Your website is one of the most important parts of your online presence and a strategic website can make a big impact on your business. Whether you are selling products, services, or are providing resources, a clear and easy-to-navigate website is crucial.
As brand and web designers, we are working on websites, daily. Creating strategic and on-brand sites for our clients on multiple platforms, one of them being Squarespace. Squarespace has so much flexibility and is amazing for a variety of industries.
So, if you’re looking for some inspiration for your website, or if you’re deciding if Squarespace is right for you, check out these examples of Squarespace websites and the pros and cons of the platform.
Pros of a Squarespace Website
Pre-Built Blocks
One of the biggest benefits of Squarespace is the large library of pre-built blocks that come included with your subscription. This makes it relatively easy for you as you build your site and gives you a great starting point as you are designing it
The pre-built blocks range from galleries to testimonials, grid text, scrolling marquees, calendars, schedulers, contact forms, and more. These are easily added as sections on your page that you are then able to customize to match your brand needs.
Once you have added these blocks to your page, the next step is to customize them. Each element or block will have an editor that lays out exactly what you can edit and the different customization options that you have for that section.
All-In-One Platform (Website, Blog, & Shop)
Squarespace is also an all-in-one website platform which is perfect for businesses that plan to expand into different areas in the future or ones that currently offer different products, services, and resources.
Starting off, you have the main website that you can build on Squarespace. You can easily add on pages, duplicate pages, and add new content to your site with just a few clicks.
Squarespace also has a blog option that is included in your subscription making it easy to add a blog as a resource to your website. When it comes to the blog design, there are a few different layout options that you can choose from for your main blog feed.
For the single post pages, there are a few limitations (i.e. you cannot add additional pre-built sections to the page itself), however, you can add individual elements to the post.
Finally, you can also have a store on your Squarespace site. This can be for physical products, digital products, or subscriptions. Similar to the rest of the site, there are pre-built sections that you can choose from for the set up of your store, making it quick to get your shop up and running!
Drag and Drop Editor
Squarespace is also a drag-and-drop editor (to an extent but more on that later). Once you add a block to the page, you are able to move it around and resize it to fit your design by dragging it around the page.
You can also very quickly duplicate any of the blocks on the page which makes setting up sections with repeating designs a breeze.
A relatively new feature is also the option to create saved sections. This allows you to favorite a section and add it to another page with just a single click. Once you add it to the page, you are able to customize it however you would like without affecting the original section as well! This is really helpful for email sign-ups etc.
Tutorial Videos & Resources
Finally, there are an endless amount of tutorial videos and resources for building your Squarespace site. Whether this is through Squarespace’s help docs directly or other creatives online, almost every question you have is covered.
This comes in handy when you are building your own site or adding new pages to your current site. These tutorials make learning Squarespace very low lift and allows you to maintain your site for years to come.
Cons of a Squarespace Website
Smaller Color Palette
Unlike other website platforms, Squarespace only lets you add 5 colors to your pre-set color palette. Most of the time, your color palette will include anywhere from 6-8 colors so this means not all of your colors will be able to be added.
Now, this does not mean you can’t use other colors. It is really quick to change colors in Squarespace and all you will need is the HEX codes for the colors you want to add, however, not being able to pre-set your entire color palette does create an extra step and more time.
Can Require Code
While you can build a site without code on Squarespace, most of the time, a fully custom site will require some sort of code. Certain aspects, like overlapping sections or changing the font size of a certain type of text in a single spot (ie changing the size of an H2 heading in one section) will require code.
Now, while this does require an extra step, like we mentioned earlier, there are so many resources out there for how to add this code. For almost anything you could need code for, you are almost guaranteed to find the exact code to copy and paste into Squarespace or an option to buy the code online.
You may also run into the need for code if you are using any custom fonts. Squarespace does have a large database of fonts that are already preloaded that you can use. However, there are definitely times where you may have a custom font that you want to use. In this case, you will need to code in the font to actually use it on the site.
PS If code scares you, we got you. We can create your custom Squarespace site so you don’t need to even weigh the pros and cons.
Squarespace Grid
Finally, while Squarespace is drag and drop, you are confined a bit to their grid. This isn’t an absolute deal breaker for Squarespace, however, it does mean that sometimes things may not line up exactly how you would want them to or you will need to code something to get it in just the right spot.
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There are very small tweaks you can make to the grid, but, for the most part, you are confined to designing and sizing everything based on the grid. I also find that everything in the main blocks they provide is rather large, which can be confining.
Examples of Squarespace Websites
Below are some of our client’s Squarespace websites we have created for them. Of course, their brand design came first, which is what brings these sites to life!
Desi Tax Service
Desi, owner of Desi Tax Service is a bookkeeping and tax professional that specializes in both individual and business taxes. For her site, we wanted to make something that was very clean and clear (because taxes can be confusing enough so the website shouldn’t be) while also being friendly and welcoming (her color palette really carries this through).
For her design, we focused on making smaller bit-size information sections to allow the design to flow more naturally and not feel so heavy (like some Squarespace sites can feel). We also made sure to include all of the different services she offers as well as plenty of options to schedule a call both on the home page and throughout the site, making it easy for people to reach out!
Finally, we added authority boosters throughout the site with plenty of client testimonials and added some visual interest throughout with larger images to break up sections and scroll marquee text. Let’s not forget my favorite part, the timeline feature for next steps and the tax coaching program. Pop over to her live site to see it in action.
The Dog Intuitive
The Dog Intuitive is a Pet Medium and Dog Training service based in Canada. We wanted to create a very warm and welcoming environment with the website that felt rooted in nature and only a touch witchy (without being off putting for anyone who isn’t fully into crystals like us).
To make the site more dynamic, we used video backgrounds to add movement to some of the pages. We also made it very easy to navigate through the site and not only see the two different sides of the business (pet medium and dog training) but the individual services within them.
We were able to embed Typeform questionnaires right into Squarespace to make it easy for people to fill out forms to book services as well as a regular contact form. All of these options make it very easy for people to reach out without feeling like they have to dig through the site!
This is what Amanda had to say about why she choose to work with us for her Squarespace website design:
“Now, I put all of my brain power into my and what I wanted didn’t happen. I didn’t have the skillset. Yes, I know – I could learn how to do it, I am woman, but I will burn my nude bra later. I needed a pro. My social media manager, suggested Bethany with Bethany Works Design Studio and meeting her? it.was.MAGIC. …She delivered…Spoiler it IS perfect.”
Amanda Fossum
CEO of The Dog Intuitive
Green Content Co
Green Content Co is a content strategy and consulting company that focuses on health-centered media. For this site, we aimed to make the information extremely clear and concise to make it easy to understand exactly what services they offered and the companies they worked with.
Each service has its own individual call-out and block to make it quick and easy to skim to the service you are looking for.
As content creators, authority is also very important. Since they are writing and creating strategies for other businesses, we wanted to highlight their experience in this space. We did this by creating a “featured in” section with some of the top publications their writers have had articles in.
Not only does this show off their experience, but it also boosts trust in their writing and their strategy with future clients!
Alternative Platforms to Squarespace
Although Squarespace is a great option when it comes to website platforms, it is definitely not the only option. We also design on other platforms including WordPress, Showit, and Shopify.
Each platform is going to have their pros and cons and can work better for one business over another. The most important thing to consider when you are picking your platform is finding one that you are going to be able to maintain over the years.
Setting up a website can be a big task to undertake and you don’t want to feel like you have to swap platforms every couple of years so be sure to take your time and pick the platform that best suits your needs for your business now and where you expect to take it in the future!
Final Thoughts on Squarespace Websites
Hopefully these examples of Squarespace websites and pros and cons help you as you decide if this is the best platform for you and as you start designing your site.
If you are looking for someone to help you as you create a new online presence for your business, we’d love to chat. You can click here to learn more about all of our design services or you can head over here to get in touch and talk about any questions you have about your site or what platform is best for you!
