Squarespace SEO
Squarespace is a famous and user-friendly website builder that has exploded in popularity over the last several years. Squarespace is used by 3.8 million websites, and statistics reveal that it is the second most popular hosted platform on the internet. Is Squarespace SEO helpful?
Yes, It offers website creation and hosting software as a service, allowing users to create and alter webpages using pre-built website templates and drag-and-drop features and overall it is a solid platform. Here are a few SEO benefits provided by Squarespace:Â
- Sitemaps: Squarespace sites include an XML sitemap that is generated automatically. For SEO-friendly indexing, your Squarespace sitemap is kept up to date and includes all of your page URLs and picture metadata.
- SSL Certificates: Squarespace provides all customers with free SSL certificates. Every page of your site provides a secure link to your visitors. You’ll get a bonus from Google if you switch to HTTPS.
- Responsive: All Squarespace themes are mobile-friendly. Your text and images are adjusted to fit different devices and screen widths automatically. Google recommends a mobile-friendly website.
- Simple HTML markup and URLs: Your HTML markup and URLs are simple to index.
How to do SEO on Squarespace
Step 1. Do Keyword Research
Consider your keywords before you do anything else. Keyword research is a solid approach to assist improve your site because you will discover similar topics and user questions. Topic optimization and searcher intent are more important in modern SEO than simply keywords.
Make a list of the keywords that you want to have on your topic page. Choose one word or phrase to represent related keywords if the keywords are similar. To determine the difficulty of ranking, conduct a Google search for your topics and evaluate your competition. Consider your competition’s popularity, authority, backlinks, and social signals to determine how difficult it will be to rank above them.
It’s important not to over-optimize a page because this can backfire. A term could appear in the title tag, once in a header, and several times in the main content. There is no set amount of keyword density that you should use. It is advised to write first, then check for keywords and related terms in your material.
Step 2. Offer High-Quality Content
The reason why search engine algorithms are becoming more complex, offering high-quality content is one of the most significant components in achieving a high ranking. You must produce great, one-of-a-kind content that addresses your potential client’s questions.
A solid content strategy focusing on top-notch content is at the heart of any successful SEO campaign. So, what can you do when Google improves its ability to provide relevant search results?
- Create content that responds to the intent of the searcher.
- Make your writing as natural as possible. Instead of overusing one term or phrase in your material, employ a variety of phrases and thoughts related to your main topic.
- Put quality ahead of quantity when it comes to content. If you have a lot of low-quality pages, combine them into a few high-quality ones.
Again, focusing on your audience gives search engines enough information to figure out what a page is about. Because the content on your website plays such a major role in ranking, it is vital that you invest time and effort into it.
Step 3. Optimize Your Title Tags
The importance of title tags for search engines cannot be understated. The title of a page (or blog post, product, event, etc.) and your site title are the defaults in Squarespace as title tags, however, any of this information can be modified if necessary.
Individual titles can be altered and optimised by hovering over a page and clicking the settings button, then making changes under the SEO tab. Our best advice is to use titles that are precise rather than appealing. You want keyword-rich titles that aren’t spammy. The title tag of your webpage should provide a clear and concise explanation of the content on the page.
Google modified the way it handles page titles in August 2021. You are far more likely to notice a title rewrite if you do not follow the given rules, but overall, this is aimed to assist sites with title> tag issues.
Step 4. Incorporate keywords into headings and meta descriptions.
It can be beneficial to use keywords in headings and meta descriptions. The main keyword of the page is commonly used in the h1> tag for headings. Using the h2> and h3> tags, clearly organise extra information using subheadings.
Google advises that several H1 elements on separate portions of the page are acceptable if done properly when designing a website with different sections.
Keywords can also be used in meta descriptions. Although meta descriptions are not a ranking factor, they can attract people to visit your site (these are the short summaries of your pages that appear in the search engine results). Again, write organically to attract people to click through from the SERPs. But keep in mind that whether or not you provide descriptions, Google may select additional material from your page to better satisfy a searcher’s question.
Step 5. Simplify URLs
For readability, use hyphens (-) between words in the URL. A URL can be made shorter and easier to read by removing unnecessary words. It may also make it easier to post the URL on social media sites, particularly ones with character limits like Twitter.
Check to see if your website’s URLs contain real words. On Squarespace, keep an eye out for meaningless URL slugs, which occur when you save a blog, event, or product without providing a title, and the URL is replaced with a string of arbitrary letters.
Step 6. Improve Your Images
Images are frequently overlooked when it comes to Squarespace SEO, but they are crucial and should be optimised. The overall page speed, which is a ranking criteria for Google, Bing, and other search engines, will be improved by a fast-loading image.
Before submitting photographs to your website, use internet compression tools to lower the file size.
Most search engines also offer an image search option, so having photographs from your website appear in these results will help you attract more people. Use descriptive terms in your image alt text to provide extra information to search engines. Accessibility also necessitates the use of alt text. Keep these pieces of information clear and relevant, just like the rest of your site.
Learned how to optimize your Images for SEO.
Step 7. Remove Duplicate Content
Duplicate content is discouraged, and unethical techniques can result in a penalty, as most website owners are aware. To avoid URLs having the same query, stay away from duplicate material on your site. Cleaning up your material is critical for the long-term sustainability of your website.
SEO tools such as Screaming Frog, CopyScape, SiteLiner, and others, in addition to Google Search Console, can help assess your site and find duplicate content or other concerns.
Step 8. Turn on SSL
For a more secure website, Google favours HTTPS connections everywhere, and it is a favourable ranking indication. SSL is enabled by default on new Squarespace accounts, however, owners of older Squarespace websites are frequently unaware that Squarespace provides free SSL certificates.
- Read up on Squarespace with Google Analytics, then change your Google Analytics to track the correct property.
- Submit your site’s HTTPS versions to Google Search Console.
- Updating your social media accounts and any other external links are also important.
Step 9. List Your Location
Your physical address should be listed on your website if you are a company with a physical location. Make it simple for your clients to locate you. A Contact page is a necessity for every website.
Step 10. Integrate all your social accounts
It’s easy to connect with and monitor all your social media accounts with Squarespace. It is highly effective in increasing your online presence outside your business website. This will help you to directly share a blog post or products on leading social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and so on. There, you will also find a content block called social links. You can easily customize them and add them anywhere on a page. Apart from social media accounts, you can also integrate third-party tools like G Suite, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, calendars, schedulers, and payment processors.
Step 11. Create password-protected pages
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Follow Best Practices for SEO on Squarespace
The Squarespace SEO suggestions listed above are an excellent way to get started when it comes to assessing your website. Overall, it boils down to the reality that you need a well-designed, secure website that loads quickly, has high-quality content, and swiftly informs visitors about your company. You’ll do well if you stick to tried-and-true SEO tactics.
You’ll want to advertise your content, in addition to optimising your site, to increase traffic to your website – for starters, use social media and your email list. You should also think about what it takes to convert visitors after they arrive on your site (i.e. conversion rate optimization, CRO).
Additional Readings: