The honest take

Most web agencies will tell you to ditch Squarespace. We're not going to do that. Sometimes it's the right tool. But often, it's quietly costing you.

Here's how to actually decide.

When Squarespace/Wix makes sense

You're pre-revenue — Not yet making money, just need an online presence
You're testing a concept — MVP before investing in real infrastructure
Budget is under $1,500 — Can't justify custom yet
Content updates are rare — Set and forget

When custom wins

Performance

Website builders load a massive amount of JavaScript, plugins, and platform overhead. Custom-coded sites can be 3-5x faster. This matters for:

Google rankings — Core Web Vitals are a ranking factor
Conversion — A 1-second delay costs ~7% of conversions
Mobile users — Where most of your traffic is

Design freedom

Squarespace templates look like Squarespace templates. Your competitors use the same ones. Custom design means your site looks like your business — not a template with your logo on it.

SEO control

Full control over page structure, metadata, schema markup, URL architecture. Squarespace is limiting in ways you won't notice until you're trying to rank.

No platform dependency

When Squarespace raises prices, kills a feature, or goes down, you're stuck. Custom code lives on your hosting. You own it.

The honest comparison

| | Squarespace/Wix | Custom | |---|---|---| | Speed | Slow-medium | Fast | | Design | Template | Unique | | SEO | Basic | Full control | | Cost | $30/mo ongoing | One-time investment | | Ownership | Platform owns it | You own it | | Maintenance | Platform handles | You or agency |

Our recommendation

If you're a real business — established, trading, wanting to grow — custom is almost always the right answer. The monthly Squarespace fee often costs more long-term than a custom site investment.

Talk to us about what makes sense for your business.