Why Squarespace is great for small business websites
When I launched Food Safari back in 2008 I knew I needed a website and I knew what I wanted it to look like, but like so many small and start up businesses I didn't really know where to start. I spoke to designers and web developers and had to learn a whole new language, and I'm not talking about HTML, just web developer talk. My basic website became the biggest investment in starting a business.
Eight years on I no longer find websites intimidating, I've learned the lingo, I understand the basics, yet when I speak to other people (from start-ups to established brands) the topic of websites is always greeted with a nervous sigh. But things have moved on a long way in the last few years and I don't think people need to feel so daunted by building a new website, even a full ecommerce site needn't cost thousands and take months of work.
Before you start do ask yourself what is the purpose of your website and who is your primary audience? (See more of my tips on planning a website on the separate bog). Do you want to sell stuff online? What's your budget and timeframe - yes this is a 'how long is a piece of string' question but it will help you decide the best way forward.
If you have complex requirements and a generous budget then I recommended speaking to a couple of web developers to get different views on how to approach your project. But what are your options if don't have lots (or any) money to spend on a developer? The answer lies with the arrival of DIY platforms like Wix, Weebly, Squarespace and Shopify it's possible to build a website or online shop yourself.
Shopify is the way to go if you need an online shop and offers sophisticated ecommerce, customer management and stock-management that only few years ago businesses would have paid thousands of pounds for! But if you just want a simple information site or blog, I don't think you can do better than Squarespace.
All these sites provide lots of "How to' instructions as you go along and you'll find plenty of blogs too with tips and comparisons between all of these options so I'm not going to cover that here.
Here's why I love Squarespace:
1. Great design
Squarespace has a growing portfolio of beautifully designed templates for you to build from. The designs are contemporary and fresh giving you a site that looks as good as one that has cost thousands of pounds.
2. Easy to use
The simple WYSIWYG editing is really easy to use - if you've used Word or anything else on a computer in the last ten years you'll be able to work it out. You can add blocks for images, galleries, video, social media and many other things just by right clicking the grey teardrops that appear when you hover your mouse over the screen. You can then drag and drop them to where you want them.
3. Secure and stable
Squarespace is a self-contained platform and which enables you to create a web property and hosts it on the worldwide web - one account, one payment. You don't need loads of plugins and widgets as you do with a Wordpress site. Nor do you need to update it regularly as you do on Wordpress - so your website is always secure and stable.
4. Mobile and tablet-friendly
Mobiles have been the most popular way of getting online since 2015 - smartphones are now responsible for a third of internet access, up from 2014, so if your website doesn't look good on a mobile, if the text is too small to ready or the buttons impossible to navigate you will loose customers. Not only that but Google changed its search algorithm in 2015 and if your website is not mobile friendly it will negatively affect your rankings. You can check whether your website is mobile friendly by using this simple Google test > Squarespace templates are 'responsive'. In other words they automatically adjust for a mobile user, retaining your overall brand look. You don't need to do a thing.
5. Easy Search Engine optimisation
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is a term you'll hear buzzing around a lot! Essentially it's about making sure that search engines - Google, Bing, Yahoo etc - find your site and drive traffic there.
Squarespace has all the elements you need built in and easy to set up: site descriptions, page titles, custom URLs. The automatically generated built-in sitemap that helps Google to crawl, understand, and ultimately, rank a website.
6. Make it your own
Some people will tell you to avoid a template website so you don't end up with a generic site design that looks the same as everyone else has but remember there are a huge number of Squarespace templates with new ones regularly released.... play around with templates you can build a few pages is one template to see how it looks and then preview it in another template to see which works better.
Once you've chosen your template, don't forget to play with the Style Editor. Here you'll find options to change the look and feel of the site - typography, colours, button shapes and sizes. If you have a standard font that you use for your business you may find it already in Squarspace or at least find a webfriendly font that is close to it.
7. Affordable
You get a 2 week free trial during which you can build your site, you only need to start paying after that. After that there are options for a personal, business or ecommerce site ( wouldn't recommend Squarespace if you need an online shop. A personal site is adequate for most people and only costs $12/month if you pay for 12 months up front. This includes hosting the site, which in the old days you would have had to pay separately.
If you pay monthly there is no contract so you can move your website anytime without incurring a penalty. You can also upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time if your business requirements change.
In summary, I love Squarespace as a platform to build small business websites on, there really is no need to spend a lot of money with a developer. If you have more bespoke requirements Wordpress may suit you better, if you want an online shop try Shopify or Wordpress with a WooCommerce plug-in. But if you just want to build an online presence for your website start here.
If you would like to discuss your website requirements or need help building a website do get in touch >
Read my tips on planning a new website >
