Why I Use Squarespace for Small Business Websites
You’ll have seen the word Squarespace all over my website and if you don’t already know what it is, you’re likely pretty confused! In this post I’m going to go into detail about what Squarespace is, what it does, why I love it, and why I recommend it. Let’s dive in!
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a website building platform, similar to Wix, ShowIt and Weebly. It positions itself as a user-friendly all-in-one solution for websites. Unlike some website platforms, Squarespace acts as the host of your website, as well as the builder. It can also manage the domain and your online shop.
JARGON BUSTER
Host – a website host is where your website will live when it’s online. Somewhere that the files associated with your website live, and it’s what allows people to actually see your content when the type in your domain.Domain – your domain is your websites address. So when you type into the address bar of your internet browser, it’s what points to your actual website content (on your host!). So the domain of my website (the one you’re on right now) is www.kirstym.com.
Why do I like using it?
User-friendly
One of my favourite things about Squarespace is how user friendly the interface is. One of the most important things for me when I work with small businesses to design their website, is that once their website is up and running they are confident and able to maintain and update the website themselves. Squarespace’s simple platform really facilitates this and I’m almost always confident my clients will be able to work and grow with their website.
Supports minimal and elegant design
Squarespace comes with a range of templates which all have a similar simple and elegant feel. This is core to their design ethos, and although I end up stripping back these templates to build something completely unique for my clients the face that their core formatting supports the same kind of clean and simple design I like to utilise makes the design process that much easier for me.
Allows me the flexibility to create custom designs
Following on from the point above, although Squarespace websites begin life as a template, the system is very supportive of graphic and website designers and I am able to create completely customised designs that suit each of my clients unique requirements without too much techy knowledge. I can work with the design features in-built to the Squarespace platform whilst also adding in personalised customisations through CSS coding to bring the site to life, ensuring my clients are super happy with the end result!
Affordable
This is great for both me and my clients, because my business website is hosted on Squarespace too (gotta practice what I preach after all!). Squarespace offers several different packages to suit your business and website needs. From a simple website all the way up to a more complex e-commerce site, the cost of the plan rises with the additional features, but I find it to be really affordable and it’s a worthwhile investment for my business. For the current Squarespace package pricing, head here.
Streamlines the process for my clients
Something I have found my clients really like about the Squarespace platform is that they are able to streamline their business and take care of a number of different aspects in one place. For example, you can not only set up your website but you can also host your domain, your email list, set up your emails through GSuite. This is really helpful for people who don’t want to have multiple different accounts with multiple companies. Now, Squarespace is not always the best solution for everything, but for smaller businesses it can really make things much more straightforward.
Added benefits
In-built SEO
If you’ve done any amount on research about websites I’m sure you’ll have come across the three letters that send people into a spin – S.E.O. or search engine optimisation. Since I first started using Squarespace this is an area they have really improved their offering and there are now inbuilt SEO tools which means your website will be set up for success from the get-go.
Secure
Security might not be something that you’ve thought about when it comes to your website platform, but if you use other services you will have to undertake securing your site yourself. Now I won’t go into the complexities of it all, but Squarespace is what’s known as closed-source, meaning it’s managed in house by Squarespace, so they have to ensure the websites are secure for their paying customers. Other platforms, such as WordPress, require additional plug0ins to be used to add layers of security to their site – this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not something you want to bother yourself with if you can avoid it!
Support
Once you’re finished working with a designer, you might run into some problems with the design or back end of your site. Squarespace has a really helpful support service, either by phone, live chat or email. They also have a vast resource of help topics you can browse and usually find an answer to your query (but if I designed your site, feel free to give me a shout!).
Any downsides?
As much as I love the platform, Squarespace is not the perfect solution for every case. There are certain types of functionality that it can’t easily support, and some of the additional features it offers aren’t suitable for every business.
Large online shop
Whilst you can have an online shop on your Squarespace website, if you have an online shop with a large inventory, or you handle a large volume of orders I would recommend using a platform that specialises in ecommerce (such as Shopify). However, the Squarespace commerce platform is extremely user-friendly and simple to use. If you have a smaller inventory (under 50 products) and have other needs for your website as well as the shop, I would still recommend Squarespace.
Complex requirements
Websites that require more complicated functionality, such as hotel booking systems or a membership site then Squarespace probably won’t be the solution for you. WordPress or a completely custom coded website design is what you will be after and you should find a website designer who specialises in that specific thing you need on your site.
Email marketing
I mentioned above that Squarespace has an in-built email marketing platform, which is really simple to use and if you’re comfortable on Squarespace you will find the interface a breeze. It’s also cheaper than many of it’s competitors, but that’s because it’s not nearly as sophisticated. If you anticipate having a large email list, with lots of different sign up forms, and segments, Squarespace’s email platform will not be the best option for you.
So, in short, I think Squarespace is a fab solution for small businesses who need to connect with their audience and grow their business, who also need to know they can make simple tweaks to their site in the future.
If you have any questions about Squarespace that I’ve not covered here, please drop me an email or a message using the links below.
