Website Design

5 Squarespace Benefits for Small Businesses

Small business owners like you and I don't have the time to spend all day on running our websites. We want something that's easy-to-use, something that is powerful enough to facilitate our small business marketing plan, and it has to look great.

Luckily, Squarespace fits the bill in all of those areas and more. I recently surveyed other Squarespace users asking them about the benefits of the highly polished content management system.

A Wordle.net tag cloud on benefits of Squarespace as identified by a customer survey.

A Wordle.net tag cloud on benefits of Squarespace as identified by a customer survey.

Here are five major benefits of Squarespace for small businesses as identified by real customers.

1. Beauty of the Websites You can Create with Squarespace

The first and most impressive benefit of building a Squarespace website is the uniqueness and beauty of what you can create on the platform. Start with over two dozen templates, then modify in infinite directions using drag-and-drop tools. Web designers are able to modify every bit of code behind the scenes.

"It's good looking and easy to use. I have the ability to build and manage my website with no knowledge of HTML, CSS, etc."

2. It is the Most Robust Platform for the Money

You can do nearly anything with a Squarespace website, all for a reasonable monthly or annual price tag. Blogs, portfolios and ecommerce are all easily facilitated, and the depth of the platform is made clear by features such as responsive design built in to every template so you don't have to worry about a separate mobile website.

"I get compliments from others from my site, its flexible, and can do more than I am able to keep up with."

3. Customer Service is Terrific

Unlike all the free platforms out there, Squarespace is a paid-only web design platform. That means you get an award-winning 24/7 customer service team at your fingertips whenever you're feeling like you could use a little help. In my personal experience, it's uncommon to wait more than 15 minutes for a reply to any help ticket I've submitted.

"The customer service. HANDS DOWN. I always receive great service from the guys over there."

4. Simple to use Compared to Wordpress

With Squarespace, there's nothing to install and no updates to perform. All the templates are easily adjustable using the built-in WYSIWYG controls, and pages take minutes to build using Squarespace 6's new LayoutEngine page builder. Building a complete website is a snap, even compared to Wordpress.

"Ability to build and manage my website with no knowledge of HTML, CSS, etc."

5. You Can Rely on it to Work

You just can't bring a Squarespace website down. The reliable shared hosting means nothing will every prevent your website from running (not even a hurricane). This type of hosting on a Wordpress website would cost between $50-100/month. 

"I love the fact that my site never goes down. I used to use WordPress and my web host took my site down constantly for alleged 'bad scripts.'"

As a small business owner, what do you look for in a website platform? What Squarespace benefits presented hear appeal to you, and what, if anything, do you feel the platform is lacking?

Squarespace CMS User Profile Insights for the Potential Buyer

A helpful way to understand if a content management system (CMS) will work for you is to learn more about the folks who currently use and love it. I recently administered a survey to the fine Squarespace users that read this blog, and have put together a few insights to help the world learn more about our community, how we use the Squarespace CMS, and how we approach web design and content management.

What Goals do Squarespace Users Have?

The Squarespace community consists largely of artists (e.g., web designers, writers, photographers, etc), small business owners, and entrepreneurs looking for an intuitive, yet powerful set of web design templates and features in a CMS. Our most common goals include publishing a blog, showcasing portfolios and services, and connecting and engaging with people online.

One thing all Squarespace users have in common is that they do have a goal for their website. Perhaps it's because there is no free version of Squarespace?

Goals for Squarespace websites include blogging, showcasing work/portfolios, and engaging people online.

Goals for Squarespace websites include blogging, showcasing work/portfolios, and engaging people online.

What Squarespace Features are Used Most?

Squarespace's newest version of their CMS (Squarespace 6) saw 50 new features and improvements on a product that already boasted hundreds of useful tools. The most useful features of the Squarespace CMS include its powerful blogging platform, dynamic page building options (powered by the new LayoutEngine), and countless image gallery features.

Most Squarespace users also use advanced goodies and plug-ins such as a two minute Google Analytics integration, no-hassle contact forms, and seamless social media integration.

Squarespace's most used features include its blogging platform, powerful page building system, and image galleries.

Squarespace's most used features include its blogging platform, powerful page building system, and image galleries.

Do People Tend to Stick with Squarespace?

There are dozens of fly-by-night content management systems out there. You want to be sure that the up-and-coming content management system you choose will be one you won't want to leave any time soon. 

Most Squarespace users tend to stick with the CMS long-term once they've vetted its ability to meet their web publishing goals. The majority of our survey respondents have been using Squarespace as a CMS for over two years, and some have even been happy Squarespace customers for over four years.

Many Squarespace CMS customers are happy for 2+ years running.

Many Squarespace CMS customers are happy for 2+ years running.

More About Squarespace CMS Users

Our survey was administered to subscribers of the Big Picture Web newsletter, and most answers were submitted between September 17 and October 17, 2012. About 1 in 5 of our respondents were both Squarespace users and also designed Squarespace websites professionally.

~1 in 5 of our survey respondents are Squarespace designers and users.

~1 in 5 of our survey respondents are Squarespace designers and users.

Lastly, while these numbers are expected to continue to shift dramatically as Squarespace 6 gains steam, a little over one quarter of Squarespace users have already migrated to the new version of the Squarespace CMS within the first quarter of its launch.

All of the Squarespace websites I run have been moved to Squarespace 6, and I'm incredibly happy with managing websites on the new Squarespace CMS.

More than 1 in 4 Squarespace CMS users have migrated from v5 to Squarespace 6 in the first quarter since launch.

More than 1 in 4 Squarespace CMS users have migrated from v5 to Squarespace 6 in the first quarter since launch.

What are the most important considerations for you as you vet content management systems? What features about Squarespace stand out to you, and where, if any, are your areas of concern?