Beauty bloggers have preferences in what brands they reach for every single day.

Fitness instructors have preferences in the exercises that will get results. Bloggers, business owners and creative entrepreneurs have preferences over website platforms.

For me? That's Squarespace.

I made the switch to Squarespace nearly two years ago and honestly, I wish I’d done it sooner. It’s such an amazing platform and if anyone ever asks me what they should use for their website, this is the recommendation I give them.

So what’s so great about Squarespace and why should you become a fan? This is the question I’m answering today.

WHAT IS SQUARESPACE?

Squarespace is an online platform where you can host and build your website.

Other website platforms include WordPress and Blogger, which you’ll probably be familiar with.

WHY I USE SQUARESPACE

IT’S GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN AN EASY-TO-USE SYSTEM

I’m the sort of person that doesn’t like any faff - I always want things to be straightforward, without anything added on.

If you’re on WordPress, you have to buy plugins and know quite a bit of code to get the features you want.

With Squarespace it’s the opposite. Everything is built into the platform through the use of blocks. It’s super simple!

Here’s an example.

If you want to have a “related blog posts” feature on WordPress, you’ll either have to buy a theme that already has this feature built in, or buy the right plugin. On Squarespace, this feature is built in - all you need to do is add a Summary block, pick the category of posts you want to feature and there you go.

That’s all in just a few clicks and can appear anywhere on your website. I always include one at the end of every post I publish.

I love that it helps me format a post in a much simpler way and also in a quick amount of time.

IT KEEPS EVERYTHING SIMPLE AND MAKES YOU FOCUS ON WHAT’S IMPORTANT

If I asked you what the most important part of a website is, what would you say?

Images? Colours? Brand style?

For me, it’s the content. And that’s why I love Squarespace.

You can make your Squarespace website look absolutely beautiful right from the get-go, without any complications.

The platform comes with fully functional templates that tick all the right boxes and they’re also all mobile responsive.

So instead of worrying too much about other elements, you can concentrate on the thing that’s really going to keep readers coming back - your content.

IT’S SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE

When I was using Blogger, I was constantly in fear of my website’s security. I had no real control over it. I didn’t really even own it (thanks Google).

Again, this is another example of how I wasted time trying to figure out what the best solution was, and I haven’t had to do this with Squarespace.

I get that nothing is ever 100% secure and I know that problems with arise every so often for all the platforms out there. But it’s given me much more peace of mind knowing that I don’t need to worry about my website’s security.

If you choose Squarespace, you’ll get that peace of mind too.

THE SQUARESPACE TEAM IS AMAZING

Honestly, I’ve never experience customer service like it, and this is why I’m a loyal customer. It’s one of the things this platform is KNOWN for.

Their email and live chat support is absolutely fantastic - responsive, help and they get the problem solved quickly.

I had SO many questions when I was making the switch from Blogger to Squarespace and all of them were answered in a matter of minutes. You can even tweet them with a small problem and they’ll get back to you right away.

But the best thing is that you don’t have to rely on other people for help. The Squarespace team is right there, telling you exactly what you need to know.

YOU CAN DO THINGS MUCH QUICKER

If you had an idea for a blog post and want to launch it tomorrow, you could do it in a whole less lot of time compared to other platforms.

I can format a post in less than half an hour, because I know exactly what I want and it’s so simple to use.

YOU DON’T NEED TO BE TECH-SAVVY

This was the winner for me. As my blog and online presence grew on the Blogger platform, there were so many things I wanted to do but couldn’t- because I was completed restricted (and wasn’t techy at all).

With Squarespace, you can learn how to use it AND have complete control of your website without having a lot of tech knowledge. You don’t have to search for a bit of code or wait on your designer to tweak things.

You can just get in there and create everything yourself.

I’m definitely not tech-savvy and this was my biggest fear when I first wanted to transition to Squarespace. I didn’t think I was capable.

But now, I’ve managed to make the switch and design and build my whole website by myself. And whenever I need to make any changes or add something new, I do it all on my own too.

I add the page, lay it out, create the images, write the text - and it’s all so simple and easy to do.

There’s no limit. I can do whatever I want with my website and the best bit? I’m not waiting on anyone else to do it for me. I’ve got complete control.

Your are your own blogging or business boss, and when something goes wrong, you want to add in something, or you forgot to add an element to a certain blog post, you need to be able to do that yourself. And you can with Squarespace.

EXAMPLES OF HOW I USE SQUARESPACE

#1 | I USE SQUARESPACE FOR MY HOMEPAGE

I love the fact that I can create my own homepage on Squarespace. It acts as a cover, like a shop front for your website.

It's made my life so much easier?

I chose a cover that split the page in half - image on the right and text, links and a call-to-action on the left. Simple.

#2 | I USE SQUARESPACE FOR MY SALES PAGE

You can create whatever page you want with Squarespace.

I created my sales page for the Blogging Breakthrough community, including talking about the community itself, the magazine and the 28-day blogging challenge.

It actually needs updating so I can't wait to dig into the backend and refresh it!

It's fun, easy and I can brand it and make it look exactly how I want. A great tip is to lay out your ideas on paper first - that way you've got something to go off!

#3 | I USE SQUARESPACE FOR CALL-TO-ACTIONS

I create two main call-to-actions at the end of each blog post - join the Blogging Breakthrough community and read some related posts.

As I said earlier, these can both be done by adding blocks in the backend of Squarespace.

#4 | I USE SQUARESPACE FOR MY WORK WITH ME PAGE

When I was ready to set up my Work With Me Page, I knew it would be simple enough with Squarespace.

I new exactly what I wanted so I added a new page and got going. The text blocks make it great to put blocks of text side by side, next to an image and so on.

#5 | I USE SQUARESPACE FOR MY ARCHIVES

A great thing to do for new readers is to offer them a "Start Here" page.

So they go to this page on your site, all your categories are listed and they can find exactly what they want to look for.

This is a good trick for starting to build a loyal relationship with a reader for the first time - they might feel overwhelmed when they visit your site for the first time, and you're taking their feelings into account.

#6 | I USE SQUARESPACE TO OFFER POST-SPECIFIC OPT INS

Anytime I want to offer an extra specific download in one of my blog posts, I just use the form block in Squarespace where people can sign up to get it.