Why Squarespace?
For many years, I have used whatever tools were available at the time to create my websites. There have been many that’s for sure. Some were somewhat intuitive, most took time to learn. I started long ago with custom HTML sites from scratch. CSS, Flash, Shopify, Wordpress, Magento, the list goes on. In addition to keeping track of the sheer amount of different platforms and coding languages, I was required to keep up with constant change as well. Software changes, platform changes, obsolete languages, it became a never ending quest to stay above water. I did this for many years, but couldn’t do it all myself. I had to hire out specialists in each language, each platform, each specific piece of the whole puzzle.
ENTER Squarespace
I started to design some of my personal projects in Squarespace and was struck by how quickly I was able to get good results. In the flow of the design process, there are times when you go down the rabbit hole in one direction, only to scrap that and go in another direction completely. In other platforms, this could take days/weeks, with Squarespace it might take only minutes/hours to try something else. Amazing! For pure design purposes it was a revelation. Fast forward several years, and I am struck by how much can be done in Squarespace. More than pretty design. It has been known for it’s design for many years, but it has become a very robust platform that has most everything out of the box. This is essential for creatives, solopreneurs, and small businesses to get their websites up and running quickly with intuitive and DIY friendly tools, and without being bogged down by code.
5 Squarespace building blocks to get your business up and running quickly
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1. Web Hosting
Squarespace is the default host for your website. There are many web host’s out there, some much cheaper, but most do not have a website builder, and if they do, they are usually primitive and decidedly un-intuitve. Wordpress is a robust platform that rivals Squarespace in many ways, but most host their Wordpress websites elsewhere, making it not an all-in-one platform like Squarespace. Squarespace may be limited for the tech savies out there, there is no FTP options on your servers for instance. But for most, it provides that all inclusive platform for anyone to get up and running quickly. Their hosting fees are not the cheapest, but for what you get in the box, I think it is very reasonable.
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2. Domain Names
You can buy/register/host your custom domain name on Squarespace. Similar to hosting, it is a one stop shop approach that is handy for small business owners. The first year is free! No need to login at multiple destinations, no need to adjust DNS settings or perform other complicated tasks that take a few hours on hold with support. Squarespace has it all built in, plug and play! No fuss. In recent news (June ‘23), Squarespace has acquired Google Domains. This came as a bit of a surprise to some, but fully cements Squarespace as a player for many years in this “domain” haha. You can read an article from Mashable here with more info…
3. Email
Squarespace has teamed up with Google Workspace to provide custom email addresses with your domain. This is NOT a gmail address (todd@gmail.com) but a custom email address at your domain (todd@9inedesign.net). You'll get access to other features like Google Calendar and Google Drive. On eligible billing plans, you can receive a free year of the Google Workspace Starter plan. You can access your emails and docs on Google, but you can conveniently manage billing through Squarespace. Again, another example of having everything under the same hood in the Squarespace ecosystem. I like that personally. How many logins and passwords do we need to keep track of? Too many. More info about Google Workspace here at Squarespace.
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3. Website Builder 7.1
Squarespace has gone through a few iterations of their website builder, but their latest version 7.1 is definately their most streamlined, intuitive, and sexy builder yet. Incredible how fast one can get something up on the page, and move it around with ease. Truly amazing! I spent many years in Wordpress, and while at times Wordpress could get designs in a rough place quickly, it was no where near the level of speed and precision of Squarespace. All through a simple drill down navigation menu that intuitively gets you where you need to go quickly. You always know where you are in the admin panel, leaving more energy to tackle the website design.
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4. Blog
Every plan in Squarespace comes with a blog built in and ready to go if you wish to use it. This seems like a no-brainer these days, but this is not so in all other platforms. It’s so easy to start writing and getting yourself heard. SEO loves blogging so get to it! Speak your mind, show your expertise, it’s there for you in a matter of minutes you can have your first post up. Travel, photography, design, art the list goes on for potential bloggers. Some use Squarespace for blogging only and it’s a great platform for it!
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5. Commerce
Currently I sell my templates in Squarespace.There are 3 pricing plans that include commerce. The Business plan includes the ability to sell products, but there is a 3% transaction fee. Both commerce plans, Commerce Basic, and Commerce Advanced have no transaction fees, and also include extra features such as Product Reviews, and the ability to sell on Facebook and Instagram. The Commerce Advanced plan allows you to sell Subscriptions as well.
And There’s more…
Email Marketing (with Campaigns)
Member Areas
Online Courses
Scheduling and Appointments
Analytics
There are lots of additional features and capabilities that really take this platform to another level. I am really excited to start adding these features to my client’s websites. Lot’s to unpack here. I’ll expand in a different post soon.
Conclusion
While Squarespace might not be for everybody, I have been very happy to immerse myself in their ecosystem that I know I can trust. While Squarespace does make consistent updates and changes to keep up, the changes aren’t wholesale. I don’t have to learn an entirely new platform. It leaves me more time to concentrate on my client’s, and how to go about making their unique brand shine!