How to redirect Squarespace Blogs and Events to external links

Squarespace has a powerful built-in feature called the Source URL, designed to link a blog post or event to an external original source. It’s perfect for affiliate marketers, event organizers using external booking platforms (like Eventbrite), or news curators.

However, the native implementation is often incomplete. While you can set a Source URL, Squarespace frequently forces visitors to click through to the item collection page before they can find the actual external link.

Today, we’re going to fix that. In this guide, I’ll show you how to set up Source URLs for every collection type and how to use the Source URL Helper plugin to ensure every click—including thumbnails and buttons—leads exactly where it should.

Setting up Source URLs for Blogs

By default, Squarespace only lets you link the Title of a blog post to a Source URL, In summary blocks, both the post title and featured image link to the source URL.

The Setup:

1. From your Home Menu, go to Pages and select your Blog.

2. Click the Settings (gear icon) for a specific post.

3. Go to the Options tab.

4. Paste your external link into the Source URL field.

5. Toggle the Link Post Title to Source URL switch to ON.

Blog Source URL

The Limitation:

Even with this toggled on, Squarespace only redirects the title (plus featured image if you are using a Summary block). If a visitor clicks the "Read More" button in a Summary Block, they are still sent to the blog post item page.

Setting up Source URLs for Events

Events are even more restricted. While they have a Source URL field, Squarespace doesn't provide a toggle to link the title or thumbnail to it.

The Setup:

1. Open your Events page settings.

2. Click into an individual Event.

3. Navigate to Options.

4. Scroll down to the Source URL field and paste your booking or external link.

The Limitation:

Natively, this link only appears as a small text snippet in the event's description. On your main Event List or Calendar Block, clicking the event still takes users to the internal event page rather than your external booking site.

Automating Redirects with Source URL Helper

This is where the Source URL Helper plugin comes in. It "scans" your site for these hidden Source URLs and automatically rewrites every possible link (Title, Thumbnail, Button, or "Read More") to point to that external destination.

Core Features:

• Universal Link Replacement: Automatically finds and replaces links on collection items (Title, Thumbnail, and Button) across your entire site.

• Multi-Collection Support: Works seamlessly on both Events and Blogs.

• Calendar Block Integration: One of its most unique features—it replaces internal links within Calendar Block flyouts title, including the flyout title and thumbnail.

• Force Source URL to open in new tab: You can change how the source url is opened

The plugin is available for purchase via Source URL Helper . Once activated, you can manage everything visually using Ground Control.

We want you to feel confident in the solution, so a risk-free trial is available. You can activate the trial with a single click directly inside your Ground Control dashboard

How to configure with Ground Control:

If you are using Ground Control, setting this up takes seconds and requires zero coding:

1. Enter your website dashboard and look for the Ground Control icon on the top left.

2. Find the Source URL Helper in your plugin list.

3. Use the visual toggles to decide exactly what gets redirected:

   • Event list titles, thumbnails, buttons.

   • Event summary block titles, thumbnails, buttons.

   • Calendar block flyouts title, event titles and thumbnails

Video below shows how to link event flyout link item to its Source URL on a calendar block

Comparison: Native vs. Plugin Support

Collection Type	Link element	Native Squarespace	Source URL helper	Notes
Blog List	Title	✅	✅
-	Thumbnail	❌	✅
-	Read more	❌	✅	-
Event List	Title	❌	✅
-	Thumbnail	❌	✅	-
-	Read more	❌	✅	-
Blog Summary Block	Title	✅	✅
-	Thumbnail	✅	✅	-
-	Read more	❌	✅
Event Summary Block	Title	❌	✅
-	Thumbnail	❌	✅
-	Read more	❌	✅
Calendar Block	Flyout/Title 📅	❌	✅
All links	Open in New tab	❌	✅

Why This Matters for User Experience

Think about a Calendar Block. If you are hosting a workshop and using an external booking link, your visitors expect that clicking the event on the calendar will take them directly to the "Book Now" page.

Without this helper, they have to click the calendar, then click a "Read More" link, then find a small "Source" link in the description. By then, you've likely lost the lead. By using the Source URL Helper, you cut that journey down to a single click.