“55% of marketers say blog content creation is their top inbound marketing priority.” (Hubspot) So with over half of marketers saying that a blog is an essential component of a strong business plan, you can’t afford not to jump in.
So should you use Squarespace for blogs in 2022? Besides the one statistic, is it even that relevant anymore to have a blog on your website? Is it worth the time and effort? We’ll answer these questions and more in this detailed guide of Squarespace for blogs.
Benefits of a Blog Strategy for Your Business
On top of that first statistic of the attention that marketers are directing towards blog content, here’s another one for you: “75% of marketers say SEO is their most efficient content marketing tactic.” (bloggingwizzard)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the way to get your website at the top of Google search results. This process requires finding keywords related to your niche and strategically intertwining them throughout your website so that even if someone doesn’t directly type in your business’s name, your website will still show up in their search results.
For example, if you sell clothing, some keywords that you would want your website to show up for if someone types a quick Google search could be “fashion trends,” “summer dresses,” or “outfits for winter.” Of course, the easiest way to implement an SEO strategy is to start a blog. Here are three other benefits for why you should have a blog strategy in place.
Drive Traffic to Your Website
One of the top reasons to have a blog strategy for your website, other than the SEO boost, is that they drive traffic to your website. Whether you are promoting the blogs through social media or sharing them with your email list, blogs are designed to capture the attention of potential customers and, somewhat unknowingly, drive them your way.
For example, that same clothing brand could publish a few blogs about the “Top Trends This Summer” or “5 Ways To Wear A Scarf,” which will draw readers without them even knowing who you are yet.
Converts Traffic to Leads
Once you have that traffic reading through your blogs, you can convert that traffic to a lead with a simple CTA (Call to Action). Another key way to drive more clicks is to include links to your other blog posts or products throughout your blog as well. The biggest step is getting the traffic to your website, and so once you have them there through a blog post, you will be that much closer to a sales conversion.
Positions Yourself As a Leader In Your Niche
Another benefit of a blog strategy for a business is that it helps share your knowledge about the industry you’re in. Not only will your potential customers be able to rely on your brand as a knowledge source, but also this is key for building social trust.
Whether you’re a clothing brand, marketing coach, health guru, or more, customers will be more likely to purchase with your business if they feel that you are well-versed and knowledgeable about the industry that you’re in.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder and hosting company that can be used to create powerful eCommerce websites, simple blog sites, or both. The business launched in 2004 and has been used by countless website designers since.
Top Features of Squarespace for Blogs
There are a lot of great features included with Squarespace, but from a website manager’s standpoint, there are a few that stand out, especially such as user-friendliness, marketing tools, and domains.
User-Friendly Website Builder Dashboard
The great thing about Squarespace for blogs is that it features a super simple and intuitive dashboard for the “behind the scenes” work. Depending on the template you choose, each comes with pre-built pages to get you started. In addition, the visual editor makes it easy to edit individual website pages and add new blog posts.
The nice thing about the blog editor is that you can either edit it either within the editor or directly on the page to visually see the layout as you write. Then you can quickly schedule blog posts to publish to maintain the delivery of a consistent stream of content.
Marketing Tools
The other bonus feature about Squarespace for blogs is the marketing tools. With Squarespace, you can link your blog to over 20 different channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and many others. In addition, with built-in integrations, you can easily make it so each time you publish a blog post, it is automatically shared on the designated social media channels.
Squarespace also offers email marketing capabilities to design email campaigns directly from the platform by pulling aspects of your website, such as recent blog posts or products with descriptions and pricing. We always appreciate some solid automation!
Free Domain Name
Your domain name is the website address that people use to find your business. When you think of pricing for your website, a website builder is just one cost, but you also need to consider the costs of hosting your domain name, which is usually separate. This can typically run you an additional $10-$15 per month. With Squarespace, when you sign up for the annual billing, you also receive a free domain for the first year.
Squarespace For Ecommerce
As we’ve mentioned earlier in this post, a content marketing strategy is becoming more and more important for successful businesses, including the eCommerce industry. So the best feature, in our opinion, about Squarespace for blogs is its eCommerce integration.
Squarespace features multiple customizable templates that help online stores showcase their products. The platform also features an Inventory Management dashboard to manage and organize all of your products with a simple drag and drop builder.
The other bonus of Squarespace for eCommerce is that they allow an unlimited number of products. Compared to some of the other eCommerce website builders, which limit how much you can manage on their platform, this feature definitely stands out.
Here are just a few of the other notable points of Squarespace for eCommerce:
- Shoppable Product Catalog
- Rich Product Displays
- Limited Availability Labels
- ‘Related Products’ Feature
- Mobile Optimized Store
Pricing
Squarespace offers three levels of pricing plans – Personal, Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce. The Personal plan is more for individuals who want to host a simple website with a blog. However, if you plan to run this website for your business, you should start at the Business plan at the minimum.
Should you use Squarespace for blogs in 2022?
By this point, we hope you have a pretty solid idea of all that Squarespace for blogs has to offer.
If you want a quick and straightforward way to get started, Squarespace for blogs is a great option. With the user-friendly dashboard and marketing features, this platform is a good choice for any beginner blogger to get started. Then, on top of that, the built-in eCommerce features and templates make this Squarespace an ideal choice for online store owners looking to include a blog with your eCommerce website.
Although, if you’re still interested in shopping around, check out some of our other recent blog posts about alternatives to this website builder:
Shopify vs. WordPress: Which is the Better Website Platform for Ecommerce Businesses in 2021?
WooCommerce vs. Magento: Top 6 Essential Factors to Consider
How Else Can You Drive Traffic to Your Website?
The simple answer? Facebook Ads.
However, Facebook advertising can be a dangerous and potentially expensive territory to get into if you don’t know what you’re doing…
The BeyondSixFigures Farm Method is a carefully crafted blueprint designed explicitly for eCommerce store owners to scale their marketing efforts. The blueprint is divided into five sections that map out an entire journey keeping four things in mind: Consistency, LOW CPP, Infrastructure, and Scalability. So if you want to scale your business into the big leagues or are just tired of hitting Google and Facebook ad roadblocks, you NEED to check this out!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Squarespace good for blogs?
It’s okay, but not the best option out there. While Squarespace is easy to use, it isn’t as powerful or intuitive as some of the alternatives, such as WordPress.
Is Squarespace free for blogging?
No, it’s not free, but the pricing is reasonable. Starting a blog will only cost you $16/month if you pay monthly or $144/year if you pay annually. However, it’s important to note that the price is only for your base blog website. Additional plugins and extensions will come with their own prices, which can quickly add up.
Should I start a blog on Squarespace?
Squarespace is a great place to start a blog because it’s very user-friendly and even offers a free website domain. However, there are many other options, such as WordPress or Blogger, that give you more features and flexibility at a lower price tag.
Which Squarespace template is best for blogging?
Squarespace offers 113 templates that can all be used to start a blog. But, of course, it depends on your brand and niche for which template will be best for your business.