WordPress or Squarespace? That is the constant battle! 

First of all let’s just start this blog off with the axiom “live and learn”, right?  When I first started my business I had more of a background in WordPress and after reading approximately 500 articles, I decided it was the better platform due to better SEO (Search Engine Optimization)*, an unlimited ability to customize everything, and the fact that more businesses use it (over 24% of the entire web is powered by WordPress). 

Looking back, I am not sure that I would have made that same decision (even as someone who knows minimal coding and is pretty intuitive with web design), and these are my reasons why I almost always recommend Squarespace for my clients.

*NOTE – WordPress is NOT better for SEO. Queue up this blog post next*

1. It is much more user-friendly

Squarespace’s templates are very customizable, yet extremely easy to use and understand. This will obviously be important when the client takes over maintenance of the site.

2. It offers great designs

Squarespace designs are BEAUTIFUL! The designs have been created by designers so even if you aren’t good at that stuff, you can pick a template and input your information and be in good hands.

3. It works great on mobile and desktop

Squarespace makes your site great for every device, which is great considering nowadays almost everyone is using their phone to research their purchases. Some WordPress themes, you have to design it for mobile yourself and some are mobile-friendly, however it can be extremely difficult and finicky.

4. Great customer support

All my experiences with customer support on Squarespace have been exceptional. They have an online chat Monday through Friday that promptly gets back to you and will even screenshot their computer to show you how something is done. My goal as a web designer is to create a beautiful website for my clients, hand it over to their marketing director (or you) after some rudimentary training, and then hopefully have no need for site support thereafter. The majority of my clients are small business owners or nonprofits and they can’t afford to hire me every time they have a website question, so having great customer support allows them to get their answers without spending a lot of time researching.

My experience is that WordPress’ customer support is almost nonexistent. There are many WordPress forums with topics related to your struggle, but I honestly find this more overwhelming to get my answer. All of that being said, you can choose a WordPress theme that has great customer support and service, but that hasn’t been my experience. ​

5. Wonderful option financially

I weighed this heavily for my decision. If you are willing to use a free template on WordPress, the cliche that “you get what you pay for” applies with them.  You have to go through an outside source for your host – such as Hostmonster – and it is a lot of extra leg-work. Squarespace has everything you need for your site including setting up an email under that domain name, and it is extremely reasonable ($23 a month for a business plan and $16 a month for a personal plan as of August 2024).

6. Squarespace is a closed-source platform

So it is their responsibility when you pay them to keep your website up to date and meet the latest requirement (https being secure, mobile friendly, etc.)

7. Everything is integrated

Everything is integrated in (the Pinterest button, etc.) you don’t need a plugin like you would on WordPress. Obviously Squarespace doesn’t have EVERYTHING integrated like floating share buttons, but you can add it by getting them at Addthis.com!

Has this helped you make your decision? If you are still debating or want to throw in a different option such as Wix, please contact me and I will help you make a decision that best fits your style and work-load!

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