Quite often people ask me why I design websites exclusively on Squarespace, so I thought it was time I spill the beans.

Let me start by saying that there are sooo many options out there for designing your website, and i’d rather you make decisions that are right for you. I’m not going to use this blog post to bash other website building platforms (that’s another blog post) or convince you that Squarespace is right for everyone, coz it isn’t.

I’m going to share my own personal reasons for choosing Squarespace so my hope is this will help you decide if Squarespace is right for you and your own business.

Cost

I it’s hard to know what you should be paying for, particularly at the start of your business.

Someone said to me recently, “I’d be on Squarespace if it wasn’t so expensive.” I thought, “Expensive compared to what?”

Sure, if your basis for comparison is a “free” website, then Squarespace will seem expensive. But compared to most other website solutions, Squarespace is actually a very good deal!

Side note: your business website should never be free. If it is, you’re likely paying for it in other ways (usually in poor user experience, lack of security or beholden to costly web agency fees).

When you invest in a website, there’s going to be some upfront costs. Whether you set up your own website using a template or hire a designer for a custom build, there’s going to be costs involved.

However, once the website is set up, your monthly costs should be minimal (£30/month or less for a standard business website.

This should cover: hosting, domain registration, security, at least one custom email address, customer support, SEO tools, analytics, device optimisation, and robust storage bandwidth.

If you’re paying £40+ per month for a standard business website, you should be asking yourself:

• What am I actually getting from this investment every month?

  • If there are extras associated with this cost, like SEO or tech support, what tangible things are you walking away with? 

• Is there data to back up the results of this extra investment?

  • For example, notable SEO gains or substantial increased web traffic?

• Am I using the extras that are included with my investment?

  • If you don’t have use for extra features anymore, there’s no use paying extra every month - those costs add up!

Squarespace’s Business Plan is £18/ month (£15+VAT) when paid annually. Most custom domains through Squarespace are £16/year, and if you opt for a custom email address, that’s £55/year (current pricing as of April 2022). That works out to £23.91/month or £287/year.

Many website solutions out there have a price tag of up to £300+ with additional set-up and maintenance fees which makes Squarespace an absolute steal in comparison.

Quality

This is one is sooo overlooked!

One of the biggest reasons I started my web design business was to solve the plague of generic, safe-looking websites (that nobody notices) or poorly-designed websites (that nobody can navigate). We know that it only takes two seconds for visitors to form an opinion about a business based on their website, and first impressions of websites are 94% design-related.

In short: quality matters.

Many of the existing website solutions available make it easy and affordable to get a website set up quickly but skimp on the quality, relying on outdated templates that create an ocean of clichéd website design that makes it so hard for clients to choose the right expert for them.

Great design is at the forefront of Squarespace’s ethos. Even without any website design know-how or experience, anyone can use Squarespace to create a slick-looking website that looks unique.

If you want to get creative, Squarespace websites are fully customisable. Whether you personalise a Squarespace template yourself or hire a designer for a custom build, you can create a totally bespoke website that looks nothing like the cookie-cutter websites we’re all so tired of seeing.

Ownership & Control

This is a BIG one. I don’t often speak in absolutes, but I’m going to now: every business owner should have 100% ownership and control of their website. Why? Because your website is your lobster, your most important marketing asset.

Your website will grow and change along with your business, and when you have ownership and control of it, you can make sure it grows in the ways that you need it to.

On the other hand, if someone else owns your website (or the content in it), you’ll likely run into hassles later on when you want to update your services, switch platforms, or rebrand your business.

Squarespace is a website hosting platform with a built-in website builder. As is Wix, Wordpress or Webflow. This means that you can build a website that’s 100% yours, and if you decide to move platforms, you can. These platforms don’t own your content; you’re just renting space and design tools. This freedom to change is what you want when your business evolves.

What you want to watch out for is the following:

• Platforms that don’t allow custom domains

• Platforms that limit website size or scope

• Platforms that charge fees for taking your content elsewhere

• Platforms/services that require approval or a middle-person to make changes (big or small changes)

• Platforms where your website is tied to a CRM (if you want to switch client management platforms in the future, do you lose your website?)

Again, when you build a website on Squarespace, your content and design is 100% yours.

Likewise, if you end up purchasing one of my templates, your content and design will be 100% yours too. There will be no recurring fees from me and you’re in complete control. You’re free to tweak, customise or completely change your website how you see fit as your business grows.

Watching smart business owners get the short straw in terms of website ownership and control didn’t sit right with me, so one of my biggest goals is to empower female founders to take control!

You don’t have to be an expert designer, developer or even know code; there are people out there ready and waiting to help with all that. But you DO need to own your website.

Easy Peasy

So if Wix, Wordpress and Webflow can offer the same freedom and control, why use Squarespace? For me, ease of use was my main determining factor when deciding where to build websites for my clients.

Knowing that website stuff tends to scare or overwhelm (leading to them quitting that ever-important control I just banged on about), choosing a platform that’s easy for website novices to get around was my top priority.

While there’s a bit of a learning curve (as with any platform or technology) Squarespace has proven to be easy to navigate for the many female founders I’ve designed for so far.

And to ensure those who purchase websites from me feel confident and supported, each of my Squarespace templates will come with step-by-step tutorial videos to help you navigate the platform with ease.

If you do have more website design and CSS coding experience than the average business owner, and you’re willing to spend a little more time on the development side, Wordpress, Webflow or even Showit might be great options for you as well.

Build your own website, no knowledge required.

Most female-preneurs I know don’t want to spend months DIYing their website, but they do want it to look the best. Squarespace offers the most beginner-friendly platform while also offering premium design features and the freedom and control that business owners need.

If you’re just getting your business started but panicking about what to put on your website and in what order, then my Squarespace templates offer a ready-made structure to follow with helpful prompts for writing enticing website copy. Optionally add your own images, colours and fonts then you’re ready to launch!

All template buyers get 20% off their first annual Squarespace plan, along with a 6-month free trial (instead of the standard 14 days) in case you want to take your time.

This means that even with the upfront cost of a website template, your first-year costs will likely still be lower than using a developer that charges £45/month and upwards for maintenance you could (and should) do yourself.

Plus Squarespace’s customer support has your back 24/7.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, you should weigh your options and decide what makes sense for you and your business, but be sure to pay special attention to the checklist under “What you want to watch out for…”.

Even if you don’t know the first thing about building a website, your website platform should give you freedom and control, above all else.