Why I Only Build on Squarespace (and Why Most Small Businesses Don't Need WordPress)
I get asked this a lot. Why Squarespace? Why not WordPress, when so many websites are built on it?
It came up again recently when a fellow freelancer got in touch. Her client's website was on Squarespace, she'd always used WordPress herself, and she wanted to know if she should be steering them one way or the other.
So I thought I'd put it all in one place!
I'm a Squarespace website designer, and Squarespace is the only platform I build on. Here's why, and why I think it's the right choice for most small businesses.
First things first, what even is WordPress or Squarespace?
A lot of the business owners I speak to have a WordPress website and don't even realise it! So let's start with the basics.
WordPress and Squarespace are both website platforms. They're the bit behind the scenes where your website is built, stored and edited. You might hear this called the "back end".
The main difference is how much is done for you:
Squarespace is all in one. Your hosting, security, design tools and updates are included in one monthly or yearly plan, and you log in to one place to make changes.
WordPress is more of a toolkit. The software itself is free, but you need separate hosting, a theme, and usually a handful of plugins (little add-ons) to make it do what you need. Someone has to keep all of those pieces up to date.
How to tell if your website is on WordPress
Not sure what yours is built on? Here are a few quick ways to check:
Type your web address followed by /wp-admin (e.g. yourbusiness.co.uk/wp-admin). If a WordPress login page pops up, you've got your answer.
Right click anywhere on your website, choose "View page source", then search the page for wp-content. If it's there, it's WordPress.
Pop your web address into a free checker like What CMS and it'll tell you.
Or just ask whoever built it for you!
Why I only design on Squarespace
I'll be honest, I'm not an expert in every website platform out there. And I don't want to be!
I chose to work only on Squarespace as I know it inside out. Every website I build, I'm learning a little more about what it can do, which means every client benefits from that.
If I was trying to keep up with WordPress, Wix, Shopify and Webflow all at once, I'd be a bit of a jack of all trades. Instead, when you work with me you're getting someone who lives and breathes one platform, and knows how to get the best out of it for your business.
Squarespace websites can be full of personality
There's an old idea that Squarespace sites all look the same. They really don't!
Squarespace's design tools have come on so much in the last few years. You can place text, images and buttons pretty much anywhere on the page, use your own brand colours and fonts, add animations, and build layouts that feel completely yours.
That means your website can look and sound like you, whether that's bold and colourful or calm and minimal. Have a little look at my portfolio to see how different they can be.
Your website, your business
This is the bit I love most. At the end of every project, I hand the website over to you. It's yours.
And because Squarespace is so easy to use, you can actually keep it up to date yourself. Adding a new service, swapping out photos, writing a blog post, updating your prices... you don't need to email a developer and wait a week for it to be done.
Your business is going to grow and change, so your website needs to be able to change with it. With Squarespace, it can, and you're the one in control of it.
(And if you ever do want a hand, I'm always here!)
Where WordPress can let small businesses down
WordPress is a hugely popular platform and it does have its place (more on that below). But for a lot of small businesses, these are the things that cause the most headaches.
The back end isn't very user friendly
If you've ever logged into a WordPress site to change one line of text, you might know the feeling. Lots of menus, lots of settings, and it's not always obvious where anything is. Depending on which theme and page builder your site uses, it can look completely different from the next WordPress site too.
So a lot of business owners end up avoiding their own website, which means it gets out of date pretty quickly.
Updates (and things breaking)
WordPress, your theme and your plugins all need updating regularly to keep your site secure. Sometimes an update to one doesn't play nicely with another, and something on your site breaks.
That's why so many WordPress sites need a developer to look after them. With Squarespace, all of this is done for you in the background, so there's nothing to update and nothing to fix.
Ongoing fees that aren't always clear
WordPress itself is free, but running a WordPress site usually isn't. There's hosting, premium themes, paid plugins, security, backups, and often a yearly maintenance or retainer fee to a developer.
That's not a problem in itself, but it can be really hard to know exactly what you're paying for. With Squarespace, you pay one plan that covers your hosting, security and updates, and you can see exactly what it costs.
Most small businesses don't need WordPress
This is probably the biggest one for me.
WordPress really comes into its own for large businesses with very specific, complex needs. Things like:
A huge online shop with thousands of products and links to stock or accounting systems
Custom-built features, like booking platforms, member portals or databases built from scratch
Big news or publishing sites with lots of writers and editors
Websites in lots of different languages
An in-house development team who need full control over the code
If that's you, WordPress might well be the right fit!
But most small and medium sized businesses need something different. A beautiful website that tells people what you do, shows off your work, helps you get found on Google and makes it easy for people to get in touch. Maybe a small shop, a booking system or a blog too.
Squarespace does all of that brilliantly, without the extra complexity (and cost) of features you'll never use.
"But isn't Squarespace bad for SEO?"
Nope! This is such a myth, and I think it's a bit of scaremongering left over from when Squarespace first started.
Squarespace has loads of SEO features built in, including:
Your own page titles and meta descriptions (the bits that show up on Google)
Custom page URLs
Alt text for your images
A sitemap that's created and updated automatically
Mobile friendly websites as standard
A free SSL certificate (the little padlock that keeps your site secure)
Redirects, so you don't lose traffic if you change a page
The other thing people forget is that Google loves a website that's kept up to date. Fresh content, new blog posts, updated services. If your website is easy to update, you're much more likely to actually do it, and that's really good for your SEO.
Quick FAQs
Can I move my website from WordPress to Squarespace?
Yes! Your content can be moved across, and your website rebuilt in Squarespace. I'll also set up redirects from your old pages so you don't lose the Google rankings you've already built up.
Can I keep my domain name?
Absolutely. Your web address stays the same, it just points to your new Squarespace site.
Will I be able to update it myself?
That's the whole idea! I'll show you around before I hand it over, so you feel confident making changes on your own.
Is Squarespace good for small businesses?
For most small businesses, yes. It's easy to use, it looks great, and it has everything you need built in, without the upkeep.
Thinking about a switch?
If you've just realised your website is on WordPress (or you're starting from scratch!), I'd love to have a chat. I'm a Squarespace website designer based in Ipswich, working with small businesses across Suffolk and beyond.
Book a free, no-obligation call and we can talk through what your business needs.