Running a successful beauty business involves making clients feel their best and providing great customer service. However, having a great website is essential to reach more clients and customers!
A professional website can showcase your work, share testimonials, sell your products, and make it easy for clients to book an appointment.
One challenge many beauty professionals face is choosing the best website platform for their needs. With so many options available, it can be difficult to decide.
All platforms have their pros and cons, which are important to take into account before investing in a monthly or annual subscription.
In this blog post, we will explore which of the two platforms your business should choose!
Squarespace:
Best for: Service-focused Businesses
Beauty professionals including Educators, Salon owners, Aestheticians, Hairstylists, Lash Technicians, Nail Technicians, Makeup Artists, Spas
Squarespace offers a fabulous set of tools beauty professionals need to establish their empire online!
If filling slots, retaining loyal clients or waking up to online sales makes you scream “YES!” then without a doubt, Squarespace is the platform for you
Pros:
Unique, visually stunning websites: In the beauty industry, aesthetic appeal is a must. Squarespace is super customizable & the culprit of many aesthetically pleasing sites that stand out and stop customers in their tracks
Editable: If you need to make edits to your website, such as changing an image, updating a product price or removing an element, it's possible with Squarespace! No need to contact your website designer for those minor changes. You can do it yourself! (p.s. make sure to go for a designer who provides you with video tutorials)
Passive Income: Online courses can be set up within your Squarespace account & you can monetize off digital content such as e-books and video content.
Automated Emails: Squarespace Scheduling automatically sends confirmations and reminder emails & texts (depending on the plan) to clients or students who book appointments with you. This means fewer no-shows! Plus follow-up emails can be sent out to receive feedback to improve/maintain satisfaction & remind them to book an appointment to maintain their beauty treatment!
Reach local clients: Contrary to belief, Squarespace SEO has seen big improvements in how sites appear in searches with good SEO settings.
Cons:
E-commerce: In comparison to Shopify, Squarespace has fewer e-commerce options. If you're looking to sell products in addition to your services, Squarespace is still the better option, but if e-commerce is your focus, Shopify's advanced e-commerce capabilities make it the better choice
Shopify:
Best for: Product-based businesses
Cosmetic & skincare lines, beauty brands (including hair!), selling digital products
If your business mainly products or you see a future in e-commerce, Shopify is hands down your best bet! Household names such as Kylie Beauty, Fenty Beauty, & Drunk Elephant all use Shopify as their e-commerce platform.
Shopify is easy to use, offers unlimited product uploads, great inventory management and marketing tools, making it a popular choice.
Pros:
Mobile & Tablet Friendly: With over 60% of website traffic coming from mobile devices, Shopify ensures a seamless shopping experience on all devices.
Tracking & Managing Inventory: Shopify provides advanced inventory management features, including:
Variants: Track different versions of a product (e.g., sizes, colors) with ease.
Low Stock Alerts: Receive notifications when inventory is running low, helping you prevent customers disappointed by the lack of stock!
Inventory Reports: Access detailed reports to identify which products are selling well and which might need to be discontinued or restocked.
Customizable Design: Shopify is more customizable than you think! Your store can be designed so it aligns with your beauty brand’s unique identity. Including branding colors, fonts, and layouts.
Cons:
Not suitable if you love DIY-ing: Unlike Squarespace, Shopify does require a bit more coding knowledge if you want a unique or intricate design. Hiring a designer with knowledge of HTML & CSS (like me!) is highly recommended
Monthly Subscription: Shopify monthly subscriptions aren't cheap! However, what you're investing in is access to a robust, feature-rich platform with extensive support, reliable performance, and a wide range of tools to help grow your business effectively!
In conclusion:
Choosing whether to use Shopify or Squarespace as your business's platform is highly dependent on your requirements as a business. Shopify is great for businesses who see a future selling mainly products & Squarespace is great for service providers and educators.
In discovery calls with clients, I recommend which platform is best for them based on the details of their goals, needs & requirements!
When it comes to the task of designing your own website, we do recommend avoiding the DIY route & investing in a site that avoids the headache of going through the rabbit hole of YouTube University, filtering through the helpful videos and unhelpful ones!
My services are perfect for beauty professionals & aestheticians who would prefer to focus on their clients & dedicate the task of designing and building their website to a professional who strategically designs to reach goals - whether that's filling up your schedule, getting more customers clicking the check-out button or growing in professionalism!
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