How to Get Your Squarespace Website on Google: A 5-Step Guide
We hear about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) all the time. It’s one of those things that gets thrown around as a must-do for your website, but let’s be real—do any of us truly understand it?
We know it has something to do with Google. We know it’s important. But beyond that? SEO can feel like this big, confusing, slightly intimidating world that’s hard to navigate.
Here’s the thing: SEO doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t need to be an expert to make it work for you. A few key steps can make a huge difference—and that’s exactly what we’re diving into today.
Because here’s a not-so-fun fact: 84.9% of Squarespace websites get zero organic traffic from search engines. That means most people put in the effort to build their site but never actually get it seen. And we don’t want that for you.
So, we teamed up with Henry Purchase—SEO expert, founder of SEOSpace, and a trusted business friend of ours—to share a straightforward, no-nonsense, 5-step process that will help you get your Squarespace site ranking on Google. Henry has analyzed over 10,000 Squarespace websites, so when it comes to what actually works, he knows his stuff.
Whether you're just starting out or looking to fine-tune your SEO strategy, this guide will give you the exact steps to help your website show up, stand out, and bring in more of the right people.
Let's dive into Henry's expert guide on how to rank higher on Google.
Why Does Your Website Need to be on Google?
Before we get into the how you implement SEO, let’s quickly cover what SEO is and why you should care—because once you understand these, the steps will make a whole lot more sense.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s the process of helping your website show up in Google (and other search engines) when people search for things related to your business.
Think about it this way: When you type something into Google, you usually click on one of the first few results, right? SEO is what helps your website get into those top spots so more people can find you.
A beautiful website is great, but if no one ever lands on it, it’s not doing much for you. SEO helps your site get seen and by the right people—people who are actually searching for what you offer.
Why Does Your Website Need to Be on Google?
More Visibility = More People Finding You
Google processes 8.3 billion searches (yup, BILLION) per day. That’s billions of chances for people to discover your business—but only if your site is optimized to show up. The top three search results alone get up to 40% of all clicks. If you’re not ranking, you’re missing out on serious traffic.
It Builds Trust & Credibility
People trust Google. If your site ranks higher, it instantly looks more authoritative and professional—which makes visitors more likely to stick around, book with you, or buy from you.
Creates a Competitive Edge
Only 15.1% of Squarespace websites get organic traffic. That means most people aren’t optimizing their sites at all—which gives you a golden opportunity to get ahead of the competition simply by doing SEO the right way.
How do You Implement SEO?
Now that we know what SEO is and why it matters, let’s get into the how—the 5 practical steps you need to optimize your website and start seeing results.
Let’s keep going with the 5-step strategy to help you rank higher on Google👇
5 Steps to Put Your Squarespace Website on Google
Here are the essential things you must do to make your Squarespace website visible on Google:
Connect your Squarespace account to the Google Search Console
Submit your sitemap to Google
Audit your website for technical SEO issues
Create valuable, in-depth content
Improve your on-page and off-page SEO
1. Connect Your Squarespace Account to Google Search Console
The first step to getting your Squarespace website on Google is to connect to Google Search Console (GSC). This tool provides valuable insights into your site’s performance in search results and helps you understand how Google interacts with your content. It's also where you can submit your sitemap to ensure Google indexes your pages, making them discoverable to users in search results.
Here’s how to set it up:
Log in to your Squarespace account.
Navigate to “Settings” > “Third Party Tools” > “Connected Accounts.”
Click on “Connect Account.”
Select “Search Console” from the list of options.
Sign in with your Gmail account.
Accept the terms and conditions.
This integration allows you to monitor top queries, best-performing pages, click-through rates, and average search positions. It’s a free SEO tool that’s essential for understanding how your site performs in Google search results.
Why Use Google Search Console?
Google Search Console offers invaluable data for optimizing your Squarespace site. It helps you identify areas for improvement and track your SEO progress over time. While Squarespace does offer a “Search Keywords” integration, accessing data directly through Google Search Console provides more detailed and actionable information.
By connecting your Squarespace site to Google Search Console, you’re taking a significant step towards improving your online visibility and attracting more organic traffic.
2. Submit Your Sitemap to Google
Now that your site is connected to the search console, you can proceed to submit your sitemap to Google. This is a crucial step in getting your website pages indexed and visible in search results.
The good news is that Squarespace makes this process remarkably straightforward, as we’ll observe in the following steps:
Accessing Your Sitemap
One of Squarespace’s great features is that it automatically generates a sitemap for your website. The sitemap lists all the URLs on your site to help search engines crawl and index your content more efficiently.
To access your Sitemap, navigate to “http://your-domain-name/sitemap.xml.” For example, if your domain name is “kansasdonut.com,” then your sitemap will be at “http://kansasdonut.com/sitemap.xml”
Submitting Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
Here’s how to submit your sitemap:
Log into your Google Search Console dashboard.
Click “Sitemaps” on the left side of the screen.
Under “Add a new sitemap,” type “sitemap.xml.”
Click “Submit.”
According to Squarespace support, it may take up to 72 hours for Google to process your indexing request and update search results with your new content. Be patient, and remember that this is a crucial step in improving your site’s visibility.
3. Audit Your Website for Technical SEO Issues
Once you’ve submitted your site to Google, you need to ensure it’s ready for search engines to find and understand. A well-optimized site lays the groundwork for successful SEO. Here’s how to perform a technical SEO audit:
Fix broken links: Broken links frustrate visitors and confuse search engines. Use tools like SEOSpace or Screaming Frog to find and fix broken links on your site.
Ensure mobile-friendliness: Most users search on mobile devices, so your site must look great and function smoothly on smaller screens. Test your site using Google’s Lighthouse and address any issues it flags.
Optimize page speed: Slow websites lose visitors and rank lower. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify speed bottlenecks and fix them by compressing images and avoiding using Squarespace’s video hosting feature.
Check indexing in Google Search Console: Log in to Google Search Console to ensure all your site pages are indexed. Fix errors like “Page Not Found” or blocked content to make sure Google can access all pages on your website.
By fixing these technical issues, you create a solid foundation that helps Google find, understand, and rank your site.
👉 Squarespace SEO: Boosting Your Site's Visibility with our go-to SEO Checklist
4. Create Valuable, In-Depth Content
A key part of optimizing for search engines is ensuring your website’s content provides real value to your audience. Google prioritizes pages that are informative, engaging, and relevant to users. Consider the following tips when creating website content to ensure it ranks on Google:
Avoid “thin” content—pages with fewer than 300 words that offer little value. Instead, create detailed, well-structured pages that address the needs of your target customers.
Focus on answering common questions, solving problems, or providing insights your audience cares about.
Use clear headings, bullet points, and simple language to improve readability.
Don’t just add words for the sake of it—make every sentence count. If your content truly addresses your visitors’ pain points and queries, Google is more likely to rank it higher.
Regularly review and update your content to keep it fresh and relevant.
By focusing on creating valuable content, you’ll attract more visitors and build trust with your audience, which will ultimately help your site perform better on Google.
5. Improve Your On-Page and Off-Page SEO
For continuous visibility on search engines like Google, you need a comprehensive search engine optimization (SEO) strategy for your Squarespace website. This involves optimizing both on-page and off-page elements to boost your rankings and attract more organic traffic.
Optimizing for On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing elements on your website—like content, headlines, and meta descriptions—to improve search engine visibility. It starts with keyword research, identifying the terms your audience is searching for, and strategically incorporating them into your site to help Google (and potential customers) find you.
Here are some helpful “On-page” SEO tips:
Identify user intent for keywords: Go beyond just “high-traffic” keywords when researching keywords to use on your page. Use tools like SEOSpace, Google Keyword Planner or AnswerThePublic to find specific, long-tail keywords that match what users are searching for. This will make visitors more likely to engage with your page when they visit, which helps boost your visibility.
Improve internal linking: Link related blog posts and pages together using meaningful anchor text. For example, “Learn more about Squarespace SEO settings” instead of “Click here.” Internal links help make hidden pages discoverable, and providing meaningful anchor texts helps both visitors and search engines understand the page context.
👉 3 free tools to research keywords and boost your SEO
Optimizing for Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO involves taking additional steps beyond your website pages to improve its visibility. This involves building backlinks and an authoritative social media presence.
The following tips can help you nail off-page SEO for your website:
Secure guest post opportunities: Write guest blogs for industry-related websites with a link back to your Squarespace site. Focus on sites with high domain authority to maximize impact. Consider collaborating with influencers and thought leaders in your industry for substantial reach.
Launch linkable assets: Create unique resources like free templates, calculators, guides, or case studies that people naturally want to link to. Promote these via outreach campaigns and on your social media pages. People will naturally link to resourceful content so focus on offering value on your website.
Leverage local SEO strategies: If you run a service business, list your business on Google My Business and directories specific to your niche. Having your business in these directories will signal to search engines that you’re a trusted source since these platforms have verification processes in place to validate your business offerings.
SEO isn’t a one-and-done task—it requires consistency. Monitor your progress regularly using tools like Google Analytics and adjust your strategy based on performance insights. By providing value to users and search engines, your rankings will naturally improve.
Getting your Squarespace site ranked on Google doesn’t happen overnight—but that’s actually the relieving part about SEO. It’s not about making one massive change all at once. It’s a process, a steady, consistent effort of showing up and giving it a try. And the best part? Every small step you take—learning, optimizing, creating quality content—makes a real difference. Over time, those efforts add up, and you’ll start seeing results—not just in your rankings, but in your business as a whole.
That’s exactly why we use SEOSpace, Henry’s SEO plugin built specifically for Squarespace. It’s been a total game-changer for our business, making SEO way easier to understand and implement (because let’s be honest, SEO can feel like a lot). And since SEO is something we’re always working to improve (oh man, is that ever true), we also turn to SEOspace Academy to keep learning and refining our strategy. Because SEO isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress.
And because Henry is the best, he’s giving our audience 30% off SEOSpace for 3 months with the exclusive discount code BIGCAT30. 🎉
As Henry always says, “Consistency is key in the world of SEO.” Keep showing up, keep optimizing, and watch your website (and your business) grow. 🚀
Want more SEO tips? Check out the posts below.
3 free tools to research keywords and boost your SEO
Does using one of your Squarespace Templates affect my SEO?
The ultimate blog post SEO pre-publish checklist (for Squarespace)
How to optimize your Squarespace blog posts for SEO
5 quick & easy SEO tricks for Squarespace to implement now
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