Is Squarespace a Good Option for Your Business? An Honest Review [2025]
Choosing the right website platform for your business is crucial, and Squarespace consistently appears on recommendation lists. But is it genuinely suitable for small businesses, entrepreneurs, startups and even larger corporations. Or is it just well-marketed? As a professional web designer who has worked with numerous businesses on Squarespace, I’ll give you an honest assessment of what works, what doesn’t, and whether it’s the right choice for your specific needs.
This review will help you make an informed decision based on practical experience rather than marketing promises.
What Makes Squarespace Appealing?
Professionally Designed Templates
Squarespace’s templates are genuinely impressive. Unlike many website builders that offer amateur-looking designs, Squarespace provides templates that could easily pass for custom-designed websites. The quality is consistently high across their template library, which means even businesses with limited design experience can create professional-looking sites.
The templates are also well-structured for business use, with logical layouts for services, portfolios, contact information, and calls-to-action. This saves significant time in planning your website structure.
You can also design your website from scratch but the templates are often a great starting point, offering inspiration and if you are unsure on where to begin.
All-in-One Solution
For small business owners juggling multiple responsibilities, Squarespace’s all-in-one approach is genuinely valuable. You get hosting, security, domain registration, and technical support all from one provider. This eliminates the need to coordinate between different service providers or worry about compatibility issues.
Built-in SEO Features
Squarespace includes solid SEO foundations out of the box. Clean code, mobile responsiveness, fast loading times, and basic SEO settings are all handled automatically. For small businesses without SEO expertise, this provides a significant advantage over platforms that require manual optimisation. Like with any site, the more effort you put in to SEO you will often see a bigger reward but the fact that Squarespace gets you off the ground and optimises content as you go it one less thing to worry about.
E-commerce Integration
The seamless integration of e-commerce features makes it straightforward for small businesses to start selling online. Product management, payment processing, and inventory tracking are all built into the platform without requiring additional plugins or third-party services.
The Real-World Performance
Ease of Use
Squarespace strikes a good balance between simplicity and functionality. The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive enough for beginners but powerful enough to create sophisticated layouts. Most small business owners can learn the basics within a few hours and become proficient with a few days of practice.
However, there is a learning curve. The interface can feel overwhelming initially, and some customisations require understanding how the platform’s design system works. It’s not quite as simple as some competitors like Wix, but it’s far more user-friendly than WordPress.
Customisation Capabilities
This is where Squarespace shows both strengths and limitations. The platform offers extensive customisation options within its framework, allowing you to create unique-looking websites that don’t scream “template.” Colours, fonts, spacing, and layout elements can all be adjusted to match your brand.
However, you’re still working within Squarespace’s system. If you need functionality that doesn’t exist within their framework, you’re limited. Custom code can be added, but this requires technical knowledge that most small business owners don’t possess.
Mobile Responsiveness
Squarespace excels here. Whether you are using a template or building a page from scratch, all content is made to be mobile-responsive, and the mobile editing tools allow you to fine-tune how your site appears on different devices. You may need to do some tweaking, like repositioning the order of some content or making sure images are sized correctly to your preference, but 90% of the heavy lifting is already handled by Squarespace. Given that mobile traffic dominates, this is a significant advantage.
Loading Speed and Performance
Squarespace websites generally perform well in terms of loading speed. The platform optimises images automatically and uses content delivery networks to ensure fast loading times globally. However, sites with lots of custom code or heavy multimedia content can slow down, just like any platform. No-code website builders often get a bad wrap for being slow and cannot perform with the likes of Wordpress sites, however this is just a myth. Website speed is often down to the user, not the platform.
Cost Analysis for Small Businesses
Monthly Subscription Costs
Squarespace’s pricing is transparent and predictable. The Personal plan at £10/month covers basic business needs, whilst the Business plan at £16/month includes e-commerce functionality and advanced features. For most small businesses, these costs are reasonable and comparable to other professional platforms.
If you were to hire a Squarespace Circle Member (like myself) you would be eligible for 20% off your first years subscription. Plus many other benefits. You can find out more about Squarespace Circle in my other blog post Benefits of Squarespace Circle
Value for Money
When you consider what’s included (hosting, security, templates, support), Squarespace offers good value. The cost of achieving similar functionality with WordPress, for example, would likely be higher once you factor in hosting, security, premium themes, and plugins.
Hidden Costs
There are few hidden costs with Squarespace. The main additional expenses are typically domain registration (if not included in your plan) and any premium integrations you might need. Unlike WordPress, you won’t face unexpected costs for security plugins, hosting upgrades, or emergency fixes.
Advantages for Your Business Using Squarespace
Time Savings
The biggest advantage for small business owners is time savings. You can have a professional-looking website live within days rather than weeks or months. The platform handles technical aspects automatically, allowing you to focus on content and business development.
Professional Appearance
Squarespace websites look professional and modern. This is crucial for small businesses that need to compete with larger companies. The design quality helps establish credibility and trust with potential customers.
Integrated Marketing Tools
Built-in email marketing, social media integration, and analytics tools provide small businesses with essential marketing capabilities without requiring separate subscriptions or complex setups.
Reliable Customer Support
Squarespace provides comprehensive 24/7 customer support through live chat, email, and extensive documentation. For small business owners who need help quickly, this support can be invaluable. As Squarespace is such a popular platform there are also a wide range of video tutorials out there and also a Squarespace Forum, where you can learn from other business owners and designers.
Limitations and Drawbacks
Flexibility Constraints
The biggest limitation is flexibility. Whilst Squarespace offers extensive customisation within its framework, you cannot fundamentally change how the platform works. If your business needs highly specific functionality, you might find Squarespace limiting. I would always recommend starting a free trial, this is great way to get a feel for the platform and whether or not it is right for your business.
Third-Party Integrations
Squarespace’s app ecosystem is smaller than WordPress or Shopify. Some business tools may not integrate directly, requiring workarounds or alternative solutions. This can be problematic if you rely on specific software for your operations. If that is the case, hiring a professional Squarespace designer would be recommended to help you achieve the desired outcome you’re wanting from your website.
Content Management
For businesses that frequently update content, Squarespace’s content management system has limitations. Blog management is good, but handling large amounts of content in bulk or multiple content types can become cumbersome and sometimes a little time consuming.
E-commerce Limitations
Whilst Squarespace’s e-commerce features are solid and definitely hold up against other e-commerce platforms, check out a client project I did for Hawthorn Leather Company, some e-commerce features are not as advanced as dedicated platforms like Shopify. Businesses with complex inventory management needs or advanced selling features might find limitations. Squarespace accepts all major payment methods like Apple Pay, Klarna, Afterpay/Clearpay, VISA, Mastercard, American Express etc. So you should never have any issues with connecting your preferred payment client.
You can find out more at https://www.squarespace.com/payments
Common Misconceptions
“It’s Just for Creative Businesses”
Whilst Squarespace is popular with creative professionals, it works well for any business that values professional design and user experience.
“It’s Too Expensive”
When you consider the included features and time savings, Squarespace often provides better value for money than cheaper alternatives that require additional investments.
“It’s Not Professional Enough”
Many large companies and professional organisations use Squarespace. The platform can absolutely create professional, credible websites.
The Verdict
Squarespace is genuinely good for a wide range of businesses, particularly those that prioritise professional design, ease of use, and integrated functionality. It’s not the cheapest option, but it provides excellent value for businesses that want professional results without technical complexity.
The platform works best for service-based businesses, creative professionals, and small retailers with straightforward needs. It’s less suitable for businesses requiring highly custom functionality or complex e-commerce operations. But don’t let this put you off, it will likely just need some more professional assistance from a Squarespace Expert.
Your success with Squarespace depends largely on whether your business needs align with the platform’s strengths. If you value professional design, integrated functionality, and ease of use over maximum customisation, Squarespace is likely an excellent choice.
The key is honest assessment of your needs, technical comfort level, and long-term goals. For most small businesses, Squarespace provides the right balance of professional quality, functionality, and ease of use
Ready to create a professional website for your business?
Our specialised Squarespace design services help businesses maximise the platform’s potential while avoiding common pitfalls.
Get in touch today if you want to know more about how Squarespace can used to elevate your business and drive real results.
