Squarespace SEO Checklist: 20 Tips to Improve Your Squarespace Website’s SEO
Ah, SEO—the misunderstood middle child of the website creation and optimisation process. If you’re a small business owner who’s dabbled in the world of SEO, trying to understand terms like “alt text” and “meta description” only to be left feeling like it must stand for Soooo Extremely Overwhelming, this guide is for you. Whether you’re trying to DIY your SEO or just want to sound like you know your stuff before outsourcing it, we’re here to break it all down for you—minus the jargon and eye-glazing tech-talk. We’ll cover everything you need to know, all while keeping it fun, easy-to-follow, and of course, actionable.
Before we dive into our hot tips – we want to address the pink elephant in the room.
You might have heard people say (in some corners of the internet where we do not like to hang out!) that Squarespace is bad for SEO. Others (like us!) will tell you that it’s as good as any other website platform out there. So, which is it?
Spoiler alert: a website platform doesn’t make a website good or bad for SEO. That’s like saying a frying pan is bad for cooking—if you don’t know how to use it, sure, you’ll end up with a burnt mess – you just need to know how to use it effectively. The same goes for SEO on your website platform of choice; with the right ingredients and a little technique, people will be licking their plates and returning to search for more.
Ready to turn your Squarespace site into one that gets served up more often inside Google searches? Let’s dive in!
Tip #1: Get to know your Keywords, and then use them!
Before you dive into any type of SEO, you need a roadmap, and that’s where keyword research comes in. Keywords are the phrases your ideal customers are typing into Google at 2 a.m. while panic-googling solutions to their problems. The great news is, you don’t need telepathic skills to guess what your ideal customers are searching for – there are tools that will give you the answers. Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, or even the Google search bar’s autocomplete and ‘People also ask’ section can help you find these golden terms. When it comes to utilising these keywords to improve SEO through on-page copywriting and the more technical aspects of SEO, we tap into our database of keywords created for each client, separated by categories/topics, that utilising them in the on-page copy, headings, page titles and blog topics to your URL structure across their site – more on all of that to come!
Tip #2: Optimise your site domain name
Your domain name is your website’s address and digital front door — it’s the first thing website visitors see and sets the tone for everything inside. Make it simple, memorable, relevant, and, if possible, include a keyword.
For example, “GutHealthCleanse.com” is better than “HappyandHealthy.net” because people searching for "gut health cleanse" are more likely to find your site organically through search results. With the second option, they’d need to know your exact domain to find you.
Oh, and bonus tip: avoid using numbers or hyphens—they can make your domain harder to remember and type.
Tip #3: Use keyword optimised Page URLs
Make it easy for Google and visitors to understand your pages. Instead of “yoursite.com/p12345,” go for “yoursite.com/byron-bay-yoga.” By including keywords and multiple-word phrases (aka long tail keywords) for example “byron-bay-yoga”, within a URL, this helps boost your SEO. It’s clear, descriptive, and benefits both people and search engines in understanding what the page is about.
Here’s a pro tip: in URLs, (not domains) hyphens are your friend. By using them to separate each of the words after the backslash (e.g./byron-bay-yoga) you help search engines accurately interpret your page content. Avoid bunching words together (e.g /byronbayyoga) – it makes your page harder to find and less effective for SEO.
Tip #4: Name your pages using keywords
Your Page Titles primary role is to give search engines a hint at what your page might be about. Not only that, if your page is presented in search results, what you’ve named your page could be the difference between getting clicked on, or passed on by someone searching particular keywords. Make them specific to your target audience, include locations if your business works locally and of course include some relevant keywords – but above all, make it make sense, don’t just add a series of keywords that don’t form logical connections as this is called ‘keyword stuffing’ and Google will penalise you for it.
Examples:
Our Services > Neck Adjustments Central Coast
Work with Us > Australian PeriMenopause Nutritionist
Beauty Treatments > Surfers Paradise Eyebrow Wax, Tint & Lash Extensions
Tip #5: Create an SEO optimised meta description
A meta description is a sentence or two that gives a more detailed snapshot of the context and content of your page, and shows underneath your page title in search engine results. Be sure to utilise keywords in your meta description, and key phrases that are googled about your topic. If you don’t create a specific meta description for each page, search engines may write one for you, or simply pull the first few sentences from your page’s content. This, however, may not feature the most compelling information your page has to offer your potential visitor. Meta descriptions should help answer a specific question, or focus on a specific keyword topic, so that you can compel as many people as possible to click on your link from search results as it seems the most relevant content they would be looking for.
Want to see how it comes together? Here are a few examples of SEO optimised page titles and meta descriptions, as they appear in Google Search results:
Tip #6: Add keywords to your images
Did you know that the images on your website can help send you traffic? Let’s face it – we don’t all consume information the same way and many people utilise the ‘Image’ search tab to find content relevant to their search topic. If your business sells physical or digital products, this tab becomes almost as important as the ‘Shopping’ tab for your business. Before uploading your images to your website, be sure to add keywords to the file name. Just as with our page URL’s above, you’ll separate each word within your image name with a hyphen to help search engines distinguish the words. Once you’ve uploaded the image, make sure you add in ‘Alt Text’ to describe the image, as this not only contributes to SEO, but also helps make your site more accessible – allowing screen readers to provide a written/verbal description of the image for the vision impaired.
Tip #7: Write SEO-optimised on-page content
Writing on-page content for SEO isn’t just about sprinkling keywords like confetti—it’s about creating content that humans actually want to read while subtly whispering sweet SEO nothings to Google. Write engaging, helpful content that answers questions your audience is asking, and use your keywords naturally. Aim to have at least 500 words per page, but remember: quality over quantity. No one’s sticking around for a Shakespearean epistle to learn everything you have in your knowledge bank all at once.
Tip #8: Keep your content fresh and updated
Google loves fresh content, just as much as you love that first hot cup of coffee of the day. Just like you shouldn’t let it go cold, 🤮 – neither should you let your website content feel stale. Keep things fresh on your site by regularly updating old blog posts, tweaking outdated stats, and adding new insights to show search engines your site is alive and still active. Think of it like spring cleaning but without the dust allergies.
Tip #9: Write a blog
Speaking about blogging… if you don’t already, now is your sign to start! Adding a blog to your website is a great way to increase your opportunities to rank for SEO keywords. The maths here is simple – the more words on your website, the more potential search terms Google can find your website in relation to.
But be warned – not all blogging is created equal. If you’re blogging for business, your blogs should be less of the ‘day in the life’ or ‘diary-esque’ style that blogging became known for, and more specifically related to the types of content that answers the call of what your audience is typing into Google.
Want to get more eyes on your content from Google? In addition to making sure you’re including juicy SEO keywords throughout your blog post (just like we’ve mentioned above), we highly suggest optimising your blog post title for your targeted SEO keywords. Read this blog to find out exactly how.
Tip #10: Add your site to Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free web tool from (you guessed it) Google. Whilst adding your site to Google Search Console won’t directly affect your site’s SEO, it can help you track and improve it.
Once you’ve submitted your site through your Google Search Console, you’ll receive an email every 28 days updating you on your site’s traffic. From humble beginnings, to skyrocketing traffic – you can see how many clicks you’re getting directly from Google Searches. Google Search Console will also send you emails informing you of things that can improve your website’s overall performance, user-experience and likelihood of appearing in search results. If you have never done this before check out our Youtube video on the steps to set up your Google Search Console and add your site.
Tip #11: Check your pages are being indexed
Just because you submitted your sitemap to Google, doesn’t mean that every page of your website will instantly appear. If you’ve recently launched your website, or done some major updates to your website that include adding/removing pages, then it’s a good idea to keep an eye on whether your pages are being indexed (which is a fancy way of saying that Google knows they exist and is actively presenting them in search results).
Tip #12: Build Your Backlinks
Backlinks are links back to your website from other sites across the internet. Backlinks can help you boost your SEO by letting Google know that you’re a reputable source of knowledge, and this practice helps to build credibility on your topic of expertise – especially if sites that are relevant to your core topic area are linking back to your content.
You can build backlinks by writing guest articles on other people's websites and well-known media outlets, appearing on podcasts, being quoted in media publications, and even leaving testimonials for programs and products that you love to use.
But unfortunately, not all backlinks are created equal. Some spammy types of websites may be linking to your website and this can actually do more harm than good. Therefore, it’s important to check what sites are linking to yours on a regular basis, and address these links to prevent any negative effects on your own site.
If you discover harmful backlinks, use Google’s Disavow Tool to let the search engine know you don’t want those links associated with your site. This is especially helpful for dealing with spammy or irrelevant links.
Tip #13: Setup a Google Business page
Just like Facebook and Instagram, Google rewards you when you use their platform. Even if you run an online business, having a Google Business page (and keeping it updated) can help to boost your site's credibility within Google search results, and therefore give you a boost in SEO. If you run a business with a physical address, establishing a Google Business page is even more important – so people can find you and access your opening hours, phone number and address easily from the search results page.
When creating a Google Business page, be sure to add a detailed description of your business – what you do, who you serve and how people can work with you – along with some images from your business to give people a feel for what working with you is like. Make sure you ask past clients and customers to leave you a Google Review, as this is a great way to establish credibility on your Google Business Page profile.
Tip #14: Link your social media profiles to your website
You know that ‘link in bio’ sitting at the top of your Instagram profile? It can actually help your SEO! That’s right. Google takes into consideration traffic that’s coming directly to your website from your social accounts when it comes to your SEO. Having an active social media presence, and people clicking through from your profile to your website shows Google that there is content there that people like to view. So next time you post on social – make sure you’re including a link back to your website in your profile, or you could be missing out on organic traffic from search results in the future.
Good news! Instagram now allows you to have more than one link within your profile, so why not add links to your top most relevant pages.
Tip #15 Ensure you’re using SSL
What’s SSL you ask? Well it stands for ‘Secure Sockets Layer’ which just sounds like another technical acronym really, doesn’t it? But these three letters play a crucial role in your search engine optimisation. Essentially they let Google (and website users) know that your site has a security certificate, which means there are measures in place to protect people’s data from being hacked whilst on your website. You can tell if your website has a SSL certificate by typing in your URL to the search bar. When your site loads, if it has the security lock and ‘https’ before your domain name (where the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure), then you’ve got a SSL certificate in place. You’ll also see the little padlock icon before the URL.
URL bar showing the ‘s’ showing the site has an SSL certificate.
Way back in 2014 Google let us know that it was going to start reducing the visibility of sites that don’t have an SSL certificate in search results. So it’s not just important for the security of your website user's data, it can also be affecting your site’s appearance in search results.
If you’re a Squarespace user, you’re in luck – because every domain that gets connected to a Squarespace site automatically has a SSL certificate applied. This can save you a few hundred dollars each year, that other domain providers would usually charge.
Tip #16: Check your mobile compatibility
In today’s mobile-first world, your website must look great and function seamlessly on both smartphones and tablets. More than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, and if your site isn’t optimised for these devices, you risk losing potential visitors and customers. Test your site on various device types to ensure it adjusts correctly to screens of varying dimensions. Pay attention to navigation, text size, and button placement—nothing should feel cramped or difficult to tap. A mobile-compatible website isn’t just user-friendly; it’s also a key factor for better rankings in Google’s search results.
Tip #17: Check your load speed.
A slow website is like a long line at the checkout counter— painful, and deterring you from sticking around. How fast your website loads (aka ‘load speed) affects not only user experience but search engine rankings too, so it’s crucial to optimise. Use free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to measure how fast your site loads. If your site load speed is high, try compressing images, minimising the use of heavy plugins/extra code, and enable browser caching to speed things up. Remember, every second counts; even a one-second delay can lead to fewer conversions and a higher bounce rate. Fast websites keep visitors engaged and enjoying their experience on your site, so they come back for more.
Tip #18: Look out for broken links
Broken links on your website are like sending your website visitors down a one-way dead-end street. They were excited to click on your links and learn more, only to find that dreaded ‘404 Page Not Found’ error message.
Broken links happen - whether you’ve changed the URL of a page (which can happen as part of updating your URLs to utilise SEO-friendly practices we’ve mentioned above), or maybe you’ve disabled a page entirely. You can check whether you have broken links on your site using this website, or you’ll also see a list of broken links inside your Google Search Console. Having a strategically designed 404 (one of the most forgotten pages of most websites) that helps people find the content they were searching for is a great way to ensure that any time someone stumbles on a broken link, there’s somewhere for them to go.
An example of a 404 page.
Tip #19: Track keywords and look for new ranking opportunities
Unfortunately, SEO is not a one-and-done kind of thing – with 10’s of millions of new pages published to the world wide web each day [1], content that was once ranking for you and sending you free traffic could now be buried beneath a pile of more up to date and relatable pieces of content. For this reason, it’s important to track your keywords so that you’re getting accurate information about where your content appears in search results. Tracking your keywords allows you to act fast when you see a drop in site visitors or downturn in search engine rankings, so you can create new pieces of content and update existing content, to ensure you don’t lose your hard-earned rankings.
Tip #20: Add internal links to relevant content
Imagine you’ve just written a great blog article for your community and published it on your site. Adding links throughout your article to other pages, blog posts and products on your site not only helps create a great customer experience, it tells Google that you’re an expert on that topic, and that website visitors didn’t find just the one page that helped them from their web search, but multiple pages. Adding links to other relevant content also helps keep people on your site longer, reducing your bounce rate – which search engines love, because it shows that they produced the right content relevant to your search query and are more likely to show your page again for future people searching using the same or similar terms.
Want to systematically improve your website’s SEO, and ensure it’s on a skyrocketing path? Download our ultimate Squarespace SEO Checklist and begin actioning these items one by one to improve your place and standing with Google, or check out our program Skyrocket Your SEO.
