WHY I MADE THE JUMP FROM SQUARESPACE WEB HOSTING TO DUDA HOSTING

As a photographer and designer based in Asheville, North Carolina, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients—from local law firms and restaurants to service-based businesses. For almost a decade, I designed websites on Squarespace, a platform known for its ease of use and streamlined templates. However, as my clientele evolved, so did their needs, and eventually, I found that Squarespace couldn’t provide the level of customization and flexibility my clients demanded. That’s when I made the switch to Duda, and I’ve never looked back.

In this article, I’ll break down why Duda is the best choice for small business owners looking to revamp their online presence, and why it’s the platform I now recommend to my web design clients.

Why Squarespace Stopped Working for Me

For a long time, Squarespace was a go-to platform for web design, especially for creatives and small businesses. The interface was simple, the templates were modern, and it didn’t take much time to build a clean website. But over time, I began to see some serious limitations, especially with the release of Squarespace 7.0. While the platform’s ease of use remained a plus, the design options became increasingly restrictive.

Many of the templates catered to a very niche aesthetic—great for a free-spirited artist selling handmade jewelry or an artsy bed-and-breakfast, but not ideal for my clients, like law firms, accounting firms, or in-home service providers. The lack of versatility made it difficult to create high-end, professional websites that stood out from the crowd.

Limited Customization with Squarespace

One of my biggest frustrations with Squarespace was how static the design options felt. The platform offers clean and simple templates, but these templates were often rigid and hard to customize beyond a certain point.

Key limitations included:

Static Navigation and Menu Options: The menus were easy to set up but didn’t offer much flexibility for customization.

Limited Fonts and Layouts: The text options, while clean, were basic, and the layouts often left much to be desired for clients wanting something more professional.

Mobile Responsiveness: Although Squarespace claims to be mobile-friendly, I found that some designs didn’t translate as seamlessly across devices as I would have liked.

Why I Made the Switch to Duda

When I first started exploring Duda, I quickly saw how this platform addressed many of the challenges I faced with Squarespace. Here’s why I made the switch:

1. Greater Design Flexibility

With Duda, I gained far more control over the look and feel of each website. The platform offers a wide variety of professional templates that cater to more than just creative businesses. Whether I’m designing a website for an Asheville law firm or a restaurant, I can now tailor each design to reflect a clean, high-end, professional image—without compromising on creativity.

2. True Responsive Design

One of the standout features of Duda is its commitment to responsive design. Every site I build automatically adjusts to look its best on any device—whether it’s a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. This is crucial for today’s small businesses because customers are more likely than ever to access your site from multiple devices. With Duda, you can be confident that your site will look flawless no matter how or where it’s viewed.

3. Ease of Editing for Clients

Many of my clients want a website they can easily update themselves once the design is complete. Whether they need to change business hours, update a menu, or add a new blog post, Duda makes it easy for non-tech-savvy business owners to make small updates without needing constant support. I also offer personalized guidance to help clients feel comfortable managing their site.

4. Enhanced SEO Capabilities

When it comes to SEO, Duda offers more flexibility than Squarespace. With Duda, I can fine-tune SEO settings for each individual page, ensuring that businesses like law firms, home service providers, or restaurants can attract more local customers in Asheville and surrounding areas. From custom meta tags to more advanced analytics, Duda is better equipped to help businesses rank higher on Google.

5. Perfect for Small Businesses

For small businesses in Asheville and beyond, having a professional, easy-to-navigate website is key to standing out from the competition. Duda’s design options offer the flexibility needed to create websites that reflect the unique needs of a variety of industries, from law firms and accounting services to restaurants and home service providers. No two businesses are alike, and Duda ensures that their websites aren’t either.

Conclusion: Why Duda is the Right Choice for Your Business

After making the switch to Duda, I’ve been able to design websites that truly reflect the needs and branding of my clients, from small businesses in Asheville to larger service providers across the region. If you’re considering a website revamp or looking to build a new site for your business, now is the time to explore your options.

Duda offers a perfect balance of flexibility, professionalism, and ease of use—making it ideal for businesses that need a high-end, responsive website that looks great on every device. If you’re ready to take your website to the next level, I’d love to discuss how I can help.

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I'm an Asheville based photographer and website designer with over twenty years of experience creating imagery for hundreds of clients in Western North Carolina and beyond. My studio photography specializes in headshots for business and corporations, law firms, artists, entrepreneurs, models, and actors, as well as stylized theme portrait sessions for personal branding, maternity, local and regional musicians. Photo services are available throughout the south, including Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Greenville, Columbia, Spartanburg, Knoxville, and Johnson City. Photo sessions are fun and easy, and consultations are always free, so drop me a line and let's plan something amazing together!