The saying goes - "No One Was Ever Fired For Hiring IBM". In some respects, being the first and biggest name in an industry can be the thing that keeps your brand going right up until it collapses under it's on weight.  Overwhelming name recognition can result in an autopilot lethargy that causes bad decisions. Market disruption and new technologies provide some companies a competitive edge because they see what's on the horizon and act. Squarespace is one of those companies, and you would be wise to consider using their website builder for your next website.

When it comes to web design platforms, WordPress is the ubiquitous go-to place for websites. Currently, there are 74,652,825 WordPress websites and an estimated 30,000 of them are hacked daily. It is the most used platform by architects, including amateurs and professionals alike.  But just because you're familiar with WordPress dose not mean it's necessarily the best system for visual marketing businesses.  In fact, Squarespace is a better option for architects to exhibit their work.  It has the additional benefit of reducing the time required for maintaining and keeping a website free from malware and hacks.

We use Squarespace to build websites for built environment companies.  Here's why:

Template Options - WordPress content management systems allow you to choose from hundreds of thousands of template options.  They are fixed templates with a hardened design. They are somewhat limiting if you want to change the look of the page, because if you're looking to add a designed content block, you need to code a new design template.  Squarespace templates are a bit different than the fixed templates. They offer fewer template options, but Squarespace templates are completely customizable. The templates work on content blocks that can be resized or moved to any location on a 12 column grid. So, as an example, if you want to change the width of a rotating gallery of photographs, you simply grab the edge and drag it horizontally until its the size you want. 

Ease of Use - Squarespace is an easier system to use than WordPress. When .net websites were the standard, WordPress allowed business owners to manage content without the hassle of calling a web designer. It reduced the time of website updates from days to hours. That was a five years ago. A lifetime on the Internet timeline. Compared to Squarespace, a wide range of users find WordPress frustrating and time consuming.  Squarespace was built with the user with an emphasis on design and accessible technology. Squarespace is not an open source platform. It's a walled garden system that's updated and maintained by Squarespace. No plugins, no updates and no need to worry about hacks and malware. According to Symantec, "More than 317 million new pieces of malware - computer viruses or other malicious software -- were created last year." 

In a nutshell, we build websites for architects using Squarespace because it allows us to concentrate on your brand, your work, and the content on your site. It allows our clients to invest in the things that create patrons like exceptional photography, keyword-rich blogs, conversion paths and finding higher-quality customers. Possibly the largest benefit of all is that Squarespace websites can be built in a fraction of the time required to create a Wordpress website. They cost less, get built in less time and never need updating. They are beautiful and allow you to concentrate on what's most important - architecture.