Why I recommend Squarespace
for your small business website

As a small business, a professional and simple-to-use website is essential to organic growth. That’s why I usually recommend Squarespace to UK business owners who love ease, simplicity and intuitive online experiences.

As a small business, designing an original website helps you attract customers naturally. It’s the perfect place to showcase your brand and form a deeper emotional connection with your audience and I’ve seen how having a great website experience is the key to creating more ease and freedom in your business.

If web design isn’t your thing, choosing a professional and intuitive website makes your life easier, enabling you to focus on what brings you joy. Here I’ll share why I usually recommend Squarespace to small business owners and also when an alternative custom build or alternative option is better.

What are the benefits of using Squarespace?

I often get asked about the best website for small businesses. It’s one of those business decisions that it’s easy to get bogged down in with an array of choices and conflicting recommendations. You need a website that works for you rather than consuming your time and energy.

I’m a big believer in embracing simplicity in your business so you can spend more time working in your zone of genius. I recommend Squarespace because it’s professional, intuitive, and quick to get started.

Here are the main benefits of Squarespace for a small business website:

1. Wow your clients:

First impressions count. As a branding designer, I’m a fan of Squarespace’s stylish templates which feel professionally designed. It’s easy to wow customers so they feel excited to get in touch with you. It’s also mobile responsive – the designs automatically look good on a small screen (Wix and Showit fall down in this area).

2. simplicity

I love that Squarespace is super intuitive and easy to maintain. It’s perfect if you crave a minimalist approach to building your website and I’ve found Wix, Showit and other builders to feel more clunky. That means you can spend more time on the aspects of your business that energise you.

3. grows with your business

As a small business, you’re constantly growing and evolving. Squarespace allows you to easily add or change sections, including text, images, blogs, services, products, projects, and events without having to keep reaching out to your web developer or learn lots of extra code.

4. discoverability

Creating a Squarespace website enables you to attract clients naturally. The built-in SEO tools make it simple to improve your search engine ranking. You don’t need to be an expert to enhance your discoverability.

5. ACCESS TO SUPPORT

Squarespace has tons of resources to help you out. Their support team is award-winning, giving you peace of mind.

6. SAVES YOU MONEY

This DIY option is much more affordable than a custom build. Plus, you don’t have to worry about additional maintenance or hosting fees. If you want extra support, I can create a website page to get you started or put the finishing touches to a site you’ve developed on a Design Day.

how can a squarespace website help your business to grow?

As a small business, you may wonder whether a website is even necessary as you’ve heard about people who have grown their business just using social media and word of mouth. Relying on social media is a bit like renting a house, you aren’t in control. You only need to look at the constant algorithm changes, and needing to spend lots of money on ads to get found to see that social media can be a fickle and stressful place.

Your website, on the other-hand, is a space you own, control and it will keep on working for you without needing continuous effort and constantly posting and showing up. Creating an original, memorable website helps form strong roots for your business to grow. 

A Squarespace website enables clients to discover you through organic searches and shifts your focus from selling to attracting aligned clients. That’s why Squarespace is a brilliant choice to grow your small business intentionally and sustainably. 

Your website is the perfect place to showcase your unique brand story. Being brave and sharing your vision and personality can form deeper emotional connections with your audience. If you are introverted, empathetic, highly sensitive and soulful then you may struggle with the tougher ways of building a business. A website can help you share your wisdom, knowledge and expertise in a calm and considered way that matches your energy.

 I’ve found a blog and email newsletter is an authentic way to share and connect in a way that adds value for your audience.

what other options are there for you small business website?

Squarespace isn’t the only option for a UK small business website and choosing a website option isn’t a ‘one-size fits all’ approach. It really depends on your business needs, goals and most importantly how much you can invest in your website.

Here are a few alternatives:

Wix: Wix offers plenty of choices with 800+ website templates. But for a creative business, the designs lack the wow factor of the Squarespace websites.

WordPress: WordPress is ideal for custom builds and also has template builders to use. But it can be a steep learning curve if you want to create a website for your business and often requires maintenance updating plug-ins. I’ve used Divi to create my website as it’s the closest to Squarespace and has given me more control over the design.

Custom Build: You may be tempted by a bespoke website if you want a professional to take care of it and if you can afford it then I would recommend this. This option is significantly more expensive – expect to invest between £5.000 and £15,000 plus maintenance fees. Reach out to us if you’d like to chat about a custom website built then find out more here,

*a few pages from my Wild Woods semi-custom website template shown below…

when squarespace isn’t the best business website option

While I recommend Squarespace to most small businesses, there are scenarios when it’s not the best option. If you run an e-commerce business selling many products, I would suggest Shopify instead. 

While you can sell products on Squarespace, Shopify is likely a better fit if your ambition is to make this the centre of your business as an e-commerce brand. You get much more analytics and insights into shopper behaviours and it’s easier to manage stock and run your shop.

Unlike Squarespace, Shopify is specifically designed for e-commerce. Scaling your shop is easy, giving you room to grow your business. If you value simplicity, you’ll appreciate that Shopify seamlessly integrates with other platforms, including social media.

If you are just selling a few products then Squarespace can do this and you have more control over creating designs as Shopify templates can look fairly ‘samey’. Squarespace also can work out slightly cheaper depending on your sales volumes and is much easier to get started with.

CHOOSING SQUARESPACE FOR YOUR WEBSITE SUMMARY

• Squarespace is my top recommendation for a UK small business website thanks to its attractive designs and intuitive interface.
• An impactful website empowers small businesses to communicate their brand story and attract dream clients.
• Creating strong brand roots on your website helps you grow your business intentionally and sustainably.
• Alternatives to Squarespace include Wix, WordPress and a custom build, though each has pros and cons.
• While Squarespace offers an e-commerce option, Shopify may be a better choice if this is the main focus of your business.
• Looking to DIY your website using a professional Squarespace template? > START HERE

Want to learn more? Keep reading below

• Why branding is so important to your small business 

• What’s the difference between a logo and a brand identity?

• Why authentic brand experiences are so important

read more thoughts from the wilderness