Is Squarespace or Joomla better for SEO?

Squarespace gives more direct SEO control. Squarespace: Image URLs sit on Squarespace's CDN and must be downloaded and re-hosted before cancelling the plan. Joomla: Legacy URLs often include index.php or item IDs, so redirects need pattern rules as well as one-to-one mappings.

Which is cheaper to run, Squarespace or Joomla?

Squarespace typically costs CA$25–$70/month; Joomla typically costs CA$20–$300/month hosting. Maintenance time matters too: Squarespace needs less ongoing upkeep.

Can we migrate from Squarespace to Joomla later?

Joomla is rarely a good migration target for growing organisations; most teams move in the other direction.

Which is easier for editors, Squarespace or Joomla?

Squarespace is generally easier day to day, but a well-built site on either platform can be simple for editors.

Can DoodleWeb Canada help us decide?

Yes. Our free audit reviews your content, traffic and goals and recommends a platform, even if it is not one we would build on.

DoodleWeb Canada is the Canadian company of Seattle-founded DoodleWeb, based in Surrey, BC. We design, build, and grow websites and digital platforms on Drupal, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, BigCommerce, and React for higher education, government, aerospace, healthcare, nonprofit, and growing brands across Canada and the United States.

Where is DoodleWeb based?

DoodleWeb Canada is based at 13655 Fraser Highway, 11th Floor, Surrey, BC V3T 2V6, Canada. We serve clients across Canada and the United States.

What services does DoodleWeb offer?

Custom web design and development, CMS builds and migrations (Drupal, WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, BigCommerce), eCommerce, headless commerce, React/Next.js engineering, React Native mobile apps, rebranding, accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA, AODA, Section 508), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and SLA-backed managed hosting and maintenance.

How much does a DoodleWeb website cost?

Marketing sites start around CAD $16K, CMS rebuilds run CAD $34K–$108K, and enterprise Drupal, headless commerce, and government platforms start at CAD $108K and scale to $340K+. Every project quote is fixed-fee by milestone and returned within 48 hours of the discovery call, with no retainer hidden inside the project fee. Care plans and marketing retainers are separate, publicly priced monthly subscriptions. All figures are starting points, not flat rates — final pricing varies with site size, page count, content volume, integrations, custom functionality, and migration complexity.

How long does a website project take?

Marketing sites launch in 6–10 weeks, mid-market CMS platforms in 10–16 weeks, and enterprise Drupal, government, or commerce rebuilds in 4–6 months. Exact timeline, milestone dates, and acceptance criteria are written into the SOW before kickoff.

Can DoodleWeb get my brand cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude?

Yes. Our AEO/GEO program restructures content into Q&A patterns, ships FAQ / Organization / Article / BreadcrumbList JSON-LD schema, publishes /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt, and runs weekly citation tests across all four major answer engines so engines extract and cite your brand. Initial citations typically appear within 30–60 days.

How do I contact DoodleWeb?

Email info@doodleweb.ca or book a free 30-minute consultation at https://doodleweb.ca/book. You will speak directly with a senior strategist, not a sales rep.

CMS comparison

Squarespace vs Joomla: which CMS fits your organisation?

Short answer

Choose Squarespace for portfolios and creative businesses and when ease of editing, seo control, low maintenance matter most. Choose Joomla for existing community and association sites and when flexibility, governance and roles matter most. Squarespace is a hosted website builder (saas); Joomla is a open-source php cms, so the real decision is how much control you want versus how much you want managed for you.

Get a free plan: Squarespace vs Joomla platform choice

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At a glance

Ratings reflect DoodleWeb's experience building and migrating both platforms for Canadian clients.

Squarespace JoomlaDoodleWeb rating out of 5

Ease of editing: Squarespace 5/5Joomla 2/5
Flexibility: Squarespace 2/5Joomla 4/5
eCommerce: Squarespace 2/5Joomla 2/5
Governance and roles: Squarespace 1/5Joomla 3/5
Performance: Squarespace 3/5Joomla 3/5
SEO control: Squarespace 3/5Joomla 2/5
Low maintenance: Squarespace 5/5Joomla 2/5

Side-by-side comparison

Squarespace vs Joomla feature comparison
Criteria	Squarespace	Joomla
Type	Hosted website builder (SaaS)	Open-source PHP CMS
Hosting	Fully hosted by Squarespace	Self-hosted
Licence	Monthly or annual subscription	GPL, free core
Typical running cost	CA$25–$70/month	CA$20–$300/month hosting
Content model	Pages, collections (blog, events, products, gallery)	Articles, categories, menus, modules and custom fields; extensions such as K2 add their own tables
URL structure	/blog/slug, /shop/p/slug, collection-based paths	Menu-based SEF URLs, sometimes with /index.php/ or ID prefixes
Extensions	Squarespace Extensions and code injection	~6,000 extensions in the Joomla Extensions Directory
Getting content out	WordPress-format XML export for pages and blog; product CSV; galleries and some blocks do not export	Direct MySQL access, Joomla Web Services API (4+), extension-specific exports