Squarespace for Small Business: A Q+A with a&bé Bridal Shop

Squarespace for Small Business: A Q+A with a&bé Bridal Shop

Let’s face it: if you’re reading GWS, we bet that you’ve got a creative soul. Have you thought about sharing your talents with the world? Maybe you’re in the midst of planning your wedding and finding how much you love calligraphy, florals, or designing and the thought crossed your mind of, “Yeah, I could do this for a living… But where does one even start?”

Well, fear not, because today we’re sharing this Q+A with a&bé bridal shop — a stylish bridal boutique for gals seeking romantic and up-and-coming dresses — and all about how they launched their website with Squarespace! So, if you’re thinking, “Maybe I could do that…” We’re pretty darn sure Squarespace’s user-friendly + perfect for small businesses aspects will convince you! Now, let’s talk to the team at a&bé and hear their story (they’ve been using Squarespace for the last decade!).

Squarespace

GWS: Tell us about your business.

a&bé bridal shop: We are a modern bridal shop. Our collection of wedding dress designers include some of the best indie, up-and-coming and cool designers out there: Rue De Seine, Made with Love, Truvelle, Rebecca Schoneveld, Rish Bridal, Jane Hill, and Flora to name a few. Our stylists are committed to giving our #aandbabes a laid-back but amazing wedding dress buying experience. We have locations in Denver, Minneapolis, Dallas, Miami, and recently opened locations in Portland and Seattle.

Squarespace

GWS: How do you stand out in a crowded market space?

a&bé bridal shop: We try and stand out from our competition through our website as well as creating our own content! We get compliments every single day, like really, every single day about how beautiful our website is. We spend A LOT of time and energy on our brand presence and our website is how it gets presented to the world and to our future brides. And even though everything we do is always a work-in-progress, it’s nice to get the positive feedback.

GWS: When did you launch your Squarespace site?

a&bé bridal shop: We opened our first bridal shop, anna bé, in Denver in December of 2006 and started using Squarespace when it was brand new in 2007, I believe. So we have been using Squarespace for a decade! Or course, when we opened a&bé in 2013 we didn’t even have to think about how we would create this brand’s website as we loved using Squarespace.

Squarespace

GWS: How has this site changed or impacted your business?

a&bé bridal shop: Squarespace has impacted our business a couple of ways:

#1: Helping us keep our marketing expenses low by offering a completely customizable website at a very affordable price. Customizable and manageable by me – someone who was no coding capabilities whatsoever!

#2: Analytics – I love how Squarespace presents this data. I find it so easy to decipher and use. It helps us make informed decisions about our business in regards to advertising, branding and sales!

#3: SEO – Squarespace has helped us continue to rank high in online searches. Year after year, we hear that at least 60% of our customers have found us through a google search, so ranking high on online searches has had a huge impact impact on your business traffic.

Squarespace

GWS: What are your plans + goals for before the year end?

a&bé bridal shop: It’s been on our wishlist for a very long time but maybe this is the year we tackle creating an online shop!

GWS: What have you found to have the most impact when designing your site + which template do you use?

a&bé bridal shop: Imagery and simplicity. So for that, we use the Adirondack template.

Squarespace

GWS: What advice would you give someone launching their business?

a&bé bridal shop: Remember to have fun! Take the time every once in awhile amidst the chaos to recognize that despite being extremely tired and overwhelmed — you are actually having a good time doing this. At least, that’s what I hope for you! Also, maybe not right away but hire help! You may not think you can afford it but you can’t do it all. Oh, and take really good care of your employees.

GWS: How about for advice for those launching a new/revamped website?

a&bé bridal shop: Well, obviously, we’d recommend using Squarespace. ;) But in addition to that, while designing your website, keep your audience top of mind and design for them. Simplicity in both information and organization give the best user experience, which in turn should translate to more inquiries. Also, don’t forget to pay attention to SEO best practices. Turns out Google doesn’t care how beautiful your website is, you have to keep it updated constantly and keep the beast happy. ;)

Squarespace

We know that so many of you are creative geniuses + your work deserves to be seen — so why not make that possible today? We can’t wait to see what your Squarespace site looks like! Feel free to share it with us in the comments below. :)

This post is sponsored by Squarespace. Thanks for supporting our sponsors!

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