What is Squarespace?
The Definitive Guide to Squarespace: What It Is, How It Works, and How to Get Started.
Squarespace is one of the leading platforms for creating and managing websites and online stores. And although it has grown significantly in recent years in the Spanish-speaking market, it is still relatively unknown, and there are many questions about exactly what it is, how it works, what its main advantages and disadvantages are, and so on.
I’ve been working and specializing in web design and development on Squarespace since 2017: this website was built on Squarespace, as were the websites I’ve designed for my clients. I know Squarespace very well, and I truly believe it’s a platform with a lot of potential and many advantages, which is why I always try to promote it.
So, in this post, I want to give you a general overview of what Squarespace is and its main features, to give you a solid starting point if you're considering building your website with this wonderful platform.
Table of Contents
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a platform for creating and managing websites and online stores.
That is its main function, but in recent years the platform has grown, and today it is much more than just a website builder:
Squarespace's current offering is designed to give you all the tools you need to manage your digital presence, from your website to your online marketing.
With Squarespace, you can create different types of websites, such as blogs, online stores, portfolios or online schools.
Plus, you can add other features available on the platform, such as:
Scheduling appointments or classes (online or in person).
Reservation system for restaurants and the hospitality industry.
Integrated email marketing client.
In short, Squarespace is an all-in-one platform with tools to help you: create a website, sell products or services, and promote your business.
Features and Functions of Squarespace
One of Squarespace's key features is that it has everything you typically need to run an online business built right into the platform itself. That's why I call it an all-in-one platform.
Normally, when you set out to create a website, you need to purchase the domain name separately, the hosting separately (and then pay more as your traffic grows or you need more space to upload additional content), buy the template you’ll use, and then integrate the hosting, domain name, and template with the platform that will allow you to create and manage your website.
With Squarespace, that’s not the case, because when you pay for a Squarespace subscription, you get everything in one place: a domain, unlimited hosting, templates, visual page editor, and a platform to manage your website—all in one place.
In addition, the platform includes the following features without the need to install any plugins:
Blogs, portfolios, event calendars, and the ability to create an online store with any of their plans.
SEO tools and a built-in analytics dashboard, which makes it much easier to track your site's statistics on a day-to-day basis.
Integration with Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.
Contact and subscription forms, galleries, cookie notification bars, and many other features you might need on your website.
SSL security certificate,responsive design, and a wide range of other features and tools.
Just to give you an idea: you can sign up for Squarespace with nothing, and in a couple of hours have a website with its own domain up and running.
Another great thing about Squarespace is that it’s a very stable and secure platform: Since everything is built-in and doesn’t rely on third-party plugins, everything runs smoothly, and there are no compatibility issues between your subscription forms and the template you’re using, for example… or between different plugin updates.
This means it’s very unlikely that your website will “break,” stop working unexpectedly, or that your store will suddenly “disappear” for no apparent reason. Furthermore, since it’s proprietary software (unlike other open-source platforms), no one outside of Squarespace has access to the platform’s code, making it very difficult to hack the site.
If you'd like to take a look at the main features, you can click on this link from Squarespace itself, where you'll find all the details.
Pros and Cons of Squarespace
I've already mentioned some of Squarespace's strengths, but in my opinion, one of its main advantages is its ease of use.
At Squarespace, they've really focused on creating a platform that's easy to use and manage, where you can build and publish your website with little or no knowledge of web design—even if you're not very tech-savvy.
And this isn't a coincidence—it's by design—because it's one of the company's core values:
Our vision is a future where anyone can be an entrepreneur.
We believe that design is the best competitive advantage. We create products that help entrepreneurs stand out and succeed.
Some of the platform's key user-friendly features include:
An intuitive interface designed with DIY enthusiasts in mind, featuring a gentle learning curve.
Native visual builder for adding, moving, and organizing content within pages.
You don't need to write a single line of code; you can build your entire website with just a few clicks.
The main features and tools you need (forms, galleries, buttons, etc.) are built into the platform, so you don't need to install any external plugins.
But no platform is perfect, and Squarespace is no exception. Among its main drawbacks are:
It’s a closed-source platform, which makes it very secure but also limits the level of customization you can achieve. When it comes to design, you can create custom layouts, and there’s very little you can’t do if you’re proficient in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript—or if you work with a designer who specializes in Squarespace, like me. But when it comes to adding features, it’s true that there are some limitations… though in the vast majority of cases, they’re irrelevant.
It’s a paid platform (more on plans and pricing below), so if you’re looking for a website that costs absolutely nothing, Squarespace isn’t for you. In my opinion, the prices are very reasonable when you consider that this is the technological backbone of your business, and they’re more than offset by the benefits it offers.
The e-commerce and blogging features may be a bit limited if you need very advanced capabilities.
How much does it cost?
Squarespace is a paid platform and offers four plans tailored to different needs:
For individuals: If you're just starting out and only need a simple website, this is a good option because you can start with the basics and upgrade your plan if you need more features.
Business: This is the plan I have; it's perfect for service websites, portfolios, or blogs. With this plan, you can set up an online store and start selling physical or digital products.
Commerce Basic: If your website’s main focus is selling products, the Commerce plans are the best option. With the Basic plan, you get specific features for online stores, and there’s no transaction fee.
Advanced Commerce: This plan offers even more features than the Basic Commerce plan, such as automatic recovery of abandoned shopping carts and gift cards, among others.
All plans include what I mentioned above (hosting, domain, template, and other platform tools), and you can pay for them on a monthly basis or opt for an annual subscription (which works out cheaper). Prices range from €11 per month for the Personal plan (when paid annually, which is cheaper) to €36 per month for the Advanced Commerce annual plan. You can check out all the plans, including their rates and features, at this link, as they vary slightly depending on the currency.
These are the basic plans for a website that provide access to most of the platform's tools, but if you want additional features for selling courses or memberships, accessing the scheduling tool, or using email marketing, you'll need to sign up for the respective plans.
In my opinion, Squarespace’s pricing is fair for everything the platform offers. When you consider that you won’t need to hire someone for website maintenance—something that’s very common with WordPress, for example, and can cost you around €80 per quarter—it’s really well worth it, not only for everything it includes, but also for the peace of mind that comes from being able to manage your website yourself, independently and without technical complications.
For what types of websites do I recommend Squarespace?
When I talk about Squarespace, I always like to make it clear that, although I really like the platform and think it’s ideal for certain situations, it’s by no means the best solution for everyone. In reality, I don’t think there’s such a thing as an absolutely ideal platform; I believe it always depends on the needs of the website you want to create and the person who will be managing it. Squarespace, like any other platform, has limitations, and there are cases where it simply isn’t a good option.
Squarespace offers a number of advantages for certain websites or businesses:
First of all, Squarespace is ideal for entrepreneurs with a minimalist spirit.
If you want a website that looks great and works well, but doesn’t take up too much of your time to manage or maintain, Squarespace is an excellent choice: it doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out on your own or if you have an established business and are looking to simplify its management without sacrificing quality. I’m all about getting more done with less, and eliminating sources of stress and hassle wherever I can. On the other hand, I also don’t like the idea that someone doesn’t have autonomy over their own website, and that adding an opt-in button depends on a third party. For these reasons, if you want autonomy over your website and peace of mind, Squarespace might be a good option for you.
Squarespace is perfect for brands that need a polished look and value design:
Websites for architecture firms, interior designers, designers (graphic, fashion, etc.), artists, or photographers. In short, anyone who needs a website featuring portfolios and galleries in various formats, where images take center stage.
For websites of service providers such as coaches, mentors, psychologists, copywriters, legal advisors, etc.
It works really well for this type of business for the reasons I mentioned: you can easily create a website with everything you need, and managing the site is a breeze (basically, Squarespace requires no maintenance or updates), and you can integrate a native or third-party appointment scheduling tool like Calendly.
Squarespace makes it really easy to create an online store and start selling physical or digital products
Managing a store with Squarespace is simple and streamlined, so it works best for small stores with a limited inventory (around 50 products or so) that don’t need advanced e-commerce features (in which case, it’s better to opt for a specialized platform like Shopify).
If you sell memberships or online courses, Squarespace is also a good option
With its new course tool, Squarespace has established itself as one of the best options on the market for hosting online courses. You can check out this post where I explain all the features available for hosting your membership site or online school on Squarespace, and I’ll show you some examples.
If you have a business that needs to provide information about its services and facilities, or if you offer in-person or blended (in-person and online) classes
Such as yoga studios, dance schools, art galleries, small cafes or restaurants, hair salons, spas, etc. If you run a yoga or dance school, you can use Acuity on your website to manage registration for in-person and online classes, and post recordings in a restricted area of your website that’s accessible only to registered users (if you have questions about how to set this up, we can schedule a consultation call to help you integrate it into your website).
Finally, Squarespace can work really well for you if you're launching a project and just need a website to test your business idea
A website you can set up quickly, that works well, and is easy to maintain—one that lets you start attracting subscribers or customers right from the start without any technical hassles.
Who wouldn't I recommend this to?
As I mentioned earlier, Squarespace isn't for everyone and has its limitations, and there are certain situations where it's better to choose a different platform:
Stores with large inventories (catalogs of hundreds of products) that require highly specialized and complex sales funnels and marketing tools. If that sounds like you, you’re better off sticking with a specialized e-commerce platform that offers powerful tools for managing hundreds (or even thousands) of products and tracking customers in detail, such as Shopify.
Digital schools that need advanced tools for content management, student management, and e-learning (such as the ability to track student progress internally), or that have built-in communities. Although it’s possible to achieve many of these features by adding Memberspace to a Squarespace website, it might be better to consider a specialized platform like Kajabi.
Highly complex websites that require a high degree of customization (I’m not just talking about design, but also functionality) or that need very specific tools. In cases like these, it’s better to stick with WordPress. If you’re unsure about what you need or whether it can be done with Squarespace, feel free to reach out to me, and I’ll give you my opinion on which platform is best suited for your needs.
How do I get started with Squarespace?
Getting started with Squarespace is really easy, and you can do it in 7 simple steps:
Choose your website template here (answer the questions to help you pick the one that best suits your needs).
Replace the text and photos in the template with your own.
Customize the template's design with your own colors and fonts.
Configure the website's privacy settings.
Select or link your website's domain.
Choose a subscription plan (Personal, Business, or Commerce).
Publish your website.
Once you choose your template and create your Squarespace account, you’ll have a 14-day free trial (which you can extend for another week) to build your website and explore the platform.
You can learn more about the process of creating and launching a website on Squarespace with these posts:
Conclusion
Squarespace is an all-in-one platform that lets you create and manage a website, online store, or membership site. It’s perfect if you want to simplify your website management without technical hassles and with complete control.
Squarespace is ideal for these types of websites and businesses:
Female entrepreneurs with a minimalist mindset who want autonomy and ease of management when it comes to their website. Basically, they want a website that isn’t a source of stress, overwhelm, and headaches.
DIY entrepreneurs or those with projects in the works who want to build their own website quickly and without technical complications.
Creative businesses that need a portfolio-style websitewhere their work takes center stage, such as photographers, illustrators, jewelers, artisans, florists, food bloggers, lifestyle bloggers, etc.
Service-based businesses such as copywriters, coaches, wedding planners, interior designers, legal consultants, designers, etc.
This works really well if you want to sell products (physical or digital) in addition to your services, but you aren't a store in the traditional sense.
Memberships or online courses with basic features, as I explain in this post.
Businesses that need to provide information about their services and facilities, such as yoga studios, dance schools, art galleries, small cafes or restaurants, hair salons, spas, etc.
Small stores selling physical or digital products, with a moderate inventory.
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