The Ultimate Squarespace SEO Guide
Introduction
Whether you’re launching a brand-new Squarespace site or updating an existing one, this guide will help ensure your Squarespace website is optimized for both visibility and usability.
Quick links:
Design Considerations That Support Accessibility + SEO
Whether you are designing a Squarespace site for the first time or you are revitalizing an already existing site, there are some design considerations to keep in mind for both accessibility and SEO purposes. Squarespace includes several built-in accessibility features, but manual checks and design decisions make the biggest impact.
Layout + Structure
Use consistent layouts across pages to help users (and search engines) understand hierarchy
Keep navigation menus clear, concise, and no more than 7 top-level items
Include a footer with contact info, social links, and a link to your accessibility or privacy policy
Maintain high color contrast between text and background
Use legible font sizes (16px minimum body text)
Avoid text embedded in images—screen readers can’t read it
Ensure links and buttons are descriptive (“Contact Us” vs. “Click Here”)
Use meaningful heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
Keyboard Navigation
Test your site using only the keyboard (Tab + Enter) to ensure all interactive elements are reachable
Avoid or fix sections that trap focus (like sliders or pop-ups)
Video + Audio
Add captions or transcripts to embedded videos
Ensure autoplaying media can be paused or stopped
Mobile Optimization
As a note, Squarespace 7.1 is mobile-responsive by default
Preview your site on multiple devices before launch - not just within the Squarespace editor
Keep buttons and links large enough for touch use
Speed + Performance
Compress large images before uploading (under 250KB when possible)
Limit custom code or embedded scripts that slow loading
Use Squarespace’s built-in image lazy loading
Check site speed using tools like PageSpeed Insights or Pingdom
Foundational SEO Setup
Once your design is finalized, there are some basics every Squarespace site should have in place, ideally before your website is launched. If you are not sure if this has been done, now is the perfect time to check it out!
Site Settings
Custom Domain: Use a branded, secure (HTTPS) domain
Favicon: Add your logo for brand recognition in browser tabs. Find this by going to ⚙️ → Website → Favicon
Protect Your Content: Enable Clickjack protections. This prevents malicious sites from embedding your content, and it is a recommended setting. Find this by going to ⚙️ → Developer Tools → Website Protection
Optimize Images: Enable WebP image format for faster site speed. Find this by going to ⚙️ → Website → Image Settings
Local SEO: Feature your business name, address, and phone number in the footer and consider embedding a Google Map on your contact page (if applicable)
Create a custom 404 page: Improves customer experience
Page-Level SEO
Headings (H1, H2, H3): Use one H1 per page (usually the main title); Use H2s for subsections and include relevant keywords naturally
Page Titles & Descriptions: Write unique, keyword-informed meta titles (50–60 characters) and meta descriptions (up to 155 characters) for each page of your site
URL Structure: Keep URLs short, descriptive, and lowercase (e.g., /design-services instead of /page-3); Squarespace will automatically add a URL for you, so check this out before you finalize the page
Image Alt Text: Describe images clearly for both accessibility and image search optimization. Squarespace now has features that will use AI to write your alt text for you or you can write your own. Aim for less than 125 characters
301 Redirects: If your site is not new and you have replaced old pages, add appropriate redirects when you rename or remove pages to maintain SEO and avoid dead ends for your visitors
Technical SEO
Connect Google Analytics 4 for traffic insights
Create a Bing Webmaster Tools + Google Search Console account for indexing and performance monitoring
Submit Your Sitemap: Squarespace automatically generates one at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml make sure you submit this to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for indexing and performance monitoring
Robots.txt: Also automatically managed, but review it to ensure no key pages are blocked
Content Recommendations for Discoverability + Visibility
The fun doesn’t stop when the design is finalized. High-performing Squarespace sites balance technical SEO with strong, strategic content. Your website’s visibility in both search engines and AI-driven discovery platforms depends on how consistently you publish relevant, helpful, and clearly structured information. We always advise you to write for your target audience and align your content with the search intent behind the keywords that matter to them. Answer the questions that they are actively seeking answers to. When you do this consistently and demonstrate expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), your content is bound to garner traction from both users and search engines.
Content Types That Build Visibility
Service Pages
Clearly outline what you do, who it’s for, and the value you provide
Include FAQs to capture conversational search queries
Use strong internal linking to direct visitors to contact or booking pages
Blog Posts
Focus on topics that complement your services (e.g., “Design Considerations for Small Rooms” or “What to Expect During a Kitchen Remodel”)
Include clear, keyword-rich headings (H2s/H3s) that answer specific questions
Aim for 800–1,200 words with visuals, lists, and summaries to improve readability
Add categories, but do so sparingly. Each category page should be a key pillar of content you will provide. Categories create new pages, so you don’t want unnecessary pages that don’t add value
Educational Resources
Offer guides, templates, or case studies that demonstrate your expertise
Repurpose this content for newsletters or social media to extend reach
Local Content (if applicable)
Highlight local events, partners, or community involvement
Use location-based keywords naturally (“Home Contractors in Phoenix, Arizona”)
Visual + Multimedia Content
Add descriptive filenames and alt text to all images and graphics
Use transcripts or captions for videos and podcasts to improve accessibility and indexing
Structuring Content for AI + Search
As AI assistants and search overviews continue to evolve, content should be easy to reference, cite, and summarize by these systems.
Use natural language and Q&A formatting (e.g., “What are the top design trends for 2026?”) to help appear in answer engines
Add supporting evidence or examples to boost authority
Include summary paragraphs or key takeaways at the end of posts. This not only helps viewers that like to skim, but it is also ideal for snippet and AI summary inclusion
Use schema markup (FAQPage, Article, LocalBusiness) for better context in search results. Squarespace does automatically include a degree of schema markup, but we recommend manually adding in custom schema for relevant attributes using schema.org best practices
Link to credible external sources to reinforce trustworthiness
Ongoing Content Optimization
Review top-performing pages quarterly using GA4 + Search Console
Update older blogs with fresh data, new visuals, and updated CTAs
Add new internal links each time you publish something new
Track which content types attract the most organic or referral traffic to inform future strategy
Routine SEO Maintenance
Just like content, SEO isn’t a one-time occurrence. It is an ongoing practice of monitoring and refining. If you are new to the SEO game, here are some recommendations:
Check Google Search Console monthly for crawl errors, indexing issues, or keyword performance
Review and update content regularly, ensuring it’s current, accurate, and relevant
Add relevant internal links when you publish new blog posts or pages. This not only helps users, but it helps search engines and AI understand how your content is interrelated as well
Monitor Core Web Vitals to maintain fast, user-friendly performance. Site updates can affect performance, so a one-time check at launch is not sufficient
If you decide to employ more robust SEO audits, there are several tools available. We personally prefer SEMrush and ScreamingFrog. With that being said, you should be wary of automatic SEO scans that flag unnecessary errors for Squarespace sites based on the infrastructure. Error reports should always be validated to ensure that the issue is actually occurring.
Some common errors that pop up for Squarespace sites, that are likely not an actual issue, are:
Incorrect page in sitemap
Issues with unminified Javascript or CSS files (you will not have access to the majority of these)
Low text-HTML ratio
No hreflang and lang attributes
Toxic backlinks (unless you have actually paid for backlinks)
Errors and warnings that you should pay attention to:
404 errors
Broken internal and external links
Pages with temporary (302) redirects
Pages with more than more H1
Pages with duplicate title tags or meta descriptions
Duplicate content flags
Images without alt attributes (Squarespace now has a feature to automate this)
Clickable elements too close together
Looking for Some Help?
Foundational SEO: Need assistance working through this checklist? We offer foundational SEO support to get you launch-ready!
SEO Maintenance Plan: We also offer ongoing monitoring, reporting, and improvement recommendations for only $75/month + $250 one-time fee.
Custom Looker Studio Report: Is your SEO under control? Our custom Looker Studio Report helps you visualize traffic, rankings, and engagement or whatever other KPIs matter most to you!
