Squarespace Template Web Design vs. Custom Web Design: What’s the Difference?
If you’re ready to invest in a new website for your business, or perhaps your very first website you’ve may have come across two options: a Squarespace template website or a fully custom-designed site. The questions is, what exactly is the difference between them, and which one is right for you?
I’ll break it down so you can make a confident choice based on your goals, budget, and how you want your brand to show up online.
What is a Squarespace Template Web Design?
Squarespace offers beautifully designed free templates that are built to be flexible, mobile-friendly, and easy to manage. As a Squarespace web designer, I work with these templates strategically, meaning I don’t just plug in your content and call it a day. Instead, I customize the layout, colors, fonts, and overall structure to align with your brand and ensure your site is optimized for SEO and user experience. As well as free Squarespace templates available through the Squarespace website you can also purchase Squarespace templates through sites like Squarekicker or Big Cat Creative the paid website templates tend to be a little more built out and generally speaking, come with stock photos for you to use or replace with your own brand imagery.
This is not a cookie-cutter approach. It’s a smart, streamlined and affordable website process that gets your business online quickly with a site that feels polished and professional.
Benefits of Using a Squarespace Template:
Affordable and efficient: Ideal for small businesses or freelancers looking for a cost-effective website design without compromising on style or strategy.
Strategic customization: A well-chosen template becomes the starting point for a website that still feels unique to your brand.
Built-in SEO tools: Like most website platforms, Squarespace includes foundational SEO settings, title tags, meta descriptions, image alt text, and clean URLs. These are the SEO basics and perfect for getting started and gaining more online visibility. A beautiful website and strategic SEO is a big step towards increased online visibility, trust and connection with your ideal client.
Easier to maintain: No ongoing developer needed, you can update your website yourself, which makes it perfect for growing businesses.
Are paid Squarespace Templates Worth It?
Paid Squarespace templates are often a smart investment for small businesses and creatives who want to elevate their brand presence without going fully custom. These premium templates typically come with a more refined aesthetic, built-in strategy, and thoughtful page layouts designed to guide your visitor through your site with ease. Many also include additional page designs, like portfolio pages, sales pages, or long-form landing pages - that aren’t available in the free versions.
Another key advantage? They're usually created by experienced designers who understand conversion, mobile responsiveness, and user experience, so you’re starting with a solid foundation. For businesses looking to launch with intention, a paid template offers a polished, professional feel and a smoother design process.
What is a Custom Web Design?
A custom website design is built from the ground up, and usually a developer creating every layout, element, and function specifically for you.
This level of customization is great for brands with complex functionality needs, such as online stores with advanced features, booking systems, or custom animations. It’s also the go-to for businesses that want every single detail of the site created from scratch.
Pros of Custom Web Design:
100% tailored to you: No limitations on design or functionality.
Ideal for complex needs: Custom integrations, advanced development, or highly specific user experiences.
Scalable: If you’re a larger business with long-term growth plans and a healthy budget, custom might be worth the investment.
Squarespace Template Website vs. Custom Website: Which One Should You Choose?
It really comes down to what your business needs now and in the close future and (of course) what your budget allows. The headlines are:
Squarespace Template Web tend to be more affordable options and a swifter process. Many web designers working with templates offer a “website in a week” option with a lead time of a month.
Custom templates tend to be more expensive (the website is designed from scratch) and the process can run in to months all adding to the overall cost. If you need a complex website this is the better option.
If you’re wondering, “Is a Squarespace template right for me?”, here’s a good rule of thumb:
You want a beautiful, easy-to-navigate site that helps people find your services online.
You’re ready to get online without waiting months.
You care about design, but don’t need every inch of your site coded from scratch.
If that sounds like you? A Squarespace template web design is probably the perfect fit.
The Bottom Line
There’s no wrong choice, just the right fit for where you are now and see your business heading in the not too distant future. If you’re a creative or small business owner looking for an affordable website with strategic SEO, Squarespace template customization might be exactly what you need.
And if you ever outgrow your template site, you can always upgrade to custom later. But for most businesses, a template-based site - done well - is more than enough to establish authority, attract your ideal clients, and get found on search.
Want help deciding? I offer Squarespace template web design with SEO baked in, so your site doesn’t just look good, it works hard behind the scenes too.
Let’s chat about your goals and find the right path for your business.
