Best Website Platform by Industry
Which are the best website design platforms?
In my humble opinion, there are 2 front runners depending on if you are service based or e-commerce business.
There are so many options available; it can feel overwhelming choosing the right platform for your business' website. Having worked in several, I have narrowed down my top 2. Squarespace for service based businesses and Shopify for e-commerce or product based businesses.
Read below for a very high level overview of why I like these platforms best. I will drill down in a future blog post on each platform in more detail so stay tuned.
Squarespace
Squarespace is my #1 for service based business owners for many reasons but I will keep it high level so as not to geek out!
Here are the main reasons why I recommend Squarespace:
Ability to create a unique, semi-custom website-you cannot directly edit the HTML code in Squarespace but can over-ride it with CSS or simply use their drag and drop fluid engine to design your website.
Easy for the client to make edits post designer hand-off saving business owners time and cost (no need to hire a designer) when they need to make minor changes to their website.
Robust one-stop shop for managing email marketing and creating emails that are on-brand for your business.
Squarespace owns Acuity scheduling which is an awesome system for those requiring online appointment booking like yoga studios, photographers and consultants.
Affordable-of course the more bells and whistles you add the higher the cost but Squarespace plans start as low as $16/month. Plus, I am able to offer my clients a 20% discount through my membership in Squarespace Circle.
Shopify
Shopify is made for e-commerce businesses and e-commerce businesses alone. It is the most robust option available with multiple apps (some free) and integrations making it affordable and the complete package for e-commerce businesses.
Here are the reasons I recommend Shopify:
Many theme options available with the ability to customize specifically for your business to stand out from the competition.
Built to function as an e-commerce website platform.
Ability to easily scale your website as you grow.
Create custom product page templates once and use again and again.
Ability to directly access and edit the theme code if you have the skills or hire a designer to level-up your website with the ability to continue adding new products yourself post design (thank you custom product pages that are easy to duplicate).
Again, everything I have shared is very high level. There are many more reasons to love these 2 platforms depending on your type of business. I have found these to be the most user friendly for clients post professional design as well. This huge for a business owner needing to make regular site updates and not wanting to pay a designer every time they need to add product or tweak their service offer.
