The Benefits of Using Squarespace For Your Interior Design Website
/The first question my clients tackle is what platform their new website should be built in. This is a decision that often sets back business owners for several months as they research all of their options. WordPress and Shopify have typically been at the top of the list for most business owners in the last 3 years. And most web developers who focus on code like to push for WordPress because it has endless coding and customization possibilities.
I've designed over 600 websites for clients in the last 8 years. And I've seen how choosing the wrong platform can devastate your business. Often times, a bad website can actually kill your business. In 2018, your website is the most important marketing tool your business will use. So when you are constantly having to pay for website updates, or your website breaks, or is a constant headache, your run the risk of having your website be a liability.
That's why I believe that Squarespace is the absolutely best platform for your business if you are a small or medium-sized business. That means, if you are a service-based business doing high-end services like interior design, architecture, photography, art, custom home building, or if you are an e-commerce website doing less than $100,000 in revenue per year, Squarespace is the best option for you.
1
It's easy for you to quickly change text and images on your own.
Even my clients who are not computer savvy love how easy it is to edit their Squarespace website on their own. I'll even come back a couple years later to view their website to see that my clients have been blogging on their own, making simple text changes to their pages, and sometimes swapping out images on their owns. The easy of use for Squarespace is so enjoyable, that most solo entrepreneurs and small businesses take on the task of updating their website willingly. When challenging new changes are required, my clients will get in touch for help or to ask a quick question. But for the majority of the time, my clients are extremely pleased with just out enjoyable it is to maintain and manage their website on their own.
2
Squarespace takes care of all the technology updates so you don't have to
Squarespace is on a roll making great updates to their platform in 2018. And when they release a new tool or feature on their website, it tends to work flawlessly. While Squarespace doesn't have every option in the world that a website can possibly do, it has all the main features you actually need to run a proper small business website.
This leaves my clients with having peace of mind that their site will still be working 2 years from now, with very few setbacks. Just like any other web platform or web hosting plan, Squarespace web hosting goes down several hours per year sporadically. But instead of having to pay a web developer to diagnose all the possible issues that might have risen with a platform like WordPress, Squarespace takes care of hosting & web technology issues automatically, usually resolved within hours.
3
The long term costs are lower than any other website platform
Because Squarespace takes care of all the features, updates and plugins, your long term costs on Squarespace are extremely low. The only time you'll be paying a developer or designer to make changes is when you need substantial changes made, such as lots of new pages, or a re-design, or need SEO integration.
For a platform like WordPress, you'll end up paying a web developer every 3 months to do major diagnostics to make sure things are still working. And that can get incredibly expensive. Even more, when you need to add new pages, or hire an on-staff employee to make basic edits regularly, your costs are going to skyrocket.
Many businesses I have worked with that used WordPress in the past have deep emotional scars, leaving them weary of another website project. All businesses know they need a website to be relevant in 2018, but if you've had a WordPress site in the past, you know what I nightmare it is. But I can tell you with all certainty, you are not going to regret moving forward with a Squarespace website for your small or medium-sized business.
4
In 2 years from now, your Squarespace website will still be working flawlessly.
But your WordPress website would have already broken a few times. I've had clients on Squarespace for over 5-years straight, and their websites are still going strong. For WordPress, that is unheard of. WordPress websites break down, they need to be watched carefully. Every time WordPress does a major update, you can expect to spend days trying to figure out where all the broken holes are.
The downsides to Squarespace
Yes, there are downsides to using Squarespace for your business, and here they are:
If you do hundreds of thousands in ecommerce online sales, you do need a more complex platform like WordPress to further grow and optimize your website.
If you require extremely complex and customized plugins for unique online tools, such as creating online interactive databases, multi-user logins or need a fully custom check-out experience, a platform like WordPress would be better.
For any other business, I fully believe and have experienced with my hundreds of clients that Squarespace is the right platform for most businesses. But if you need to be absolutely certain before making a decision, get in touch with me today for a free consultation. I don't build sites in any platform other than Squarespace, so if I feel like it won't be the right platform for you, I'll absolutely let you know.