Squarespace vs WordPress: Which Is Best for Your Business?
Wix, Shopify, Webflow, Showit…there’s always a new one popping up. Even GoDaddy encourages you to use their tools to build your own web site. With so many site builders out there, it can be confusing to figure out the best one for your small business or nonprofit organization.
While our recommendations would differ slightly for the DIY crowd, when we professionally build a client’s web site it will generally be in one of two platforms: Squarespace or WordPress (using the Divi theme).
How do you know which one’s right for you? The same way we were taught to make any big decision: by creating a good ol’ pros and cons list!
Benefits of Squarespace
Custom Design That’s Easy To Manage
For many businesses, Squarespace is the perfect combo of easy-to-update plus customizable. It can be styled and coded by a web designer AND you’ll still be able to update copy and blogs without a developer’s help. (While you could totally create a Squarespace web site without touching CSS, we like to add that extra layer of personalization to spice things up).
When we’re working with clients, we always make sure the final design passes the "more than just a Squarespace site test.” As in, if someone was looking at this site, would they know it was a Squarespace site because it looks like every other template out there? The answer should be a resounding NO 😉!
Easy Integrations, Managed in One Platform
Squarespace makes it easy to handle scheduling, sell products, and manage email marketing, all in one place. Say goodbye to the organizational mess of multiple subscriptions and third-party plug-ins…Squarespace is an all-in-one solution.
At Due West, we use Squarespace’s scheduling tool for all our client discovery and project calls – saving us from endless back-and-forth emails and time zone complications. (Why are time zones so hard? Do I add an hour or subtract two? And what’s Arizona doing over there without Daylight Savings Time?).
For our quarterly email newsletter, we also use…you guessed it, Squarespace. When people sign up, they’re redirected to download a free PDF, then receive a branded email in their inbox as a double opt-in. Squarespace also easily integrates with Mailchimp, if you’re looking for a more robust email marketing platform.
Over time, Squarespace has continued to roll out new subscription add-ons, including enhanced eCommerce, membership areas, courses, and digital/service-based product listings. With a quick learning curve, users are generally able to jump in quickly and learn their way around the platform once a site is built.
No Plugins Necessary
When you add functionality to your basic Squarespace plan it just adds on to your existing site and subscription. Everything is still managed under one account with extensive support as part of your hosting plan. Squarespace runs updates behind the scenes and manages upgrades so you never have to worry about the back end of your site being out of date.
Support + Security
Squarespace subscriptions include a SSL certificate, which is easy to install and updated automatically as part of your hosting plan. There is 24/7 email support and daytime chat with real (helpful!) people to help troubleshoot issues. And your hosting includes a HUGE knowledgebase of articles, webinars, and forums any time you need it.
Squarespace Cons
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of a design and be able to control the placement of a page element just so…then Squarespace may not be the best platform for you. It is a fluid and flexible system but not as precise as WordPress allows you to be (even when you customize the CSS). We also occasionally have clients who need very specific functionality that isn’t covered under the Squarespace umbrella that may be challenging to integrate. And finally, with the newest editor (Fluid Engine) you have a lot of really cool design options but still have to do quite a bit of manual styling to make some sections look great on mobile devices too.
Why Choose WordPress?
Plugins for Everything
Need more comprehensive forms or a specific visual effect on your web site? WordPress can do that. Want to manage affiliates or stream podcasts from your web site? There’s a tool for that (literally thousands to choose from).
WordPress is endlessly customizable, and there’s really no limit to what can be created on a WordPress site. If you’re looking for a special capability that Squarespace doesn’t offer, this is the way to go. Keep in mind though, that too many plug-ins can slow down your site speed and that each plug-in is often created by a different company (so running updates and testing your site regularly is your best bet for ensuring everything stays compatible). But in terms of options, there are many to choose from!
The Original Blog Platform
If a blog is the key driver for your web site, WordPress might be the way to go. With advanced features for comments and replies and an established community of bloggers, it’s the longest-standing queen of blogging. And if you need additional features for your blog there is likely a plug-in that can help make it a reality.
SEO
WordPress is known for being SEO-friendly – and while both platforms cover the basics, if you want to partner with an SEO expert WordPress allows you to do a deep dive into optimizing your site for search engine traffic (as well as adding SEO-specific plugins).
Overall Control
WordPress gives experienced users a much deeper level of control over both design and functionality settings within its platform. Depending on the theme, you can really style things down to the pixel or allow a developer to come in and code something completely custom (by accessing the site’s underlying code). The theme that we use (Divi) allows you to finetune the styling for phone, tablet, and various desktop screen sizes and build completely different modules for certain device views. WordPress is also an open source content management system, meaning you
WordPress Cons
For first-time users, the WordPress back end can be a little overwhelming. While powerful and robust, learning the administrative dashboard can be more than a solopreneur or someone who isn’t very tech savvy may want to take on.
Because themes and plug-ins are all created by individual companies, they each require different support and maintenance to continue running smoothly over time. Hosting is also managed through a separate vendor. This can all make finding help more difficult. There are lots of online articles and forums but not a direct help line that you can reach out to when there’s an issue.
And while WordPress is technically free, there are still costs associated with hosting, themes, and plug-ins, depending on your configuration.
So Which Platform is Best?
For our clients, Squarespace is generally the best option (it’s about an 80/20 split on average). It’s easy to update, has everything most folks starting out are likely to need included, and comes with dedicated support.
Typically, we only recommend WordPress to clients who have used it before and are familiar with the administrative dashboard or need something specific that Squarespace doesn’t offer. When you work with Due West, we’ll learn all about your business and web site needs during the discovery phase to help determine the best platform for the job!
Thanks for reading along! Do you have experience with Squarespace or WordPress? Which platform do you think is best for your small startup or nonprofit? What features do you like the best? Reach out anytime at hello@duewestdesign.com.
