Does using one of your Squarespace Templates affect my SEO?
A few weeks ago I sat down with one of my biz-buds and Squarespace SEO expert Charlotte O’Hara to chat about Squarespace Templates and how they work when it comes to implementing SEO and if a template will affect your SEO negatively, or positively!
It’s a pretty involved answer, so that’s why we chatted for 30 minutes about it 😅so if you want the full run down, watch or listen to our convo below! Otherwise, I’ve summarized it for you in writing below the best I could!
Charlotte is seriously a pro involving all things Squarespace SEO, so if you want to learn more about Squarespace SEO or get some 1:1 help, she’s your girl! I also recommend downloading her free SEO checklist, because working through a checklist (written by a professional) is a great way to make sure you set everything up right.
So, what are we talking about when we say Squarespace Templates?
Squarespace Templates are kind of confusing to get your head around, firstly because Squarespace itself has their own built-in templates — if you ever start a site with Squarespace you have to start with one of their base templates and those are called “Squarespace Templates”. You can’t start a start from scratch with Squarespace, you have to use one of their templates to start.
Then, there are “after-market” templates, or “designer” Squarespace Templates and they're also often called “Squarespace Templates” (we like to call ours Squarespace Template Kits because it differentiates them from the built-in Squarespace Templates!)
So right off the bat, there’s some confusion! Same name, very different product.
Essentially these Squarespace Template Kits are just designs that we create, that are built on top of the free, built-in Squarespace Templates.
Squarespace is a bit different from other traditional website building platforms in that you can't just choose a template from someone and then plug it in and install it (which is what you would normally think of when you think of a template!) Squarespace, for some reasons, doesn’t allow this.
So what we do instead is we build designs on top of the built-in free templates, you choose one of these designs from the shop that you want, and then depending on the business you purchase from, it’s delivered in one of the following ways:
DIY build / course style:
The first is what we mostly do, which is DIY build, so when you purchase a template you get access to a course and it walks you through how to use Squarespace, how to get your website all set up, and then the main part of the course is you are actually following us and building the design step by step from scratch. That sounds like a lot of work, and while it is a fair bit of work, we love this method because it really teaches people how to build their site, and then once they've built it they can make edits to it and they're so confident in using their site.Installation:
The second delivery method is a semi-manual process for the person selling the template where they duplicate it on their end and send it to you. This is as close as a plug-and-play as you can get with Squarespace - they're basically sending you the completed template! We do offer this method as well, you can upgrade and get this install if you want to, but the the only problem with this method is that it comes in as a brand new site, so instead of getting installed onto your existing site you have to have it as a new site which is fine if you haven't got a site yet, but if you do have a site with Squarespace you then have to move all of your content over to the new site because the design won’t go into your existing site. This can also cause some SEO problems if you do have an established site and switch.Full build or restyle:
The third method which is less common is a full install, as in a total manual website build from the person you're purchasing from. Not every place will have this and usually it would be sort of an upgrade and it would probably cost quite a bit more because it’s a pretty custom process and they're building it for you on your site.
Because the websites are generally just designs built on top of native built-in Squarespace Templates, this means that they function just as regular Squarespace websites, because, that’s what they are! There’s no fancy coding or anything that will change the way your SEO settings work in Squarespace.
Disclaimer: Always do your research before you buy as I can’t guarantee what you’ll get from other businesses!
Are the Squarespace Templates built with SEO in mind, or just design?
To answer this question I will just be speaking on behalf of Big Cat Creative Squarespace Templates, rather than any other businesses, because this one REALLY depends on who you are purchasing from!
Firstly, a lot of the backend Squarespace SEO settings don’t have anything to do with the design or a template. Squarespace has lots of SEO settings that are always going to be the customer's responsibility to complete (unless you’re working 1:1 with an expert to do it for you).
For these backend SEO settings, we walk you through those steps after you've built out the template design (again this is speaking only for our templates) so you can enter them all on your own. We show you how to do it, but it is your responsibility at the end of the day. It’s not something that can come included with the template as it’s specific to your business. (Luckily Squarespace makes these settings really easy!)
When it comes to the on-page SEO settings there’s two main aspects that we focus on.
Good design
We strongly believe that having a good design, a functional design and a really good customer experience on the website makes a difference for your website strategy overall which can affect your SEO (by keeping visitors on your site!) Good design for us is number one overall.
Optimizing your images
When we provide a template, we provide you with the areas to put the images and the sizes the images should be, but because it’s a template, it’s your responsibility to optimize your own images. We really encourage and show you how to compress and rename them with step by step video tutorials, but again, at the end of the day, it’s something that you have to do yourself!
Are the Squarespace SEO settings the same with a template?
Because the template that you purchase is just a design built on top of a built-in free Squarespace template, that means that you still have all of the same functions and same SEO functions and you have on a regular Squarespace site. So you can do all of the same SEO optimizing you normally would - there’s no difference!
Plus, because the templates are just regular Squarespace designs, this means you can completely customize them however you want. If you think you could improve your SEO by moving some text or images around, or changing the formatting of some text, you can do that really easily!
In the sidebar click on RESULTS and then click on REDIRECT RESULTS which will open a pop-up
Does Google know that I’m using a Squarespace Template kit?
I'm going to preface this by saying that anytime you make any updates to your website design,
Google might see that change and it could affect your SEO. It’s unlikely to make a big difference, especially if you follow our SEO best practices throughout the design process.
In terms of actually noticing a template, there's no difference between a template and just designing anything on your site so you're really just updating the front end and design and as long as you stick to those SEO strategies we talked about like optimizing your images and following the SEO checklist, you shouldn’t see any big SEO changes (hopefully some improvements!)!
But no, they can’t tell the difference between a Squarespace Template kit and a regular design on Squarespace (because there is none!)
Another disclaimer: this only applies to businesses that use this template delivery method. I’m sure there are some out there who have fully coded templates, and in that case, I have no idea how that would affect SEO, so you would have to ask them!
Can I add e-commerce or sell products with my Squarespace Template Kit?
Yes! Because the template is really just a design built on those free Squarespace Templates, the functions are exactly the same as any other Squarespace site. You can add any pages that you can add on any regular Squarespace site, which includes a Squarespace e-commerce shop page!
With e-commerce you do have to be on a business plan or up so it won't work on a personal plan, but that's the same whether you use a template kit or just any Squarespace site.
Squarespace makes adding a shop so easy it's literally just like you click a couple of buttons and you've added a shop!
In our templates we have a full breakdown of how to add and use the Squarespace shop feature so that's a really good intro if people purchase a template that doesn't have a shop included. Most of our demo templates don’t have demo shops included but they can easily be added!
Choosing a template is less about what pages are in the demo and more about the function and the design, because you can add any pages, including a shop!
How do I know which Squarespace Template to buy if I want SEO guidance?
Just ask! If you’re not sure if a template comes with something, then don’t hesitate to reach out to the business owner.
This doesn’t just cover SEO help either, you should inquire about anything you’re not 100% sure about. It’s your money, and you want to make sure you invest it in the right products that are going to be most valuable to you!
There’s a ton of Squarespace Template Designers out there these days, and the delivery and what’s included in them varies so much between businesses, so it’s really important that you do your research and you're clear on what you’re getting!
Where can I learn more about SEO?
Download this awesome SEO checklist from Charlotte O’Hara which will help you get started!
5 Quick and Easy SEO tips to implement now
Blog Post pre-publish SEO checklist for Squarespace
How to optimize your image for better SEO
How to optimize your URL slugs for better SEO
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