- Review: Squarespace.com
- Rating: ★★★★★
- Published: 11 May 2019
table of contents
Disclosure
This is a professional review blog which gets compensated for the products reviewed by the companies who produce them. All of the products are tested thoroughly and high grades are received only by the best ones. I am an independent blogger and the reviews are done based on my own opinions.
introduction
Squarespace review. Squarespace is a web designing and a hosting company popular across the globe with its headquarters based in the New York City. It’s a company that offers the best Web Design and Hosting software. Squarespace was founded by a single individual in the year 2004 but it began its immense activities in 2007. From 2007 to now the company has been immensely growing in terms of its services, clients, and personnel.
Squarespace began as a sole idea by Casalena while he was still a student in the university, later he sold the idea to family members who were excited about it and gave him support. However in as much as they gave him financial support he was left to execute the management role of the company. As time passed by the company picked up and it was making a good return and therefore Casalena needed some helping hands. To begin with, Casalena employed less than fifty personnel and with time the number rose. Currently, the company has more than five hundred personnel. Squarespace web hosting has raised its terms and conditions over the year to protect its reputation and that one of its client.
Currently, the company hosts more than a million websites across the world. The Squarespace web hosting has inbuilt templates and drag and drops features where the users can easily edit their information and upload some pictures. When the Squarespace was launched it began as a blog hosting but with time many features were added to it to make it what it is today. Currently a part from hosting, Squarespace does e-commerce as well as selling website domains.
Scroll to top ⇑
how user-friendly is squarespace
To design a website is easy now-days compared to the past when people had to look for very qualified personnel to do it for them and at a very high charge. The Internet has made everything possible. With Internet qualified web developers have been able to share their work online making it possible for people to follow and design their own at less cost. Squarespace is user-friendly in many aspects, it has clear guidelines which the user can easily follow to reach their goals.
Before you design your website using the Squarespace method you need to look at:
- Why is it that you need a website
- Which purposes is it going to serve
- How would you want it to be
- Who is your target population
- How long do you want your website take, long term or short term
- Is your website going to stand out
- What are you going to do to make your website stand out
- What payment plan best suits you.
After asking yourself such questions, ensure every answer you give yourself reflects on your website.
To design a website using Squarespace one requires:
sign up
By visiting the Squarespace home page. On this site, you’ll be presented with a get started button once you click it you’ll be redirected into a pool of option to choose what kind of activity you want your website to carry out example, business, non-governmental organization, online shop, blog account, and many others. Select one option that best suits you and then click next. When you click next you’ll be presented with an online preview of how your site can look like.
Presented with a free Trial
Once you’re presented with a view on how your site is likely to look like, next you are offered a free trial to open your account for free this offer last for two weeks only. But it’s a good option because it gives somebody a chance to test waters. To create a free account on Squarespace you’ll need to: Register your name, Email address, mobile contact, location and the password desired.
Upon registration, an activation mail will be sent to your email asking you to confirm your email. Upon confirmation, you’ll be redirected to login into your newly created website. There are several videos and templates meant for the beginners with an illustration on what is required to be done. At the same time, your site is presented to you in the best way possible.
Theme section
The theme can stand for the background colors the viewed colors the type of and content of the information, types of the templates and the designs.
With Squarespace, the websites usually have an inbuilt template which you just need to edit and insert your own information. Once you insert your own information you can as well choose your preferred theme color.
Acquiring a Web Domain
For your website to be operational and live a web domain name will be required, a web Domain name is a name of you choose for your company and out of that name an URL is derived. Once you acquire a free domain you can publish your website. A free domain is good but is limited. There are some features which are not available with free domain hence calling for an upgraded domain.
Squarespace has several domain plans such as:
- Free trial Domain: This is the first plan a person is given upon creating their websites, however, it has very limited privileges unlike other domain plans we are about to discuss.
- Basic Domain: It’s a domain plan called basic because it incurs the lowest monthly subscription with basic offers, security, and storage.
- Unlimited Domain: Unlimited domain is the most preferred by many people because of its efficiency.it has unlimited storage, space, support, templates, and pages.
- E-commerce Domain: It’s the type of domain specifically prepared for business. It’s for E-commerce websites dealers.it has unlimited storage, pages, access, and templates.
Once you settle on your domain subscription plan then incorporate all the working tools and add the preferred features.
Scroll to top ⇑
DESIGN & ADDITIONAL FEATURES
How to Customize and Add Features to your Squarespace website
It’s easy to add some new features on your website or even customize the existing ones using custom code. When an individual, for example, wants to add basic HTML, CSS or JavaScript to their website they can easily do so using the premium features which are available for unlimited Plans or E-commerce plans.
- To add HTML one needs to use Code Block
- To enhance CSS one will need CSS editor
- To insert JavaScript one will need a Code Injection
Its worth to note that, for the users with the advanced knowledge of development can easily customize so many features on the Squarespace. They can create their own templates or modify the existing ones the way they desire.
Editing words and enhancing a website picture
Squarespace presents a toolbox that resembles the one on the computer with the editing and inserting features. The normal procedure that is followed to edit text on the word applies to Squarespace. Once your website is set to operate you can add some features which can generate income for you such as Ads, pop-ups, link other accounts such as Instagram, twitter, linked in and many others.
Examples of Websites Built Using Squarespace
Common websites
This type of Squarespace website is commonly used due to its simplicity. Many people are operating at this level. This type of websites is easy to maintain, update, customize and to add some new features. Common websites can be used for any event.
Tutoring Websites
This is a type of Squarespace website commonly used to for general information meant to be channeled to a group of people or individuals. This website is easy to create and maintain, most of these websites integrate a live connecting forums such as zoom and skype to easily facilitate live tutoring and exchange of academic information. Tutoring websites serve several tasks such as advertising purposes and teaching.
Picnic Websites
They are websites created specifically to illustrate various picnic sites, and how to access those sites. These websites are mostly used by tourism and travel agencies, hotels, picnic areas, and beach agencies. This web sites use eye-catching fonts and pictures to market their agencies. Every advertised site is usually accompanied by a comprehensive illustration and the payable fees.
Wedding websites
They are usually meant to advertise weddings and stuffs required for the wedding
Examples include wedding venues, photography and videography, catering units, bridal team accessories, gowns, and general wedding outfits. Various templates are used to illustrate the same. Enhance features are also used to brighten the sites making it catchy and desirable to the eyes.
Photography website
Photography sites are used as a form of E-commerce advertising somebody’s work of photography and to some people, they create photography sites out of their love for photos. Photography sites may include video work meant to advertise somebody’s expertise in videography. Photography sites may showcase different categories of work example a person may specialize in wedding photos, nature photos, animal photos, agriculture, school photos, scenery, funny photos among others.
E-commerce Website
They are mostly created to advertise business plans and ideas. Many people with physical businesses, complete their transactions online. Many people have gone online with shift and changes in the world economy. Many business deals are closed online and the delivery of the tangible products made later. Examples of E-commerce includes motor business, real estates, land selling among others.
Personal websites
Personal websites can be created to serve the interest of an individual. They are usually simple, precise and easy to use.
Professional websites
Many professionals have taken their careers online. Example lawyers, counselors can establish clients online. Online therapies are widely used and many people are going for it because it’s effective, it saves time, money and it upholds privacy while probing.
Fitness Website
They simple websites meant to promote fitness through exercises. This site contains many tutorials with an elaborative tone which are easy to watch and follow the instructions. This sites usually have added features such as zoom or Skype to enhance live exercises.
Religious organizations websites
Religious sites are created and updated regularly, they are meant to update their members of certain events meant to take place when and where. They are also used to advertise religious groups to the people as one way of reaching out to people. These websites are usually simple, with no congested information. These organizations include Christianity, Muslim, Pagans, Hindus among others.
Non-Governmental Websites
These websites are mostly used by charity organizations, they are meant to showcase their work as well as seeking financial support from donors and well-wishers. These websites are usually precise and easy to understand. Examples of such sites include children’s homes, home for the aged, feeding programs, prison ministries, Red Cross organizations among others.
Blog website
Blog websites are purposely created to blog or in other words to showcase one’s talents and passion through writing articles and posting them online. This type of website is easy to create and maintain.
Scroll to top ⇑
Pros & Cons
THE PROS
Easy to create a website with Squarespace
For a person to have a working website they just need to open the Squarespace site and click website creation. No expertise is required in this. The website has already simplified the websites creation steps for you.
Instant operation
Once you prompt the Squarespace for web creation. The steps are redirected and when you are done the site starts to operate instantly. Editing and adding more information will be a task that can be done with time.
High-quality features
Squarespace has quality features which are very appealing to the viewers, once the website is set on the operation it’s very appealing with its beautiful and well-arranged inbuilt templates. The Squarespace gives its members a chance to upload pictures of their own preference as well as adding their own information on the templates provided.
Theme colors are part of what Squarespace offers, individuals have the free will to choose colors of their choice to suit their preferences and brand.
Qualified personnel
The Squarespace space personnel are 24/7 active to ensure that all the questions the customers are raising are answered promptly. They use live communications, emails, twitters and other social media communications platforms. Unlike other web hosting sites, square space has a plus when it comes to communicating. Little experience is required to have all these beautiful features unlike in other web hosting sites where for you to have an eye-catching website a lot of efforts is required. The most amazing thing with Squarespace is its ability to always add more new templates for more functions every time.
Squarespace web hosting site is flexible
This site can be viewed and used by both computers and phones. Viewing a site with a mobile phone is much easier compared to using computers. Phones are flexible to carry and to operate on at any given time. Squarespace is one of the sites which supports phone viewing and therefore it has increased its site visitors since accessing it has become much easier. More sales happen on Squarespace as a result of this feature.
Facilitates easy Enhancement
With Squarespace, it’s easy to update one’s site without asking for help or complaining or giving up. It’s possible to keep your site updated with little efforts. The square space builders have made it possible for the clients to easily access the editing features without many hustles.
They offer a full package
Squarespace offers a full package of support to its customers. If you need a working website they give a package of web domain, hosting, security and day to day update of the site. When it comes to making monthly subscription it becomes easy since a person is liable to one developer alone which saves hustles, worry, and wastage of time. This is a great distinct feature of a square spacing compared to another web hosting.
THE CONS
Lack of an efficient immediate form of communication
Like many web hosting sites, Squarespace also lacks an immediate efficient and prompt form of communication. Phone calls remain the ideal form of communication, it creates a sense of togetherness and a feeling of being supported. Since mobile calls is a feature that lacks in Squarespace, it makes it be rated as not being really prompt in communication. Acknowledge its efforts to offer 24/7 online support via live communications, emails and so on, still it greatly fails when it comes to urgency.
Not affordable to all
Not every person will find Squarespace as affordable as we could though. Perhaps compared to other sites, Squarespace will be rated as slightly expensive. People with a genuine and urgent need of a website and do not meet the cash requirements will go for other developers instead.
Lack of Advertising Tool
In as much as the Squarespace have stunning features, they still lack the basic the advertising tool and therefore a real hustle is required by the website owner to ensure that their sites are known.
Challenge to add or remove the unwanted feature
Squarespace already has inbuilt features making it difficult to edit or add some new features.
Scroll to top ⇑
pricing & plans
There are several plans that exist on Squarespace, each type of plan is unique and best suits someone or a certain type of website.
Individual Plan
This is the most affordable plan an individual can acquire. It’s easy to create and customize. It has monthly benefits such as access to more than 20 templates, images or pictures. This site suits business owners, new website owners among others.
The cost incurred for individual sites includes:
- Monthly billing amounts to $12.
- Annual billing amounts to $144.
- Web domain costs $20 annually.
- A customized email which suits one’s domain cost $50 annually.
E-Commerce plan
It’s a plan used for all the clients who seek to have online operating business websites. This plan has unlimited access. The storage is unlimited, the templates and the pages are unlimited, free personalized email address from google and considerable offers.
- Monthly billing includes $18.
- Annual hosting billing Includes $216.
Basic Online Store
It’s the best plan for those with heavy online deals. It comes with a good package of offers such as labels, receipts, inventories, tax calculators, discounts and calculators.
- Monthly billing $26.
- Annual billing $312.
Advanced Online Store
- Monthly plan $40.
- Annual plan $480.
This is the best and powerful plan with a package of offers and discounts. It has calculators, labels, inventories, gift cards, reminders among others.
Squarespace pricing and plans are the best compared to other developers. They present the most affordable, quality and unique plans.
Scroll to top ⇑
support & features
The Squarespace is unique and has many unique support features to ensure efficiency in operation.
Some of these features Include:
- Announcement Bar: It’s located at the bottom of the page and at a single click one is able to make an announcement.
- Acuity Block: Located at the foot of the website.
- Amazon Block: located at the foot of the web page or at the far top.
- Developer Platform: It’s a feature mostly used when integrating new features in the website.
- Donation Block: it’s a feature mostly found on the charity organization websites where an individual can make pledges.
- Facebook Pixel: It’s mostly a connector or link to Facebook and most of the time the site could have several linkages to other social media platforms.
- MailChimp Integration
- Menu Block: Located at the top the far right end, it has several features such as website profile among others.
- Mobile Information Bar: Mobile menu bar is mostly located at the top part of the page.
- Open Table Block: Mostly located at the bottom of the website.
- Promotion Pop-Ups.
- Zapier Integration.
Scroll to top ⇑
Conclusion
Website development remains to be the best experience a person can have since a person gains a sense of ownership. Many website builders exist but only a few are relevant. Squarespace is the best-rated website builder across the globe. It’s effective, workable, affordable, appealing and available.
To start your own website today visit Squarespace and get started. There is a 14 day free trial for all. Keep going, keep discovering and keep exploring. Online business works.