The Ultimate SEO Checklist in Squarespace
First and foremost…don't be scared. I got you!
WHAT IS SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. As a website designer, I receive many requests for SEO, although many people aren't clear about what it means or where to start. SEO is the key tool that makes it easier for people to find your website on the internet.
It involves optimizing website content, enhancing user experience, and creating high-quality content to increase visibility on search engine results. By understanding and implementing SEO best practices, businesses can attract more potential clients or customers, thus achieving higher conversion rates.
Fortunately, Squarespace provides tools to boost your site's visibility to search engines.
No. 1: Create High-Quality Content
KNOW YOUR KEYWORDS
It's crucial to identify your keywords. When creating content for your website, these keywords should be effectively used. Understand what your potential client is searching for, and incorporate those keywords throughout your website. However, use keywords judiciously - excessive repetition can make Google perceive it as spam.
START A BLOG
Contemplating starting a blog? Many clients believe they need to share their entire life story on their website. In reality, users scan your site quickly and decide within seconds whether to take action. Keep your website simple, straightforward, and actionable, and share your story on a blog. Google recognizes useful information on blogs. Ensure your content is relatable, insightful, and relevant to your business.
COLLABORATE & USE INBOUND LINKS
What are “inbound links”? These are links to your website from someone else's website. For instance, if someone features you in their blog post and links to your website, that clickable link is an inbound link.
Google sees these inbound links as indicators of high-quality content on your site, making them critical elements in 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, ensure to add a site title as search engines may index this text.
ADD YOUR SEO SITE DESCRIPTION
Add a brief (50-300 characters) description of your website in 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 recommended to have a unique SEO title and description for each page on your website. You can find this setting by clicking the gear icon or Settings on any page and going to the SEO menu option in the pop-up.
MAKE SURE YOUR PAGE TITLE MATCHES YOUR URL SLUGS
Always verify the URL slugs for each page to match the page title. For example, if a page name is “About”, make sure the URL slug for that page includes a forward slash, like this “/about” - for example: www.alexandrasardi.com/about
ADD SOCIAL SHARE IMAGES
This section in the SEO settings allows you to upload images that will 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 site or that page.
No. 3: Don’t Forget to Optimize Your Images
RENAME YOUR IMAGES BEFORE UPLOADING TO SQUARESPACE
Renaming images with relevant keywords helps with organization and retrieval. Here are some tips when renaming your images:
Don't stuff keywords: Describe the image using a keyword or two, but avoid overdoing it. Google might mark 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?: Think about what someone might google to find this photo. For example, 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: Use words and hyphens to separate each word when naming an image. Google reads hyphens as a “space” between words. For example: alexandra-sardi-miami-website-designer.jpg
Images should have different names: Whenever possible, all images should have unique names.
Google can tell if you are just stuffing keywords into your images, so make sure your naming makes sense and is useful. This significantly helps your images show up in search engines.
ADD ALT TAGS TO YOUR IMAGES
Alt Text is a text alternative for 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 understand the type of content on your website, thereby improving your SEO.
Here are some simple rules for alt attributes that you can follow:
Describe your images as 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: Brandy Durst Creative MD Social Media Manager and Graphic Designer
KEEP YOUR IMAGE SIZE TO A MINIMUM
To prevent 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?
Usually, 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, ensure 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 very easy for you. Follow this tutorial.
IS SQUARESPACE GOOD FOR SEO?
Absolutely, yes! Squarespace offers amazing tools you can use to enhance your SEO. Squarespace is committed to supporting your business success.
DO YOU OFFER SEO SERVICES?
My website packages include basic SEO such as page titles, descriptions, optimized images (renaming images with keywords and using alt tags), and ensuring all links work.
Ready to unlock the potential of your business?
If so, you've come to the right place – and I'm thrilled you're here! Let's talk and collaborate on the best journey of your life in starting your very own business. I can't wait to be a part of it!