Squarespace Case Study | Why Hiring a Pro for Your Website Matters

Picture this: every time someone says, “I can do that myself,” I’d have a pocketful of pennies. It’s a phrase we’ve all heard, especially with the rise of DIY website builders like Squarespace and Wix. Suddenly, everyone thinks they’re a web design wizard. But let’s pause for a moment and ask, why should you still consider hiring a professional like me?

The DIY Website Craze

In today’s digital age, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can handle everything yourself. With Squarespace, Wix, and other DIY platforms promising easy website building with just a few clicks, it’s tempting to believe you’ve got it all under control. And the money you can save is quite substantial making DIY page builders so attractive to a novice webmaster. But here’s the reality check: it’s not as simple as they make it out to be.

My Journey into the DIY World

To shed light on this, I decided to roll up my sleeves and dive into the world of DIY website builders. Armed with curiosity and a desire to uncover the truth, I set out to explore these platforms and see if they live up to the hype.

The Numbers Game: Squarespace, Wix, and GoDaddy

Squarespace, founded in 2003, boasts nearly 2 million websites. Wix, on the other hand, powers a staggering 12 million sites. And let’s not forget about GoDaddy’s Page Builder, with around 4 million users. These numbers might be impressive, but do they guarantee quality?

The Case Study: Oliver’s Custom Furniture

For this experiment, I decided to create a website for “Oliver’s Custom Furniture,” a fictional business specializing in bespoke wood furniture. I wanted to see how these DIY platforms would fare in capturing the essence of a unique brand.

The SquareSpace Experience

Starting with SquareSpace, I opted for the pre-defined Sacket theme. The promise of easy customization and stunning templates seemed enticing, but the reality fell short.

Home Page Evaluation: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Let’s take a closer look at the Home page. At first glance, you might think, “Not too shabby.” But here’s where the cracks start to show.

The Downfalls of SquareSpace

The hero header image? Locked in at a height of 1050 pixels, leaving much of the picture cut off. And as for fonts? Forget about customization—it’s a one-size-fits-all situation. Plus, section background heights are capped at 1050 pixels, resulting in awkwardly cropped images. Overall, the site lacked the polish and professionalism needed to make a lasting impression.

The Redemption: SquareSpace’s “AI” Tool

Undeterred by the setbacks, I decided to give SquareSpace’s “AI” website creation tool a shot. And guess what? It went much better as you could choose from custom color palettes and several intriguing font combinations.

The Result: A Transformation

With the “AI” tool, creating Oliver’s Custom Furniture website was a breeze. The layout was clean, the images were crisp, and the overall aesthetic was on point. It was a stark contrast to the amateurish vibe of the previous attempt.

However, the result is still cookie-cutter and has the look of “yet another website” instead of offering something new and fresh. Where’s the Bento layout when you need it?

The Takeaway: Investing in Professionalism

So, what’s the lesson here? While DIY website builders offer convenience, they often fall short when it comes to delivering a truly exceptional online presence. Investing in a professional web designer ensures that your website reflects your brand identity and stands out from the crowd.

Unless you are familiar with common website image sizes and compression tools, etc., your website will end up loading slowly which directly relates to a lack of new customers.

In conclusion, when it comes to building your online presence, don’t settle for mediocrity. Choose quality, choose professionalism, and let a skilled designer like myself bring your vision to life.

Tune back in for my article on Wix, another hosted solution that offers a free website builder.