Squarespace is an exceptional platform for anyone wanting to design and build a website for free. For the right sector, and if one of their off-the-shelf themes is a good fit, it’s definitely worth exploring. It’s relatively easy, fairly intuitive and the end result does not require a professional designer or developer.
But it does have its limitations. Its simplicity is both a strength (for the right type of site) and a weakness when more complexity is required. It’s a closed framework and tightly controlled.
A website is an essential marketing tool and often the first opportunity to engage with a customer. As a business grows, there comes a point when a website needs the flexibility to be tailored to the specific requirements of the business and a ‘one size fits all’ approach can often fall short.
To deploy a new website requires strategic planning, copywriting, design and development. Marketeers require a set of tools that empower them to reach new audiences and founders demand functionality to differentiate themselves from the competition.
Designing a website is as much about strategy as it is about strong interface design. The complex problems to solve are around user experience, customer acquisition and conversion. What may seem simple on the outside, is often far more complicated on the inside and requires the ability to craft and tailor across both design and development.
So if you have outgrown Squarespace, what are your options?
The transition to WordPress.
Over 40% of all websites are built on WordPress. It’s an open-source (free) content management solution with a huge developer community and an enormous library of 3rd party plug-ins. Almost anything is possible and that is its major strength. It’s the opposite of Squarespace – it’s open, flexible and a blank canvas to create a website that does exactly what your business needs in order to thrive.
And like Squarespace, it’s important to be aware that WordPress also has its limitations and may not always be the right fit. It’s my job to evaluate exactly what your website needs (now and in the future) and then choose the right technology to build on. I am platform agnostic and factors such as functionality, budget, timeline, content management and marketing requirements all have a role to play in making the correct decision.
I have a freelance team of developers working across multiple codebases so am free to make the right decision for you, and not be influenced by the skillsets of internal staff.
