Squarespace Vs. Wordpress: Both Sides of the Story

Choosing a blog or other website publishing platform is a decision taken too lightly by far too many people. Your blog platform, or content management system (CMS), can greatly influence the size of your audience, the effort it takes to publish new content, and - if applicable - the amount of money you make online. This week, I invited Wordpress expert and Internet marketing entrepreneur Andy Brudtkuhl to engage in a conversation that compares Squarespace.com and Wordpress.org as blogging platforms/web publishing softwares.

I'll concede that the choice of blogging software is not an easy one. Wordpress is the perennial favorite. Squarespace.com(affiliate link) is touted by tech names like Leo Laporte and the guys at Diggnation. Both products have devout users that swear by their respective web publishing tool. And these are just two of many options. It can be hard to get a clear perspective on the pro's and con's of each.

Big Picture Web Marketing is a Squarespace website (See my updated Squarespace review here). Andy Brudtkhul, again, is a Wordpress consultant/pro/ninja. We both agree that there is no single best option and that the right blog or website publishing platform comes down to the one that best meets your goals, abilities, time lines, budgets, etc. We've put together this brief comparison based on Andy's experience with Wordpress and my experience as a Squarespace developer to help you make an informed decision on what's best for you:

Price

• Squarespace - Squarespace services include both web design tools and hosting. Basic packages start at $8/month. To host your site on your own domain, accounts start at $14/month. Coupon codes can save you around 10%. Squarespace provides an excellent value for their slightly higher monthly price tag.
• Wordpress - Free-ish - WordPress is completely 100% GPL open source however you still need to pay for hosting and domain name. The price ranges from ~$3/mo (GoDaddy) to $100/mo (Rackspace)

Search Engine Friendliness

• Squarespace - Squarespace is largely SEO-friendly. It's built on valid XHTML code. You have control of your page titles, alt tags, article links, etc. And while most of the important elements are covered, I'll admit Squarespace's proprietary system does fumble with SEO in a few minor areas. For example, you can't create custom page titles for some of the system-generated content (i.e., tags and categories). But overall, Squarespace will suit all but the most hardcore SEOs.
• Wordpress - Designed with SEO in mind. Everything from semantic XHTML markup to optimized URL's to on page elements and meta information is optimized for search. There are also themes and plugins that can help you along the way. There are even some plugins with built in keyword research tools that help you write better for SEO. It's easily the most optimized solution I have ever used out of the box.

Security

• Squarespace - Being a completely hosted system means Squarespace is not prone to the same security holes as open source systems like Wordpress and Drupal. I'll never have to pay someone to cleanse my hacked blog because I bought my domain on GoDaddy. My site is just plain safe. And with revenues estimates on the rise for Squarespace, the platform is likely to invest even more into its already solid architecture
• Wordpress - You need to maintain your own updates and be careful with plugins. Also - a good host helps. Remember in hosting - you get what you pay for. We prefer to host at Rackspace - but you can still have problems if you don't keep your site updated to the latest version and security fixes.

Adding Features

• Squarespace - Squarespace may not have all the bells and whistles of Wordpress plugins, but they aim to be the best at what they do with the plugins they have. For example, the new Squarespace Twitter widgets download and store your tweets on their servers, so your site will never slow to a crawl when loading because Twitter is down. (And website load time is important.) Plus, Squarespace is compatible with all widgets on the web. The combined effect provides nearly all the extra features one could want in a blog.
• Wordpress - The reason WordPress has grown so popular is it's ability to scale functionality through custom themes and plugins. Themes and plugins can provide unlimited functionality through a "Actions & Filters" API that WordPress provides. This is huge because it allows you to extend WordPress without changing any core WordPress code - allowing for new functionality while maintaining easy management and upgrades. Because of this API and the open source code platform - the WordPress development environment has grown and now there are hundreds of thousands of plugins and themes available.

Visual Customization

• Squarespace - Squarespace starts off with a selection over 60 professionally designed templates. Then, you can customize nearly every element of the interface using their WYSIWYG editor - no knowledge of CSS is needed. It's ridiculously easy to have a completely custom and unique look. And for hardcore designers, Squarespace does allow for full CSS control. I picked Squarespace in part because I didn't want "just another Wordpress Thesis blog."
• Wordpress - The common misconception (alluded to by Josh) with WordPress is all sites look like blogs. While this is true in many cases - it doesn't have to be since you have full control over your design. The theme market place is growing and dozens of free and premium WordPress themes are released on a daily basis. Themes like Thesis allow tons of design control from a WYSIWYG editor and if you really want it to look unique you can customize it to do so. 

Ease-of-Use

• Squarespace - The usability of the Squarespace editor is outstanding. Creating stunning galleries, exceptional blogs and web pages that convert is easy. Getting used to their primary controls,including the Content, Structure and Visual "editing layers," requires minimal ramp-up. Squarespace also provides an extensive collection of how-to's, videos and forums available on their site. Building a site with Squarespace takes a shockingly short amount of time. You can even post to your blog from your iPhone, iPad and (soon) Android device (Perhaps the Windows mobile platform in the future, too).
• Wordpress - Another reason for WordPress' rise in popularity is the ease of use factor. It's easy to setup, customize, and start producing content. Any average web user could setup a new site and be blogging within 10 minutes. There is a thriving online community with blogs, videos, pictures, howtos, podcasts and more on how to use, manage, customize, and publish in WordPress.

Hosting

• Squarespace - You get the web publishing software and hosting with Squarespace. And not just any hosting. Squarespace uses grid hosting, which distributes your website traffic evenly across an entire networks. If you get on Digg, your site won't go down. If you get on CNN, your site won't go down. It's some heavy duty hosting. Plus, you can quickly transfer blog archives from other platforms with Squarespace's blog importer.
• Wordpress - In hosting, you get what you pay for. If you choose to host your site for $3/mo at GoDaddy don't expect to get great support or the fastest server out there. However you can scale at your own needs. Four years ago we were hosting WordPress at GoDaddy and by now we are hosting on the super duper fast Rackspace Cloud. It's not cheap - but it's fast, secure, and reliable.

Support and Maintenance

• Squarespace -  Squarespace boasts a 99.98% uptime. And because there is no Squarespace free plan (i.e, no forced advertising), they only have to support paying customers. It's their jobs to make you happy. End of discussion. Their email ticketing system is amazingly fast. Their service level is 30 minutes, 24 hours a day. Submit a ticket, get a coffee, come back and get your response. And you'll never have to worry about upgrading your blog with the endless patches and upgrades of an open source platform. Squarespace takes care of all of that.
• Wordpress - WordPress support and maintenance is DIY... If you are uncomfortable with technology than you should have a WordPress guru (or me... wink, wink) in your contacts for those times when you need them. However WordPress does make upgrades and maintenance EXTREMELY easy through it's administration interface. It is imperative that you keep it updated (I mean c'mon it takes 1 click of a button) to avoid any security issues that may be fixed. 

Bottom Line

Ultimately, both Squarespace and Wordpress are great web publishing tools and can most likely meet the needs of most businesses' blogs' or websites' marketing strategies. Andy and I hope this post has given you the perspective you need to make your choice based on your own personal goals, skills and resources.

Are you in the process of starting a blog? What questions do you have about Squarespace or Wordpress? If you've already selected your platform, what has your experience been like so far? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and we'll be sure to reply.

4 Squarespace Design Resources for Outstanding Blog or Websites

You're probably either researching Squarespace as blog/web design platform or are already a happy Squarespace customer. And by now, you've also probably already seen some examples of beautiful Squarespace sites and have thought to yourself, "Can I build a site that looks that great?" Chances are, the answer to that question is yes. But it's not going to happen over night. Today, we'll take a look at four advanced Squarespace design resources that will help you take your Squarespace skills to the next level.

The amazing Squarespace web publishing system allows you to modify most design details without requiring you to know any HTML or CSS code. Their design editing layer provides you with a set of WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") tools that enables you to intuitively modify the look and feel of your site. But it doesn't stop there.

While many website publishers will be able to produce beautiful sites without any knowledge of cascading style sheets, or CSS, you may want complete control over the look and design of your site. For extreme design enthusiasts, Squarespace also provides advanced CSS access, allowing you to tweak even the smallest of details. Learning CSS isn't hard but takes a little time, knowledge and patience. (Note: if you don't have the patience to learn CSS and need a professional design, check out the Big Picture Web Squarespace Designer Directory.)

If you're ready to start dabbling with advanced CSS on your Squarespace blog or website, don't go it alone. I've brought together four excellent design resources for Squarespace designers and developers anxious to start taking their blog and website design to the next level:

1. The Squarespace Manual - Sometimes the most effective solution is also the simplest. Before you look to tweak how certain elements are presented, check the manual to see if there are configuration options available to avoid the need for custom CSS in the first place.
2. The Squarespace Developer Community - Squarespacers are, in general, a helpful lot. The Squarespace Community page is a place for developers to post questions and answers on all sorts of development and design tasks. Be sure to check out their most featured posts section.
3. The Squarespace Code Site - Brand-spankin' new, the Squarespace code snippet library is chalk-full with common HTML and CSS snippets necessary to meet common design objectives. Become a web design pro, one tactic at a time. I really hope this site takes off because it's super cool.
4. SquareFam - Dubbed a "Social Network for Squarespacers," Squarefam is a Ning social network dedicated to Squarespace designers. While still relatively small, the membership is beginning to swell along with the Squarespace community in general. 

What tutorials, guides or other Squarespace design resources would you like to see from a part-timeSquarespace developer? Is there a resource you've used that I haven't listed here? What's the first thing you'll research using the Squarespace design resources listed here today? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. 

Sign up for FREE tips via Email

Speed Up Your Google Analytics Install on Squarespace

Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics software today. It's free, it's easy to implement and it's a powerful way to measure your website's performance against its objectives. Recently, Google announced the new Google Analytics asynchronous tracking snippet, which helps solve two major issues its users have been facing: data accuracy and load time. Today, we'll explore the benefits of the new Google Analytics asynchronous tracking snippet. And as a bonus, I'll also show you how to add it to your Squarespace blog or website.

As I mentioned before, Google Analytics is one of the greatest things since sliced bread when it comes to measuring online objectives. But all this time you've been using the tool to drive awesome insights, there have been two minor issues under the surface:

• Data Accuracy - Experts will tell you that you'll never have 100% data accuracy with a web analytics tool. Sometimes visitors will have their Javascript disabled. Sometimes your visitors will move off of your web page before the Google Analytics tracking code actually has a chance to fire. Web analytics enthusiasts accept this fact and move on with what's available. 
• Load Time - It's important to have a website that loads in as little time as possible. Many visitors will leave after waiting only seconds if a site is unresponsive. And Google's Matt Cutts himself expanded upon the search engine's decision to incorporate site speed into their search algorithms. Extra pieces of code like the Google Analytics tracking code can start to affect the load time of your site.

Enter Google Analytics asynchronous tracking. The new tracking snippet is placed in a different spot on your website and now loads much faster, improving both your data accuracy and your website's load time.

Installing Asynchronous Google Analytics on Your Squarespace Site

It's easy to convert to the new tracking code if you're on the Squarespace web publishing platform. Follow these simple steps:

1. Locate and delete your traditional Google Analytics tracking code from your site. You may want to copy this to a text file for backup purposes.
2. Select the Code Injection tab within your Squarespace Website Settings in the Website Management interface
3. Enter the new Google Analytics asynchronous tracking snippet within the Extra Header Code editor. Be sure to enter your specific Google tracking ID (e.g., 'UA-XXXXX-X').
4. Click Update Information. You're done. Easy, huh?

(Note: Most custom tracking works the same. Check the new Usage Guide for more details.)

(Click to enlarge)

What do you think of the new Google Analytics tracking snippet? If you're using it already, are you seeing more traffic? Better load times? If you've grown skeptical of the free web analytics tool, does asynchronous tracking help improve your opinion of Google Analytics? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

10 Blogging Mistakes, Tips and Tricks: One Year in the Making

This Sunday, May 16 2010 represents the one year anniversary of Big Picture Web, my humble blog/website/company. For the last year, my goal has been to help people use online marketing strategies and measurement tactics to create more successful blogs, websites and social media presences. I've learned a thing or two about blogging in that time, and today, our special anniversary post features 10 blogging mistakes, tips and tricks I've gathered during the first year of Big Picture Web.

Most of us, myself included, aren't writers and learning to blog isn't easy. In fact, I cringe when I look at my very first post. But it's one of those things that gets easier over time. You start to get a feel for your audience. You develop a certain voice. You start to see which posts keep readers' attention and which posts are bombs. All of this information helps you avoid common blogging mistakes and move forward. And so here we are, one year and a list of 10 blogging mistakes, tips and tricks under my blogging belt:

1. Be consistent. The worst thing you can do as a blogger is to be inconsistent. It's way too common to see a new a blogger come out of the gates with a full head of steam, posting three times a week. But by the second month, the blog becomes a ghost town. Don't let your excitement become a blogging mistake. At a minimum, post once a week. Establish a rhythm and then don't waiver. You can do significant damage to your community and readership if your content schedule begins to vary.
2. Don't ignore comments. Comments are screaming indicators of engagement, yet less than 1 in 10 people typically leave comments on blogs. Comments are golden. Comments are social proof, convincing new readers to stick around because others have joined in your conversation as well. Neglecting people that leave comments - unless you're Chris Brogan and receive scores of comments per day -  is not only a huge blogging mistake, it's also very rude. Comments should be a goal on your website and should be highly coveted. If you get one, respond to your commenter and thank them. Go to their blog. Friend them. Send them a birthday card. You get the picture.
3. Develop a content strategy and stick to it. By in large, no one will will read your blog if it's just a "mere online diary," as Twitter friend @passepartout puts it. You need to be offering something unique and useful to a specific audience. If you look at some of my first posts, my direction was horrible. I wrote about incredibly general topics like SEO, email marketing, online marketing in general. Those articles get no traffic and generate very little interest. Now, I blog about online strategy, measurement and the actual software platforms bloggers and website developers use to meet online goals. This much more focused approach has yielded a lot more engagement with folks that come to Big Picture Web.
4. There is no substitute for quality. Great blog posts are like adding a tiny, recurring source of traffic to your site each month. I created a full-on guide for measuring banner ad revenue as one of my first blog posts. I'm still amazed by how much search traffic I receive. Compare that with this post and you can see why the banner ad post receives so many more visitors. Put in the time to create quality content. Your audience will appreciate the extra effort.
5. There is no excuse not to do basic SEO. If you still don't know what search engine optimization is, you owe it to yourself to at least learn the basics. Following a few basic SEO blogging tips like adding keywords to your blog post titles and image alt tags can go a long way to boost your long-term search traffic.
6. Bad usability is a big blogging mistake. Bloggers almost always end up shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to usability. White text on dark font. All caps. A million blinking lights and widgets. Molasses-like site load times. Keep your web page down to the basic elements that will support your goals. Make sure your add-ons don't slow down your overall site performance. Bottom line: poor usability loses visitors.
7. Choose your blogging platform wisely. Before you dig in and start building your website, it's important to look at the options available to you. You'll see that there is an age-old trade-off between flexibility and ease-of-use (e.g., Wordpress vs. Squarepace). Find the niche that suits your needs, then find the quality solution that suits you.
8. Measure your blog. I believe passionately in measuring to improve. And in my opinion, there is no excuse for not installing a basic web analytics platform on your blog (e.g., Google Analytics). How else are you going to know what content is working? I'm constantly looking at my sources of traffic, top landing pages, goal funnels, everything. There are countless insights on how to better serve your community and improve your blog if you just take the time to look.
9. Don't be a know-it-all. It's tempting to write definitive guides for your audience, but it's important to realize that blogs are social content. For example, I use website session recording software Clicktale to see how visitors engage with Big Picture Web. Most people that read a blog post will typically read what the community posts in the comments as well. Your thoughts are just as interesting to the Big Picture Web community as mine are. 
10. That said, I've intentionally left #10 blank just for you. Use the comments below to tell us about your biggest blogging mistake, tip or trick. Both my visitors and I will be grateful if you do.

I certainly appreciate all of the now nearly 1000 visits I get each month to Big Picture Web and hope that this next year is even better. If we haven't connected on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, now's the time.

Twitter, Flickr and Squarespace: Social Media Widgets are Live!

If you're a blogger, you know how social media networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can be a great source of traffic and engagement for your blog. That's why I was super excited last week when Squarespace, the blog/CMS platform creator and platform of choice for Big Picture Web, rolled out their new Social Media Widgets functionality. Today's post takes a look at the new Twitter, Flickr and RSS features of the Squarespace.

I've been looking forward to the social widgets roll-out since Squarespace founder Anthony Casalena announced them in his recent Squarepace 2010 Roadmap post on the Squarespace blog - which was written thanks, at least in part, to this Big Picture Web post on the quest for the best blogging platform.

Anyway, I heard rumors Wednesday morning that the social widgets were in place. I rushed to log in to see that they were indeed available for configuration. As with most Squarespace website development, I had the Twitter widget in place and functioning within minutes. A few minutes later and I had my new Twitter widget styled to my exact liking. What you see in my right margin took a total of five minutes to configure. So far so good!

The implementation was so fast and easy, in fact, that I had time to implement the new changes, break the news on Twitter and congratulate Senior Squarespace Designer Krystyn Heide all before it was even officially announced. Heide responded that they were still officially in soft launch but the big changes were unveiled later that day via the blog. It took less time to master the new widgets than it did to fully roll them out.

Squarespace doesn't mess around when it comes to implementing new features like the Twitter widget. Creative Director Tyler Thompson explained this week via Twitter that Squarespace imports and hosts all your Twitter information for use with the widget. That means if Twitter goes down, your tweets will still show up on your blog.

Plus, you won't have to worry about Twitter gumming up your blog's load time by trying to fetch new tweets each time the site loads. Especially considering that Google has come out and said that they look at a website's load time in their ranking algorithm - that fact is thanks to last week's episode of Marketing Over Coffee, the best online marketing podcast ever - it's nice to know that Squarespace is hosting and (quickly) serving your tweets through the new social widgets functionality.

The new Squarespace social widgets are just the first in several new social features, according to Casalena - next up are Digg and Delicious. I've implemented the Twitter, Flickr and RSS widgets here on Big Picture Web and really like what I see so far. Squarespace, if you're listening, I really hope you consider incorporating the new Facebook Like functionality as well. Ultimately though, I'm very pleased with the social widgets and can't wait to see more features like these rolled out on the Squarespace platform.

What about you? Did you like the new Squarespace social widgets? Did you implement the Twitter widget? Flickr? RSS? Was this worth the wait or does Squarespace need to roll out more features, more often?