Why I build on Squarespace

When I started building websites in 1999, I used pure HTML.

Obviously, a lot has changed since then.

In 2014, I used Squarespace for the first time, and it changed my perspective on building a site from scratch.

Over the past decade, website builder platforms like Squarespace have gained recognition and prevalence. When many think of drag-and-drop builders, they sometimes think of it as a rush job, or see it as a quick and easy site builder.

And while some people may take this approach, it's not how I build a site, even on Squarespace.

During the pandemic, a client of mine used her existing Squarespace website to launch an ecommerce store in just days, no plugins or additional coding required. She later explained that the ecommerce feature allowed her business to flourish despite the shutdown.

That's the kind of power the platform has, and why I build on it.

Here are a few reasons why Squarespace is beneficial for small businesses:

• No plugins to manage. Unlike platforms that rely on third-party plugins, Squarespace doesn't leave a small business's site exposed to the security risks and constant updates that come with them.

• It's all-in-one. Hosting, security, and backups are handled automatically, so a small business owner isn't also becoming a part-time IT manager.

• It scales with the business. Scheduling, email campaigns, an online store: these can be added as a business grows, without switching platforms.

• It's reliable. Squarespace's uptime is consistently reported above 99.9%, which means a customer looking up hours or a menu at 11pm isn't met with an error page.

• It has a built-in CMS. Adding a blog post, a new product, or an event doesn't require a developer or a separate plugin. It's part of the platform.

• It's more flexible than it looks. With custom CSS, I'm not limited to Squarespace's default styling options. I can adjust layouts, styling, and details to fit a client's brand, which is part of what makes Squarespace such a powerful platform to build on.

A website isn't something a small business builds once and forgets. It needs to change as the business does. Squarespace makes that kind of ongoing care realistic, both for the business owner and for me.

That's why Squarespace is the platform I build on, and why site management, not just the initial build, is such a core part of what I offer clients.