Your Simple SEO Checklist for Squarespace (And Why It Matters)
If you built a beautiful website on Squarespace, that’s a major win, but there’s one more crucial step before your ideal clients can actually find you: search engine optimization (SEO). Done right, SEO helps your business show up in Google and other search engines so real people land on your site organically (without you paying for ads).
Here’s a clear, practical SEO checklist you can follow whether you’re launching your first site or refreshing an existing one.
1. Speak Your Audience’s Language
Search engines match what people type to the words you use on your site. That means you want:
Keywords in your page titles, headings, and body text that reflect what your customers actually search for.
Clear, helpful writing that answers their questions because search engines reward content that truly helps people.
This is about thinking like your customer and using terms they would use to find a business like yours.
2. Write Winning Titles & Descriptions
Your website has two key pieces of metadata:
Page titles: These appear in search results and browser tabs.
Meta descriptions: These show up under your link in Google and act like a tiny sales pitch.
Best practices:
Include your main keyword in the title.
Keep titles descriptive and readable.
Write meta descriptions that explain what the page is about and why someone should click, it’s often a searcher’s first impression of your brand.
3. Structure Your Pages So They Make Sense
Think of your website like a book with:
Headings (H1, H2, etc.) that break up content
Logical organization that helps both people and search engines understand your content hierarchy.
A clear structure improves readability and makes it easier for Google to crawl your content.
4. Make Images Work Harder for You
Images add life to your site, but they also impact SEO when you:
Add alt text, a description that tells search engines what the image is about (and improves accessibility).
Use descriptive file names and keep files sized appropriately so pages load quickly.
Fast loading and clear image data improve both search rankings and user experience.
5. Internal Links = SEO Fuel
Linking between pages within your own site helps:
Users find relevant content
Search engines understand your site hierarchy
Where it feels natural, connect to related services, blog posts, or portfolio items; this strengthens your site’s overall SEO footprint.
6. Use SEO Tools to Stay On Track
Squarespace gives you built-in SEO panels where you can:
Add or edit titles and descriptions
Update page settings for search visibility
See keyword insights from analytics tools
Integrate with Google Analytics and Search Console for deeper tracking and greater control over indexing.
These tools help you watch how people find your site and make improvements over time.
What You Don’t Have to Worry About
Squarespace already includes foundational SEO features behind the scenes, like clean URLs, automatic sitemaps, and mobile responsiveness, so you’re not building from scratch.
That gives you a strong base to work from as you focus on the items above.
Strengthening Your Website for AI Search
Search isn’t just about Google anymore. AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI-generated results are increasingly summarizing and recommending businesses directly. How do you ensure your website is positioned for that shift?
Here’s the good news: the fundamentals still matter, but coherence matters even more.
To strengthen your site for AI search:
Be crystal clear about what you do, who you serve, and where you’re located. AI tools pull direct answers from websites. If your messaging is vague, you’re less likely to be referenced.
Write in complete, conversational sentences. AI systems favor natural language that directly answers real questions.
Create FAQ sections. Answering common client questions in a straightforward way increases your chances of being surfaced in AI summaries.
Add author or business credibility signals. Share your experience, credentials, testimonials, and real examples of your work.
Keep content updated. Fresh, relevant information helps establish trust and authority.
Think of it this way: traditional SEO helps people find you. AI optimization helps platforms recommend to you.
And the strongest strategy? Build a website that is helpful, specific, and genuinely valuable. That’s what both search engines and AI systems reward.