Choosing the right website platform for your business can be a daunting task. With so many options available, knowing which one is the best fit for your business needs can be challenging. This article will compare the two popular website platforms - Squarespace and WordPress - to help you decide which platform is right for your business.

With a new Squarespace SEO plugin on the market, we’ll also dispel some of the common misconceptions about Squarespace and why you should consider it for your personal project or business.

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a website builder that offers an all-in-one platform for building and hosting websites. With Squarespace, you don’t need any coding experience, and you can easily create a professional-looking website using their templates and drag-and-drop editor. Squarespace offers a variety of features, including e-commerce functionality, blogging, and SEO optimisation.

At ByCrawford, we’re an award-winning Squarespace website designer that is able to create some of the most stunning Squarespace websites. If you want to learn more about Squarespace, check out our full list of Squarespace web design resources.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. WordPress is highly customisable and flexible, making it an excellent option for businesses of all sizes. WordPress offers a vast library of plugins and themes, giving you complete control over the design and functionality of your website.

WordPress is a great platform if you know how to build a website - as we’ll discuss below, there is a lot you need to consider!

📩 Join the inner circle to get exclusive code updates

Squarespace vs. WordPress - Key Differences

While both Squarespace and WordPress offer website-building solutions, the two platforms have some key differences.

Ease of Use

Squarespace is known for its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop editor. Even if you have no experience with website building, you can quickly create a professional-looking website using Squarespace. On the other hand, WordPress has a steeper learning curve and requires more technical knowledge.

Customisation

WordPress offers more customisation options than Squarespace, making it an excellent choice for businesses with unique website design requirements. With WordPress, you can choose from thousands of free and paid themes and plugins to create a website that meets your specific needs. On the other hand, Squarespace has fewer customisation options, but its templates are designed to be visually appealing and professional-looking.

As you can see from our Squarespace website portfolio, you can customise Squarespace websites, but you often need to be an expert to get this right or utilise some of the design plugins out there.

E-commerce Functionality

Squarespace has built-in e-commerce functionality, making it an excellent choice for businesses that want to sell products online. WordPress also offers e-commerce functionality through plugins such as WooCommerce. However, building an e-commerce site on WordPress requires more technical knowledge and customisation.

Cost

Squarespace offers a range of pricing plans, starting at $12 per month. However, if you want to use e-commerce functionality, you will need to sign up for a more expensive plan. WordPress, on the other hand, is free to use. However, you will need to pay for hosting and a domain name. Additionally, if you want to use premium themes and plugins, you will need to pay for those as well.

SEO Optimisation

Both Squarespace and WordPress offer SEO optimisation tools to help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Squarespace has built-in SEO optimisation tools, making optimising your website for search engines easy. However it has very little support to ensure you’re following best practices. WordPress also has SEO plugins that you can use to optimise your website for search engines.

If you want to learn how to rank a Squarespace website and ensure you overcome the SEO limitations of the platform, check out these Squarespace SEO tips, which are an easy way to ensure you’re covered.

FAQs about Squarespace Vs WordPress

Is Squarespace or WordPress better for beginners?

Squarespace is generally considered the better option for beginners, as it offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface with a drag-and-drop editor. WordPress can be more difficult for beginners to use, as it requires some technical knowledge and may involve more setup.

Can I switch from Squarespace to WordPress?

Yes, it is possible to switch from Squarespace to WordPress. However, it may involve some manual work, such as transferring content and setting up the new site. There are also services available that can assist with the migration process.

Are Squarespace websites less customisable than WordPress websites?

Squarespace websites are customisable to a certain extent, but they may be limited compared to WordPress. WordPress offers a much wider range of customisation options, including the ability to add custom code and modify themes and plugins.

Is Squarespace or WordPress better for SEO?

Both Squarespace and WordPress offer good SEO capabilities, but WordPress may have the edge due to its flexibility and the ability to use SEO plugins such as Yoast. However, Squarespace’s built-in SEO features can also be effective. Resources like the Squarespace SEO Checklist are useful for keeping track of your SEO. 

Is Squarespace or WordPress more expensive?

Squarespace offers a range of pricing plans starting at $12 per month, while WordPress is free to use but requires a domain name and hosting. The cost of hosting and other services can vary widely depending on the site's specific needs, so it’s important to compare costs carefully.

Your designer

I'm Sam, an award-winning Squarespace web designer. I have worked with every type of business, building platforms for solo entrepreneurs through to multi-million dollar corporations. If you want to discuss a potential project, you can email on sam@bycrawford.com or get in touch with me here. Alternatively, you can book in a free 15-minute consultation call here.

Want more?