The best Web Design platform for service-based small businesses?
Squarespace
Benefits:
1.Squarespace has a high-end minimalist look & feel; I call it the "Apple" of web design! It's hard to go wrong with a Squarespace website! Whereas I have seen many clunky, dishevelled and old-fashioned WordPress websites with poor layouts, scrolling and navigation problems and questionable aesthetics.
There are wonderfully designed WordPress websites out there created by a talented few individuals and design teams, but they are rare in comparison.
WordPress is more versatile than Squarespace, but in order to use the customization features of WordPress well the WordPress designer needs to have a solid understanding of business fundamentals, graphic design, branding, conversion-optimization and the fundamentals of web and user interface design. And more often than not that is not the case.
Squarespace templates are made by designers who understand design principles. Sure, those templates come with limitations, but those limitations are there for a very good reasons: to impose best practices in UX design & consistency, both essential factors in a user-friendly design.
With a contemporary design, often less is more. Squarespace websites look sleek, contemporary & modern and have that easy-breezy feel about them.
2.Squarespace can easily be set up to showcase your services with an easy to use blog component.
Their mobile app will allow you to breezily edit your content on the go and add new blog posts as you get inspired to write them! I have often written blog posts for my Squarespace website while in bed or travelling by train between two European cities!
WordPress was built with blogging as a core component of its DNA and has more developed features for bloggers. So if you are fully focused on blogging go with WordPress. But if a blog is a component of your service-based business I recommend Squarespace .
3. With Squarespace, you can sell online courses or memberships, digital and physical products. Squarespace integrates with Stripe and your bank account seamlessly. With the Squarespace commerce plan, you pay 0 transaction fees. You will still need to pay a Stripe fee (2-3%), but you will have to pay some sort of payment gateway fee with any website, whether that is Shopify, Webflow, WordPress or Squarespace.
4. Squarespace is very secure, whereas many WordPress websites suffer from security issues. Plugin breaks and security issues are common with WordPress websites. I have come across many WordPress websites without that security padlock sign on the left corner of the browser. About 30% of WordPress websites at the Paris Tranoi Fashion Expo I visited last year had this problem. A broken padlock symbol screams unprofessional and is a red flag for anyone planning to purchase on your website. Your website visitors will have a hard time trusting you and your services if your website has an "unsecure" notice on the browser toolbar.
Squarespace websites are very secure, and I have yet to come across a Squarespace website without the padlock sign 🔒. Squarespace is low maintenance; think a Toyota or Mazda car 😅! WordPress is more like a Peugeot 🚘 😅 & will need regular maintenance.
WordPress websites "break" often when a plug-in is discontinued or needs updating ; I've never encountered this with a Squarespace website for me or any of the clients whose website I manage on my Squarespace dashboard.
5. WordPress is great for SEO. Squarespace websites also rank well for SEO. I’ve managed to reach an on-page SEO score of 91 for my Squarespace clients. That is considered very high by SEO standards.
7. You can DIY your website with Squarespace or hire a professional web designer. In either case, after the initial learning curve & set-up, you will find that Squarespace websites are easier to manage in the long run. You’ll be less dependent on a web designer and you’ll spend less on web designer fees.
The Wordpress dashboard is a UX nightmare. You will find the Squarespace dashboard is well designed and an absolute pleasure to use!
You & your team will be able to create new content and blog posts independently without hiring a web designer each time within half a day of training.
7. Squarespace can smoothly integrate with various email marketing platforms such as Active Campaign, Klaviyo & Mailerlite. It is primordial for any small business to have an opt-in strategy, a lead generation lead magnet and on-brand email templates from the get-go. You need to capture those website visitors to build your funnel & reach out later and nurture your relationship.
8. Squarespace comes with in-built hosting, and the packages are reasonably priced. There are four pricing tiers: Squarespace's prices start at $12/month (paid yearly) for the Personal plan, a package that is ad-free and includes a free domain name for one year. The Business plan costs $18/month and adds marketing features such as a promotional pop-up and third-party integrations. I typically recommend this plan for 90% of service-based Businesses. Most service-based businesses will only spend 216$ a year for this complete package which includes a domain name and free access to a branded email, for example, yourname@yourcompanyname.com.
I am not affiliated with Squarespace. Every Technology platform, including Squarespace, has its bugs and niggles. There is no “perfect” platform out there, but for service-based small businesses, Squarespace comes pretty close.
My authority on the topic? Diploma in graphic design, Bachelors in science in web media technology, and MBA in business & branding + 12 years in digital design.
If you have any questions about Squarespace, shoot them below 👇 and, I'll do my best to answer.
To learn more about my Web design service with Squarespace check out our packages by clicking the button below:
