Every Squarespace template is responsive.
Something to be familiar with: features vary between Squarespace templates. As an example, some templates do not support fast View or Image Zoom features for e-commerce as well as other templates do not enable you to customize the mobile style. This could surprise and frustrate about it ahead of time if you don’t know.
Squarespace has the most readily useful e-commerce of any site builder— however it is not a pure ecommerce website builder— it is additionally for non-ecommerce web sites.
There’s really a class that is entire of builders such as for example Shopify being created solely for e commerce. This is why Squarespace is not because fully-featured as pure e commerce web site builders like Shopify— though it is definitely no slouch. In July 2018, We surveyed 944 e-commerce owners and discovered that Squarespace was at the utmost effective 3 e commerce internet site builders for client satisfaction.
One explanation to utilize Squarespace for e-commerce is their templates— they showcase items beautifully. Every thing simply seamlessly works together:
Squarespace templates showcase items beautifully.
E-commerce elements are customizable in the design editor. Squarespace also free website builder lets you do basic design customization for the checkout form— one thing many times ignored or made hard by other e-commerce web site builders.
Styling the checkout kind.
Squarespace covers a long listing of e-commerce features— no other site builder matches it. We will not protect every feature, but listed here are just some of my shows:
- Customizable Email Receipts — This is a way that is feature many site builders ignore. Squarespace enables you to personalize the email receipts delivered to clients adhering to a purchase. E-mail receipts are really a great chance to thank or upsell clients.
- Donations — Squarespace has got the most useful donation system of any internet site builder. It is maybe not even shut. Numerous internet site builders simply offer a simple button widget that is paypal. Squarespace goes way beyond that. They’ve really done the efforts of understanding the basics of the great contribution system:
- Customizable Email Receipts — Donors should not get the exact exact same e-mail as a e-commerce customer.
- Suggested Contributions — Asking for specified quantities is important for fundraising.
- On-Site Checkout — Donation checkout is hosted in your domain— crucial for developing trust.
- Excellent Product Variations — You can make numerous item variants with unique rates.
- Digital Products and Services — You don’t need to make use of Squarespace just for real services and products. You’ll be able to offer products that are digital allow clients spend you for solutions.
- Apple Pay Integration — Squarespace enables you to make use of Stripe as re payment provider— which permits clients to spend you with Apple Pay. Apple Pay has been proven to increase successful checkouts on mobile (it lets client authorize re payments with just Touch ID).
Squarespace e-commerce plans have a tendency to be described as a little more costly then competitors such as for instance Wix. But Squarespace also offers the most useful e-commerce— so it is a trade-off you will need to choose for your self.
Integrations
Previously in this review, we proposed that Squarespace develops software that is opinionated. They don’t really try to provide you with limitless choices— they aim alternatively to provide you with the best option. That is extremely evidenced in their integrations: Squarespace is about the standard of integrations, not the amount.
Squarespace nevertheless features a amount that is wide of but both Weebly and Wix (it is closest rivals) provide more integrations with third events. Integrations may also be just for sale in Squarespace’s more plans that are expensive while Wix and Weebly consist of them in cheaper plans.
The upside is that the integrations that Squarespace possesses, have a tendency to incorporate well with Squarespace (while integrations with Weebly or Wix can feel hacked-together and lack design cohesion). Below are a few of my features regarding the integrations Squarespace provides:
- Amazon — Affiliate tracking.
- Mailchimp — Newsletter pc computer computer software.
- Acuity Scheduling — On Line scheduling.
- Typekit webfonts that are.
- Google Fonts — Webfonts.
- G Suite — e-mail for your customized domain.
- Disqus — We We We Blog remarks.
- Bandsintown — Tour dates detailing.
- 500px — Photo galleries.
- Instagram — Feed or your pictures.
- Zola — Wedding registries.
- Chow Now — Order food for delivery or pickup.
- OpenTable — Restaurant scheduling.
- Apple Pay — Pay with Touch ID.
- Xero Accounting — Accounting pc pc software.
- ShipStation — Print shipping labels.
- . And much more.
If Squarespace does not formally help an integration having a third party, you are able to most likely still incorporate with it utilizing a Code Block or Code Injection. These solutions tend to need a small technical understanding though.
Here is some advice you will not find somewhere else: web site builders are approximately equal with regards to Search Engine Optimization. You will find absolutely some technical SEO features that you will need in an internet site builder— it is simply that many web site builders help them.
Unlike other internet site builders, Squarespace does not take to to upsell customers on crappy, nonsense Search Engine Optimization improvements. (do not make use of any SEO device that is bundled with your website builder— alternatively go straight to just the industry standard tools: SEMRush, Authority Labs or Whitespark.)
Squarespace provides tools to perform nearly all of what’s necessary for Search Engine Optimization:
- AMP help — AMP (Accelerated Cellphone Pages) is really a google effort that produces lightweight variations of websites that load quickly on cellular devices. Utilizing AMP does not influence your rankings directly— but it definitely can indirectly help. Squarespace is certainly one of the website that is only to guide AMP pages— you simply need to allow it.
- Meta Titles And Descriptions — Squarespace let’s you modify meta games and explanations for pages and blogs. These are what exactly are exhibited within the search motor outcomes. Getting your target keyword into the name label is essential for ranking while meta explanations don’t impact your position (and that means you won’t need to personalize it). Unfortuitously Squarespace doesn’t let you set a meta description and title for websites and item pages. This really is unfortunate— ideally it is addressed soon!
- Personalized URLs — Squarespace let us you modify URLs. This is crucial— simple urls with target key words are good for SEO ( spot the Address because of this web web web page? It is merely /squarespace-review ).
- Mobile phone Friendly — In 2018 Bing announced that their index had been going ‘Mobile First’— building a mobile website that is friendly for Search Engine Optimization. All of Squarespace’s themes are responsive— which means that they’ve been mobile-friendly.
- SSL — All Squarespace domains have actually SSL— which Bing has stated is really a standing sign.
- Sitemap — All Squarespace web sites have actually a /sitemap.xml that can be submitted to Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Alt Tags — Squarespace enables you to set alt tags on images.
More complex Search Engine Optimization strategies such as for instance hiding pages from Google can be done with Squarespace— though they might need one to add code snippets.
Squarespace provides four plans— two for basic web sites and two for e commerce:
Each plan includes limitless pages, limitless bandwidth and storage that is unlimited. You will find no concealed limitations and they give you a 14 time free trial offer. The greater amount of plans that are expensive features and integrations with third events.
Among the things we truly appreciate is exactly exactly how clear Squarespace is by using their prices. Unlike other site builders Squarespace is totally transparent— there are no hidden charges and so they inform you that the month-to-month cost they are marketing is for yearly plans:
Other web site builders such as Wix don’t explicitly state that the monthly prices they promote are the cost of a plan that is annual by twelve.
Therefore is Squarespace expensive? Definitely not.
Not long ago I did an in-depth contrast of wix and Squarespace. One of many things we discovered had been that Wix offered cheaper plans— but those plans also had big restrictions on them. For instance, Wix’s Connect Domain plan nevertheless includes adverts on your own web site therefore the Combo Arrange limits one to 2 GB per thirty days.
Initial plan Wix provides with limitless bandwidth and no advertisements is more costly on a month-to-month term than Squarespace’s individual plan— it’s cheapest ( it has limitless bandwidth with no adverts).
Therefore Squarespace has more plans that are expensive but that is additionally since they are reluctant to compromise. They will not give you a cheaper plan if it indicates advertisements on websites or bandwidth limits.
E-commerce with Squarespace is higher priced compared to other internet site builders (but Squarespace also offers the most useful e-commerce of any site builder).
I have written an even more in-depth breakdown of Squarespace’s rates right right here.
Domains & Email Messages
Like many internet site builders, Squarespace supplies a free customized domain title on yearly plans for just one 12 months. After that, it costs $20 / year.
At $20 / year, Squarespace domain names take the expensive partit to point to your Squarespace website— you could always find a cheaper domain name at Namecheap ($14.27) and set.
Buying a Squarespace domain.
Squarespace does add free whois privacy along with your domain title. This fundamentally anonymizes the information that is personal of whoever is registering the domain title. We appreciate this, as internet site builders such as Weebly cost you for whois privacy.
You can setup e-mail details for your names of domain (example: yourname@yourwebsite.com) utilizing Bing’s G Suite integration. We recommend G Suite, it essentially supplies the Gmail screen for your custom domain name current email address.
Squarespace provides the G that is standard Suite, which will be in line with the wide range of e-mail addresses:
| Term | Price Per Email |
|---|---|
| Annual Billing | $50 / €40 / ?40 / A$66 |
| Monthly Billing | $5 / €4 / ?4 / A$7 |
The very first 12 months of G Suite can be free for 3 associated with the 4 plans ( the private plan is the exception).
Customer Care
Squarespace provides 24/7 e-mail support and live chat support 4am to 8pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. All their support employees exercise of these nyc, Portland or Dublin head office.
Unfortuitously Squarespace doesn’t provide phone help. They do offer community help platforms— including a forum and knowledge base.
Summary
We recommend Squarespace. They have somehow handled to provide stunning themes, in-depth features plus an intuitive website builder— all with truthful, straight-forward prices.
If you want to read more, you’ll find my look that is in-depth at rates or my Wix vs Squarespace contrast.
Inform me when you yourself have relevant concerns in the reviews below!