Squarespace SEO Series : 9 Tips for Blogging
This article kicks off my brand new 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’m going to dedicate lots of posts to this topic.
To kick us off, let’s dive into 9 ways to improve SEO through Squarespace blogging.
I’ve written quite a lot about why every website needs a blog but if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right, you know? I’m hoping that you already do many / most of these suggestions but if you don’t it’s never too late start! In fact, I even encourage you to go back through old blog posts and update them to make sure that they are Squarespace SEO friendly!
Related: My Top 2 Tips for Better Blog Posts
Remember that SEO is an art, not a science. There’s so much to learn about Squarespace SEO which is why I have written about it a lot - it’s the most popular topic on my blog by far. Check out my Squarespace SEO page for more resources, blog posts & video tutorials and get your copy of my Squarespace SEO Checklist below for free!
SQUARESPACE SEO SERIES
This article is part of my series on Squarespace SEO. 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.
Squarespace SEO
Squarespace SEO is a little different from other platforms because there are a lot of moving parts that need to be connected and they all seem to be done in different places across the website. In Wordpress, most people have the Yoast SEO plugin, and it serves as a guide to make sure that blog posts are SEO friendly. By following the prompts and making sure all the little sections light up to green, it’s easy to follow along and have an SEO optimized site.
Squarespace doesn’t have a Yoast equivalent so content creators (like you!) need to keep a mental checklist of all the SEO areas and have a good understanding of all those sections.
This post references “keywords” a lot and I know that topic is super confusing/scary to many Squarespace SEO newbies. Don’t let keywords scare you away! Just check out this bog post that I wrote about keywords and join us again here once you’re more familiar with ‘em:
Alright now that you’ve got keywords sorted out, let’s dive right in!
Here are my 9 tips for Squarespace Blogging SEO
1. Check in with Google Adwords Keyword Planner
This might not be the most glamorous step if you want to “write from the heart” but if your goal is to leverage your blog to support your website and business, this is something you should definitely consider. Before you even write a blog post, take a look at Google Adwords Keyword Planner. Type in the words or phrase you’re interested in writing about and try to target keywords with a medium competition score. If the competition score is too high, you’ll be outranked by paid content and if the competition is too low, there probably isn’t much of an audience for your topic. Once you have an idea of what people are searching, you can centre your post around those keywords/keyphrases. This is great because it means that from the start, your blog post is optimized!
2. Include the keyword in the opening paragraph
Right from the start of your article, readers should know what you’re going to talk about. This is especially true if you intend to be informational or referential. By including the keyword in the blog paragraph, search engines like Google can identify your content from the initial scan. In the screenshot above, you would replace the Lorem Ipsum with actual blog content while being sure to include the keyword in the opening paragraph.
3. Repeat the keyword within the blog content
Once you’ve identified the keywords you’re going to write about, you should repeat them as often as is natural within the blog post. I’m not suggesting you write it out fifty times (Google might flag that as spam!) but instead, try to include the keyword as many times as it makes sense. Don't be a robot and you'll be fine.
4. Make sure the blog post title contains the keyword
You’d be surprised how often people mess this up! Blog titles should be short & sweet, catchy, but also include the keyword. Try to limit the character count to 70 or less. Consider this a lesson in effective writing!
5. Include keywords in headings and subheadings
I strongly encourage people to make use of the different headings sections when writing blog posts. Not only does it help organize the blog post content, it also gives the reader a visual breakdown of what the article covers. Literally NO ONE wants to read a huge page of non-stop text. Instead, most people will scan through the headers to look for sections of interest. If you aren’t making use of this, your blog content will probably be glazed over. Help those people out by including your keywords in the headers (H1, H2) and subheadings (H3)!
6. Fill out the blog excerpt section
The blog excerpt will appear on the blog list page so its important to fill this out anyway. But don’t forget to make it SEO friendly while you’re at it! Be concise with the content and include the keyword for best results. The Blog Excerpt section is in the Options tab when you are editing a blog post
7. Update the Image Filename
Squarespace indicates that updating the image Filename is “optional” but filling this section out is strongly recommended to help with SEO. After you upload an image to a blog post (or anywhere on your site, really), fill out the Filename section so that it includes your keyword. This can be as simple as writing out your blog post title. It’ll also help if people share the image on Pinterest since you will have filled out the image information for them!
Related : How to add and format images on a Squarespace website - video tutorial
8. Review the blog post URL
Squarespace will automatically set up your blog post title as your blog post URL, which isn’t always what you want. You can edit this in the Options tab of the blog post. Make sure that your blog post URL contains your keyword so that it is SEO ready. To update the Blog post URL, toggle over to the Options tab of the blog post editor.
Related: Everything you need to know about permalinks and Squarespace SEO
9. Populate the tag and category field
With a focused blog, you might only have three or four categories. That makes it easy to outline which category a blog post falls into. Tags can be more robust but it’s best to make use of tags that will be applied to multiple posts.
Related: How to use tags and categories in your Squarespace blog - video tutorial
Final Thoughts
By keeping these 9 tips in mind, your Squarespace blog will be set up for SEO success in no time! Yes, it takes a few extra minutes of your time but the results will help you rank higher and your site will perform better. Who doesn't want that?
Be sure to check back in a few days for Part Two in this Squarespace SEO Series, where I explain how to optimize other areas of your Squarespace site for the best SEO performance. It will be a jam packed article full of even more applicable information! I can't wait to share it with you.
Now it's your turn to tell me, do you focus on SEO for your website or blog? Do you already do any of the tips included in this article? If not, have I convinced you to give them a try?
Leave me a note down in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them. No matter what type of website you have, it will benefit from SEO so I encourage you to start where you are and work on improving your SEO a little bit every week.
If you want more SEO goodness, be sure to check out my Squarespace SEO page for all resources on the topic.
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 week and while I don’t talk about SEO every time, I can guarantee that you’ll still find the newsletter topics interesting, entertaining and worth your time.
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 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.
You may also be interested in:
Top Squarespace SEO - online course details and enrollment
Squarespace SEO for Affiliate Marketing - masterclass
LAUNCH YOUR BEST SITE - FREE ECOURSE
Interested in learning more about what it takes to get a website up and running? Sign up for my free 7 day e-course!
