Custom code beats templates.
Squarespace made website building accessible. But accessible and effective are not the same thing. Here's why serious businesses are choosing hand-coded sites instead.
The Squarespace problem nobody talks about
Squarespace did something genuinely useful: it gave people without technical skills the ability to build a website. For personal projects and hobby sites, that's a real achievement. But somewhere along the way, businesses started treating it as a serious web platform — and that's where things fall apart.
The reality is that every Squarespace site shares the same underlying codebase, the same template constraints, and the same performance ceiling. Your site loads the same bloated JavaScript bundle whether you need those features or not. Your design is constrained to what the template allows. Your SEO is limited to whatever Squarespace's built-in tools provide. And you're paying monthly for the privilege of renting a platform you'll never own.
We build the opposite: hand-coded websites where every line of code serves a purpose. No template constraints, no platform bloat, no monthly rent. Just clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that loads fast, ranks well, and looks exactly the way your brand demands. The difference shows up in every metric that matters — page speed, search rankings, conversion rates, and the bottom line.
Side-by-side comparison
How Squarespace stacks up against a hand-coded website built by Jaunt Studio.
| Feature | Squarespace | Jaunt Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Template-dependent, shared hosting, 3-5s load times | Hand-coded, sub-second loads, 100 Lighthouse scores |
| Design Freedom | Limited to template constraints and section types | Completely bespoke, pixel-perfect to your brand |
| SEO Control | Basic built-in SEO tools, limited schema support | Full technical SEO, schema markup, clean semantic HTML |
| Ownership | Platform lock-in, monthly fees, you rent everything | You own every line of code, no lock-in whatsoever |
| Customisation | Drag-and-drop within template limits | Unlimited possibilities, no constraints |
| Monthly Cost | £12-40/mo forever, costs never stop | One-time build, hosting from £25/mo |
| Code Quality | Auto-generated bloated HTML and heavy JavaScript | Semantic, hand-coded, lean and fast |
| Support | Ticket-based, generic help centre articles | Direct access to your developer, priority response |
When Squarespace makes sense
We're not here to pretend Squarespace has no place in the world. It does — just not for every business. If you're running a personal blog, documenting a hobby, or putting up a simple page for a side project with zero budget, Squarespace is a perfectly reasonable choice. It gets something online quickly and cheaply.
It also works for businesses in the very earliest stages — when you're testing an idea and need a placeholder site before committing to a proper build. There's no shame in starting with a template if the alternative is having no web presence at all. The problem comes when businesses outgrow Squarespace but stay on it out of inertia, paying monthly for a site that's actively holding them back in search rankings and conversions.
When custom is the clear choice
If your website is a revenue driver — not just a digital business card — a custom-coded site is the smarter investment. That means any business where website performance directly impacts sales, leads, or brand perception.
- Conversion-focused businesses — where every second of load time affects your bottom line
- Brand-conscious companies — where looking like every other Squarespace site undermines your positioning
- SEO-dependent businesses — where ranking on page one is the difference between thriving and invisible
- Growth-stage companies — where your site needs to scale with your ambition, not constrain it
- Professional services — where your website is your first impression and it needs to be flawless
If any of those describe your situation, you've already outgrown Squarespace. The question is how long you keep paying for a platform that's costing you more than its monthly fee.
Frequently asked questions
For businesses that depend on their website to generate leads or sales, absolutely. A custom site pays for itself through better conversion rates, stronger SEO rankings, and faster load times that keep visitors engaged. Squarespace's monthly fees also add up — after two to three years, you've often spent more than a custom build would have cost, and you still don't own the underlying platform.
Yes. We build sites with clear documentation and, where needed, integrate lightweight CMS solutions that let you update content, images, and blog posts without touching code. You get the simplicity of a content editor without the bloat of a full platform like Squarespace.
Most projects launch within 2-6 weeks. A focused landing page can be live in under a fortnight. A full multi-page site typically takes 4-6 weeks. That's comparable to the time most businesses spend wrestling with Squarespace templates before giving up and hiring someone anyway.
Squarespace bundles features like forms, galleries, and basic e-commerce. We integrate the same functionality — and more — using best-in-class tools. Contact forms, booking systems, payment gateways, email marketing integrations — all connected cleanly without the overhead of a monolithic platform slowing everything down.
Want to see the difference for yourself?
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