Search Engine Optimisation for your Squarespace Website
Do your eyes glaze over at the words ‘Search Engine Optimisation’?
I know, I know. Search Engine Optimisation sounds so technical / confusing / overwhelming / boring! Especially for us soulful folk… But I promise you, SEO is simpler than you think, and over time, can work wonders for your business.
What is Search Engine Optimisation?
Let’s first demystify what SEO is. I like to think of Google as a loving match-maker who’s essentially trying to hook up businesses with soulmate clients.
Google’s way of figuring our whether you’re a good match is largely based on your website’s (1) relevance and (2) user-friendliness. Search Engine Optimisation is essentially the ways we signal to Google that we are both relevant to someone’s search, and considerate / helpful / human-friendly! Over time, this helps us rank higher in Google when we’re a good match for someone’s search.
If you’re a bit of an online introvert / HSP, or just don’t have the time and energy for hours of marketing, SEO is your friend.
When I started this business 7 years ago, I had 2 tiny humans at home and barely any time for marketing. I simply followed the checklist below when setting up my site, and within months, half of my enquiries were coming from Google! The other half were mainly word of mouth… It really blew me away.
There are also seasons where life is just ‘ALOT' (as my dear friend Lia would say!). Having my website’s SEO set up right means that even when I need to take a step back from marketing and visibility, my trusty website is still working round the clock, helping dreamy clients-to-be find their way to me.
The 5 Squarespace SEO tips I’m sharing with you are so simple yet effective.
Once you’re aware of them they’ll become second nature when you’re working on your website. Some of these practices are one-and-done - set them up once and they’ll serve you for a while to come. Ready? Let’s dive in!
squarespace seo tip #1
(1) Optimise your Images
Many assume that when it comes to website images, the bigger the better. They assume that the higher the file size (KB), the better the resolution (pixels). However, a lot of heavy images can slow down a site’s loading speed, which impacts user experience - and therefore its Google ranking for ‘user-friendliness’.
And so, when it comes to optimising your website images, we want them to be high enough in resolution (pixels), but low enough in weight (KB). Rule of thumb for Squarespace images is that they should be no larger than 500KB, with full-width banner images at around 2000px wide.
If you’re adding images to Squarespace internally (i.e. the stock image library), images are optimised automatically. If you’re adding images externally (i.e. from your computer), Bulk Resize Photos is a great site for reducing image size while retaining image quality. You can set it to the exact File Size (KB) and/or ‘Width’ (pixels) that you want, and batch resize images to save time. I find that setting ‘Image Quality’ to 90% generally gives me the right balance of weight (KB) and resolution (pixels).
squarespace seo tip #2
(2) Use Keywords
Using keywords in your website helps Google connect you to the right people, because it signals that your site is relevant to what they’re searching for. The trick is simply to think about what phrases or questions your ideal client is putting into Google search. You can then add these keywords to the places listed below.
Of course, each page or post will call for different keywords, and the more specific and focused we are with our keywords, the better. However, to create your core keyword phrase (e.g. for your site title, or to batch rename your images), ‘Who? What? Where?’ is a helpful starting point, for example…
“Christina Paul (Who) Squarespace Web Designer (What) Boston (Where)” or
“Online (Where) Somatic Trauma Therapy (What) for Women (Who)”
(I) use keywords in your Image Titles
File name ‘IMG_4356’ isn’t going to do much for your SEO! For Squarespace image blocks, add a keyword-rich phrase to the alt text or file name section (see image below). You can also batch rename a bunch of images before you add them to your site (Apple users: highlight the images in Finder > File > Rename).
(II) use keywords in your Headlines
Headline fonts (Squarespace fonts H1, H2, H3) have more ‘SEO juice’ than paragraph / body font. As a holistic website practitioner, I believe in balancing strategy (SEO) with visual and emotional impact. And so, I suggest placing emotionally powerful messaging in your Headlines, while also being mindful that they contain enough keywords. I usually place multiple headlines throughout a page or post to mark each new section. This really supports the visual, emotional and strategic impact of a site.
(III) use keywords in your site title & description
Your Site Title & Description is what appears in a Google search. To customise yours in Squarespace, head to Marketing > Marketing Tools > SEO appearance.
Add your core keywords (Who? What? Where?) to the Site Title, and a keyword-rich paragraph to your Site Description. The trick here is to use keywords, while ensuring that your paragraph reads in a natural, human-friendly way. Google is very clever and knows if we’re just keyword stuffing (i.e. not being user-friendly)!
(IV) use keywords in your page titles / descriptions
You can add SEO-friendly page titles and descriptions to each of your website pages (head to Page Settings > SEO). Like your Site Description, you want each page’s SEO Description to be keyword-rich, while also reading in a natural, human-friendly way.
While it may be temping to copy-and-paste the same description across multiple pages, this will make Google suspicious of how relevant and user-friendly your site actually is! Tweak your page descriptions so that they’re unique to each page.
squarespace seo tip #3
(3) Your Business Location
If you work with people locally, adding your business address can really help improve your Google rankings. Even if you’re more of an online business, it’s still worth adding your location to off-page settings (e.g. your site / page titles & descriptions), which can help put your business on the Google map, so to speak.
Add your business location / information to:
Your Headlines (e.g. Couples Therapy, California)
Your Contact page
Your Site Footer
Your Site / Page Titles & Descriptions
I also highly recommend you create a Google Business Profile (just click to set yours up). Relevant businesses are displayed to the right of a Google search page, and are great for connecting your business to your local community. Here’s my client’s Google Business Profile:
squarespace seo tip #4
(4) Clean up your Site
Again, Google is looking to recommend relevant, user-friendly websites. And so keeping a ‘neat and tidy’ site is another way to support your SEO. This includes:
(I) your URLs
Keep your URLs short, clean and relevant (e.g. ‘/therapy’ VS ‘/therapy-copy-1’)! Ideally, your URL will contain a keyword or phrase. The same applies to the URLs of any blog posts, products, or event pages as well.
(II) avoid broken links
Check for broken links, and set up a custom or default Error page (Website > System Pages > 404 Page) so that visitors are redirected to a helpful page, just in case they click on an old or broken link that you’ve missed.
If you’ve transferred your domain from an old site, try using the same URL slugs to avoid broken links. For example, someone might click on an old link (e.g. www.mysite.com/services), but land on an ‘error / not found’ page if you’ve changed the URL on your new site (e.g. www.mysite.com/work-with-me).
If you’ve changed your domain name, or for whatever reason need to use different URL slugs, you can set up URL redirects. This automatically redirects old URLs to new ones, and helps retain the SEO ‘juice’ of the original page.
(III) Disable inactive pages
If you have ‘dead’ or duplicate pages, Google might mark you down on user-friendliness. Go to Page Settings > General and ‘Disable’ an inactive page, or go to Page Settings > SEO and ‘hide page from search engines’. If you know a page will no longer be used, just go ahead and delete it.
squarespace seo best practices #5
(5) Bonus: Blogging for SEO
Google loves an active and helpful website! I’m a fan of blogging as a marketing strategy because it arguably has a much higher ROI than platforms like Instagram.
Consistently posting just a couple times a month (with the right SEO practices!) can drive significant traffic to your site over time. Your blog content also has a much longer shelf-life than Instagram, appearing in searches long after you’ve posted.
Even if you don’t plan on blogging regularly, it’s worth having a few blog posts as core content, updating them every-so-often for relevance and activity. Creating high-quality content will also help establish you as an expert in your field.
While I love and support blogging for pure self-expression, if you’re wanting to blog for strategic SEO purposes, your blog posts allow you to focus in on very specific topics, which creates powerful keyword-driven content.
As with your regular website pages, you can add keywords to:
Your Blog Content (headers, image titles, etc.)
Blog Settings > SEO > Title & Description
Blog Post Settings > SEO > Title & Description
Blog Post Settings > Options > Tags (like hastags)
All Squarespace’s Collection Pages (blog, shop, events, etc), are structured in a similar way, with similar SEO best practices.
Hey there!
I’m Christina Paul, a therapist turned Brand Therapist, here to help women share their medicine with the world through branding, websites, and visibility.
I work mainly with coaches, therapists, creatives and change-makers - women who are part of the gentle revolution our world so desperately needs.
If you’re feeling a connection, feel free to explore my offerings, find me on Instagram or subscribe to my e-community for love letters sent straight to your inbox.
