The SEO Checklist Every squarespace Website Needs
So, what exactly is SEO? Silly Elephant Oranges?...Ya, that would be my guess too. But, it’s just a fancy word for Search Engine Optimization and it’s the secret sauce that tells search engines that your content is worthy to appear in the top 10 search results on a certain topic. It’s all about keywords!
keywords
Yes, your whole website needs a keyword. A keyword is basically what people are typing into Google to search for what they are looking for. These words are what will bring visitors to your site. There are two types:
1. Short-Tail: A single word, like Coffee
2. Long-Tail: A small phrase of 2-4 words, like Easy Iced Coffee Recipes
A long-tail will give you a better shot at attracting your targeted audience. The more specific you are, the better — just make sure it’s what your dream clients are searching for. Remember, the keyword you choose must go in your page title and meta description. I suggest using Ubersuggest and making sure your keywords have a Search Difficulty (SD) between 15-30, and use on your site.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
✴ Be specific to your market and niche.
✴ Know your competition, google them and read their title and descriptions.
✴ Ensure your keyword can be used throughout your content and remain relevant.
This checklist is really going to help you ensure your website is set up to drive traffic to your site and you are attracting your dream clients. Note that this checklist isn’t the big papa of SEO factors, but it’s great start and the basic essentials! Let’s get in tip top SEO shape!
basic seo checklist:
I’ll walk you through how to do each in Squarespace.
▢ add a site title
Even if you’re using a logo in the navigation bar, you should still add a site title, as the text may be indexed better. Squarespace recommends keeping the title under 60 characters and include one or more keywords. Click Edit in the top left corner of your site preview > Hover over the header and click Edit Site Header > Site Title & Logo > In the Site Title field, type in your title (this could be your business name) > Hover over Done and click Save. (Learn More)
▢ add a site description
Add a short (50-300 characters), relevant, clear site description. This text will appear below your site title in search results. Use keywords and think about what visitors are searching for. It may be a good idea to use your brand statement here, and a city if you serve a particular area. Click the Settings wheel > Marketing > SEO Appearance > Edit the SEO Site Description field and click Save. (Learn More)
▢ add seo descriptions
Ensure each page on your site has a unique SEO description. It should be short (50-300 characters), and describe the content of the page. You can also add SEO descriptions to individual blog posts, products, and events. Click Website > Pages > Hover over each page title and click the wheel to open its settings > Click SEO and then type in your description > click Save. Repeat this for every page! (Learn More)
▢ secure your site
Google likes secure sites, and this will bump you up on the list. Click the Settings wheel > Developer Tools >SSL > Select Secure Preferred & HSTS Secure. (Learn More)
▢ Create a custom 404 page
Your site automatically shows a 404 or Not Found error message page when it is unable to locate a page, usually due to a dead link or incorrect URL. Customizing your site's 404 page is a great way to let your visitors know what went wrong while remaining cohesive with your website aesthetic. Here is mine for example. Click on Website > Pages > Scroll to the bottom and click on System Pages > 404 Page > Select 404 and design the page, click Save. (Learn More)
▢ OPtimize Url slugs
It is best practice to keep your slugs tidy, short, clear, and relevant to the corresponding page. These are the words that follow your website URL in the bar. This includes pages in your navigation, unlinked pages, blog or gallery post pages, etc. If you change the URL slugs, this may cause broken links, so that’s another reason to double check your links after. Click on Website > Pages > Click the wheel (settings) to the right of every page > General > and edit URL Slug. (Learn More)
▢ Create quality content
Google rewards websites that are updated often and have fresh content (once per week is good). Blogs can also build up even more keywords & helpful content associated with your business. Avoid repeating keywords on everything “keyword stuffing”, which google penalizes. Give your headlines, blog posts, and content a skim on ensure you are using your keywords throughout.
▢ optimize your images
It’s so important that your images are compressed and renamed, as this will help your site load faster and it will also help search engines index your images, increasing your ranking. It’s essentially a great SEO boost! Be descriptive, short (12 words or less), and use keywords. You don’t need to use the words like the, a, photo, picture. Repeat this process to all images on your site. Click on the image block > click pencil tool to edit > where it says Image Alt Text > enter your text and click Save. (Learn More)
This are the basic essentials, and a snap shot of the SEO checklist I complete for my clients. I’d love to work with you in getting your SEO setup once and for all.
does your website need a lil’ tlc? Work with me 1-on-1 for a custom website that you’re proud of!
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