Squarespace vs. WordPress: Which One’s Right for Your Small Business Website?
If you’re a small business owner scoping out getting your website done odds are you’ve asked yourself: “Which platform should I use—Squarespace or WordPress?”
You’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions I get from small business owners who just want a site that works—books clients/makes sales, builds trust, and doesn’t give them a tech headache.
I work in both platforms daily. In this video, I break it down in plain English so you can make the right choice for your business, your tech comfort level, and your time.
1. Ease of Use: Are You a DIYer or Do You Want to Hire It Out?
Your website is a marketing tool. Marketing tools only work when you use them… If you’re planning on “setting it and forgetting it”, my recommendation is don’t to waste your time beyond a simple one-pager presence as proof of business existence. My point is aim to go into the website build knowing you’ll be needing to update and refresh your website regularly. (I recommend quarterly at a minimum.) When websites are updated, refreshed, and current, they perform better in terms of customers, inquiries, search engine rankings, and overall traffic.
If you want a site that’s easy to update and doesn’t require a developer on speed dial, Squarespace is your best friend. It’s drag-and-drop friendly, and what you see is pretty much what you get. 100% you can definitely build something yourself on this platform - but be prepared for it being a big project. Website projects are just A LOT to contend with no matter what platform you choose. …OR if you still want to hire someone to build it out for you, maintaining a Squarespace site yourself is fairly straight-forward. (👋🏻 I’d love to help.)
WordPress, on the other hand, is much more powerful and flexible—but with great power comes great responsibility maintenance. If your business really needs the specialty features/functions/niche integrations, it’s the one to go with. Just know you'll need to handle hosting, security, updates, and plug-ins. It’s a steep learning curve. Unless you’re comfy with tech (or plan on hiring someone who is), WordPress might feel like a second job. (That’s kind of how I fell into web design, JSYK.)
2. Customization: Do You Need Something Specialty/Niche/Technical?
Squarespace covers about 80% of what most small service businesses need right out of the box, ime. It’s beautiful, clean, and quick to launch. It’s my favourite.
But if you need a site that does something super specific—say, multiple sub-domains that all update from one interface, and a custom coded/niche functionality—WordPress can likely do it with a plugin (or five). Just remember, plugins can mean more costs, conflicts, and upkeep.
3. Support & Maintenance: Who’s In Charge of Fixing It?
With Squarespace, all the techy stuff (hosting, security, updates) is baked in. No surprise bills. No logging into five different dashboards. Just a tidy little all-in-one platform. The only things you need to handle are updates to your content and designs.
WordPress puts you in charge of the whole operation. That means choosing a host, keeping everything updated, and making sure your site isn’t vulnerable to attacks. If that makes your eyes glaze over, you’ll want a developer or ongoing support in place.
TL;DR: Which Should You Choose?
| Squarespace | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Super simple, drag-and-drop | Steeper learning curve |
| Customization | Great out-of-the-box features | Infinite possibilities (with more work) |
| Maintenance | All-in-one, handled for you | You’re responsible (or your tech team is) |
My Quick-Take Advice?
Go with Squarespace if you want to move fast, avoid tech headaches, and still have a site you’re proud to show off.
Choose WordPress if you need deep customization and you’re not afraid of a little (or a lot of) tech and have budget for an ongoing developer.
And if you’re still not sure? That’s totally normal. It’s a big decision—but you don’t have to figure it out alone. I help clients every week choose the best fit and get their site live—without the overwhelm.
👉 Book a free consult and let’s pick the right platform for your business, together.
Or… are you looking to scope out what’s involved in a website build? 👉 Download my Website Project Roadmap here
