Squarespace

Opmerkingen: The intent of this site was I thought to make it possible for anyone to easily create their own website and get it up and running quickly. I didn't get that and felt I was making compromises again and again. I started a blog on Squarespace with the intent of linking it to my website - Squarespace said it would be a seamless process - followed the instructions could never get it to happen so it's still not linked. There was a challenge with my G Suite registration when I went to renew and after days of frustration and the risk of losing my domain I found out it was something on the Squarespace side that had not been completed. Definitely not what I thought I was getting.

Pluspunten: I am an experiential designer so my website needs to really give a potential client a feel for what I do. After looking at several products available I selected Squarespace because I felt their esthetic best fit mine. There many beautiful templates to choose from.

Minpunten: I'm not a web designer but have clear sense of what I want my website to look like. I thought starting with a template close to where I would like the final site to be like would make the process easier and I could get it done on my own. Not the case. Step by step instructions are lacking in information. Inserting text and content is complicated and the final results were not what I originally thought I was getting and found myself making compromises left and right. The template you choose is populated with the elements (font & images) that caught your eye but you have to remove it all to build your content.If half way through you realize as I did this might be the best way to display my images after all you have to start all over again nothing transfers.

Opmerkingen: Squarespace has saved me time, money, and has allowed me to expand my photography business over the past 5 years by providing the perfect place for clients to find me online. Plus, I get SO many compliments on my website! People always comment on how it is professional, clean, and easy to navigate.

Pluspunten: When I first started looking for a platform to create a website for my fledgling photography business nearly 5 years ago, there were a few specific characteristics I was seeking: I needed the platform to be easy to use, quick to set up, and to showcase my photos in an optimal way to potential clients. I found all of that and more with Squarespace! I was able to get my website set up in just a few days and was able to do it without any tears or that "I'm going to pull my hair out!" feeling. If anything, it was the complete opposite! I couldn't believe how easy everything was to set up and how professional my website looked.

Minpunten: The ONE thing I wish Squarespace had more of: more creative templates. Their website templates are a great, solid "skeleton" (if you will), but you definitely have to put extra work in if you want to make your website stand out from others who utilize the same template.

Opmerkingen: I am designing 99% of my clients websites on Squarespace. It helps me get to market faster and easier, and deliver a product my clients love.

Pluspunten: I have been designing websites professionally for over 15 years and it's very rare that I don't design on Squarespace for clients. It's easy to use, the templates are beautiful, and there are so many features and endless flexibility.

Minpunten: I wish custom code injection was available on the basic/personal levels. As of right now, you need to upgrade to the business account to inject any code in the header or footer.

Opmerkingen: Overall, I love this product. Everything just works, all the time. No patches, no updates. Easy, easy, easy. And when I made the switch, the actual initial setup of the site took less than a day. Granted the copy was all mostly written, and I was largely just copying and pasting. But still--the whole website was user-ready in a day.

Pluspunten: Squarespace gives a fantastic user experience at every step of the process. Setup is a snap, site design and layout are easy, with a click-and-drag graphical menu system that makes it easy to visualize the overall structure of the site. Page design is super easy, with drag and drop modules that provide a wide range of functionalities. And there is an integrated store and payment system powered by Stripe. I also love the code block module -- this has been super helpful in beginning to integrate our directory functionality into the website. If you know some HTML, this can be a big plus in adding features. The responsiveness is nearly flawless and (almost always) looks exactly the way I want it to, no matter what device I'm using.

Minpunten: Squarespace does not provide a native file serving solution. Our organization needs to provide documents, forms, and announcements to members. I have created a workaround using Google Drive and a hyperlinked index page on the site, but if I were not already able to use Google Apps script, the maintenance of this index page would be cumbersome. There is also no member-forum type module offered by Squarespace. Again, there are workarounds for this, but it would be nice to have a native solution. Also, the Squarespace calendar module does not integrate with Google Calendar. Once again, I have found a workaround for this using an <iframe> in an HTML code block, but it would be nice if there were native Google Calendar integration offered by Squarespace.

Opmerkingen: Overall my experience with Squarespace has been positive. I can't imagine moving to another service.

Pluspunten: I use Squarespace to create and manage my website. I chose Squarespace because I didn't want to spend a tremendous amount of time managing my website, and Squarespace makes it easy to set up and maintain. Unlike other website creation tools, Squarespace allows me to make my website look just the way I want it. It's fully customizable. I've never had to reach out to an actual person for support or service. However, their help documentation is easy to search through and follow the steps to complete the required tasks. I've implemented the e-commerce solution that works in conjunction with PayPal and Stripe.com. Payments are collected and deposited through the applicable service and into my account within seven days or less. Squarespace makes the process of collecting payments from clients easy and allows me to focus on doing the work that I do, not managing a website.

Minpunten: There are some features that I feel should be included in the level of service I've subscribed to. For example, I wanted to create a discount code that would automatically be applied once a client purchases a certain dollar amount or quantity. Unfortunately, this feature required me to upgrade to the next tier of service.