014 Why we chose Squarespace for our websites with Charlotte O'Hara
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RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED:
Squarespace (Use code PAIGE10 for 10% off)
Acuity (that’s an affiliate link!)
today’s guest
She’s baaack! Charlotte O’Hara (AKA my absolute biz bestie) first joined me on the show back in Episode 002 where we chatted what it’s like to make a living online, and answered all your burning questions about travel for aspiring digital nomads!
She’s been featured in a few places in my business as of late, but in case you missed it, Charlotte is a fellow Squarespace web designer and educator (read: guru), and today we want to share with you allll the reasons why, above all other platforms, we’ve chosen Squarespace for both of our businesses!
If you’ve been on the fence about where to set up shop for a while now, this episode will be very beneficial for you!
A few Highlights
How the great https:// fiasco affected Squarespace users vs. other platforms. (7:00)
Leadpages and other software you don’t need if you use Squarespace. (8:35)
Why using free website platforms is actually costing you more money. (12:10)
Even Squarespace gurus need support from time to time, so excuse us while we gush about Squarespace’s live chat feature! (14:00)
How using Squarespace templates keeps you from creating a Frankenstein website. (18:00)
I share the story of one unfortunate company, and how hackers used their website as a front for drugs. (Just saying, this wouldn’t happen with Squarespace.) (22:10)
Why we chose Squarespace for our websites
1. Squarespace can do it all (in one place).
Blogging? Check. E-commerce? Check. Appointment scheduling? Check. Email Marketing? You guessed it…check!
With other platforms (*ahem* WordPress), you’re going to need more than a little help from outside sources to get the same functionality that Squarespace has so brilliantly built it. Sure there are plugins, and widgets etc. you can download, but it can start to feel a bit like rocket science, figuring out how to make sure all those things play nicely together.
Avoid the headache. Let Squarespace do the engineering so you can get back to the actual income producing activities in your business!
2. Ease of use
Squarespace is uber user-friendly, giving you the confidence you need to try new things in your business, without having to have a website designer on speed dial!
Want to start a blog or online shop? No problem! (And no degree in computer sciences needed, either.) What would take hours to do on other platforms can be accomplished in just minutes, with a few easy clicks of a button.
This is especially helpful if you are a website designer, and the time comes to hand that fancy new website over to your client. They can easily be educated on how to self-maintain their website so that you aren’t stuck on retainer for months, getting all sorts of frantic calls and emails because Suzy so-and-so needs a photo changed out on their home page.
3. Affordability
Charlotte said it best: ”Squarespace gives you bang for your buck!”
Seriously, their business plan only costs $18/month – less if you use my discount code PAIGE10! (You can peep those pricing plans here.) It’s a set cost, so there are no surprise bills when it comes to building and maintaining your website.
But WordPress is free!
It seems free, but if you want the same quality website as what Squarespace has to offer, you are going to have to pay for a theme. (There are free ones, but you’re sorta getting what you pay for with those.) And the moment your independent theme doesn’t update, and you need to reach out to a web designer/develop for help, you can quickly find yourself up to your eyeballs in expensive hourly fees.
Not so free after all.
Oh, and btw…Squarespace support and live chat is included in your monthly Squarespace subscription, and these guys (and gals) know their stuff! No more having to comb through 5 year old forum posts to find your answer, only to find that the information is outdated.
4. Templates, Templates, Templates.
We get it! You’ve been pinning website inspiration for months now, and you’ll be darned if you’re not going to make use of every single design idea you saw and loved. But pulling from so many sources of inspiration can sometimes cause you to build what we lovingly refer to as a “Frankenstein Website.”
When it comes to web design, Charlotte and I both agree that less is more! You want to keep your website simple and distraction free, so that visitors can easily see where to go to get what they need. Squarespace was designed with simplicity in mind, and these templates are just the ticket for keeping your design on track.
Ps. You’ve heard us say it before, but we are total lovers of any template from the brine family. (For more on that, check out this post!)
5. Security
“On other platforms you risk being hacked. You’re probably thinking ‘why would anyone come and hack my florist office’s website?’ But the thing is…people are freaks out there! They're like, total nut jobs! They want to do it just because they can do it!” - Charlotte (in what is possibly the funniest quote to date on the podcast.)
Whether you are a tiny mom and pop florist shop, or an internationally recognized brand – with Squarespace, you do not face the risk of being hacked.
Are there multiple people working behind the scenes within your business’s website? Scared the new intern might accidentally delete your entire blog? No worries, Squarespace has what you need to protect yourself against major mishaps that can sometimes happen when there a few too many cooks in the proverbial kitchen.
Speaking of security, a word of caution to my WordPress users: You never know what could be hiding in that awesome new Instagram plugin you just downloaded!
6. Sell and accept payment online
Whether you are a service provider, or you sell physical or digital products or subscriptions online, Squarespace has everything you need to set up shop and start accepting payments right away!
Yup. Those fancy schmancy integrations you thought you needed? Squarespace has them built right in! No more hours wasted researching which software would be best for your specific business.
Oh, and if you’re a service provider, chances are you often need to schedule appointments (discovery calls, consult calls, etc.) Playing email tag with your clients to try to get a date nailed down is going to get old real quick. Let Squarespace do the work! Just pop in an acuity block, and you’re good to go.
Pssst! Convinced yet? You can sign up for a free trial of Squarespace here and I also got ya a little off the price, use code PAIGE10 for 10% off your first year. (Yes, that's an affiliate link!)
Bonus reason: Why we choose Squarespace as designers
7. Reduced Project TURN-Around times
Your client is not paying you per hour! They are paying you for a finished product, whether it takes you 2 weeks or 2 months to finish! So why not choose a Platform that allows you to offer the exact same value to your client in a shorter amount of time!
Faster project turn-around means you will have more time on your hands. How you fill that time is up to you! Have some major income goals in mind for this year? Use that time to book extra design projects! Want to hit the road for a month and see where life takes you? You can do that too.
Charlotte and I both agree that work-life balance is something we are not willing to sacrifice. Thankfully, with Squarespace, we don’t have to. Just a little something for my aspiring website designers to chew on when deciding which platform is right for you.
Still not sure Squarespace is for you? Tune into the full episode on iTunes and Spotify to hear the rest of the reasons my biz bestie and I are team Squarespace forever!
hang out with today’s guest:
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