5 Tips & Tricks for Smashing Your Squarespace SEO
Squarespace is a fantastic platform for building a beautiful, personality-packed website, but let’s not forget one of the most important parts of any site - getting people to actually find it. Yep, I’m talking about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)! But don’t worry, this isn’t about cramming random keywords everywhere. Great Squarespace SEO is about working smarter, not harder (or spammier). Let’s dive into five tips to help your site climb those search rankings!
1. Nail Your seo Keywords
Keywords act like tasty breadcrumbs that lead your dream clients from search engines straight to your Squarespace website. Start discovering keywords for your website by brainstorming words and phrases your audience might be search for online.
Are they looking for “handmade ceramic mugs,” “eco-friendly wedding planning tips,” or maybe even “Squarespace website designer”? Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or even the “People also ask” section of Google search to refine your list.
Once you’ve found a handful of low-competition keywords (you can see the competition rating using tools like Google Keyword Planner), strategically place them throughout your site. Add them to your page titles, headings, body text, and even your URL slugs. But don’t overdo it! Keywords should feel natural, not forced. Remember, you’re writing for humans first and algorithms second.
2. Optimise Your Titles & Descriptions
Every page on your Squarespace website has a title and meta description, Squarespace calls them SEO titles and SEO descriptions. Think of these as your website’s elevator pitch in Google search results. Your page title should be concise (under 60 characters) and include your main keyword, while your meta description (up to 160 characters) should summarise exactly what visitors can expect on the page.
For example:
Title: “Handmade Ceramic Mugs | Perfect for Coffee Lovers”
Meta Description: “Discover our collection of eco-friendly, handmade ceramic mugs. Unique designs, crafted with love. Perfect for gifting or treating yourself!”
In Squarespace, you can edit these under the SEO settings for each page. Be descriptive, engaging, and specific. A catchy description can mean the difference between a click from an ideal customer and a scroll-on-by.
3. make image Alt Text Your BFF
Alt text (short for alternative text) isn’t just for screen readers - it’s also a powerful SEO tool. When search engines scan your site, they can’t “see” your images, but they can read the alt text you assign to each image. This helps them understand what your images are about, whether they’re useful and relevant to your users and can boost your visibility in image search results.
To add alt text in Squarespace, click on any image block, open the “Design” settings (the one with a little pencil), and add a short, descriptive phrase. For example:
Instead of: “IMG1234.jpg”
Use: “Handmade ceramic mug with speckled glaze, perfect for coffee or tea.”
Bonus tip: Don’t forget to compress your images before uploading them to keep your site fast (more on that below!).
4. Keep Your Content Fresh
Google loves nothing more than a site that’s active and up-to-date. Blogging regularly is an amazing way to keep your content fresh while showing off your expertise, pleasing search engines AND your ideal customers all in one. Create posts that answer your audience’s burning questions, share tips, or dive into trends in your niche.
To make your blog posts work harder for your business:
Include keywords regularly and naturally in your posts.
Link to other pages on your site (this is called internal linking).
Add shareable images or graphics to make your posts Pinterest-ready.
Not sure what to write about? Start with FAQs from your clients or search forums like Reddit to see what people are curious about in your industry.
5. Speed Matters for seo
A slow to load website can scare off visitors faster than you can say “404 - page not found.” Plus, Google seriously isn’t a fan of sluggish load times. Thankfully, Squarespace has plenty of built-in tools to help you stay speedy.
Here’s some things you can do to keep that page speed high:
Compress images before uploading using tools like TinyPNG.
Use Squarespace’s built-in image loading settings, like “Progressive” or “Lazy Load.”
Keep your pages clean and clutter-free—ditch any unnecessary scripts, pop-ups, or autoplay videos.
You can check your site speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. It’ll give you a breakdown of what’s slowing things down and how to fix it.
Remember, your Squarespace SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.
By nailing your keywords, optimising your titles, adding alt text, keeping content fresh, and speeding things up, you’ll be on your way to smashing your Squarespace SEO.
Want to learn more about how you can create the Squarespace website of your dreams for your small business? Check out my services for more.
