I Assessed Squarespace’s SEO Features in 2024: Here’s What I Found

Squarespace has more of a reputation for its design, but its SEO has become very robust in recent years and is well equipped to boost your site’s search engine rankings. You can see the platform’s key pros and cons below to see if it’s an apt fit for your business’ online goals:

Even just the three letters “S-E-O” are enough to make most of us recoil in premature frustration. So instead of tossing around terms like “SSL” or “alternative text,” let’s kick things off with a breakdown of each feature: what it is, how it works with Squarespace (or doesn’t), and when you should add it to your site. The full list is below:

1. Site Title

A site title is simply the title text that appears across the top of every page on your website. Even if you have a great logo, it’s best to use one of these as well – for one thing, the title tells search engines what your site is all about. For maximum impact, keep your site title short and focus on keywords.

Is it included? Yes, you can add your own site title on Squarespace. 

When should I add it? Before launch.

2. Google Index

Google keeps an index of all of the web pages that it recognizes. To do this, Google’s bots crawl and review your site, then read and categorize new content and update your site’s standings in search results.

Is it included? Yes, you can request that Google indexes your site using Google Search Console. Squarespace doesn’t do this for you, but Google will automatically index all web pages without any action on your part. It just takes a little longer if you don’t actively request it.

When should I request it? At launch.

3. Bing Webmaster Tools

This is a free service for managing your site’s presence in Bing’s search results, which have similar criteria to the Google index.

Is it included? Yes. You can verify your Squarespace site with Bing and Yahoo, but again, you have to do it yourself – it won’t happen automatically. You’ll need to connect to Squarespace from your Webmaster account.

When should I add it? At launch.

4. Meta Title

A meta title is an HTML element that tells search engines (and visitors!) exactly what a page on your site is about. The meta title will appear in a lot of key places, most notably as the headline link in search results.

Is it included? Yes – every page and post has a configuration section where you can write the meta title.

When should I write it? Before launch.

5. Meta Description

The meta description is your chance to expand on the content in your title. It’ll appear underneath your meta title in search results. A good meta description will summarize the content users can expect from your page (in under 155 characters), and persuade them to click on it.

Is it included? Yes – you can write meta descriptions in “Page Settings.”

When should I write it? Before launch.

6. Custom URLs

This feature provides you with SEO-friendly URLs that reflect your content, rather than a random jumble of numbers and letters. Custom URLs should clarify to the user what a specific page is about – “example.com/article/squarespace-seo-guide” is so much more informative than “example.com/hds73tgha.”

Is it included? Yes. Squarespace generates URLs based on the page title. If you want to change it, you can do so in the “Page Settings” section.

When should I add it? Before launch.

7. Headings

Headings (and smaller subheadings for subsections) help to structure your content. They indicate to search engines and readers which information you’ve included, and where.

Is it included? Kind of. Squarespace is limited in that it only creates automatic HTML tags for H1s, H2s, H3s, and H4s (all various heading and subheading sizes). By contrast, most builders (like Wix) have headings that go up to H6s. You can still structure your content in a digestible format for search engines, though not nearly as thoroughly as you’d be able to with six headline formats.

When should I add it? Before launch.

8. Image Alternative Text

Google is smart, but it’s not (yet) smart enough to know for sure what an image is showing or why it’s relevant. Alternative text is what you manually write in to describe each image on your site, and it appears in place of an image if the image fails to load.

It’s also an easy way to make your website accessible, since anyone with a visual impairment will be able to understand what’s contained in your images.

Is it included? Yes. Every image can be given alt text.

When should I add it? Before launch and as ongoing best practice whenever you add new imagery to your website.

9. Speed and Uptime

Websites with good site speed and uptime load quickly, and are reliably “live” over 99% of the time. Squarespace ranks well for this in our research with a 0.5-second server response time for both desktop and mobile. For SEO, Google recommends having a server response time of below 0.6 seconds, meaning Squarespace is batting above average.

Is it included? Yes. Squarespace’s infrastructure has an excellent foundation for good site speed and uptime. No platform can guarantee 100% uptime, but Squarespace gets about as close as you can.

When should I add it? Squarespace has this covered as soon as you create your website.

10. Mobile Friendly

These sites are straightforward to use on mobile and are easily crawled (i.e. understood) by search engines.

Since Google is more likely to crawl mobile-first websites, don’t slack on this aspect of your page. From Squarespace’s editor, I could click on the “Mobile” icon to view and tweak my website for smartphone users.

Is it included? Yes – every Squarespace template comes with a mobile version that fits to the screen and caters to touch navigation.

When should I add it? Squarespace has this covered, too.

11. 301 Redirects

301 redirects mean that if you change a page’s URL from X to Y, users will still be directed to the new page even if they use the old address.

Is it included? Yes. Just click on “Developer Tools” in the Advanced section of your website settings. You can then click on “URL Mappings” and change the destination of specific URLs on your website.

When should I add it? After launch.

12. SSL Encryption (HTTPS)

An SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer) is what establishes a secure, encrypted link between a web server and a browser (like Safari or Google Chrome). This protects your data and gives your website an extra layer of protection if you ever undergo a website security breach.

Search engines are beginning to punish sites without SSL, so securing an SSL certificate is essential.

Is it included? Yes – free SSL certificates are offered to all Squarespace domains.

When should I add it? Before launch.

13. Sitemap

A Sitemap is a complete list of the pages on your site, which search engines can use to determine how your site is structured. You can do this too – try adding ‘/sitemap.xml’ to the end of any URL to see for yourself!

Is it included? Yes, all Squarespace sites come with a sitemap. It updates automatically as you add and remove pages.

When should I add it? No need – Squarespace will take care of this automatically!

14. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a freemium Google tool that allows you to view data about your site, from page-specific traffic to user demographics. If you want to grow your website, I recommend creating an analytics account as soon as possible to start gaining valuable insights. 

Is it included? Yes. Head to “External Services” in Advanced settings, enter your Google Analytics account number, and you’re good to go. 

When should I add it? After launch.

15. Google Search Console

A free Google tool that lets you see how your site is performing in search results. Once it’s set up, you can head into your dashboard’s analytics and click on “Search Keywords” to see which words on your website are driving traffic.

Is it included? Yes. Just set up a Search Console account, and follow the steps provided to connect with Google Analytics.

When should I add it? After launch.

16.  Social Media Integration

This refers to built-in functionalities that allow users to share your content on various social media sites. You can add business social media profiles to your website and cross-post the same content to your website and social profiles.

It’s important to optimize your social media accounts for SEO too. If Google is able to crawl your social media pages, you have even more chances to appear in search and get your business seen!

Is it included? Yes, you can connect numerous social media networks can to your Squarespace site, including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Flickr. They appear as linked icons on your website.

When should I add it? Before launch.

17. Canonical Tags

If you have multiple versions of the same page (or if the same page can be accessed with multiple URLs), canonical tags allow you to choose which one search engines should focus on. This stops them from competing with each other.

Is it included? Kind of… Squarespace does put canonical tags on pages automatically. But if you ever want to directly edit them from Squarespace’s editor, you’re out of luck.

When should I add it? At launch.

18. Structured Data

Structured Data gives search engines more specific information about your pages and their purposes, influencing how your website appears in search engines. One example is when you search for a specific query in Google and a knowledge box appears in the results

Search engines love structured data, because it helps match users with super relevant information.

Is it included? Kind of… Squarespace implements some types of structured data automatically. Further structured data is possible, but you’ll need to do it yourself via another code injection.

When should I add it? Before launch.

There are some internal resources on Squarespace to help you get started with SEO. Squarespace has created a top-level SEO checklist and even posted its own guide to increasing your site’s search engine visibility. The guide is pretty detailed, with a video and lengthy written sections that address everything from choosing keywords to structuring content.

The guide is also full of relevant links to more focused SEO questions that Squarespace has already answered at greater length. It’s a great resource because you’ll get answers already tailored to Squarespace’s tools.

Overall, Squarespace is a great platform if you’d like to cover your website’s basic SEO. Many of its attributes, like custom URLs or meta titles, are easy to change from the editor.

That being said, it’s not perfect – but that’s more to do with SEO as a concept than website builders. You see, because search engine algorithms are always changing, the best SEO advice also needs constant updating – there’s no special rulebook that’s stood the test of time, or anything like that.

Yes! Squarespace is great for SEO, making all the necessary tools you need on-hand and easy to access. Social media integration, mobile friendly-support, and keyword search from launch make Squarespace a tough target to miss when aiming for your SEO goals.

However, there are a few bugbears. Some more SEO support would be better, while you can’t directly edit canonical tags or structured data without needing to delve into some code.

So, I’d recommend Wix instead if you’re an SEO beginner. Wix provides you with a dedicated SEO section in your dashboard, a checklist, and plenty of tips and tricks along the way.