The thought of creating a website is daunting for most small-business owners. Whether you’re building it yourself or hiring a pro, there’s a lot to juggle—budget, design, functionality, and ongoing upkeep, to name a few. You need something that works, looks great, and doesn’t demand a computer-science degree to make changes! As a seasoned designer and Squarespace aficionado, I believe this is where Squarespace shines. It’s a powerful, all-in-one platform that’s easy on the wallet and big on creativity. I am writing a series for Handmade Seller sharing more about Squarespace. While all platforms have their pros and cons (and learning curves), here are six reasons Squarespace might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Affordability
Hiring a designer or developer for a custom site often runs $2,000–$5,000 upfront—and that’s before monthly hosting, domain fees, maintenance retainers, or paid plug-ins. Those extras can push costs into the hundreds per month. Don’t get me wrong, if you’ve got the budget to hand off your website to a pro—I highly recommend it. That’s one less thing keeping you from working on your craft! But many small businesses and solopreneurs opt for a DIY approach to website building, and there are plenty of options to choose from: Wix, Shopify, and GoDaddy to name a few. So where does Squarespace fit in? Squarespace plans start at $25/month ($16/month if billed annually) and bundle hosting, SSL, curated templates, blogging capability, e-commerce tools, mobile optimization, and updates you can do yourself. At the time of this writing, Squarespace’s Basic plan is $1 less than WIX and $13 less per month than Shopify. On average, I find that my clients pay around $40/month for a mid-tier Squarespace plan + select features. That’s only $480 a year.