Squarespace vs. Wordpress
Squarespace vs. WordPress: Which Website Platform Do I Use?
I get asked all the time… “What website platform should I use?”
The answer isn’t so black and white.
Your unique needs should determine which platform you build on.
That’s why I never suggest a certain platform until I know the client’s exact requirements and intentions with their website. While the price tags and ease of setup are usually major concerns for most new brands, your actual functionality needs should be your top deciding factor. Set yourself up for success by starting out on the right platform, instead of limiting yourself down the road (or stressing out like crazy) when you find that you need to make a switch!
Squarespace
Squarespace PROS (+)
Squarespace is a fast and easy way to set up a website, making it a top choice for businesses. You can create an amazing-looking website on Squarespace quickly, which lowers your investment to outsource the initial design. It’s easy to set up your domain and email for complete ownership of your website, and the sheer (practically foolproof) ease of updating your site through Squarespace makes this platform even more appealing. Squarespace also comes with free Acuity scheduling software and a one-year subscription to a custom business email address. (If you don’t know what a custom branded email is, find out how to stand out with one here!)
Creating beautiful blog posts using this platform is effortless. With its drag-and-drop styling, simple SEO, and easy to understand content blocks, Squarespace makes style and functionality a breeze! Not to mention, there are no on-going updates! Squarespace automatically updates things behind-the-scenes when new changes in technology happen, so you won’t need to worry about doing anything yourself manually to stay up-to-date.
Squarespace CONS (-)
While Squarespace has some amazing pros, it has some cons too. Squarespace has limited SEO and e-commerce abilities, as well as some limitations on design. It’s also not yours; Squarespace could disappear tomorrow or break at any given time. The hard truth is you can’t back things up, so you have to be willing to take that chance. Membership is also still a sticky situation to tackle on this platform, depending on selective areas of the site which can get complicated.
What happens if you outgrow the platform? Moving everything to a new one is a pain in the butt! So, if you’re thinking your business will grow to sell tons of merchandise (or something equally technical) consider starting off on a different platform to save yourself a headache down the road.
Who Should ‘for sure’ Use Squarespace?
After weighing the pros and cons of Squarespace, who should actually be using this platform? Entrepreneurs, individuals, businesses, brands, non-profits, and anyone who needs a website to ‘sell’ who they are and what they do would benefit from Squarespace! Especially new brands and businesses that want to run things entirely in-house. And if you are one of those people who constantly change and update things, and want to have the freedom to do so easily and frequently on their site without having to worry about messing up the look or structure, Squarespace is definitely for you.
Service-based businesses as well as brick and mortar businesses that are using their website purely for informational purposes (i.e. sharing content, info about the brand, work samples, etc.) should also opt for Squarespace. Even product-based businesses with less than five products available for sale will find this platform to be ideal. As long as you are someone who needs a clean and simple online home without the hassle or headache of anything complicated, you should be using Squarespace.
WordPress
WordPress PROS (+)
WordPress is also a great option! With this platform, there are limitless plug-ins available to customize your experience. You also have the ability to back-up everything, unlike with Squarespace. Your website is YOURS when you use WordPress. This is a good and bad thing, because when things break it’s on you, but it does give you an opportunity to fix it! When Squarespace goes down, there’s nothing you can do until it’s sorted.
The possibilities are literally endless with WordPress – you can build whatever you want, and whatever you could possibly need for your business in terms of style and functionality.
WordPress CONS (-)
Although WordPress has its strengths, it also has its weaknesses. It’s insanely overcomplicated to use, and especially hard to work on the backend. Truthfully, it’s not user-friendly at all. Not to mention that it’s too easy mess up your entire site while trying to make simple changes! You will also need to update FOREVER, since the plug-ins need constant updates, and other behind-the-scenes details do need to be monitored over time. Expect to pay someone to be in charge of this on an on-going basis, unless you’re ready to take it all on yourself.
Who Should ‘for sure’ Use Wordpress?
How do you know if Wordpress is right for you? Well, if you are a business that is selling tons of products with lots of different categories, variants, etc., you will find Squarespace to be too limiting. This also includes businesses that offer a ton of different events that each require custom RSVP’s and payment for admission, or businesses that provide a membership area of the website, where certain areas of the site are visible for members only (Note: Membership areas are possible with Squarespace, but come with a bit of a headache).
If you are a business that needs a lot of unique integrations behind-the-scenes to make things work, for sure consider using WordPress! There’s an almost limitless number of plug-ins available to make close to anything possible on your site. Looking for super complicated, detailed design? Wordpress is for sure the way to go. You’ll be able to have custom page mockups designed and then developed to bring your exact vision to life vs. working within the barriers of templates or presets.
Still can’t decide on a platform?
Still unsure if Squarespace or Wordpress is right for you? I love creating custom branded websites, and can help you decide on the best platform, based on your unique needs, to help your business thrive (and look amazing)!
