Building a Squarespace Website: Should You DIY or Outsource?
You’ve done the research, compared plans, and decided that you’re interested in building a website with Squarespace. Not only does Squarespace boast amazing SEO capabilities, a clean and elegant look, and a perfect monthly price - it’s now where your business will call home on the web.
There’s only one thing left to do: the actual website building.
If you felt your heart jolt when you read that, don’t worry - Squarespace offers templates that make building a breeze.
However, if you’re concerned about whether or not you should tackle the task of building a Squarespace website yourself, I’ve put together this guide to help you decide whether it’s best to DIY your website or outsource it to someone with experience.
When to DIY your website
You know exactly what you want your website to look like and want complete control over the final product
If you have a vision of what you want your website to look like down to the fonts and colors, and can’t imagine turning the reins over to anyone else, it may be in your best interest to build your website yourself.
Paying to outsource your website often includes the price of design and branding, which there is NO need to spend money on if you’ve already done it yourself!
However, unless you are experienced with code and design, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing a course to help you learn the basics. I absolutely loved Paige Brunton’s Square Secrets course because it covers A-Z how to design your own website on Squarespace.
This will ensure your website lives up to your expectations, and that you don’t end up wasting time or money on a venture that quickly becomes too complex.
Looking to DIY your branding as well? Check out my course, Solopreneur Branding Toolkit. This will teach you how to create your logo and branding materials inside Canva - which is perfect for the newbie entrepreneur who has the time and wants to look professional without dropping thousands on their online presence.
You’re just starting your business experimentally and aren’t ready to invest in a designer
Outsourcing a website to be designed isn’t cheap - and being prepared to pay designers for their time and hard work is EXTREMELY important.
A 5 page website can range from $1,000-$5,000. I would stay away from a website package lower than $1,000 because there is a lot that goes into a website that business owners don’t realize…and you will most likely get a website that has a million things wrong with it.
If your business is in its very beginning stages and you aren’t quite ready to invest in a website made by a pro, it is completely fine to start off with a more basic option to get your feet wet.
In this case, there’s a couple different options...
1. You could use a free template offered by Squarespace in order to build your website so that, even though you’re not dropping thousands on a website, your site doesn’t look unprofessional or quickly thrown together.
2. You could purchase a template from a shop, like the team at GoLive HQ or Eric from Big Cat Creative. They range between $150 and $300, which is super affordable if you have a small budget. What’s great about these templates is that they’re geared towards coaches, creatives and other service providers.
Side note: If you are just starting your business and don’t know who you serve, what packages you will offer, and how to communicate what you do effectively, a website will be a waste of time. Your website should only come after you have these items ironed out because without them, your website will not help you land clients.
You don’t need anything fancy - you’re just looking to display your work or allow customers/clients to get in touch
If you simply have no interest in paying to outsource your website, that’s fine, too! Some websites don’t serve as a business’s home base - think businesses powered mainly by social media, YouTube, etc…
If this is the case, and you honestly aren’t looking for a site with all the bells and whistles, this is another time where I would absolutely recommend DIYing and using a pre-made template offered by Squarespace or purchase a template instead of outsourcing.
The money you save going the DIY route when building a website with Squarespace can easily be used elsewhere in your business, such as on advertising or equipment.
When to outsource your website
You have an idea of the look and feel you’d like your website to have, but have no idea how to make it happen
When it comes to computers, you’re just NOT a techie. And that’s COMPLETELY okay. Not every entrepreneur is a whiz at website building, but that doesn’t mean your website has to look any less professional.
If you see example websites you love, but know you would never be able to design your own from scratch, outsourcing your website may be the way to go!
Designers are used to talking with clients about the look, feel, and overall scheme of their dream website and making it happen.
When outsourcing, you aren’t completely giving up control over your website’s new look - you’re just letting your vision be brought to life by someone who knows how to do it right. Look at it as a collaboration between you and the designer.
You’re serious about investing in this business and want this website to last for a long time
You may be at the point in your business where you’re just ready to invest.
Maybe you don’t have the time to learn to build a website yourself, or maybe you just want to make sure that this website is perfect enough to last you years into the future without the need for constant revamping.
Either way, knowing that you’re ready to invest in outsourcing in order to build a Squarespace website is key to getting started with the perfect designer who can bring your ideas to life.
If you have the funds and the desire to work with a professional, there is absolutely NO reason why you shouldn’t! Feeling pressured to DIY when you really would rather pay a pro is no fun, and shouldn’t be another stressor on your mind as an entrepreneur.
Websites are a lot of work, and many business owners underestimate the time intensiveness of the process.
You are looking for a website with capabilities different than a general template can provide
Maybe you want your website to have a special feature or capability that requires code. Maybe you want a design no one has ever imagined before. Maybe templates just aren’t cutting it.
If you’re ready to stray from what mainstream templates can provide, it’s a sign that you should look into outsourcing when building a website with Squarespace.
Seasoned designers are ready to think outside the box, and can help you brainstorm and create a website that has all the capabilities you’ve dreamed of when planning your business. Be prepared to do your research and choose a designer who is able to implement the features you’re looking for before shelling out the cash to build. Just because someone is a website designer doesn’t mean they have the same levels of experience and abilities that every other website designer boasts!
Just like every entrepreneur, every website designer is different, with different skill sets and talents.
You’re the CEO of your business and you know your time is better spent on other money making business tasks
When you’re making bank in your business and scaling with a team behind you, outsourcing becomes very normal. For every task that you either don’t know how to do or don’t want to do ends up being outsourced to a contractor or someone on your team who can fulfill those projects.
Your time is hella valuable - it could be worth between $300 or $400 dollars an hour if you’re a business coach for example. It’s simply not worth your time and energy to attempt a website redesign.
Being the CEO of your business means focusing on the big vision and putting your time towards money making tasks that only you can do.
Chances are that if you’ve reached the 6 figure mark or multi 6 figure mark, you’re ready to uplevel with a super professional website that fully encompasses the level of success you’ve achieved in your business. And you know that you’d be losing money by attempting the DIY route.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you :)
Keep these tips in mind when building a website with Squarespace.
Both DIYing and outsourcing have their pros and cons, but through plenty of research and thought, you can determine which one is right for YOUR business.
Are you ready to outsource your website design?
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