In years gone by  WordPress knocked other platforms out of the court in respect of SEO. In the years I’ve worked with Squarespace they’ve made significant improvements with access to SEO fields and seriously upped their game. I’ve content ranking at the top of Google in competitive searches on my Squarespace site. 

Inherently, WordPress sites rank higher on organic searches (pop up near the top when someone searches Google but not as an ad) than those built on other platforms, but I’ve listened to experts explaining, very credibly, that this is in large part because these websites are being built by experienced web developers who understand and know how to optimise SEO. If the content of your website is good and the SEO fields are used correctly, then there’s less significant advantage, certainly for smaller businesses. If people aren’t getting found on Google then it’s probably down to what they are doing rather than the platform.

WINNER – WordPress, but honestly I’m confident (and living proof) that Squarespace will meet the needs of the majority of small service-based businesses more than competently.

Hands down Squarespace is the winner if you want one central point of support from the team employed by the company. They write the software, keep everyone on the same version of the software you’re using so all updates are automatic and centralised. They host, they back up, effectively they do everything apart from build it and even then they have quick easy formatted blocks to drop in.  If you need help, their online chat and instruction manual is exceptionally good.

WordPress is a far more complex beast. Being open-source software, there isn’t a “company” you can go to for help. It’s a case of diving into Google or hiring an expert. I work with a great hosting company who look after backups but all the plugins and software itself either need manually updating or can run on auto-update but run the risk of being incompatible as there is no centralised source of software.

The biggest factor to consider is what control you want to take of the website once it is completed.

WINNER – Squarespace, without a shadow of a doubt.

In theory, WordPress offers ultimate flexibility but in truth, there’s nothing in 8 years I haven’t been able to achieve or find a way around in Squarespace.  Sometimes too much flexibility can be a bad thing. It leads to websites that look like Christmas trees decorated by toddlers who haven’t a clue on the style front. As you’d be hiring me to do this for you it shouldn’t be a primary concern but if you want to take over afterward then needs to be a consideration. Squarespace has introduced a large number of improvements of late so for me it’s closing the gap a little.

This is something I’ll talk through with you during our discovery call and help you work out what will be best for you.

WINNER – WordPress but it comes with mixed blessings.

Absolutely no hesitation here.

WINNER – Squarespace, no debate. Simple, beautifully designer user interface. It offers a much shorter learning curve than WordPress by far. If you want to take full control this could likely be your winner. Past clients find blogging on it far easier than WordPress too.

Squarespace has inbuilt E-Commerce which has served me well over the years. If you opt for WordPress you will need to subscribe to WooCommerce, Shopify or some other similar option to look after this element. I don’t build big E-Commerce websites but do build sites that handle a small range or items or payment options. I’ll be honest, big E-Commerce sites aren’t my thing.

WINNER – Hmm depends on what you’re after. If you are a big volume online retailer then I’d say WordPress with whichever specialist online shop plugin you prefer.  If you are after selling a few items relatively inexpensively then Squarespace is definitely a possibility.

You’ll often hear that to future proof your business you need to be on WordPress. It’s a sweeping statement which doesn’t really mean much to most small businesses. I’ve had a Squarespace site running now for 8 years or more, it’s still fully current, I can add what I need to it without a problem. When we talk we’ll explore a little about your long-term plans so that I can advise accordingly.

WINNER – On the basis of a single version of the software and the way the sites are constructed it would have to be Squarespace for me. It’s way easier to keep up to date or reinvent a Squarespace site. If your business is likely to take a significant strategic change of direction then it could be WordPress possibly.