When you’re building a website for your Mankato business, the big platforms like Squarespace make it look easy. Drag, drop, done. But here’s what a lot of Southern Minnesota business owners figure out too late: you’re not actually building your website. You’re just renting space in someone else’s system.
For businesses around Mankato, North Mankato, and Blue Earth County, there’s a better option. One that keeps your money local and gives you real ownership of your site.
Here’s why you should probably break up with Squarespace and work with a local Mankato web developer instead.
Here’s why it might be time to break free from Squarespace and work with a local web developer or agency instead.
They Don’t Care About You
Let’s be real: to Squarespace, you’re just another monthly payment. One in millions. When something breaks at 9 PM on a Tuesday and your contact form stops working, you’re dealing with support tickets and chatbots reading from scripts.
Big platforms work at massive scale, which means generic support, slow responses, and zero personalization. Your specific business problems, your deadlines, your goals? None of that matters to them. You’re a number in a system built for volume, not relationships.
You’re Stuck in Their System
Here’s what they don’t advertise: once you build on Squarespace, moving is a nightmare. Want to switch platforms later? Good luck. You can export some content, but your design, layout, and features don’t come with you. You’re basically starting over.
This is called vendor lock-in. It’s intentional. The harder it is to leave, the longer you keep paying. It’s not about what’s good for your business. It’s about their revenue.
Want to add something Squarespace doesn’t support? Can’t do it. Need custom features for your industry? Not happening. You get what they built, and your business has to fit their mold.
You Don’t Own Your Data
Check the fine print: when you build on Squarespace, you don’t really own your site. You’re licensing it. Everything sits on their servers, runs through their systems, plays by their rules.
What if Squarespace jacks up prices? Changes the terms? Goes under (unlikely, but companies fail)? You’re out of luck.
Your customer info, email lists, analytics—all of it lives in their world. Want to export it in a useful format? That’s usually a mess. This isn’t just annoying. It’s a real business risk.
Local Mankato Support That Actually Gives a Damn
Picture this instead: you’re working with a local Mankato developer. Something breaks, you call them. Maybe they’re in Old Town or over in North Mankato. They know your business. They get the local market. Likewise, they remember what you talked about last month. You can grab coffee at The Coffee Hag or Tandem Bagels to go over updates.
That’s real support. Not ticket #847392. An actual relationship with someone who’s invested in making your business work. Someone whose reputation in Mankato depends on you being happy. Someone who cares because you’re neighbors.
Local developers build what you actually need. Custom stuff Squarespace would never touch. They scale with you. And they explain things like a human, not some corporate FAQ.
Keep Your Money in Mankato
Every dollar you spend is a vote. Pay Squarespace, and that money goes to some multi-billion dollar company with investors to please. It leaves Mankato completely.
Hire a local Mankato developer, and that money stays here in Blue Earth County. It supports families shopping at River Hills Mall, eating at Pub 500, sending kids to local schools. It goes to other Mankato businesses. Furthermore, it multiplies through our economy, the same economy your business needs to survive.
Small businesses here get what you’re dealing with because they’re dealing with it too. More flexible, more creative, more motivated to see you win. When you do well, they do well. Simple as that.
The Real Cost of “Cheap and Easy”
Squarespace runs you $16 to $49 a month. Seems fine, right? Over five years, that’s $960 to $2,940. And you own nothing. Just renting forever, with zero to show if you leave.
A custom site from a local developer costs more upfront, but it’s yours. You own it, control it, modify it, move it wherever. And that local relationship? That’s an asset as you grow.
Making the Switch
Breaking up with Squarespace isn’t that bad. Local Mankato developers can migrate your content, rebuild your design (but better), and add the custom stuff you’ve wanted but couldn’t get.
You end up with a site that’s actually yours, built by someone invested in your success, with support from a real person you can call. Plus you’re supporting another small business trying to make it here in Southern Minnesota.
Worth it.
Ready to Own Your Website? Let’s Talk.
At 10K Web Co, we think Mankato businesses deserve better than templates and robot support. We’re a local web shop that builds custom sites you actually own. Sites made for your business, your goals, your customers.
What Makes Us Different:
- Actual Local Support: We’re in Mankato. Need help? Call, text, or grab coffee. We’re your neighbors, not a ticket system.
- You Own Everything: Your site, your data, your code. No subscriptions holding you hostage. No lock-in. It’s yours.
- Built for You: Custom features and designs for what you actually need. Not what some platform decided to offer everyone.
- Honest Pricing: No hidden fees or surprise bills. Just straight pricing from a local business.
- We Get Mankato: We know the Southern Minnesota market, your customers, what works here.
Let’s Build Something Better
Stuck on Squarespace? Frustrated with another platform? Starting fresh? Tell us about your business, and we’ll show you what’s possible with a local partner who gives a damn.
📞 Ready to take control?
👉 Check out 10kweb.co to see our work
👉 Schedule a free chat about your project
👉 Get a real quote with zero pressure
Your business deserves better than being subscription #47291. It deserves a partner right here in Mankato, Minnesota, when you require them.
Let’s build your site the right way.
