Wix, Squarespace or Shopify for a small business

The short answer

Wix Studio

The most flexible of the three for a service business. Bookings, forms, automations and member areas are native rather than bolted on, and the editor gives real control over how the site behaves at different screen sizes. It is also the easiest of the three for a business owner to maintain without breaking anything, which matters more than people expect. A site nobody updates goes stale within a year. The trade off is that the flexibility can produce a slow site if it is built carelessly. Animation effects in particular are easy to overuse.

Choose Wix Studio if

• You take bookings or enquiries rather than selling products

• You want to update content yourself

• You need forms, automations or a member area

• Your site is between four and twelve pages

Squarespace

Squarespace produces the cleanest result with the least effort. The templates are genuinely well designed and it is difficult to make something ugly, which is a real advantage.

It handles small product catalogues well, particularly for makers, artists and studios selling a limited range. Print on demand integrations work smoothly. It is less flexible than Wix Studio once requirements get specific. Complex booking logic or unusual layouts hit limits sooner.

Choose Squarespace if

• The site is mostly about how the work looks

• You sell a small number of products

• You want something clean without a lot of configuration

Shopify

If selling products is the business rather than an addition to it, Shopify is the right answer and the others are not close. Inventory, variants, shipping rules, payment gateways, abandoned cart recovery and reporting are all built for scale. The cost is higher and the content pages are weaker. Shopify is a shop with pages attached, not a website with a shop attached.

Choose Shopify if

• Product sales are the main revenue

• You have more than about twenty products, or products with variants

• You need proper stock, shipping and tax handling

• You want detailed sales reporting

What people get wrong

Choosing on price alone

The build is a one off. The platform is something you live with. A cheaper build on the wrong platform costs more within two years, usually at the point where you need something it cannot do.

Assuming one is better for SEO

All three can rank. What matters is whether page titles, meta descriptions, heading structure and alt text are set properly, and whether the content answers what people search for. A well built site on any of the three will outrank a neglected site on any other.

Building for the business you might become

Choosing Shopify because you might sell products one day means paying for and managing an online store you do not use. Build for the business you have now.

One thing to insist on Ownership. Whichever platform you choose, the account should be in your name with you as owner, and you should receive full access at handover. If a builder keeps the site under their own account, you cannot leave without rebuilding.

What is not included in a build

On any platform, these are separate costs and should be listed in your quote rather than discovered later.

• Domain registration and renewal

• Platform subscription, paid directly to Wix, Squarespace or Shopify

• Paid apps or plugins

• Stock photography

• Business email hosting

Frequently asked questions

Which platform is best for SEO?

All three can rank well. What matters is whether page titles, meta descriptions, heading structure and image alt text are set properly, and whether the content answers what people actually search for. A well built site on any of the three will outrank a neglected site on any other.

Can I update the website myself afterwards?

Yes on all three, and Wix Studio is the most forgiving for a business owner making changes without breaking the layout. Ownership should be transferred at handover so the account is in your name.

What is not included in a website quote?

Domain registration and renewal, the platform subscription paid directly to Wix, Squarespace or Shopify, paid apps or plugins, stock photography and business email hosting. These should be listed in the quote rather than discovered later.

How much does a small business website cost?

Website builds from NK Collective start at $600 plus GST for up to four pages, $1,100 for up to eight pages, and $1,700 for an online store. Every project is quoted as a fixed price against a written scope.

How long does a website take to build?

Typically five to seven working days once content and platform access are supplied. The content is usually what determines the timeline rather than the build itself.