Why I Recommend Squarespace over Wordpress For Health Practitioners

It’s no secret around here that Squarespace is my favourite website platform. I recommend to almost every health practitioner I chat with.

But Wordpress has been the go-to option for websites for years now. So why am I suggesting practitioners switch to Squarespace instead?

Let’s dive into the reasons why Squarespace is the superior choice for health pracs.

10 Reasons Why I Recommend Squarespace over Wordpress For Health Pracs

The fees are clear-cut - no unexpected costs

With Wordpress, there are multiple costs to consider. Your hosting fees, domain, fees for any plugins, your theme – the list goes on. That doesn’t even factor in whether you get a web designer to design your website for you.

On the other hand, Squarespace is just one simple cost based on what you want for your website. This includes your domain, templates, mobile optimisation, plugins and hosting. If you want something more complex like a shop, you simply choose a higher-level plan.

To get started, it can cost as little as $16 per month!

Your site comes with in-built security features

If you have a Wordpress website, the security is up to you. You need to organise an SSL certificate and it’s your job to fix it if something goes wrong.

On the other hand, Squarespace covers the security aspect for you. You even receive an SSL certificate with any Squarespace plan – so that’s one less tech problem to worry about!

It’s easier to learn if you want to DIY your site

Unless you are tech-inclined or have dozens of hours spare to teach yourself, you will need to outsource a Wordpress site to a designer. Putting a site together is complex and requires a variety of tech skills to do, particularly if you want an attractive and functional site!

But if you want to DIY your site, Squarespace is a much simpler option. It’s more intuitive, and you don’t need to know a scrap of coding to find your way around.

I do recommend having your initial Squarespace site designed for you. This ensures that your branding and functionality are up to scratch. It also means that your website is up and running quickly, so you can start seeing clients and sharing your knowledge via content!

But most practitioners can easily update their content, post blogs and even make small adjustments to pages without needing a tech support session. If you’re on a tight budget, you can get a simple one page Squarespace site up and running, and expand it down the track.

Maintenance requirements are much lower

With Wordpress, there is something we know as the ‘white wall of death’. Basically, something has crashed a page or even the whole site by being out of date, glitching, or simply clashing with another plugin or theme.

Between the software, themes and plugins, maintaining a Wordpress site is practically a part-time job. Either you or your web guru needs to be regularly updating these, as well as fixing any issues that arise. It’s recommended that when you do update it, you back your website up beforehand so that you don’t risk losing the whole kit and caboodle.

Sound like too much hard work? That’s what I think too - and tech is my zone of genius!

The low-maintenance alternative is, of course, Squarespace.

Squarespace plugins are all in-built to the platform, as are the updates. If something does go wrong with a plugin or theme, Squarespace are the ones who update them. The only thing you need to keep updated is the content itself!⁠

Want to add an online store that is easy to keep updated? You got it!

If you want to have an online store for your website, it means another plugin for Wordpress. This is another working part that you need to keep updated to minimise the risk of problems or even crashes. Sometimes, it also means paying extra fees for plugins and extensions.

On the other hand, for Squarespace, all you need to do is choose a plan with a store included. Just like any other plugin, Squarespace keeps it updated for you.

If you opt for the Business plan starting at $25/month, there is a 3% transaction fee on your products. But if you plan on selling through your store regularly, the Commerce plan starts at $34/month with no transaction fees and more features to support your store.

You can still add custom coding if you want to

Wordpress relies on coding to create websites. That’s one of the reasons it is not the best choice for people who struggle with tech.

But if you’re a tech geek like me (or working with one), you might like the freedom of adding your own code. Good news – you can do that with Squarespace. Simply choose any plan that includes ‘Complete Customization with CSS and JavaScript’.

With one click, you can check the mobile version of your pages and blogs

You never know whether people are checking you out via their desktop, laptop or their smartphone. One common issue that pops up with Wordpress pages (and other popular platforms!) is elements being incompatible or the wrong size for a mobile.

But with Squarespace, you can easily toggle between the mobile and desktop view of any page. Just look for the little mobile icon in the top right-hand corner of the edit screen.

Sourcing and adjusting images is a piece of cake

Find good stock images for your site can be a huge time-waster. It’s even more of an issue if you are blogging regularly, as you could spend anywhere from 10-30 minutes just to find one picture for one blog!

But what if you didn’t have to download, resize and upload images constantly? Luckily you can do that with Squarespace.

Squarespace is integrated with Unsplash - one of the best free stock image sites around. You can find something to suit your page or blog needs with a search - no need to download and re-upload.

They have excellent customer service

Lost, confused, or broken something? When things go wrong on a Wordpress website, you really only have two options. You can watch a thousand Youtube guides or read a dozen blog threads about it, or you can pay someone who works with Wordpress to untangle the issue.

Squarespace has an incredible dedicated customer service team. If something goes wrong, you can contact their 24/7 Customer Support. In most cases, you’ll hear back with them within an hour of you sending an email or message via LiveChat.

You end up saving hours of time that can be spent seeing clients!

Let’s be honest - you don’t want to spend hours creating, maintaining and updating your website. If you did, you would have studied web design instead of health.

You’re a practitioner. You want to spend your days serving your ideal clients through your products and service offers. A website is supposed to be a tool that helps you reach more people, not something that takes up your precious time and energy.

By choosing a website platform that is easy to use, is automatically updated and all-inclusive, you save hours that are better spent doing exactly that.

Does Squarespace sound like the option for you?

Whether you’re a new practitioner on a budget, or you want to move your site from another platform across to Squarespace, I’m here to help.

To see your options for a new Squarespace website or one-page website, click here.

If you need help moving your current site across from Squarespace, contact me here for a custom quote.