So, you’ve heard of Showit and you’ve heard of Squarespace – but which one is right for you and your successful online business? Squarespace has already created a name for itself as a diverse platform with an easy-to-use backend and app integration while Showit is expanding past being known as a platform “for photographers.”

Your first impression might be to invest in Squarespace (what you might think of as the safer bet), but it’s not that straightforward. Showit is constantly evolving and adding new features – plus, their adaptable platform allows for creating new takes on design, meaning your brand and business can create a unique look to stand out from the virtual crowd.

What’s the Difference Between Showit and Squarespace?

The biggest difference you’ll see when comparing Showit and Squarespace is their preferred business model. Showit functions best for service-based businesses while Squarespace primarily works best for e-commerce businesses. The struggle comes when you have a business that involves a little bit of both. When you’re selling either physical or digital products along with offering services, which platform is then considered the right platform for you?

To make your decision easier, let’s compare the different features between the two platforms:

What Are The Design Capabilities and Limitations?

Overall, both website platforms are easily customizable but offer different elements and ability levels. For example, Squarespace works well with a template, and duplicating template pages while creating all new pages requires extra work and experience. Showit pages work similarly, but are much more user-friendly and allow you to pull from multiple templates when creating new pages. 

These Squarespace pages are easy to edit for your needs but difficult to customize overall. Showit is a drag-and-drop website builder that allows you to easily customize all aspects of your page. In terms of design, the Showit platform offers your website designer (and yourself) a lot of flexibility and design options for your new site.

Alternatively, Squarespace offers more for adding a shop – and can be considered an all-in-one platform – while Showit requires integration with third-party software, such as a plugin (Shopify lite) or custom-built shop and product pages linked with a program such as Thrivecart. 

In addition to the actual features and limitations, the learning curve of the platform needs to be considered. Squarespace is a great option for business owners that don’t expect any additional pages (think lead magnets, new products/sales pages, etc), while Showit is much more user-friendly and allows online business owners to grasp the essentials and quickly create pages for their new offers. 

Lastly, both website platforms allow their users to use a custom website domain name – making it officially their own website as business owners. 

Does Squarespace or Showit Require Coding?

Luckily, both Squarespace and Showit are considered “no-code” website platforms. The benefit of using a no-code website builder is that you can have a professional website delivered in a timely and user-friendly manner. While major updates and changes are still recommended to be in partnership with a designer, you, as a business owner, can easily utilize their simple tools to make adjustments on the platform.

A no-code website also has fewer opportunities for “breaking” in a way that would require professional intervention. Instead, these situations can typically be handled by the platform’s support team or quickly solved by your designer. 

How Well Does Each Platform Adapt to Mobile Design?

How well your website converts to mobile devices can change how well your clients convert, how quickly your website loads, and even how well your site performs for SEO.

Squarespace offers an easy way of adapting your web pages to mobile view, also known as the mobile version of your website. Within your Squarespace template, your web pages will automatically convert to the mobile version – no extra work on you or your designer. The downside is that you cannot easily customize your pages for the best mobile experience, missing out on marketing opportunities that could easily help new website visitors convert to leads.

Showit becomes a little more difficult when it comes to mobile adaptations for your website – but only when you create a page on your own! When using a Showit template, it will automatically convert to mobile using the plug-and-play design! If you’re not using a template, Showit has options that will automatically lay out the desktop version of your website to an alternative mobile version of your preference. From there, you can easily customize your mobile site to match your desktop design.

Can I Connect Instagram to Showit or Squarespace?

This is both a yes and a no for Squarespace. At the moment, Squarespace does not have an integration that allows you to showcase your Instagram feed on your Squarespace site. While there are workarounds, there is no direct method. On the other hand, Squarespace does integrate with Instagram’s shop feature and allows Instagram users to shop for your website products directly on the platform.

Showit does have an Instagram feed integration that is a great option for business owners that utilize Instagram heavily in their marketing efforts. While it’s built-in with most template designs, it is also easy to add in custom designs and adapts well on mobile devices.

What Type of Support Team is Offered with Each Platform?

One of the biggest concerns of most small business owners is typically related to the customer support available for their website. Why? Because when bad things happen that are completely out of your control – and they do – that’s the initial support the team that is going to get you back up and running. They’re the team that’ll walk you through updating your backend along with answering those quick questions when you’re not able to connect with your website designer (or you’re utilizing a template).

Both Squarespace and Showit offer live chat during their business hours as an option for online support. While the Squarespace support is not bad, I’ve found that the Showit team has been the best choice to work with. You’re typically getting a quicker response, reducing your wait and saving you a lot of time.

Which Website Has the Best Blogging Platform?

The best option for blogging between Showit and Squarespace is Showit. The Squarespace blog is not lacking for typical businesses. You can easily write and customize your blog posts and content. Add images, customize your headers and meta descriptions, and even add your affiliate links.

Still, I consider Showit the better choice. Showit connects with a WordPress blog – one of the best parts of a WordPress site. Thanks to this, you have access to all the plugins and customizations that you traditionally have with WordPress, making life just a little bit easier. The Showit WordPress blog integration also allows you to easily embed forms for your email marketing and grow your email lists. Showit also offers you full control over the inside of your blog post – things such as tagging, categories, image alt. descriptions, and your URL structure thanks to a simple SEO plugin.

How Easy is it to Implement SEO on Each Platform?

SEO or search engine optimization is a huge part of any long-term marketing plan for online businesses – which is why it’s so important to choose the best fit for SEO implementation. 

Showit is by far the most SEO-friendly website platform when compared to Squarespace. In addition to being able to customize your blog posts (which are a huge part of content marketing and SEO strategy), you’re able to easily customize your pages for your SEO strategy. You have complete control over your page details and copy – a big contributor to your placement in search results. And, with the increasing pressure on creating a mobile website that is SEO friendly, Showit outranks Squarespace. 

That’s not to say that Squarespace offers no SEO optimization options. Squarespace actually has a few built-in features that allow you to customize your pages for SEO. It’s just that Showit has more features and is much easier to use.

It’s also important to note that both platforms allow easy integration with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, both of which contribute to tracking your leads and SEO performance.

How Much Does Each Platform Cost?

Both Showit and Squarespace stay under $30 a month for their starter website levels and increase from there, while also offering a free trial on their platform. Both do offer the option to pay annually for a discount, allowing you to save in the long run with a higher fee upfront. Additional expenses can be considered for both as well – for example, if you want your small team to have access to your backend (specifically for Squarespace, which has built-in marketing abilities). 

Are There Templates Available for Showit and Squarespace?

Whether you choose to create a Squarespace website or a Showit website, you have a library of both free website templates and premium templates on hand. Not only are you able to shop their templates on their platform from their top certified designers – you’re also able to shop the templates through third-party platforms like Creative Market and Etsy, along with shopping for templates directly from the designer. 

For reference, Åme Creatives offers a rotating library of premium templates for service providers in multiple niches. You can view our template shop here.

Templates for Showit also tend to go beyond a full website – you can shop for templates that are designed specifically for online courses, sales pages, lead magnets, and more. Squarespace templates do come in additional versions, such as sales pages and lead magnets, but Showit’s library is much larger and up-to-date for modern styles of branding.

What Are Important Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Website Platform?

First, you want to look at longevity. Consider testing and comparing both platforms during their trial stage and finding the platform you would consider your personal preference. While you’re doing this, consider the features that are most important to you. Ask yourself questions like,

• Are you considering opening an online store?
• How many team members need access to the platform?
• What type of marketing platforms will I be using?
• Which platform style best suits my branding?
• Is there a designer for this platform that matches my style?
• Does this platform offer the features I need?
• Will this platform align with my marketing goals?

If you plan to DIY your website without the help of a designer or build out from a template, ask yourself these additional questions,

• Can you easily navigate or understand tutorials for this platform?
• Is there a template for this platform within your budget and in your style?
• Do you have a resource or professional in mind if you do need to ask for help?

It’s easy to consider budget as the most important aspect of choosing a platform – and it is important. But, it’s also important to consider the functionality and appeal of your website from the client’s point of view. Delivering your message and clarifying your offers is a necessity, it’s a key element in generating the high-level clients that allow your business to successfully thrive and compete online.

Which Should You Choose? Squarespace or Showit?

Both Squarespace and Showit are high-level no-code website platforms that allow you to have a professional website as an online business owner that is relatively user-friendly. The platforms offer great things on their own, including their ability to be effectively utilized in an SEO strategy and ranked in search engines. Overall, the best thing to do is consider the goals and structure of your business to find the right platform. Take the extra time to make a good decision – or reach out to a designer that can help you along the way.

Personally, my typical recommendation is going to lean towards Showit for most service providers – even when they plan on offering digital products or connecting a small shop. A lot of people tend to shy away from this due to the use of a plugin, but it can ultimately lead to a website that’s easy to edit and update. One of the first things we tackle when working together for Showit design is the benefits it can bring to your business and essentially confirm that it’s the best choice for your business.

How Do I Get Started With Launching a Website on Showit?

When you’re ready to start building out your website, decide if you’re planning on purchasing a Showit website template or working directly with a Showit website designer. Working directly with a Showit website designer delivers a website that is catered to your branding and is best for businesses that are ready to hand off the work or need customized pages. If you’re planning to DIY your website with a template, find a template that you feels aligns with your branding and what your business needs (sales pages, landing pages, etc.).

When you’re ready to uplevel your business and connect with a Showit designer, reach out and book your Showit website design today.

What Should I Do If Neither Squarespace nor Showit Aligns With My Needs?

While Showit is definitely one of my top choices for a website platform, it’s very possible that neither seems to meet your extract requirements. Squarespace and Showit are only two of the popular website platforms available online and for your business – although both are top-tier in comparison to the rest. You can also look at building out a Wix website or even a Shopify website.Choosing between the different website builders can be a bit difficult when you’re not familiar with website building in general. I highly recommend, if you have the ability, to consult with your brand designer and ask for their suggestions. As someone familiar with your brand, they may have insight that will point you in the right direction.