Your Brand

  
        Element
        Customization
      
        Overlay Color
        Adjust rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) to match your brand tone (e.g., rgba(255, 87, 34, 0.3))
      
        Text Style
        Modify .blog-basic-grid--text with your desired font-family, font-size, or text-transform
      
        Zoom Level
        Change scale(1.05) to a more subtle value like scale(1.02)
      
        Fade Speed
        Adjust transition values (e.g., 0.5s ease-in-out) for smoother animations

Important Notes

This assumes you’re using some sort of custom or modified blog layout with a container class like. blog-basic-grid--container.
If you’re working with a different template (Brine, Rally, Five), the class names might be a little different.
Always preview any changes on both desktop and mobile for consistency.

Final Thoughts

Including a hover effect on your blog post titles is a relatively simple web design touch that offers:

Cleaner user interfaces
More interaction without overwhelming visuals
Professional editorial look blog or portfolio site.

In a few lines of CSS, you can transform a regular Squarespace blog layout into something that looks professionally designed — no third-party plug-ins or super technical workarounds required.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Why should I add a hover effect to my Squarespace blog titles?

A hover effect provides visual feedback that helps users identify clickable content. It improves interactivity, enhances the design experience, and creates a modern, polished look, especially on blog list pages or custom grids.

2. Will this CSS hover effect work on all Squarespace templates?

This code is optimized for custom layouts using a class like .blog-basic-grid. If you're using templates like Brine, Rally, or Five, class names may differ. You can still use the same logic, but you’ll need to inspect and adjust the selectors accordingly.

3. Can I change the overlay color to match my brand?

Yes! Simply modify this line:


background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);

Change the rgba values to any color you prefer, such as rgba(255, 87, 34, 0.3) for a warm orange overlay.

4. How do I change the hover zoom level of the blog image?

Edit the scale value here:


transform: scale(1.05);

For a gentler effect, use scale(1.02) or remove it entirely if you don’t want a zoom.

5. Is JavaScript required for this hover effect?

No. This tutorial utilizes pure CSS, making it lightweight, fast, and natively supported by all modern browsers.

6. Will this effect slow down my Squarespace site?

No. The CSS used is minimal and highly performant. It won’t affect your site speed or loading time.

7. Will the hover effect work on mobile devices?

Hover effects don’t behave the same way on mobile, since touchscreens don’t register hover. However, the layout remains responsive and visually clean across devices. The title simply won’t appear on tap unless adapted with JavaScript (optional).

8. Can I apply this to Squarespace summary blocks or blog sections?

Yes, absolutely! As long as your blog layout includes an image wrapper and title container, you can apply this CSS. Just update the class names (.blog-basic-grid, .image-wrapper, etc.) to match your specific block structure.

9. What if the blog title doesn’t appear over the image?

Ensure your blog layout utilizes absolute positioning for the title within a position: relative container. Double-check that .image-wrapper is set to position: relative and your title element has the class .blog-basic-grid--text.

10. How do I customize the font of the hover title?

You can update the .blog-basic-grid--text class with your preferred styles. For example:


font-family: 'Playfair Display', serif;
text-transform: uppercase;
font-size: 20px;