Enhancing Site Visibility

Squarespace offers a robust platform for building stunning websites, but to truly capitalise on its potential, you need to optimise it for search engines. Here's a detailed guide specifically tailored to help you improve your Squarespace site's visibility.

1. Keyword Research

Start by identifying the keywords that your target audience is searching for. Tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Moz can help you find relevant keywords and assess their search volume and competition. Focus on long-tail keywords that are specific to your niche and less competitive.

2. Custom URLs

Creating custom URLs is essential for both user experience and SEO. Avoid the default URLs that Squarespace generates and create clean, keyword-rich URLs instead. For example, a page on your site about "organic skincare" should have a URL like yoursite.com/organic-skincare.

3. Optimise Page Titles and Descriptions

Ensure each page on your site has a unique and descriptive title tag and meta description. This not only helps with SEO but also improves click-through rates. Navigate to the SEO settings in Squarespace to customise these elements. Include your primary keywords naturally in these fields.

4. High-Quality Content

Google rewards sites that offer valuable and comprehensive content. Aim for long-form content that thoroughly covers the topic at hand. Regularly update your blog with insightful posts, and ensure each piece of content is well-structured with headers, subheaders, and bullet points for readability.

Backlit Google sign in blue, red, green and yellow hanging on a wall in a dark room for article to illustrate SEO optimisation

5. Image Optimisation

Large images can slow down your site, negatively impacting SEO. Compress images before uploading them using tools like ImageOptim or TinyIMG. Also, add descriptive alt text to every image to help search engines understand what the image is about and improve accessibility.

6. Mobile Optimisation

With a significant portion of web traffic coming from mobile devices, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is crucial. Squarespace templates are responsive by default, but always test your site on various devices to ensure it provides a good user experience.

7. Google Search Console Integration

Connect your site to Google Search Console to monitor your site's performance and troubleshoot any issues. This tool provides valuable insights into how your site is performing in Google search and highlights areas that need improvement.

8. Use Structured Data

Implement Schema.org markup to help search engines understand your content better. This can enhance your search listings with rich snippets, such as star ratings and prices, making your site stand out in search results.

9. Internal and External Linking

Create a strong internal linking structure to help users and search engines navigate your site. Link related pages and blog posts together. Additionally, include external links to reputable sites, which can help improve your site's credibility.

10. Social Sharing Optimisation

Customise the social sharing image for your pages to ensure they look appealing when shared on social media. This can drive more traffic to your site and indirectly boost your SEO.

11. SSL and Security

Ensure that your site uses SSL encryption (https://). This not only secures your visitors' data but also is a ranking factor for Google. You can enable SSL in the Advanced Settings of your Squarespace site.

12. Utilise SEO Extensions and Tools

Squarespace supports various SEO tools and extensions that can enhance your optimisation efforts. Consider using plugins like Smart SEO, Growth Suite, SEO Space and integrating tools like Google Analytics to gain deeper insights and automate some of your SEO tasks.

Screenshot of Squarespace SEO Tools Landing Page

Unique SEO Tools and Features of Squarespace

Squarespace stands out in the crowded website builder market with its unique SEO tools and features. These integrated functionalities ensure that your site is not only visually appealing but also highly optimised for search engines. What are some of the key SEO tools and features that set Squarespace apart from other platforms?

Integrated SEO Settings

SEO Title and Description Fields: Squarespace allows you to set custom SEO titles and descriptions for each page, blog post, and product. This integrated approach ensures that every piece of content on your site is optimised for search engines without needing third-party plugins.
SEO Panel: Accessible via Settings > Marketing > SEO, the SEO panel allows users to manage site-wide SEO settings efficiently. This includes setting the site title format, meta description format, and social sharing settings.

Automatic XML Sitemap

Built-In Sitemap Generation: Squarespace automatically generates and updates an XML sitemap for your site. This sitemap is essential for search engines to crawl and index your content effectively. Unlike other platforms where you might need to install a plugin, Squarespace handles this out of the box.

Responsive Design

Photo of a phone with the definition of Design open on the screen in black text on white background to illustrate responsive website design for mobile devices

Mobile Optimisation: All Squarespace templates are fully responsive, ensuring your site looks great on all devices. Mobile-friendliness is a crucial ranking factor, and Squarespace’s built-in responsive design helps you meet this requirement without additional effort.

Social Media Integration

Custom Social Sharing Images: Squarespace allows you to set custom images for social sharing, enhancing how your links appear on social media platforms. This can improve click-through rates and drive more traffic to your site, indirectly boosting your SEO.

SSL Certificates

Free SSL Encryption: Every Squarespace site comes with a free SSL certificate, which is crucial for securing your site and boosting your search engine rankings. Google prioritises sites with HTTPS, and Squarespace ensures you meet this requirement effortlessly.

Structured Data Markup

Schema.org Markup: Squarespace allows you to add Schema.org markup to your pages, helping search engines understand your content better. This can result in rich snippets, enhancing your search results and increasing click-through rates.

SEO-Friendly Blogging Platform

Built-In Blogging Tools: Squarespace’s blogging platform includes features like AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which enhance the mobile browsing experience and improve SEO. The platform also supports RSS feeds, making it easier to distribute your content.

Performance Optimisation Tools

Image Optimisation: Squarespace provides built-in tools for optimising images, such as automatic image resizing and lazy loading. These features help improve page load times, which is a critical factor for SEO.
Content Delivery Network (CDN): Squarespace uses a global CDN to deliver your content quickly to users around the world, enhancing site speed and performance, which are important for SEO.

These tools and features unique to Squarespace provide a comprehensive suite of SEO capabilities that help the platform outperform many competitors. With these integrated tools, you can effectively optimise your sites for better visibility and higher search engine rankings without the need for additional plugins or third-party services.

For more detailed info and tips, letstalk@usual.ie. Happy optimising!

Optimising Squarespace SEO