The platform has over 100 templates which are categorized across portfolio, photography, eCommerce, blogging, professional services, local businesses, events, etc. The templates themselves are beautifully designed and will help you put your best foot forward irrespective of the one you choose. You can further customize every aspect to meet your needs. If, after you play with it you’re not happy then you can switch to another one with a few button clicks.
Company Background
Since 2003, Squarespace has provided the tools for brands and individuals to build stunning websites. It has a wide range of commerce features, built-in email marketing, and deep analytics across your entire website. It’s a solid solution for advanced and inexperienced users alike.
Plans & Pricing
Squarespace offers four packages for regular sites and online stores, each with different features and prices. All packages include unlimited bandwidth and storage, as well as a free custom domain with annual purchase.
Squarespace has more expensive entry-level plans than many competitors but it comes with more features. The higher eCommerce plans are in line with what you can expect from other platforms.
Personal
$16/mo
FREE trial
Business
Most Popular
$26/mo
FREE trial
Basic Commerce
$30/mo
FREE trial
Advanced Commerce
$46/mo
FREE trial
Personal
The entry-level plan costs $16/mo. It comes with a large number of features including SSL certificates for all websites, SEO tools, access to templates, up to two contributors, website analytics, and the Squarespace extension ecosystem.
Business
The Business plan costs $26/mo and comes with everything from the Personal plan. It adds unlimited contributors, G-suite account for one year, premium integrations, full HTML & CSS access, ad credits, and basic eCommerce functionality.
Basic Commerce
Basic Commerce costs $30/mo and includes all the features from the previous plans. It adds the ability to use POS in your physical location, checkouts on your own domain, customer accounts, deep eCommerce analytics, and Instagram shopping.
Advanced Commerce
Advanced eCommerce is $46/mo and builds on the previous plans by adding more advanced functionality. You can set up abandoned cart emails, sell subscriptions to customers, real-time shipping calculator, and access eCommerce APIs for custom integrations.
Featured prices can be updated and free offers may include additional terms.
Features & Functionality
Design
Features
- 100+ Templates
- Add HTML Code
- Blog Templates
- Portfolio
- Drag & Drop Editor
- Multi-lingual Website
- Fully Customized
- Mobile-friendly
Marketing
SEO tools
Websites built with Squarespace come with SEO best practices baked in. You don’t have to add a plugin to optimize your website further. It automatically redirects URLs when changed, applies canonical tags, generates sitemaps, and excludes Squarespace specific content from search. You have control over title and meta tags to aid your efforts.
Features
- SEO Tools
- Social Media Integration
- Widgets + Apps
- Newsletter Tool
- Monetization
- Visitor statistics
Hosting
Features
- Multiple Sites
- Free Custom Domain
- Unlimited Space
- Unmetered Bandwidth
Multimedia
Features
- Free Stock Photos
- Video Plug-Ins
- Audio Plug-Ins
Good For
Squarespace is a great solution for those in eCommerce. They provide simple ways to sell not just products, but even services, digital content, and subscription services from your website. With a Basic or Advanced Commerce Plan, you don’t even need to pay for transaction fees.
Features
- Blogging
- Online Stores
- Automatic Website Building
Ease of Use
Squarespace is an intuitive tool which makes it ideal for beginners. After registering, it takes you through a quick tutorial that shows you the most important things needed to get your website up and running. The menu options are clearly labeled and the drag and drop editor has a tiny learning curve. Advanced features may take some getting used to but you should be able to get a simple website online within a few hours.
Customer Support
Squarespace offers many different forms of help and support. Oftentimes, you don’t need to reach out to the support staff because of all the available resources. When you do talk to them, the response times are quick and the reps are knowledgeable.
Additional customer support:
Blog
There are multiple blogs which include the Squarespace blog, the developer blog, and the creative blog.
24/7 Help & Support
24/7 support is available to all of its customers
Live Online Chat
Live chat is available 24/7
Email
It offers email support which usually responds within a few hours
Video Tutorials
There are multiple video tutorial videos available
FAQ
It has a comprehensive FAQ and knowledgebase
Final Word
Squarespace has been providing a solution for creatives and business owners for almost 20 years and it shows in the platform. The website building process is intuitive and will allow a complete beginner to get online. It has a wide range of features for eCommerce, email marketing, and blogging. Over 100 professional-looking templates will make sure you’re putting your best foot forward. Squarespace also gives you a lot of control of the appearance of your website through HTML and CSS. Keep in mind that Squarespace doesn’t offer refunds on its monthly plan unless you cancel within 14-days. Overall, Squarespace is a strong tool for brands & individuals that need a lot of design flexibility or those who want the heavy lifting done for them.
Author: Daniel Ndukwu
Daniel is a small business owner at large helping his peers navigate the challenges they experience on a day to day basis. His philosophy is simple, if it isn’t broken you can still make it better.