6 things that make your Squarespace website legit

6 things that make your squarespace website look legit.jpg

Hello hello and WELCOME BACK to another highly requested blog post/video tutorial!

Today, I’m sharing 6 things that make your Squarespace website legit … aka, how to ensure that your site doesn’t scream DIY.

I throw zero shade on DIY websites, but if I can get you a little bit closer to a site that looks amazing, converts like crazy AND has all the features/functionality you need? Then my friend, I’ve done my job.

These 6 tips are a combo of design, user experience and yes, of course, Squarespace SEO (cause that’s my bread and butter after all) :)

These factors come up time and time again with my clients, students and casual blog readers/YT subscribers alike - doesn’t matter what type of website or industry you’re in, I don’t want to see you making any of these mistakes!

I’m laying it all out for you so that you can work your way through this quick 6 point list, make any required changes on the back end of your website in the blink of an eye, and get yourself one step closer that dream website that you’re so proud to show off.

Cause remember, you don’t know what you don’t know until suddenly you know better…. and since I know better, I’m here to show you the way LOL!

As a Squarespace SEO expert and leader in this super random little niche, it’s my job/pleasure to introduce you to things like this and present it in a way that makes you think, yes Charlotte I can handle this!

This is the kind of insider info that I share with my Squarespace SEO consulting clients and students in my online course, Top Squarespace SEO. But since I’m not one for secrets and truly want the best for anyone with a website, I’m giving you the summarized goods here - totally for free!

Read the blog post or watch the video tutorial below - either way, I want you to go through this quick list to confirm that yes, your website does in fact look legit.

Some of you reading this might be totally new to Squarespace SEO and are looking for an introduction to this topic, someone to hold your hand and show you it’s not actually that scary. On the flip side, you might already be familiar with a few points on this list already but maybe you are looking for confirmation that you’re on the right track and haven’t missed anything important. No matter where you are in your Squarespace SEO journey, I know you’ll benefit from this info!

Let’s dive right in - read the post or watch the video tutorial below to see 6 things that make your Squarespace website legit!

Related:

SQUARESPACE SEO SERIES

I have so many tips to share on the subject that it would have been crazy to put it all in one article! There are many misconceptions about Squarespace SEO which is why I've dedicate so many posts to this topic. Enjoy!

Click to view all posts in the Squarespace SEO Series

Visit my Squarespace SEO page for lots more resources.

6 ways to make your Squarespace website legit

1. Your website actually shows up in Google search results

Let’s kick things off by stating the obvious: it’s not enough to have a cute site that looks great.

Your website MUST show up in online search results if you want to get traffic so that you can actually reach your dream clients/customers!

This is essential. SEO is non-negotiable.

Real talk, hunni, I don’t know how else to say it - if someone Google’s your personal/brand/business name, your website must show up - as high up in the rankings as possible. Like DUH, we all want to rule Page 1 cause that’s where the real growth and results happen :)

Lucky for you, I am an expert in Squarespace SEO so you’ve come to the right place - I’ve got you covered!

The very first place to start here is with my blog post/video tutorial Squarespace SEO 101: Beginner's guide to the 3 most important website settings. Before you even think about making your way through the rest of this list, pleassssse ensure that you’ve taken care of the so-called Holy Trinity of Squarespace SEO.

Here are a few other posts to get you started with Squarespace SEO so that you can start ranking your website:

The blog posts/video tutorials above are a fantastic intro into Squarespace SEO but basically I suggest that you binge my blog and the Squarespace SEO page for loads more guides, resources and content 😘

2. A custom favicon / browser icon

Next up, let’s move into the design space.

Favicons or browser icons are small branding elements that make your website easily and instantly recognizable.

Squarespace’s default favicon is the little grey square/box. Meaning that unless you upload your own custom favicon to your Squarespace website, then you’ll have the Squarespace default favicon and that positively screams DIY by someone who isn’t sure what they’re doing.

Favicons may be wee in size, but they’re a very important part of your overall branding. Don’t skip this! If you don’t have a custom favicon yet, that’s OK because you can whip one up in a hot sec totally for free.

I’ve got a great blog post/video tutorial all about How to create a custom Favicon in Canva and upload it to your Squarespace website -it lays it all out for you so be sure to check that out asap.

Basically you need to design a favicon and then once you have the image file, you can upload it to your Squarespace website.

Here are the steps:

Log into your Squarespace website. From the dashboard, go to Design > Logo & Title > Browser Icon (Favicon)
Click Add a Favicon and select your file to upload
Save your changes

If your favicon doesn't display right away, refresh the page or clear the browser cache.

Super easy but worth it - favicons truly elevate your website’s branding and help make it more legit.

3. Clear tagline above the fold on the homepage

In order for your website to be legit and useful/relevant to your ideal audience, they must be able to quickly know that they’re in the right place!

This is where a super clear tagline or brief intro comes into play.

We always want this to be above the fold on the website’s home page (i.e., don’t make people scroll down in order to find this info) so that it’s the first thing they see.

Here’s why this is SO IMPORTANT: Think about the way that many people arrive on your website. In many/most cases, they’ve done an online search and your website came up in the search results. They click the link and are re-directed over to your website, often onto the home page. They know NOTHING about you, your brand or your business. This is their first introduction to who you are, what you do and/or what you offer. This is why it’s so important to have a clear site title and tagline that clearly explains what you’re all about.

For example, a common way to design an effective home page is to start off with a full-width banner image with H1 text overlay that says “James Smith Photography” then below that in H2 text it says “Seattle Wedding Photographer” or something.

This way, when a random person lands on your website for the first time, they know exactly who you are, what you do and can confirm that they’re in the right place.

From a user experience point of view, this is super helpful because visitors are instantly oriented and informed as to what type of website they’re on.

But it’s also very beneficial from an SEO point of view too because when Google crawls & indexes your website, one of the first things they’re seeing are those H1 & H2 headers with those clear keywords.

You can learn more about headers in this blog post/video tutorial, The most important on-site factors for Squarespace SEO.

So for this point, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of someone who is visiting your website for the very first time and knows nothing about you, your brand, your business or your offerings. Pop over to your website’s home page and ask yourself honestly, is it super obvious what you do? Does your homepage have a clear title and tagline above the fold to help people out?

If not, you might want to make a few tweaks or change up the design so that this info is front row centre.

4. Blog posts have clear CTAs

CTA = call to action

In other words, the next step you want someone to take after reading your blog post.

Here are some examples of a CTA that you might have at the end of a blog post:

Read more (related content)
Share this post (e.g., on social media)
Purchase a product
Check out services
Book a discovery call
Contact us

Again, remember that many people will find out about you when they do an online search and your website/blog post shows up in the search results. This means that when they click over to the blog post, they’re arriving on your website fully green and know nothing about you/your brand/your biz/your offerings. So fill people in!

Each blog post should finish off with a super clear CTA so that you’re giving people next steps to follow.

If this is their first time on your website and you just give them a blog post to read, how on earth are they going to know about all the other amazing content you have or offerings you can help them with?

Blog post CTAs are something that truly sets legit websites apart so if you want to up your game, you’re going to have to go back to each blog post and add in a clear CTA so that people know what to do next.

5. Proper date/year in the website’s footer

This tip is short and sweet but you’d be surprised by how often it’s overlooked!

Scroll down to your website’s footer (the very bottom) and make sure that it says the correct year.

If your website still says 2020 them omg, update it asap - those numbers are triggering yo! 😂

This is a small thing that signals to both humans visiting your site and search engines crawling & indexing your site that you’re on top of it, keeping your website up to date, actively managing your site content, etc. It shows that you didn’t just slap something online and then ignore it for the rest of time haha

6. Set up related content and/or offerings

Legit websites prioritize user experience which means that you should always be promoting related content or offerings across your website.

For blog posts, this means that you should always include related posts at the bottom of every post (like I’ve done here on my site, for example!). I’ve got a blog post/video tutorial that shows you how to add related posts to the bottom of your Squarespace blog posts.

For products, you should always add related products or a “you might also be interested in” section to the bottom of each product item. Check out this post on how to add related products to your Squarespace website or online shop.

Legit websites do this because it helps site visitors find more of the content/offerings that they’re interested in, especially if they are finding you via a random Google search and aren’t familiar with your entire brand/business/blog content/product suite yet.

If you want your website to be legit, this is non-negotiable. So yes, you might have to spend a bit of time adding these features in but trust me, it’s worht it!

Final Thoughts

And there you have it - if you do these 6 things on your Squarespace website I can guarantee that it’ll be more legit than before!

It’s a combo of web design, user experience and SEO that will make a world of difference in how your site functions AND how people interact with your content.

Little changes can have a big impact so don’t sleep on it - take action today if you are missing any of these points. Better late than never!

There’s a lot to consider with Squarespace SEO and optimized websites in general and I totally understand that it’s a daunting subject when you’re first starting out, which is why I’m thrilled to help you out with this blog post/video tutorial all 6 things you can do to make your website legit.

Whether you’re just starting out with a brand new website and want to make sure that you’re setting it up correctly, or if you’ve had a site live for a while and now want to grow it to make more of an impact, SEO will get you where you want to go! From web pages to blog posts to product descriptions, these factors should be considered across your Squarespace website if you want best results.

Now it's your turn to tell me, how legit is your website? Have you taken care of all these points? Are there any that you’re missing and going to update?

Leave me your questions down in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them. As people are spending more time online than ever before, it’s SO important that your website shows up properly in search results so that you can reach your ideal audience online - but you can’t do this without SEO!

If you want more SEO goodness, be sure to check out my Squarespace SEO page for all resources on the topic.

Top Squarespace SEO | online course content mockup

My signature online course, Top Squarespace SEO, will be opening for enrollment again soon - sign up for the TSS waiting list here!

You can also sign up for my newsletter (right here or below), where I often share Squarespace SEO tips, tricks and high-quality exclusive content. I send out emails to my list every Wednesday, mostly focused on Squarespace websites and SEO, and I can guarantee that you’ll find the newsletter topics interesting, entertaining and worth your time. #humblebrag

Finally, shameless plug: hit me up with any specific questions you have about Squarespace SEO and your website because I’m your girl. You can reach out to me directly if you’re interested in working together on your website and we can talk about whether or not you would be a good fit for my consulting and ongoing services. I can’t take on every request to do Squarespace SEO consulting but I do pick a few websites and businesses to work with every month and I’d love for you to be one of them.