Why I'm considering the leap to Squarespace or Wordpress
I'm approaching a crossroads with my blog (and shop - closed indefinitely for some updating) that's requiring me to seriously consider what to do next. I'm ready to jump off of Blogger (the platform I currently use for my blog) and onto another bandwagon. Why? Well, several reasons, but these are the three biggies.
I want my website to look the way I want it to look
I'm not a web developer, and while I've enjoyed learning a little bit of code, I just don't have the time to do this on my own now that I'm working a lot more and I have two little kids. There have been many times over the years that I've wanted to make my blog look a certain way, but I just can't get there on my own.
I want easy-to-navigate archive pages
The lack of simple archives is maybe one of the most annoying aspects of the Blogger template for me. I've thought about setting these up manually, but again - I do not have the time to figure it out. I created this page on my site to try to make some of my archives more readily available to new readers, but it's a band-aid solution, at best.
I need a mobile-friendly platform
I can't stand the mobile site that Blogger offers for my template. Can't. Stand. It. I've switched over to it in the past in an effort to make the site easy to view on a phone or tablet, but switched because it's so clunky and unattractive. I mean, I'm not delusional. I know people are reading on mobile devices - I am too! I do most of my reading on Bloglovin or on my phone directly on the sites I follow. The reality is that I need a site that works for mobile. This one does not. If you're a reader, and this annoys you too, my apologies. I'm working on it!
So here's my problem. I'm not a web developer and I can't fathom spending a ton of money to pay someone to create a site for me. I know what I like, and I don't mind learning a little code (or using the small amount of knowledge I have now). But I also don't have a ton of time to spend building and updating the back-end of a site. These concerns make me think Squarespace is the way to go. But when I consider expanding the scope of my blog and business, I think Wordpress may be the way to go.
I'm ready to do this (like, yesterday), it's just a matter of finding the hours to make it happen. In the meantime, I've been researching online (obviously), and I've come across a bunch of resources that are have helped me clarify the differences between the two platforms.
A chart comparing the two platforms
The case for Wordpress (from a user / developer)
The case for Squarespace (from a user)
If you're a blogger or an online-shop owner, do you have an opinion as to where to go? I'd love to know if you're happy (or maybe not-so-happy) with your current platform. Thanks so much, in advance, for your feedback! And if you're a regular reader, I promise I'm thinking about you and your experience here as I determine how and where to make this leap.
Pictured: blog planner from Pretty Organised