Wordpress vs. Squarespace vs. Custom Design
As a consumer, you have a number of options when creating your website. With the rise of content management platforms like Wordpress and Squarespace, web development has become accessible to almost everyone — no coding experience required. However, not all content management platforms are created equal. Here, we weigh the pros and cons of two popular frameworks and custom website development.
Ease of Use
Wordpress
Wordpress started as a blogging platform back in 2001. It was designed to bring a consumer-friendly content management systems (CMS) to the public and since then, has become one of the largest and most well-known CMS platforms on the market. While it was designed to be user-friendly, there is a huge learning curve for those that are not tech-savvy. It is a drag and drop website builder and there are many plug in options and ways to avoid touching code; however, it is almost guaranteed that you will need to seek a developers advice at some point to make your site function and look the way you want.
Squarespace
Squarespace was born in 2003; however, it didn’t gain rapid popularity until a few short years ago. This CMS is founded on pre-built website templates with drag and drop elements to give the general public the ability to create a website with ease. Known for their modern and aesthetically pleasing designs, Squarespace gained popularity because of their simplicity in hosting. Consumers don’t need to seek out hosting sources for their site, they just create their site, transfer the domain to Squarespace and it’s complete leaving more time to focus on site design and less time in the technical details.
Custom Design
With a custom designed website, you have the opportunity to work with a talented developer (like Select Interactive!) to design every element of your web experience from start to finish. When you design your site from scratch, you are able to better control the user experience and tailor every aspect of your site to your consumer’s needs. You simply collaborate on goals, content and design and the developer handles the technical stuff so you can focus on what you are good at: running your business.
Flexibility
Wordpress
Wordpress is an open source platform meaning anyone with coding experience can develop tools for using their site. Thousands of developers create plug-in tools for Wordpress for implementation into your site. While this does make Wordpress a very flexible platform, it also creates inconsistencies and glitches that can sometimes only be solved by a capable developer.
Squarespace
Unlike Wordpress, Squarespace is a closed source platform. This means that every tool available is 100% developed and tested in-house by Squarespace developers. All of their tools are closely monitored, tested and improved to control quality and overall function. It also means that if a tool isn’t functioning properly, you can call Squarespace customer support directly for help.
Custom Design
The possibilities are endless with a custom designed site. With this option, you are really only limited by your imagination. If you want a certain feature, your developer can help you build those features and iron our any kinks. The best part is that if you hit a snag with a tool post-web launch, you call your friendly web developer to fix it…not a robotic customer service call center.
Customer Service
Wordpress
Wordpress customer service is by far the least-user friendly if you are someone that likes to call and speak to a human. Their method of user support is a massive user forum of questions and answers. While many questions are answered it can be difficult to find validity in the answers and answers may not be answered for days, weeks, or ever! Also, due to the volume of questions asked on this forum, finding your answer can be difficult without the help of an experienced Wordpress developer.
Squarespace
Squarespace takes a much more customer driven approach to customer service. They provide 24/7 phone and email support, user guides and live chat options so you can get the answers you need when you need them. Like we discussed above, since all tools are created by Squarespace, they are able to better understand how to solve issues and bugs….they are the ones who created them after all!
Custom Design
This may go without saying, but when you work with a custom developer, you get access to one-on-one support and while this may not be 24/7 like Squarespace, you get to talk to an actual human who cares about you and the overall success of your brand.
Ongoing Updates
Wordpress
Wordpress is notorious for constant updates. The platform pushes out updates periodically via a notification on the Wordpress dashboard. While that process is relatively simple, once you update the system, you will also need to update all your plug-ins which can be hairy. While some plug-in developers will stay on top of updates to ensure that their tool functions with Wordpress updates, many don’t which can cause performance and security issues. Wordpress has struggled with this update issue for quite some time and has become, by far, the most hacked system available.
Squarespace
Since Squarespace is a closed system all updates are performed for you. No need to manually perform updates, they just happen seamlessly and you can keep focusing on your business.
Custom Design
When you work with a web developer, they perform all the ongoing updates and maintenance for you usually for a yearly retainer fee. This fee gives you peace of mind knowing your site is getting the attention it needs to continue functioning properly and securely.
Pricing
Wordpress
Wordpress pricing is by far the most intricate. Your hosting service will cost you anywhere from $7/mo.- $20/mo. Your theme purchase can cost between $30-$80 and while many plug-ins are free, many are not with prices ranging from $15-$50 per plugin. You’ll also need to purchase your domain (about $15/year). So, at base, you are looking at about $200 and that is if you do it all yourself. Hiring a Wordpress developer is a great idea; however, it can make your cost skyrocket into the thousands. Lastly, don’t forget about your time as a hidden cost. With this platform, you will be spending hours of your time to make the site look how you want it.
Squarespace
Squarespace pricing is a bit simpler. With 4 different packages ranging from personal to advanced store, you pay no more than $40/mo. That price includes your drag and drop design tools, hosting services and a dedicated support team. Unlike Wordpress, this all in pricing is much easer to understand. You can also hire a Squarespace developer should you wish to have a custom theme; however, as with Wordpress developers, this can cause price to reach upwards of $1,000.
Custom Design
While this is the least cost effective option it is the most strategic for your business. A custom designed site is a true investment with prices starting at $5,000 depending on level of intricacy to the site.
If you are looking to start off with a budget-friendly, simple website then Squarespace or Wordpress are a great solution. If you have an established business and are ready to invest in a more customized or elevated online system, then a custom designed site is right for you. At Select Interactive, we build custom customer experiences designed for speed and engagement. If you’re ready to take the next step with your website, then contact us.
