All small business owners know how important it is to get your name out there so that potential customers know about your products or services. Having a website is one of the best ways to do this, but how I DO do you put your name out there?
This is where you use a website builder like Squarespace(opens in a new tab), with plans starting at $14 per month, helps significantly. If you’re self-employed, you’re likely short on time, so it’s reassuring to know that creating a Squarespace website doesn’t take more time than it should. The tricky thing is knowing which template to choose, as there are so many options out there when it comes to the best Squarespace templates for small business owners.
That’s where we’re here to help. Whether you’re looking to highlight your portfolio of work, advertise your services, or even sell products online, there’s a Squarespace template for you. With this in mind, we have selected different website templates for different purposes. Hopefully each one will be attractive to your customers, whether you’re promoting your work as a visual artist or blogging to promote your way of thinking.
If you’re still not completely sold on whether you need a Squarespace account or an online portfolio, we’ve also helped explain some of the basics below. Read on as we take you through it all.
What is a Squarespace template?
A Squarespace template or theme is a pre-designed, ready-to-use demo website that you can apply to your Squarespace website. Instead of having to create a web design from scratch, small business owners can customize an existing design to get things the way they need them to look. This can include different colors, pages, fonts and drag and drop elements such as images, galleries, buttons or shapes.
There are dozens of different website templates out there, with each template built exclusively for Squarespace. If you are looking for one of the the best Squarespace templates for whatever purpose, or you are specifically looking for the best Squarespace templates for blogsthere are many options.
Is Squarespace the best website builder for small business owners?
Squarespace isn’t the only website builder. It is worth reading the differences between them Wix and Squarespacefor example, as they both offer similar website creation services.
For the most part, though, we appreciate how easy and fast Squarespace is to use. It has a comprehensive approach. This means it can provide you with extensive web design options, website metrics, SEO features, SSL security and unlimited bandwidth. It’s a great one-stop shop for self-employed people looking for a convenient solution, especially if you’re not tech-savvy.
How does Squarespace compare to WordPress?
Squarespace and WordPress have a role for anyone looking for a high-quality website builder. WordPress is generally best for two very different purposes. If you just need a very basic blog, it’s great and easy to set up. It’s also ideal if you want to dive deep into the web design side of things and create a unique site to promote your portfolio or online store.
However, it requires a lot more effort from small business owners as you will need to manage your own hosting and security and remember to update regularly. You may need to hire a developer to do things as well.
Otherwise, Squarespace templates are less flexible, but have some great built-in features that let you figure things out faster. Squarespace also has valuable integrations for business owners like PayPal (to accept payments) and OpenTable (so potential customers can make reservations).
What Kind of Website Should a Small Business Owner Have?
A lot of this depends on your plan. Do you want a placeholder website template for your business, or are you looking to sell items through an online store? Other small business owners may need a place for a portfolio or a blog. Look templates tab on the Squarespace website(opens in a new tab) to see what’s there.
There’s no harm in experimenting with a few different styles before launching your site. A portfolio may require a template that provides a large image. At the same time, creative entrepreneurs may want to focus on some of them the best Squarespace templates for writers. instead, as well as images. Even if you are a videographer, there are many Square footage templates for videos also. It’s all about finding the perfect model for you, which is as individual as your business plan.
Are Squarespace templates free?
Yes! While you’ll need to sign up for a (paid) Squarespace account and subscribe to the website builder, all of its templates are completely free. There is no such thing as a premium Squarespace template or free Squarespace templates, as they are available to everyone starting at $14 per month.
This means that small business owners have plenty of room to find the perfect Squarespace template for their needs.
The only thing to watch out for is that there are two different versions of Squarespace with 7.0 and 7.1. 7.1 is the latest version associated with the July 2022 launch Engine Fluid(opens in a new tab), Squarespace’s next-generation content editor for Pages 7.1. If you’re new to Squarespace, you’ll automatically have this, but older users will need to rebuild their site to upgrade. Squarespace versions 7.0 and 7.1 handle templates differently. (For example, 7.0 categorizes them into families, but 7.1 doesn’t, so it’s easier to switch templates.)
Are Squarespace’s templates mobile-friendly?
Yes, Squarespace templates are very mobile friendly. This has only recently improved with Fluid Engine and 7.1 adding improved layout flexibility for mobile use. In addition to ensuring that your customers have a good experience when viewing your website on their smartphone, the templates are also optimized for SEO purposes, so you can enjoy a superior search engine ranking than if you did it manually .
Squarespace templates can also be edited or updated via smartphone, which can be especially useful if you want to add content along the way.
However you plan to set up your Squarespace website, it’s almost impossible to make an ugly one. However, if you need inspiration, read on and check out our look at the best Squarespace templates for small business owners.
Note: Most of our recommendations are from version 7.1 of Squarespace, but we’ve sprinkled in a few options from version 7.0 that continue to stand out. Models are labeled accordingly.