Squarespace is everywhere, and its promo codes are equally ubiquitous. Why shell out money for a WordPress theme, hosting, and design when you can use that sweet Squarespace discount and get everything you need to launch your site for under $20 a month? Well, we’re about to rain on your cheap website parade. Squarespace is fantastic for some purposes, but in our view, WordPress reigns supreme for most small businesses.
Here’s what you need to know when deciding between Squarespace and WordPress.
Squarespace vs. WordPress: Aesthetics
We’ve got to hand this one to Squarespace. They’ve nailed that minimalist aesthetic with bold typefaces, prominent imagery, and skilled deployment of whitespace. There are plenty of WordPress themes out there that can make a brand-new website look dated from day one, but you won’t run that risk with Squarespace. Your website will look sharp, which is why Squarespace is a runaway success with artists, photographers, interior designers, and restaurants.
Squarespace does that minimalist aesthetic well, but if you’re an accountant or an attorney or in another more traditional field and want a professional feel, you’re out of luck. WordPress wins out here. WordPress has no shortage of themes designed for professionals in different niches, from dentists to landscapers and more.
Squarespace vs. WordPress: Flexibility
With thousands of themes to choose from, WordPress is certainly versatile on the design front. But how do WordPress and Squarespace compare otherwise in terms of flexibility?
In addition to the themes, WordPress has thousands of different plugins available that add functionality to your website. It’s not much of a stretch to say that whatever you want to do with your site, there’s a way to do it with WordPress. Squarespace is much more limited in that it has predefined options for you to choose from, but deviating from these is either difficult or not possible at all.
If you want to build a custom website or even tweak an existing theme, you’re much better off using WordPress. A skilled WordPress developer can take any theme and make it uniquely yours, and also guide you through adding different plugins to ensure that your website does what you want and need it to. With WordPress, you simply have more control over your web presence.
Squarespace vs. WordPress: Usability
A lot of people will say Squarespace is easier to use than WordPress. This is partially true. As the popularity of site builders like Squarespace and Wix has grown, WordPress has adopted some of these elements into their interface and others can be implemented through plugins. Love building a site block by block through dragging and dropping? You can do that with WordPress now.
That said, out of the box, Squarespace is easier for someone who has no previous experience setting up a website. You don’t have to deal with a domain registrar, finding hosting, or installing WordPress. It’s all done through Squarespace. There are no software upgrades, plugins to update, or security measures to take. With WordPress, if you’d rather not handle these, you’ll need to hire someone to perform ongoing maintenance of your site to prevent it from being hacked or compromised.
Squarespace vs. WordPress: Blogging and SEO
Squarespace’s blogging capabilities are limited. WordPress was originally built as a platform for blogging, and you can see this in the ease with which you can create blog posts. Even more important for small businesses, WordPress has plugins like Yoast SEO, which can optimize your content and take it to the next level. There’s nothing comparable for Squarespace.
You can find some basic SEO tools in Squarespace, which can be helpful for business owners who are just beginning to dabble in search engine optimization. But if you’re serious about SEO, you really need WordPress. Squarespace is fine for marketing a business when people already know where to find you, but if you’re hoping to attract potential customers to your site via Google, Squarespace doesn’t match up to WordPress.
Squarespace vs. WordPress: Cost
The cost of a WordPress website is extremely variable, so it’s hard to make a side-by-side comparison. If you choose an inexpensive host, a free WordPress theme, and handle the design yourself, you could be looking at a few dollars a month, which is less than what you’d pay with Squarespace.
On the other hand, if you have a lot of traffic and require more bandwidth or need to hire a WordPress developer to handle your design and ongoing maintenance, you’ll pay more. For most businesses, this added expense is worth it in terms of SEO functionality, control, and versatility.
The Bottom Line
Squarespace is great if you want to create a website in-house from the ground up with a minimal-to-no learning curve. It excels when it comes to design for creatives and hosting portfolios, but the minimalist aesthetic isn’t a fit for all businesses. Anyone who is serious about SEO is better off skipping Squarespace and going straight to WordPress.
WordPress has a steeper learning curve, but it also has added flexibility and functionality. It has thousands of website themes, tens of thousands of plugins, and robust blogging capabilities. WordPress is nearly universally recommended by SEO experts and consultants, so if your goal is to draw traffic from search engines to grow your business, it makes sense to choose WordPress.
Need Help with Your Website?
If you’re not sure whether your website is set up to rank in Google and convert visitors into leads, we can help. Request a free strategy call, and we’ll review your website and recommend the right next steps.
