Do you want to create attractive websites, but you don’t want to spend time learning all of the technical jargon?
One of the best tips I could make is to use Squarespace. It is an easy-to-use website builder that allows anybody to create great websites in a short amount of time and with no effort.
An undergraduate student at the University of Maryland established the sophisticated website back in 2004, and it has seen tremendous growth since that time. Today, Squarespace is one of the most widely used website builders in the world. Millions of individuals have used it to create their online identities using the platform.
Squarespace Compared to The Best Website Builders
Squarespace distinguishes out for one primary reason: even the most inexperienced web designer can produce stunning websites using its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Even though it did not make it into our list of the best website builders, Squarespace is still one of the finest website builders available on the market today and is worth looking into.
In our analysis of the best website builders, we methodically combed over each website builder to identify the top four options for a variety of requirements and applications.
At this point, I’ve been developing websites for years, so you can guarantee that I know a thing or two about what makes a good website builder. Once you read it, you can make the best educated decision. Check out all of our recommendations for the top website builders here. Let’s dig in.
Who is Squarespace Best For?
Squarespace is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest website builder for designers, artists, and online retailers that want to create beautiful websites with stunning graphics while minimising the amount of hassle involved. Because of this, it is a fantastic option for proprietors of small businesses who want to gain a visual advantage but may not have the funds or the expertise necessary for the whole process.
Because Squarespace is a hosted solution, there is no need for you to take any further steps to locate a server or install software in order to use it. You may construct a website with a stunning design directly on your browser, saving you time and effort in the process.
Bottom line? People who are creative and like working with templates and a style editor that allows them to customise even the tiniest features of their website will benefit greatly from using Squarespace. Nevertheless, there are significant benefits and drawbacks that should be taken into consideration.
Squarespace: The Pros and Cons
Pros
Responsive site templates:
More than one hundred different site layouts are available for users to choose from inside Squarespace. The best part is that they are already designed to be responsive on mobile devices. A benefit that is not guaranteed to always be available with templates purchased from other website builders.
Unlimited storage space:
Every Squarespace subscription comes with an infinite amount of storage space. This is fantastic news for creative websites that will invariably amass a substantial media collection over the course of time. You won’t have to worry about reaching a storage or bandwidth restriction if you use Squarespace to manage your website.
Supportive live chat:
Stuck? There is no need for alarm. The live chat function of this platform ensures that there is always a representative available to assist you with any issue relating to the construction of your website.
Webinars and help guides:
When it comes to the backend of your website, Squarespace, like most other website builders, does have a bit of a learning curve to get used to. However, in order to make up for this shortcoming, it has created a large library of in-depth help manuals as well as webinars that will quickly get you up to the level of a Squarespace expert.
Built-in email marketing:
The built-in email marketing tool that Squarespace provides is one of the platform’s features that I like using the most. To put it more simply, it is an add-on that gives you the ability to construct eye-catching emails with gorgeous themes without the need to go via a third party. I don’t know how you feel, but when it comes to getting work done, the less pieces of software I have to deal with, the happier I am. In addition to that, you will get a wealth of integrated analytics.
Tools built specifically for ecommerce sites:
When it comes to the kind of customers that they serve, Squarespace does not hesitate. As soon as you learn about them, it becomes immediately apparent that they place a high priority on graphics. In addition, they place a high priority on providing you with the greatest ecommerce tools available so that you may establish a dynamic online shop. If you are primarily interested in developing an outstanding ecommerce website, this helps limit down the web builder options available to you.
Cons
Limited control over your domain name:
If you purchase your domain name with Squarespace, you won’t be able to transfer it to another hosting provider in the event that you change your mind in the future and decide to go with a different company. This might be a deciding factor in whether or not you want to make Squarespace the home of your website and buy the domain name for your website from inside Squarespace.
Limited SEO features:
The SEO skills of Squarespace have been called into doubt by a great number of digital specialists. Optimizing your articles and pages on Squarespace isn’t as straightforward as it is with other website builders like WordPress or Drupal, despite the fact that there are plenty of success stories of sites ranking on Google. This is an important consideration to make if search engine optimization (SEO) is the main method through which you want to generate visitors to your website.
Squarespace Pricing
To begin utilising Squarespace and all of its stunning layouts, what exactly do you need to spend in order to get started? You have some really high-quality choices to choose from, so that’s good news.
- Personal – $12 per month billed annually
- Business – $18 per month billed annually
- Basic Commerce – $26 per month billed annually
- Advanced Commerce – $40 per month billed annually
Let’s begin by stating the obvious: Squarespace is not the most affordable website builder and host that is currently available. If, on the other hand, your primary objective is to quickly and simply create jaw-dropping websites that grab the attention of your target audience, then the price tag for even a personal plan may not be a problem for you.
Personal
After making the decision to go with the Personal tier, you will have access to essential site features such as a free custom domain, SSL certification, unlimited bandwidth and storage, additional features for search engine optimization, access to Squarespace extensions, and round-the-clock customer support.
Everything for $12 USD every month. Even while you can get all of this and sometimes even more with other website builders for a lower price, it is still worthwhile to read over each of Squarespace’s tiers in order to choose a plan that is suitable for your requirements.
Business
If you are looking for an online shop that comes with basic features at an affordable pricing point, the Business plan offered by Squarespace is an excellent option to consider. You receive everything that’s included in the Personal tier when you upgrade to the Business tier, in addition to a set of fully integrated ecommerce tools that will enable you to sell and maintain goods, take payments, and do a lot more besides.
In addition, you will have the option to sell an infinite amount of items, to take contributions, and to provide your customers with the capacity to generate and send gift cards. Bottom line? If you are just starting out or are already somewhat experienced in running an online store, you should get started using the Business Squarespace tool.
Basic Commerce
Consider the Basic Commerce tier of Squarespace to be the more experienced sibling of the Business tier. If you pay the additional $26 per month, you will not only have all of the possibilities of the business tier, but you will also receive many more powerful advantages.
Your online shop will be able to rapidly list and tag items on Facebook and Instagram, have access to extensive ecommerce statistics, and even establish customer profiles if you use Basic Commerce. Although other website builders may be able to provide a comparable range of services, Squarespace organises its offerings in such a way that they are especially suited to e-commerce.
Advanced Commerce
The absence of transaction fees, which is included in Squarespace’s Advanced Commerce plan for an additional $40 a month, is one of the platform’s most appealing features.
What does this imply for the success of your online retail business? A built-in payment gateway that is prepared to handle payments without charging any of the fees that may rapidly eat away at your profit margin.
In addition to receiving everything that was included in the preceding levels, you will also get more complex tools to manage shipping, more advanced discounts, and an abandoned cart recovery technique that has the potential to put more money in your pocket. It is abundantly evident that Squarespace has considered every possible aspect, paying particular attention to both the frontend and the backend of the company, in order to facilitate the effective establishment of an online retail outlet. Due to this, I believe they are entitled to a good number of bonus points.
However, you shouldn’t just take my word for it. I strongly suggest that you give each of their price tiers a thorough reading so that you can choose which one appeals to you the best. When you have settled on a certain website builder, switching to another one may be a challenging and time-consuming endeavour since it requires more labour.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at how Squarespace’s most popular features compare to one another and what you can learn from each one in terms of creating the greatest website possible.
Squarespace Offerings
Squarespace has a plethora of capabilities that may assist you in developing and enhancing your website. Overall, their products and services can be broken down into three unique yet useful areas, which is where the majority of their website building tools are located. Choosing the finest web builder for your needs may need you to investigate each option in further detail.
Website Builder and Hosting
Squarespace often refers to itself as the industry standard bearer when it comes to website design. This assertion is not made for no reason at all. You can easily design professional portfolio websites and other types of websites with the aid of a web builder that allows you to drag and drop website elements. In addition to the tools they provide for building websites, they also provide site statistics, which is a really welcome additional feature.
Although I wouldn’t go so far as to name Squarespace the very finest content management site builder, there is no question that it gives careful attention to the design and aesthetic aspects of its products. Down addition to this, it zeroes in on the flexibility that you’ll want in order to construct a portfolio that is suitable for your design requirements.
Ecommerce
Because Squarespace also performs its fair bit in the ecommerce arena, you should seriously consider using them to host your online shop because they are a formidable competitor. Their products and services provide you the ability to sell anything, including goods and services, as well as to schedule meetings and appointments of any sort.
If you are a company that places a high priority on first impressions in order to generate sales, Squarespace takes care of you not only by providing a large selection of shop designs but also by providing a sophisticated backend that may help ease the administration of your work orders. Since of this, it stands out from the competition as a site builder tool for e-commerce because many of the others just do not go the additional mile in this regard.
The fact that Squarespace even allows users to design a membership website says much about the company’s commitment to both innovation and staying current with industry trends. There are many different website builders out there, and not all of them give very specialised functionality. Another element that sets Squarespace apart from its competitors is the availability of this app.
Brand Building Tools
As a platform for building websites, Squarespace places a strong emphasis on branding as its primary function. As a very visual builder, Squarespace has previously been covered in this article. However, this does not imply that their brand strategy department is lacking in any instruments.
You are able to create dynamic email campaigns with Squarespace that are every bit as imaginative and aesthetically impressive as your website. This enables you to effortlessly click and drag the goods on your website that you want to highlight to your audience or let them know about a promotion that is going on throughout the whole shop.
In addition to email, Unfold is the primary “storyteller tool” offered by Squarespace. You’ll be able to generate awe-inspiring social material that’s simple to share, which will result in more visibility for your company. You are able to communicate your narrative as a distinct brand thanks to the availability of filters, sticker packs, and simple picture editing tools.
When it comes to catering to a visual community, Squarespace is a leader among website builders and is considered a pioneer in this sector. They are able to do this by combining the effectiveness of sophisticated website construction tools with the aesthetic appeal of beautiful design.
You won’t find many other website builders that are actually similar to Squarespace since it combines the functions of a website builder and a web host. In the same breath, the abundance of capabilities offered by Squarespace makes it more of a specialised website builder. It does a fantastic job of appealing to those that are in the target demographic.
The Best Website Builders
Do not forget to read my in-depth assessment of four other top website builders that you should take into consideration before making your decision on which website builder is the best for you. For your convenience, the following is a concise summary:
Wix — Best for general use
Weebly — Best for beginners
Shopify — Best for ecommerce
WordPress — Best for content management
Squarespace is a dependable website builder that caters to the needs of creatives, artists, and online retailers that place an emphasis on the aesthetic aspects of their marketing approach. Squarespace more than makes up for the fact that its site plans are often more expensive by providing you with the ability to design and host your website all in the same location and by providing you with a broad range of site templates that you are free to tweak to your heart’s content.
It is now up to you to proceed. How would you describe your overall experience with Squarespace? Please share your thoughts about it in the comments below.
Start constructing your website right now with Squarespace when you sign up for an account.
