I built my first client website in the ‘90s! … In code!

In black and white … only kidding (just)!

Yes it was clunky (they all were), but it means I’ve tested and tried out so many iterations since then and I’m now really happy to specialise in one platform - Squarespace, because of its clean, modern design and simple user-interface, meaning it's really easy for my clients to make changes and manage their website themselves.

What is Squarespace?

It’s a web hosting platform and CMS (Content Management System) website in one.

Squarespace can be as small or large as you like; in Squarespace you can build:

• a simple one page website

• a blog

• a small website with simple navigation

• a larger website with multiple levels of navigation

• an online shop

• a portfolio or gallery

  … or a mix of the items above!

There are also optional add-on features such as:

• email newsletters

• appointment booking

• member areas hidden behind a paywall

Let’s look at the benefits:

Quicker to build a website

In Squarespace, instead of starting from a blank page there are templates to work from, meaning the site is much quicker to design and build. Some people think that templated websites all look the same, and they probably will if you don’t get a designer involved! I’ve designed enough sites to become a member of the Squarespace Circle of professional designers, so I get access to the latest features and enhancements that Squarespace launch. It also means I can confidently tailor a template to look unique, on brand, and appealing to your ideal clients. It also means you spend less money on your website, but still get an amazing site!

Yes, but I’m a technophobe (or not)!

When you log in to your website you’ll see your website’s editing area or ‘back-end’. Having built CMS sites for over 10 years I can tell you that some of them are really techie! However Squarespace's platform is extremely intuitive and simple to use; yes, for techies and for total technophobes! This means it's super easy to make edits and add pages or blogs yourself without having to pay me to make small changes. You can even make simple changes on the fly with the Squarespace app on your phone!

“Jade is currently hand-holding me through the process of creating my own website via Squarespace and working on my logo. I’ve never used Squarespace before, beside getting lost in it before talking to Jade, and now she’s using her account to support mine. She gave me basic but fundamental instructions via video call and with her clear advice I’ve been able to draft a full 1st draft website within a couple of days.

I was wasting a LOT of time trying to figure out buttons but after a quick-fire call with Jade she showed me how to make it work. She showed me how to resize images and insert this and that. Using Squarespace is now easy, even for me, and when I next get lost or overwhelmed I know that Jade is there to help. She doesn’t use IT language and is clear with her guidance. I couldn’t recommend her Squarespace support offering any higher.” EM

Simple pricing tables

Squarespace's pricing is transparent and simple; you can pay monthly or yearly (from ~£10 per month up to £30 per month for large online stores) The add-on features are all simply priced too.

The site can grow with you

Need to start with a simple site? No problem. Need to add a blog a couple of months later? No problem. Need to add an online shop? No problem! Don’t want the shop any more? No problem… You can change hosting package tiers as-and-when it suits you and add or remove the higher tier features to fit with your needs.

No boring maintenance

Squarespace is fully managed, meaning all the invisible stuff like software updates, security patches, plugin updates etc are done behind the scenes by Squarespace, so your site is constantly up-to-date and protected, all within the hosting fee. You don’t need to spend time updating your site, or paying me to do it.

Also, should you accidentally delete a page or a blog post, you have 30 days before it is actually removed from the site, so you can retrieve it in that time. (Note: if you delete just part of a page/blog and then click Save, you will have to drop that content back in again).

Secure

All Squarespace sites have a free SSL certificate (the S in HTTPS:// at the beginning of the web address means the site is secure). Certain browsers now warn people before visiting a non secure site, and Google ranks secure sites higher in its search results.

No glitches when adding features

Unlike CMS systems such as Joomla, Wordpress and Drupal, all the additional extensions and add-on features are vetted and approved, so they tie in seamlessly with your Squarespace website.

Adapts to look great across devices

Squarespace templates are beautifully designed to adapt seamlessly across your desktop, laptop and mobile devices. Content will look great and work intuitively on every device.

SEO Built into the site

SEO (Search engine optimisation) - or how Google ranks and lists your website - depends on many factors, but with Squarespace most of it is built-in. Visit The SEO features of Squarespace to get the lowdown.

Analytics

There’s a really nice analytics viewing system in Squarespace - nothing too complicated or deep, but a really good overview of how people find and use the site.

Knowledgebase and award winning support

I’ve never known a supplier to have such a comprehensive knowledge base of step-by-step how-to guides and video tutorials for if you get stuck, but their 24/7 free live chat and email support are really second-to-none!

Do you wish your website was as intuitive? Let me know if you would like a gorgeous and easy to use website designing.