I’ve used many website platforms.
There are pros and cons to each of them. If you plan to build your own website or take on heavy content updating, any platform you choose will require some time and effort to learn all the features and requirements.
For small brands and DIYers (like me), building a website can be a huge can of worms, taking up a LOT of valuable headspace and patience. Yet, outsourcing it isn’t always in the budget.
I wholeheartedly recommend Squarespace (not an affiliate) over WordPress, Showit, Weebly and Wix. I won’t do a side-by-side comparison of all these platforms, but I’ll tell you why I believe Squarespace rises to the top, especially for a quiet entrepreneur like me.
Ease of Use
Squarespace is, by far, the most user-friendly and straightforward page builder around. It was built specifically for the DIY small business user, but it’s also used by some giant brands as well (Accenture, HBO, Avocode).
The interface is mostly drag-n-drop and super intuitive. You won’t have to spend hours watching videos to figure out how to create a new section or add a blog post.
Squarespace comes with a large collection of basic templates to get you started. The keyword here is BASIC. If you want fancy, you’ll find fancier templates in the marketplace. But Squarespace gives you the essentials to get your website up and running on day one.
Being able to make your own website updates is a huge win for small brands. You won’t have to hire someone to help you every time you want to make a change. And you won’t have to learn HTML or CSS to achieve the essentials of a great-looking website.
All-In-One Platform
If you’re a brand with products, you’ll need e-commerce functionality. If you book client appointments, you’ll need a scheduling integration. If you want to run a course or membership, you’ll need a way to put some content behind a paywall. If you plan to build an email list, you’ll need email marketing tools.
Squarespace can provide all of this functionality, built-in. You can even buy a domain and set up a Google Workspace inside the platform.
If you’ve had any experience with open-source platforms like WordPress, you know it’s an endless process of integrating themes and plugins, and continually updating all of those third-party apps.
Not with Squarespace.
While you CAN add some extensions, plugins and code to Squarespace, it’s not essential. You will be able to start simply with everything you need in one place. And as your business grows, you’ll be able to add on the bells and whistles.
The caveat here is that Squarespace pricing is not All-In-One. Every business won’t need the same things from the platform. So plan to add an expense for each functional tool you add to your website - just like you would do with any platform.
Secure
Because Squarespace is a ‘closed’ platform, expect Squarespace to handle all the updates and maintenance. They keep the inner workings of your website free of bugs, glitches and hackers so you never have to worry about such things.
For a big brand with a developer on staff, worrying about security 24/7 is no problem. But if you’re a small, lean team of one or two people, this isn’t something you’ll want to handle.
Support
Squarespace has a huge team of technical support pros ready to handle whatever questions you might have. You’ll be able to reach them by chat or email, any time of day, always free.
I also really love and appreciate the vast resources available in the Squarespace Help Center. Clear, concise instructions with video demos make it very easy to learn how to do it all on your own.
Trial
Squarespace offers a free two-week trial so you can test-drive the platform yourself before you commit. You can click all the buttons and see for yourself just how easy it is to put a page together.
More!
Portfolios, blogging tools, built-in SEO, Analytics, responsive designs that look great on mobile and tablet, social media tools. Squarespace aims to be your one-stop-shop for everything you need to put your business online.
Squarespace may not be the cheapest if you need all the functionality I wrote about earlier. But when I added up all the plugins, services and time I spent on my WordPress website, going with Squarespace was a no-brainer.
Leveling up
A lot goes into creating a great website.
Squarespace won’t write your copy or give you a cohesive brand identity. In fact, out-of-box Squarespace and most 3rd-party templates are FAR from strategic. Don’t get distracted by the clean, minimal and modern aesthetic of a template and forget that a website also needs to SELL your goods and services.
This is called MARKETING and there’s a very specific way to do it successfully, whatever platform you choose to use.
If you want to ensure your Squarespace website attracts and converts the right customers, get an expert to help build out a ‘wireframe’ that makes sense for your business.
As always, before you build a website, you’ll need to know how you want your brand to look, sound and feel to your audience by articulating and documenting your brand concept, voice, and visual identity. It’s no small task - but 100% essential, even for small businesses and solopreneurs. Get in touch!
Once you have those things in hand, plugging it all into Squarespace is easy. And then you can get back to the work you really love doing.
Here’s a free Website Audit Checklist of things you’ll want to audit occasionally to make sure your website is up to the task.