What's the Best Thing About Squarespace?

What's the best thing about Squarespace? I get this question all the time from users of more popular blogging/website platforms. All too often people automatically assume Wordpress and Tumblr are better because they have more users. That's just not true. The best web publishing platform is the one that does what you need it to. Before you pick a platform, you should at least take a minute and learn about what Squarespace does really well.

I recently surveyed Squarespace users and asked what they liked best about Squarespace. I received over one hundred responses from a wide range of Squarespace customers: developers and casual users; bloggers and business owners; new customers and people who have been using the service for more than four years. What did Squarespace users like the best about Squarespace?

The Best Thing About Squarespace

Ease of Use is what people love most about Squarespace. The Squarespace team makes it incredibly simple to build a high quality blog or website without knowing a lot about Squarespace or developing websites in general.

Looking across all the answers, there were clear themes among the responses. Overall, four main categories emerged:

• Ease of Use - Squarespace users appreciate how easy the tool is to use
• Effort Required - People appreciate how little time or knowledge it takes to use Squarespace
• Support & Reliability - Squarespace has a rock-solid hardware infastructure and a 24/7 support staff. Squarespace users love the peace of mind that comes with the service.
• Quality - Squarespacers love the level of refinement and sophistication Squarespace builds in to its vast system of web building tools.

(Ease of Use is what people love most about Squarespace, followed by effort required, support/reliability and quality.)

Individual Thoughts on Squarespace

Write-in comments are my favorite thing in the whole world. What people say as an anonymous, unwatched survey respondent can be some of the most enlightening and unfiltered insights you could ever hope for. That said, below are the verbatim, unmodified responses to the survey question, "What's Your Favorite Thing About Squarespace?" Read through them, then add your favorite thing about Squarespace in the comments.

Without question, it's the community - those who ask the questions and the devoted who are kind enough to offer their time and assistance. I am continually amazed by users who go to great lengths to offer their time and care enough to help those users who...

It's reliability and ease of use.

I greatly appreciate both the simplicity of the product, as well as the ability to customize the bits I want.

How easy it is for clients to update their own site!

Ease of use

Ease of use and you don't need to worry about bugs or hosting errors. Everything is managed for you server wise.

The ease of use for my clients.

How simple it is for anyone to design any sort of website. It's simplicity can attract anyone with whatever of web design knowledge.

Its UI is easy to use, yet it's also very powerful. what you see is what you get

Easy to use, quick customer service responses.

The ease of customization and the drag and drop features.

Ease of use and support

Diversity of templates. Ease of use once I get through the learning curve.

Wysiwyg

I couldn't believe how easy it was to build a website that looks professional. I built mine in about 4 hours and I had never had any experience with websites.

Fairly easy to use. Intuitive user interface.

Ease of use and simple templates. it is easy to use and get a website up and running

Not tinkering under the hood like with Wordpress.org installations. Not being a tech, that got me worried just about backup and update time, and it always seemed time to do that kind of stuff.

on page editing

simplicity.

Ease of use - and the fact that there is a buzz out there driven by other bloggers and podcasters on how great SQSP is - which drives clients to my business :)

Seriously - its a great product, solid and gets the job done fast.

I like how you can hyb

Ease of use

Ability to customize

easy to use for new designers and pros.

Simplicity - I'm non technical.

'Visual' interface

Support has always been very responsive.

The ease of use and customization.

The ease of input of various entries etc.

Easy to get in and edit from anywhere.

So easy to use; easy to maintain and beautiful.

Looks good for relatively little effort

It's fast (i.e. pages are delivered fast), streamlined, simple to use, the graphic styling tools, built-in traffic monitoring, and no messing with hosting yourself (Apache settings, the problems you run with Wordpress using too much server time, etc.)

Getting a functional website up & running is so simple on Squarespace.

The ability to build a custom website with no prior knowledge of a coding language.

The ability for anyone to create a website to fit their needs with little-to-no effort.

The ability to customize without using CSS, the galleries

I like how easy it is to add new content and change things around.

I can manage my website without being an HTML guru

i know nothing about web design, and this makes it doable

That I do not need to know HTML code.

Squarespace is for the most part intuitive. When I first signed up for the service, it was easy to pick up where things are situated within the software. I like that it's all managed by the Squarespace team and that I can just focus on my content and de

The overall integration of the bits & pieces; the ability to get advanced functionality up & running fairly quickly in some rough-draft way.

Support, the all-in-one software/hosting/support nature of the service

The support, unlimited hosting and as a cms its pretty robust

The support. They really do care about their customers, it's incredible.

Solid dependable platform. Not having to worry about security vulnerabilities or databas backups. Or managing plugin compatibility.

The quality of the hosting.

It just works!

Security and backend

The support via email is fast and often helpful.

Great platform and customer service

I like the fact that you can't screw things up - save the fact you mucking up the css royally. But Porting this to other users - the interface is clean and understandable. good customer support.

Hard to break

Instant feedback on style changes

I like the concept of squarespace more than the actuality of it. I like that it's hosting and design all in one. I live the looks you can get.

The support team.

It's a very, very sophisticated platform, and it shows. Even simple templates yield a very polished website, while availing oneself of advanced coding and customization tools makes the possibilities just about unlimited. All while the Squarespace team is...

The ability to build almost anything you want on a reliable and easy to use platform

The ability to control a high-quality website & blog WITHOUT having to spend a great deal of time or learn programming

Simplicity in design, development and the ease at which you can create a consistent interface. I also like the gallery pages and audience feature.

Real-time editing and plug-in areas.

The CMS and the fact that if my site was discovered, it would still perform well.

HTML editor for journal pages, customer service, help

The Ajax system it uses

Editing features.

Robustness. I don't need to worry about a crash when I make a change.

love how easy SEO is! customer service rocks!

I really like the notes features where you can list references to refer to. Love the interface.

That they anticipate and manage all the technological changes. I feel like I'm standing on rock. When the iPad, HTML5, etc. arrived, the WordPress ground under my feet turned to sand; I'm handy, but I'm not a tech. Also, I love the Website Mgmt area

Quality v Price.

Multiple user access.

Professional service.

Take the Squarespace Community Survey. Win Gear.

For nearly two years now, I've been sharing what I know about the Squarespace web publishing platform and how to use it to market your business, your passion or even yourself. Today is no exception, but it comes with a twist. Today I need 2-5 minutes of your time to take the Squarespace Community Survey. And if you can spare an additional minute after that, you might even win some Squarespace gear.

What is the Squarespace Community Survey?

You may have seen one of my Squarespace tutorials, the designer directory, or even my Squarespace blogging guide if you've visited this site in the last two years. Each time I publish one of these resources, I learn more about the Squarespace community and its needs. I created the Squarespace Community Survey so I could learn even more about Squarespacers, and then share what I learn with you.

The Squarespace Community Survey will help capture the voice of the community and provide unique insights into who we are, our needs, and what motivates us to use the Squarespace platform for our web publishing projects. Please take 2-5 minutes and take the survey now. I appreciate it so very much, and look forward to sharing what I learn.

Take the Squarespace Community Survey

Make the Survey a Success. Win Squarespace Swag.

My goal is to reach 1,000 respondents for the survey, an aggressive goal. To do that, I'm going to need your help recruiting our fellow Squarespacers. After you take the survey, please share this blog post with as many Squarespacers as you know through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. I'll be monitoring all the chatter to this URL and choose some lucky sharers randomly to win Squarespace gear.

What kind of gear, you say? How about a stylish Squarespace t-shirt? Or perhaps some Squarespace stickers (they look great on my iPad case!)? If you're really lucky, you can even win the coveted Squarespace-branded Moleskine notebook.

So please, take the Squarespace Community Survey, then tell another Squarespacer. I can't wait to share what I learn with you and the rest of the Squarespace community.

(Win stickers or a Moleskine notebook like Jason Barone did.)(You can win a Squarespace shirt like this.)

Ten Ways to Show Inbound Marketing ROI with Multi-Channel Funnels

Often, people find you through blogs, social media and other forms of inbound marketing, but don't buy from you that day. When they do come back and do business with you, your inbound marketing channel may not get the credit it deserves for its role in the sale. As a result, inbound marketing ROI often tends to be understated. 

That is, until Google rolled out Multi-Channel Funnels last week. Rejoice all those who love great content, then take a look at these ten ways to show inbound marketing ROI with Multi-Channel Funnels from Google Analytics.

Many Roads Lead to Rome (and Conversion)

Inbound marketing may not always be the channel that converts, but it's often responsible for paving the way to new business. Multi-Channel Funnels provides a new way to see how your visitors interact with your website as they work their way through the buying cycle. Now you can see which channels initiate and assist in getting new business as well as the channels that close the sale.

Here are ten ways to use Google's new Multi-Channel Funnels to illustrate the rich interactions inbound marketing creates and to show inbound marketing ROI.

1. Use Multi-Channel Funnels with Your Current Goals

The new Multi-Channel Funnels work right out-of-the-box with your existing goals from your Google Analytics account. If you've set up a goal on your profile, these new reports apply retro-actively with no further configuration. As a result, reports like the Top Conversion Paths reports can be filtered to only display data for the goals you select.

2. Create Custom Conversion Segments for Insights Galore

What fun would Google Analytics be without the ability to apply segments? The new Multi-Channel Funnel reports allow you to create and apply custom conversion segments to all your reports to hone in on specific channels or sources of traffic. For example, you can create a segment to report all conversions where the first interaction with the visitor ever was through Twitter. Segments like this are awesome for showing the value of social media and other inbound marketing channels and the effect on the bottom line.

3. Identify Where People "Meet" Your Brand

Are you making a good impression when people new to your brand find you online? Use the custom conversion segments to create multiple segments to highlight which channels your visitors see first when dealing with your brand online.

4. Learn the Duration of the Buying Cycle

People don't just suddenly get the urge to buy things on the Internet. Often the customer buying cycle can go on for weeks, months or years before prospects finally show up on your site and convert. Google Analytics shows the duration of the buying cycle with the Time Lag report. Applying conversion segments to this report can show how some channels lead to new business more quickly than others.

5. Discover When You Earn People's Trust

Google Analytics now also reports on the number of interactions with a website that occurred prior to conversion. This is great for content marketers, as inbound marketing builds trust over time to earn the sale. How many times did a person visit your site to read a blog post or watch a video before contacting you to do business? Yeah, Google Multi-Channel Funnel reports help with that too.

 6. Determine Direct and Indirect Effects of Channels

Inbound marketing channels often have both direct and indirect outcomes. Using multiple custom conversion segments, it's easy to show the full picture of channels like organic search. In this example, organic search not only converts directly about 60% of my website conversions, but it's also responsible for introducing my brand to another 7.5% of my converting visitors that went on to convert through channels other than search. As a whole, organic search plays a part in nearly three quarters of all my conversions at some point.

7. Use Custom Channel Groupings to Segment Channels

In addition to custom conversion segments, Google Analytics also allows you to create custom channel groupings to go beyond Google's default channel definitions (e.g., source, medium). For example, I created channel groupings to split out my organic traffic into channel groupings that show regular organic traffic, organic traffic that include "Squarespace" as a keyword and branded organic traffic (e.g., organic traffic containing keywords like "josh braaten" or "big picture web").

8. Summarize Your Helper Channels with Assisted Conversions

Google Analytics offers the Assisted Conversions Report to show which channels help support conversions on your site in addition to those that are directly responsible. Find the unsung heroes of your website or blog by highlighting the top assiting channels with these new reports.

9. Map Out the Well-Traveled Roads

One of my favorite Multi-Channel Funnel reports is the Top Conversion Paths report. Apply your custom channel groupings and your most common paths to conversion magically jump out of the report. People typically find my content within the search results (mostly my Squarespace how-to's), seek me directly, or find me through another site on the web before converting. This doesn't come as a surprise to me, but it's sure nice to see it quantified in the report.

10. Find the Common Paths for Each Goal

Identifying the most commonly traveled inroads to your site is a good first step, but you'll want to look at your Top Conversion Paths report filtered by each goal as well. I was stunned to see the different paths people took to fill out my contact form, download my Squarespace eBook, or leave a comment on one of my blog posts. This type of information could become invaluable in fine-tuning a content creation and sharing strategy.

(Click to enlarge)

These are just some of the first few uses I could think of to show inbound marketing ROI with the new Google Analytics Multi-Channel Funnels, but I'm sure there are countless more. Inbound marketers, now is the time to embrace the power of web analytics and to jump in to Google Analytics if you haven't already. 

If you're already a Google Analytics geek like me, what will you do with Multi-Channel Funnels?

How to Add Google Webmaster Tools to Squarespace

Your strategy for adding new content to your blog or website should constantly be evolving. The web is measurable, so why continue to blindly do things the same way? Why not see how people react to the content you create using web measurement tools and then leverage those insights to drive future content creation projects? Google Webmaster Tools is one such measurement tool. Let's take a look at the benefits of Webmaster Tools and how to install them on Squarespace.

What is Google Webmaster Tools?

When you think of online measurement tools, you probably think of web analytics tools such as Google Analytics that measure the traffic you get to your website. These tools are important, but can only do so much. Google Webmaster Tools shows how Google sees your site on the web and provides a handful of reporting and administrative tools that provide many benefits to webmasters that use the free service.

Installing Google Webmaster Tools on Squarespace

If you use Squarespace to manage your blog or website, follow these simple steps to claim your website on Google Webmaster Tools. If you use something else, the steps are similar but slightly different for most web publishing tools, so it can't hurt to follow along.

Start by heading over to Google Webmaster Tools (you'll need to log in or create a Google account). Find the link to Add a site and enter the website you wish to claim (e.g., www.shellysremodeling.com). Select Continue.

If you're using the same Google account for both Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools, you can simply select the Verify option within the Recommended method tab. If not, click on the Alternate methods tab.

Select the option to Add a meta tag to your site's home page and copy the verification code within the block of text that appears in the instructions.

Now log in to your Squarespace website and select Website Settings from the Website Management menu.

Click on the Code Injection tab and paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code in the code injection text box for your website header code. Hit Update Information to save the changes.

Go back to your Google Webmaster Tools window and press the Verify button. You should see a screen like this.

Select the Continue link to visit your Google Webmaster Tools menu and begin supplementing your web analytics data with the extra insights GWT provides.

Google Webmaster Tools can show you which search terms drive traffic to your site, which sites on the web are linking to you, and many, many more insightful nuggets for improving the content of your website or blog. Spend a few minute installing Google Webmaster Tools on your Squarespace site, then come back and share your thoughts on Google tool for website owners in the comments.

Volunteering Content for a Stronger Personal Brand

Volunteering your time to create content for a company or organization is a great way to get your work published and grow your personal brand. Writing a blog post, guide or event recap can yield new connections and increase your reputation within your industry. Here are four ideas to volunteer your way to a stronger personal brand. 

1. Volunteer to Blog for Your Company

Does your company have a blog? Chances are, your blog editor or community manager is always looking for content and would be happy to take your articles and publish them on the company blog. Volunteer your time to contribute your knowledge through content and enjoy the engagement it generates for both you and your company.

2. Volunteer Your Time at Conferences

Last year I volunteered my way into the first-ever Minnesota Blogger Conference by holding signage and making coffee at the event. This year I'm part of the planning team and excited to watch tickets go like hot cakes when registration starts this Wednesday (Watch @MNBlogCon for details). In that time I've made many new friends and connections, all in the name of a great event for the bloggers of Minnesota.

3. Volunteer to Cover Events

Local organizations often host events, but many fail to take advantage of the content value of these events. Volunteer to write a recap blog post for the organization and there's a good chance they'll say yes. (Bonus: Capture a video interview with the speaker on your iPad and include it on the recap post as exclusive blog-only material.)

4. Volunteer to Present at Events

Share your subject matter expertise by presenting at and blogging about events within the business community. You'll provide value to the community and build your personal brand by volunteering to speak at events like these.

There's No Such Thing as Too Much Great Content

I've never seen a website with too much quality content on it. Frankly, I'm not sure such a thing exists. If you take your time to write a quality article, no organization in their right mind will turn down the opportunity to publish free, excellent content. Find a publication that interests you, volunteer your time and see what happens.

Where have you volunteered your time by creating content?