The Ultimate SEO Checklist in Squarespace
First, and foremost…don’t be scared. I gotchu!
What is SEO?
SEO means Search Engine Optimization and it is one of the most requests I receive as a website designer but people don’t actually know what it means or where to start. SEO is the magic wand that makes it easier for people to find your website on the internet.
It involves optimizing website content, improving user experience, and building high-quality content to increase visibility in search engine results. By understanding and implementing SEO best practices, businesses can attract more potential clients or customers, and ultimately achieve higher conversion rates.
Squarespace offers amazing tools to increase your site's visibility to search engines.
No. 1: Create High-Quality Content
know your keywords
It is important for you to know what your keywords are so that when you are creating content for your website, you are putting them into good use. Know what your potential client is searching for, and use those keywords throughout your website. Please note, use keywords wisely - if you stuff your website with repeated keywords, Google will see this and think it’s spam.
start a blog
Been thinking about getting a blog? A lot of my clients think they have to pour their whole heart and soul out by sharing their story on their website. The reality is, users are scanning through your site so quickly that you only have a few seconds before they decide to take action. Keep things simple, straightforward and actionable throughout your website and share your story on a blog. Your blog is where useful information is stored and Google sees that. Let your content be relatable, useful, insightful, and intentional to your business.
collaborate & Use inbound links
What does “inbound links” mean? These are links to your website that are linked to on someone else’s website. For example, if someone features you on their blog post and they link to your website, that clickable link is considered an inbound link.
Google views these inbound links as an indicator that your site has high-quality content, making these links one of the most important elements in search engine optimization (SEO).
No. 2: Fill Out Your Website Information in the SEO Settings on Squarespace
Add a site title
Even if you've uploaded a custom logo, you should still add a site title as the text may be Indexed by search engines.
add your seo site description
Add a short (50-300 characters) description of your website that is relevant and simple language to your SEO site description. This text usually appears below your site title in search results.
update the seo settings on each individual page
It’s best to also have a unique SEO title and description for each individual page on your website. You can find this setting by clicking the gear icon or Settings on an page and going to the SEO menu option in the pop-up.
make sure your page title matches your url slugs
Always check the URL slugs for each page and make sure it matches the page title. If a page name is “About” then make sure the URL slug for that page has a forward slash like this “/about” - for example: www.alexandrasardi.com/about
add social share images
This is an area in the SEO settings where you can upload an image to display when someone shares your website on social media. You can (1) add one to represent your entire site, (2) add one for each individual page, and (3) add one to each blog post, product or event. Click on the gear or settings icon next to a page, click on “Social Image” and upload an image that represents your website or that page.
No. 3: Don’t Forget to Optimize Your Images
rename your images before uploading to squarespace
Naming images with relevant keywords helps with organization and retrieval. Here are a few things to keep in mind when renaming your images:
Do not stuff key words: Describe the image while still utilizing a keyword or two. Google will read your image as spam if you stuff in too many words. For example: “this-website-is-so-beautiful-and-simple.jpg.”
What would you Google?: A good tip is to think about what someone might google to find this photo. Think about it - you’re not going to search on Google for “image001.jpg.” You’re going to be searching for “Miami brand and website designer.”
Avoid special characters: When naming an image, use words and hyphens to separate each word. Google reads hyphens as a “space” in between words. For example: alexandra-sardi-miami-website-designer.jpg
Images should have different names: All images should not be the same name (if possible).
Google can tell if you are just keyword-ing your images, so make sure it makes sense and is useful. This really helps your images pop up in search engines.
Add alt tags to your images
Alt Text is a text alternative to the images that makes it easier for search engines to understand the content of your image. Filling this out on Squarespace is similar to renaming your images when you upload and will help Google know what type of content is on your website, ultimately increasing your SEO.
Here are some simple rules for alt attributes that you can follow:
Simply describe your images just like you did for your image file names.
Keep it short but descriptive.
Be innovative but don’t stuff your alt text with keywords.
For example: Alexandra Sardi Miami Brand and Squarespace Website Designer
keep your image size to a minimal
To avoid a slow website and to ensure your website loads well, it is best to keep your image file size under 500 KB and overall page size under 5 MB.
Frequently asked questions?
If I transfer my website to Squarespace, will my seo be affected?
Typically, there’s no guarantee that your SEO will dip after making changes to your website or platform. The best way to avoid this is to follow the steps above, make sure all links are the same, create redirect links, and avoid broken links. Another tip is to submit your new sitemap to Google when you launch so Google knows you’ve updated your website and has the latest information. Squarespace makes this super easy for you. Follow this tutorial.
Is Squarespace good for seo?
1000% yes! Squarespace has amazing tools you can use to better your SEO. They want to see your business success.
do you offer seo services?
My website packages include basic SEO such as page titles, descriptions, optimize images (renaming images with key words and using alt tags), and making sure all links work.
Are you ready to unleash the potential of your business?
If so, you’ve come to the right place – and I’m so happy you’re here! Let’s talk and collaborate on the best journey of your life in starting your vert own business. Can’t wait to be a part of it!