SquareSpace Review

SquareSpace is one of the better site building tools out there. In this review we walk you through SquareSpace's webshop software. Step by step we first look at what Squarespace is, how Squarespace works and which features & possibilities you”ll have.

Ultimately, we hope to help you choose the webshop software that suits you. Every webshop project is different and it differs per project what the best webshop software is.

Just like Shopify, Wix and Lightspeed for example, SquareSpace is a ‘hosted' solution. A hosted solution means that it is hosted / runs on own servers of the webshop providers. This means that you do not have to purchase hosting externally, and do not need software on your computer (such as Dreamweaver) to build a website.

With hosted site builders such as SquareSpace you can create a website online (so without special software on your PC / laptop) which is often easy to use. You – almost – don't need knowledge of code / coding skills.

Hosted solutions are also characterized by the intuitive and user-friendly CMS (content management) systems.

So you actually don't need any knowledge of code to build a website, but you can get started right away with templates that are already ‘prepared and setup‘ with a drag and drop builder. The drag & drop builder allows you to get started with adjusting the styling and content of your website.

For example, you click on some text and then you can choose a new font; click on a background and change the color; and so on.

SquareSpace is a SaaS solution: Software as a Service – this means that you do not own the product but pay a monthly fee to use the software.

And speaking of amounts and prices;

SquareSpace has 4 different user / service packages of which the smallest package – SquareSpace Personal – is only suitable for building a website – but there is no payment module. You can use this if, for example, you sell services and send invoices yourself. Or if your website is more like an ‘online business card'.

Furthermore, SquareSpace has 3 packages with a focus on webshops where you have a payment module in the software:

• SquareSpace Business
• SquareSpace Basic Commerce
• SquareSpace Advanced Commerce.

• SquareSpace offers the option of a 14-day free trial. You can check that offer out here.
• In the pricing table above we have opted for the annual subscription – then you get a 25% discount on your costs.

SquareSpace Personal $12

The biggest difference in packages is between SquareSpace personal and the other packages. With the personal package you can't sell products and the e-commerce functionality is not available in this subscription at all.

This package is therefore particularly suitable for a ‘normal' site, which you can put together quickly and easily. Then you get hosting, website builder software and a domain name for €11 per month, in itself a decent price if you opt for convenience / comfort and don't want to put together a website yourself with WordPress or Wix.

You could of course offer other services here and have them paid by invoice; not everyone needs the e-commerce module and payment modules.

With the other SquareSpace subscriptions you can sell products in your webshop, so you have different options in the payment modules.

Do you really want to start a webshop? Then SquareSpace Business is a good package to start with.

Wix Business Basic $18

If you want to start a webshop with SquareSpace, you will quickly end up with the Business subscription. For $17 per month you have this subscription with which you can get started with building or expanding your webshop. For that $17 per month you get at least the following functionalities:

• Unlimited products
• Access to premium integrations
• $100 AdWords credit
• e-Commerce functionalities such as shipping, accounting, order management etc. management etc.
• 24/7 Support
• Gift cards
• SEO optimization
• 2 logins – for collaboration
• Own custom domain name
• Access to CSS and Javascript editors
• SSL certificate for your domain
• Sell ​​in up to 5 languages
• Sell ​​in various currencies

The business subscription is a great start to your website. Are you growing? Then it is good to take a look at the Basic Commerce package.

SquareSpace Basic Commerce $26

In the Basic Commerce package you get all the functions of the business subscription plus extra functions – for the more serious webshops. With Basic commerce you get as extras in your subscription;

• Unlimited number of employee accounts
• No transaction costs
• Checkout / payment on own domain, you will no longer be looped through to SquareSpace itself to pay.
• customer accounts; customers can create an account;
• More extensive analysis, reporting and merchandising tools
• Point of Sale

This package will be sufficient for most webshops. But do you also want, for example, abandoned cart recovery? Then you can look at SquareSpace's most expensive package: Advanced Commerce – it has some additional features that the other plans lack.

SquareSpace Advanced Commerce $40

With the most comprehensive plan, you get an extra important e-commerce feature, abandoned cart recovery. With the recovery function you can automatically e-mail people who have abandoned their shopping cart with, for example, a reminder and a discount code so that people still complete their order.

This feature quickly pays for itself and is often worth the extra $12 per month. You also get access to, for example, tracking of your shipments, access to the SquareSpace API, subscriptions for users / visitors and advanced discounts.

The following functionalities are added extra to this subscription:

• Sale of subscriptions
• Abandoned Cart Recovery
• eCommerce API access from SquareSpace
• Comprehensive shipment tracking
• More extensive reporting / analysis

Most interesting part about the Basic Commerce and the Advanced Commerce packages is that you no longer pay transaction costs on orders. The abandoned cart recovery in the advanced package also quickly pays for itself: and the checkout on your own website ensures a better customer experience.

One of the most important things when choosing good webshop software is the backend: the system with which you have to work to set up your webshop, fill it and take care of the administration. This has to work well and preferably be a bit simple. It should also have the functionalities that you think you need in the long term.

At some point, your webshop will be finished, but then the functions you have must also be sufficient for a successful webshop adventure.

It is therefore wise – apart from reading reviews – to use the free trials. SquareSpace, for example, has a 14-day period in which you can test the backend and view the functionalities, among other things. Shopify, for example, also has such a test period.

Once you're logged into SquareSpace's backend, it's simple and straightforward. Your webshop is relatively easy to design, which is nice and smooth. But don't forget that in the end you work more as a ‘web shop manager' than as a ‘web shop developer', so that part has to be put together well and function properly.

Below (and above) you can see what the backend looks like and you get some indication / feeling of which functions you'll have within Square Space.

SquareSpace's interface looks a bit fresher than, for example, Shopify's interface, but don't let this guide you, this should not determine your choice: this is not right or wrong, but should not be the main focus of your choice.

When choosing webshop software, you should also opt for ease of use: are there automatic accounting integrations, suitable payment options, does it have the marketing tools you want to use? These are functionalities that – can – be really important.

SquareSpace Drag & Drop

SquareSpace has a so-called Drag & Drop builder, with which you can drag – and drop – the design together. With this builder they are so ahead of the market that it takes a bit of time getting used to for those who are familiar with WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors.

The advantage of these builders is that you can do a little more within the design and template in terms of adjustments. So you can also use the CSS editor within SquareSpace to customize your website yourself.

You start designing your webshop at SquareSpace from a template or theme.

SquareSpace templates / thema's

Also nice about working with the hosted solutions and SaaS systems is that you can also choose from different themes or templates. We'll give a bit more information about themes below.

SquareSpace is suitable as a site builder and as webshop software and there are different choices per segment. You can start by building a website about yourself, for example, as a resume and choose a theme for it.

You can also choose between the webshop themes and within the webshop themes you can choose a design that matches your product or just what you like.

What if you get stuck?

SquareSpace's help desk is also professionally set up. At https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us you will find a complete range of all the ways to assist you with getting your website ready. At SquareSpace you can use the following support channels, among others:

• The extensive knowledge base with guides
• Large community of fellow users on the forum
• Send inquiry by email to SquareSpace
• Hiring SquareSpace Experts
• The SquareSpace webinars and video tutorials.

Enough tools to get ahead with your website when you get stuck.

We have discussed it before: the functionalities are of great importance when choosing the right webshop software. You don't want to find out after building your webshop that you don't have good payment methods at all, for example.

Payment methods SquareSpace

SquareSpace lets you handle payments from the business model, but how do you do that? SquareSpace has links with Stripe, Creditcard, Afterpay, Apple Pay and PayPal. PayPay is becoming more and more known as a payment platform and you can open an account and link it to your bank account and pay as a customer.

If you want to make it even easier for your customers, you want to have setup wire (bank) transfers for your webshop. You can arrange this via Stripe.

From the Basic Commerce model, the payments also take place on your own platform and you do not pay a 3% commission on a transaction, we would actually recommend this to everyone. You will soon have earned this back and paying within your own webshop instead of externally feels a lot more professional.

Add products – payment methods

Of great importance is of course also the management of the webshop. Among other things, it is important to know how products are added and whether the stock system works properly. This too runs smoothly within SquareSpace; it is very easy and intuitive within the system.

First you choose what type of product you want to sell; a physical or digital product or a service as a product. After this, you can add product photos in the next step, price, stock of the product and even special functions for the SEO of the product url and striking buy buttons.

You can also choose here whether you want to highlight the product. The whole of managing the shop itself and the addition of products is put together very well.

Adding payment methods is also easy; With Stripe you add the option to pay with Credit Card, Stripe (bank accounts), Afterpay and Apple Pay another option that you simply add is Paypal.

Digital products and services

SquareSpace also offers the possibility to set up your webshop for digital products (downloads e.g.), services and subscriptions. Specific templates have even been set up for this. So even if you want to sell services, subscriptions or digital products, SquareSpace's hosted solution is a good solution for you!

Selling abroad

There are also plenty of other factors that are important for international sales, such as currency, language, delivery and taxes. For delivery you can go within the backend of SquareSpace. You can define the delivery costs yourself; for example by country and weight.

You can also set up shipping zones here. Internationally, it is possible to operate internationally, this can all be arranged from the backend under Commerce > Shipping.

Third Party apps – extensions SquareSpace

At SquareSpace you also have enough integrations and extensions to further optimize your webshop. For example, integrations are possible with accounting programs, dropship wholesalers, fulfilment companies, marketing tools and more. Here too you notice that SquareSpace is a global player.

For many people, the choice of webshop software depends on how it facilitates dropshipping. Dropshipping is a form of distribution where you have products that are sold in an online store delivered directly by the dropship supplier. In many cases, this is a wholesaler or a company that focuses on facilitating dropshipping.

At SquareSpace you can get started with Dropshipping through the extension / integration of Spocket. By integrating the Spocket.com plugin into your SquareSpace webshop, you can get started with dropshopping.

This is not a model that we immediately get excited about; This is partly because you have little control over the quality of the products, the delivery time, and the shipping costs. The only thing you can distinguish on is customer service. But also returning and exchanging is time-consuming with Dropshipping.

Just like with Shopify, SquareSpace also allows you to use Point of Sale for hospitality or retail. By means of a Point of Sale system, you can integrate your webshop stock to the physical store stock.

PoS is used to describe a system or software that supports retailers and restaurants with their sales, inventory management, analysis, reporting, etc. The link between SquareSpace and Square is a handy addition. PoS is available from the Commerce models.

With the help of the Android or iOS app you'll always have your stock up to date.

When your webshop or website is ready, it is important that you also know how to get visitors to your webshop. Time for webshop marketing. This can consist of, for example:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

In order to attract sustainable traffic / visitors to your website, it is useful that you work on your online organic visibility – so that you come forward well in the search engines, we also call this search engine optimization (SEO). We could talk hours about this but there are also high expertise articles and blogs have been written about this, where you can get lost in yourself. Importantly, SquareSpace offers plenty of opportunities to optimize this.

Under the marketing heading in the backend, you can choose how to set up the URL structure. And you can get started with meta titles and descriptions, you can find an SEO checklist and you can even hire an SEO expert.

Of course, the content of your website is also important – so describe what you sell in your own words, give images an alt tag, support it with a blog and interlinking and post it via the platform on, for example, Instagram or Facebook. It's all at your fingertips within SquareSpace's dashboard.

Email campaigns, Pinterest buttons, Instagram Stories and Facebook ads are also part of the marketing dashboard.

SquareSpace has the basic Search Engine Optimization in order and with the software you can get started if you don't have to compete with Amazon right away. A lot of standard SEO things are set up well for you in the background so that you don't have to worry too much about this

E-mail marketing

We already mentioned the abandoned cart recovery, a very useful function within email marketing. But you can also send newsletters to your enthusiastic customers from this position.

The integrations within ‘Products on Instagram' , Facebook Stores and Google shopping also work well. These are quite some advantages of working with such a large e-commerce platform.

SquareSpace Review

• 1About SquareSpace
• 2SquareSpace Pricing
• 3Webshop builder
• 4Functionalities
• 5Dropshipping
• 6Bricks & Clicks
• 7Webshop marketing
• 8Our verdict

$12 $16

Gratis proberen