5 easy ways you can improve your SEO ranking today

In the ever-evolving landscape of online visibility, search engine optimization (SEO) stands as the linchpin for ensuring your Squarespace website gets the attention it deserves. Whether you're a photographer, artist, or a creative entrepreneur working from home, harnessing the power of SEO can significantly impact the discoverability of your business.

S-E-uh-oh… what?

Creating a stunning website is not enough these days; it needs to be easily found by those seeking what you have to offer. That's where SEO comes into play. Effective SEO not only increases your website's visibility on search engines like Google but also ensures that your target audience can find you effortlessly.

1. Optimizing Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

TIME: 1 HOUR

When it comes to optimizing your Squarespace website for search engines, the starting point lies in crafting compelling page titles and meta descriptions. These are the first impressions your site makes on search engine result pages (SERPs), which will influence heavily whether your links are clicked on or not.

To optimize both, click on the gear icon next in the sidebar. Ensure they are concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords related to your business.

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2. Utilizing Header Tags Effectively

TIME: 30 MINUTES

Header tags, denoted as H1, H2, H3, and so forth, play a vital role in structuring your Squarespace content and signaling its importance to search engines.

Um, what????

• H1 = the main heading/title for your actual page. The hero banner at the top. Title of the blog post. This is a must for keywords.

• H2 & H3 = secondary titles & subheadings throughout the page. (the ora

The most important thing to know here is to only have ONE H1. Multiple H2 and H3 are ok. Make sure they all have keywords, with H1 being the most important.

When used effectively, these tags not only enhance the readability of your content but also contribute to SEO by providing a hierarchical structure. This helps Google understand what your post/webpage is about.

Squarespace simplifies this process by allowing users to apply header tags in the site styles editor. When you add text to a web page or blog post, you can choose which heading tag makes sense.

(for context, I have H1 as my title on this page, H2 right underneath it, H3 in orange above each paragraph, and the times listed under that are P1— paragraph 1. It would be ok if those were H4)

3. Optimize Images for SEO

TIME: 1 (- several) HOURS

In the visually-driven realm of creative businesses, image optimization is a critical aspect of any site’s SEO. Unoptimized images can contribute to slower loading times, which negatively impacts user experience and search engine rankings.

Before you get started, you can check your page speed HERE and I also HIGHLY recommend scanning your site with SEOSpace for Squarespace users. (<—affiliate link)

To optimize your images:

• Compress the file sizes (without reducing quality) before uploading. You want to keep most of your images sizes below 150KB. You can go up to 500 KB occasionally for hero images. Click on the image, go to TOOLS and click on adjust size. Some sites can compress files for you, such as TinyPNG and Squoosh by Google.

• Add descriptive file names and alt text with relevant keywords, providing search engines with context about the content of the images. Be intentional about saving file names when you save images. Change the alt text right inside Squarespace by clicking on each image.

4. Creating SEO-Friendly URLs

TIME: 20 MINUTES

The structure of each page’s URL play a crucial role in SEO, influencing both user experience and search engine rankings.

An SEO-friendly URL should be concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords. Aim for simplicity and clarity. Avoid lengthy or cryptic URLs that may confuse both users and search engines.

Squarespace will choose your URLs for you if you don’t! So click on the gear icon next to each page in the side bar and change it there. If you have multiple words, you want to use a hyphen between them so it’s easier to read. (No underscores)

By incorporating keywords directly into your URLs, you're providing search engines with additional information about the content of your pages, contributing to improved SEO.

5. Take Advantage of Built-in Squarespace Tools & AI.

TIME: 30 MINUTES

Squarespace offers built-in SEO settings that empower users to fine-tune various aspects of their website's search optimization.

In the settings (gear icon) of each page in the sidebar, you can customize essential SEO elements such as the site title, site description, and social sharing logos.

Pay close attention to whether you the page is toggled on to be shown in search engines. You don’t have to have this for every page! Examples would be your privacy policy or under construction page.

If you’re not sure what to write in your title or description, ask Chat GPT for suggestions, then type those words into search engines (google, pinterest, youtube, etc) to look for other ideas and see what people are looking for. If you’d like to take that a step farther, download the Ubersuggest chrome extention to further your Google research. I also get a lot of info from the keyword tool in Google Ads campaigns. (You can totally use that for research without paying for ads)

That’s it!

And there you have it—five simple tricks to make your Squarespace website pop up like magic when someone is searching online!

Building a website is one of the most important things you can do for your business. But if nobody can find it, it's like having a treasure chest with no map. Being the best kept secret is NOT the game plan we’re going for here!

One last thing- I touched on this earlier, but I want to bring it up again because this is the coolest tool— If you’re a Squarespace user, you simply MUST go check out SEOSpace. This is a Chrome extention that will scan your website and give you a more in depth look at where you should make improvements.

If you’re part of my ongoing membership, I do these scans every month on your behalf and send you reports! If you’re not, click HERE to learn more about it!

So, keep these tricks in your creative toolbox, and watch your Squarespace website shine bright in the online world. Happy creating! 🚀✨

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