Best Squarespace SEO Settings for Businesses

Discover the most effective Squarespace SEO settings every business should use to improve search visibility and attract more traffic.

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in Local SEO Services and reveal Best Squarespace SEO settings every business should know so your site ranks higher and loads faster for all users.

Squarespace is known for its sleek design and ease of use, but many business owners underestimate how powerful it can be for SEO when configured correctly. While Squarespace automatically includes several SEO-friendly features, fine-tuning your site settings can make a huge difference in visibility, ranking, and user experience. Whether you run a local business or an online store, knowing which Squarespace SEO settings to adjust ensures you get the best performance from your site.

Why SEO Settings Matter on Squarespace

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) determines how easily your website appears on Google when potential customers search for your products or services. Even with Squarespace’s built-in advantages like mobile-friendly design and SSL certificates, success depends on configuring settings that align with your content and keyword goals.

By optimising Squarespace SEO settings, you can:

  • Improve your chances of appearing on the first page of Google

  • Increase organic traffic and customer enquiries

  • Strengthen your local search visibility

  • Enhance your brand’s trust and authority

1. Configure Basic Site Settings

Start with the fundamentals by ensuring your site title, meta description, and domain structure are correctly set up.

Site Title and Tagline
Navigate to Settings > Site Availability > Site Title and ensure it includes your business name and, if relevant, your location. For example, “Lillian Purge | Digital Marketing Specialists Bedford.”

Meta Description
Squarespace allows you to set a site-wide meta description under Marketing > SEO. Write a clear, concise description (under 150 characters) that summarises what your business does and where it operates.

Domain Settings
Make sure your custom domain matches your brand name and uses HTTPS for security. Squarespace provides free SSL certificates, which are crucial for SEO.

2. Optimise Page Titles and Descriptions

Each page should have its own title and meta description tailored to its purpose and keywords.

  • Go to any page in your site editor.

  • Click Settings > SEO.

  • Add a short, keyword-rich page title that accurately describes the content (under 60 characters).

  • Write a meta description that entices users to click from Google results.

Example:

  • Title: “Local SEO Services in Bedford | Lillian Purge”

  • Description: “Boost your local search rankings with tailored SEO strategies from Lillian Purge. Data-driven, results-focused digital marketing in Bedford.”

Squarespace automatically uses your page title as the H1 tag, so there’s no need to add a second H1 within your content.

3. Set Up Clean and Descriptive URLs

Squarespace automatically generates URLs based on page titles, but you can edit them for clarity and SEO.
Go to Settings > SEO > URL Slug for each page.

Keep URLs short and descriptive. For example:

  • /local-seo-services

  • /about-us

  • /contact-bedford

Avoid unnecessary words, symbols, or numbers. Clear URLs help both users and search engines understand your site structure.

4. Use Heading Structure Correctly

Headings (H1, H2, H3) help search engines and readers understand the hierarchy of your content. Use one H1 per page (the page title), then break sections into H2 and H3 headings.

For example:
H1: Local SEO Services in Bedford
H2: Why Local SEO Matters
H2: Our Proven Optimisation Process
H3: Keyword Targeting for Local Businesses

Consistent structure improves readability and helps Google crawl your content effectively.

5. Enable SSL and HTTPS

Security is a ranking factor for Google. Squarespace includes free SSL certificates that encrypt your website.
To check, go to Settings > Advanced > SSL and ensure the “Secure (Preferred)” option is selected.

This helps protect visitors’ data and signals to Google that your site is trustworthy.

6. Add Image SEO

Squarespace makes it easy to optimise images for search. Every image you upload should have descriptive filenames and alt text that describe what the image shows.

When adding an image:

  • Rename the file before uploading, e.g. “bedford-digital-marketing-agency.jpg.”

  • In the image editor, add a brief description such as “Lillian Purge digital marketing team in Bedford.”

Alt text not only improves SEO but also enhances accessibility for users with visual impairments.

7. Connect Google Search Console

Google Search Console is an essential free tool that tracks how your site performs in search results.

To connect it:

  1. Go to search.google.com/search-console.

  2. Add your Squarespace domain.

  3. Verify ownership by following Google’s instructions.

Once verified, you can monitor keyword rankings, fix crawl issues, and submit your sitemap for faster indexing.

Squarespace automatically generates a sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, so submitting it is quick and easy.

8. Connect Google Analytics

Squarespace has built-in integration with Google Analytics to track traffic and behaviour.
Go to Settings > Advanced > External Services, then enter your Google Analytics Measurement ID.

Analytics data helps you see where visitors come from, what pages they visit, and which keywords drive conversions. This insight allows you to refine your SEO strategy continuously.

9. Optimise for Mobile

Since most users now browse on smartphones, Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites. Squarespace templates are responsive by default, but you should still review your mobile layout.

  • Check that text and buttons are readable.

  • Ensure images resize correctly.

  • Test navigation to confirm it’s intuitive on smaller screens.

You can preview your site on mobile within the Squarespace editor to spot issues before publishing.

10. Improve Site Speed

Page speed affects both SEO and user experience. While Squarespace hosts sites on high-performance servers, you can further optimise speed by:

  • Compressing images before upload

  • Limiting large background videos

  • Reducing unnecessary code or animations

  • Avoiding too many third-party embeds

You can test speed using Google PageSpeed Insights and follow its recommendations for improvement.

11. Enable Social Sharing and Schema Markup

Squarespace automatically includes Open Graph tags for social sharing, ensuring your content displays correctly on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.

For SEO, structured data (schema markup) helps Google understand your business information. While Squarespace doesn’t support full schema customisation by default, you can add code blocks or use plugins for LocalBusiness or FAQ schema. This helps improve search visibility for local businesses.

12. Use Blog Posts to Target Keywords

Blogging is one of the best ways to target long-tail keywords and attract organic traffic. Create posts that answer customer questions or address topics related to your services.

Each blog post should have:

  • A descriptive title and meta description

  • Clean URL (e.g., /how-to-optimise-squarespace-seo)

  • Internal links to relevant service pages

Regular posting signals to Google that your website is active and authoritative.

13. Use the Built-In SEO Checklist

Squarespace includes an SEO checklist under Marketing > SEO, which highlights key areas to improve. Review this regularly to ensure you haven’t missed essential steps such as connecting your domain, adding descriptions, or verifying with Google.

Summary

Squarespace offers everything you need to create a professional, search-friendly website   but the key lies in configuring its SEO settings correctly. From page titles and meta descriptions to image alt text and sitemap submission, each step helps strengthen your visibility and ranking potential.

If you want to maximise your Squarespace site’s performance or need expert support with SEO and local optimisation, Lillian Purge can help. We specialise in building data-driven strategies that bring measurable results for businesses across the UK.

We have also written in depth articles on Should I use Wordpress or Squarespace? and How local businesses can succeed with Squarespace websites as well as our Squarespace Hub to give you further guidance.