Is Squarespace Bad for SEO?

When building a website, ensuring that it’s optimized for search engines is crucial. One of the most popular website-building platforms today is Squarespace, but there’s a lingering question: is Squarespace bad for SEO? We will dive deep into the topic, discussing both the pros and the cons of Squarespace for SEO.

Quick Squarespace Overview

Squarespace is known for its user-friendly interface, beautiful design templates, and all-in-one platform that includes hosting and domain services. It’s particularly favored by creatives and small business owners who want a professional-looking website without the hassle of extensive coding. 

With over 3.79 million subscribers, Squarespace has carved out a significant niche in the website-building market. Its popularity stems from its drag-and-drop builder, which allows users to create visually appealing sites with minimal technical skills.

7 Pros of Using Squarespace for SEO

Let’s break down the 7 pros of using Squarespace for SEO:

1. Built-in SEO Features

Customizable Meta Tags and Descriptions

Squarespace allows you to customize meta titles and descriptions for each page, which helps improve click-through rates (CTR) from search engine results pages (SERPs). Meta descriptions can directly impact CTR, influencing user engagement with your site.

Clean URL Structures

The platform automatically generates clean, human-readable URLs essential for SEO. URLs like yourdomain.com/blog-post-title are more user-friendly and help search engines understand the content better than long, complex URLs with query parameters.

Automatic Sitemap Generation

Squarespace automatically creates and updates a sitemap submitted to search engines to facilitate indexing. A well-structured sitemap ensures that search engines discover and index all pages on your site.

2. SSL Certificate

Security and Trust

Every Squarespace site has a free SSL certificate, which encrypts data transferred between the user and the server. Google has confirmed that SSL is a ranking signal, and websites without SSL are marked as “Not Secure,” which can deter users.

3. Mobile Optimization

Responsive Design

All Squarespace templates are designed to be fully responsive, automatically adjusting to fit any screen size, ensuring a seamless user experience across all devices, which is crucial as mobile traffic now accounts for over 60% of global website traffic.

Mobile-First Indexing

Google primarily uses the mobile version of a website’s content for indexing and ranking. A mobile-friendly design ensures that your site performs well in search rankings. Poor mobile optimization can lead to lower rankings and a higher bounce rate, as users quickly leave sites that don’t function well on their devices.

4. User-Friendly Interface

Easy SEO Management

Squarespace’s interface is intuitive, allowing users to easily manage SEO settings without needing technical knowledge. Features like the SEO checklist guide users through essential tasks such as setting up page titles, descriptions, and alt text for images.

Integrated Analytics 

Squarespace integrates with Google Analytics, providing insights into site performance and user behavior. Understanding metrics like bounce rate, session duration, and traffic sources helps refine SEO strategies.

5. Automatic Image Tagging

Squarespace offers an automatic image tagging feature that can generate alt text for images based on file names. While imperfect, this feature can save time and ensure that all images have some form of descriptive text, which is beneficial for image search optimization and accessibility.

6. Localized SEO Tools

Squarespace includes built-in tools for localized SEO, such as easily setting business hours, location information, and map integration. These features are essential for local businesses aiming to improve their visibility in local search results.

7. Structured Data Integration

Squarespace supports basic structured data (schema markup) integration through JSON-LD, which can help enhance your site’s search engine result listings with rich snippets. This capability is critical for improving CTR as it allows search engines to display additional information, such as ratings, events, and other metadata, directly in search results.

7 Cons of Using Squarespace for SEO

So, is Squarespace bad for SEO? Let’s break down the cons of using Squarespace for SEO.

1. Limited Customization

Restricted Access to Code

Squarespace limits access to the website’s underlying code, making it difficult for advanced users to implement custom SEO tweaks. This restriction can also hinder developers who need to add custom scripts, schema markup, or modify the robots.txt file.

Plugin Limitations

Unlike WordPress, which has a vast library of plugins for various SEO needs, Squarespace offers limited third-party integrations, which can restrict the ability to add advanced SEO functionalities such as sophisticated keyword tracking tools or SEO audit plugins.

2. Limited Control Over Hosting Environment

Squarespace provides hosting as part of its service, but users have limited control over the hosting environment. For instance, you cannot choose a specific server location, affecting site speed and SEO, particularly for international audiences. Advanced users may find the inability to optimize server settings and configurations restrictive.

3. JavaScript and CSS Management

Impact on Crawling and Indexing

Squarespace’s reliance on JavaScript and CSS for design and functionality can sometimes interfere with how search engines crawl and index the site. Search engines might struggle to render JavaScript-heavy content, leading to incomplete indexing of the website’s pages.

Potential Speed Issues

Heavy use of JavaScript and CSS can slow down page load times. Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool can help identify issues, but optimizing JavaScript and CSS in Squarespace requires careful management of design elements to ensure they do not adversely impact speed.

4. Advanced SEO Tools

Lack of Advanced Plugins

Squarespace lacks advanced SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack, which are available on WordPress. These plugins offer comprehensive SEO analysis, keyword optimization suggestions, and advanced XML sitemap management, which are not as robustly available on Squarespace.

Difficult Integration with Third-Party Tools

Integrating third-party SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can be challenging. These tools offer in-depth SEO audits, backlink analysis, and keyword tracking, which are crucial for comprehensive SEO strategies but are harder to fully utilize on Squarespace.

5. Inflexible Template Designs

Squarespace templates, while visually appealing, can be inflexible when it comes to customization. Users often find it difficult to modify templates to suit specific SEO needs without extensive workarounds. This inflexibility can limit the ability to fully optimize on-page elements such as header tags, CSS and HTML access, template-locked elements, responsive design customizations, and custom URL structures. These limitations make it challenging to achieve optimal SEO performance.

6. Multilingual SEO Challenges

Squarespace does not natively support multilingual websites as efficiently as other platforms like WordPress with WPML or Polylang plugins. Creating and managing multilingual content on Squarespace requires manual workarounds, which can complicate international SEO efforts and reduce the effectiveness of global search visibility.

7. Subpar Blogging Functionality for SEO

While Squarespace offers blogging capabilities, it lacks advanced features that can significantly enhance mobile performance and SEO. Additionally, it does not support advanced content categorization and tagging as effectively as platforms like WordPress, limiting your ability to organize and optimize content for search engines.

Common SEO Mistakes on Squarespace and How to Avoid Them

Optimizing a website on Squarespace comes with its own unique set of challenges. Failing to recognize these mistakes leads many to question if Squarespace is bad for SEO. Here are some common SEO mistakes specific to Squarespace users and how to avoid them:

Mistake 1: Using the Default Page Titles

Issue
Squarespace automatically generates page titles based on the page’s name and site title. This default setting can result in redundant and non-optimized titles, such as “Home – Your Site Name” for the homepage.

Solution
Customize your page titles by navigating to the page settings and entering unique, keyword-rich titles that accurately describe the content of each page. This can significantly improve your click-through rates from search engine results pages.

Example
Instead of using “Home – Your Site Name,” opt for “Your Business Name | Top [Industry] Services in [Location].”

Mistake 2: Ignoring Structured Data

Issue
While Squarespace does support basic structured data (schema markup) through JSON-LD, many users overlook this feature, missing out on enhanced search results like rich snippets.

Solution
Implement structured data manually by adding JSON-LD code to your Squarespace site. Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to generate the necessary code and add it to your site’s code injection area (Settings > Advanced > Code Injection).

Example
For a local business, use schema markup to highlight your business name, address, phone number, and operating hours.

Mistake 3: Overlooking Image Optimization

Issue
Squarespace users often upload large, high-resolution images without optimizing them, leading to slow page load times that can negatively impact SEO.

Solution
Use image optimization tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to reduce the file size of your images before uploading them to Squarespace. Ensure each image includes descriptive alt text with relevant keywords.

Example
Rename image files to include keywords (e.g., “best-vegan-cake-nyc.jpg” instead of “IMG1234.jpg”) and use alt text like “Best vegan cake in NYC.”

Mistake 4: Failing to Customize URL Slugs

Issue
Squarespace automatically generates URL slugs based on the page title, which can result in lengthy and non-optimized URLs.

Solution
Edit the URL slug for each page to make it shorter and include primary keywords. Navigate to the page settings and update the URL slug to something more concise and relevant.

Example
Change a URL slug from “/our-services-what-we-offer” to “/services” or “/web-design-services.”

Mistake 5: Not Utilizing 301 Redirects

Issue
When you change page URLs or delete pages on Squarespace, failing to set up 301 redirects can result in broken links, leading to a poor user experience and loss of SEO value.

Solution
Set up 301 redirects in Squarespace by going to Settings > Advanced > URL Mappings. Create mappings to ensure that old URLs redirect to the new URLs seamlessly.

Example
Add a mapping like /old-page-url -> /new-page-url 301 to redirect traffic from the old page to the new one.

Mistake 6: Neglecting to Enable SSL

Issue
Although Squarespace offers free SSL certificates, some users forget to enable this feature, resulting in non-secure URLs (http instead of https).

Solution
Ensure SSL is enabled by going to Settings > Advanced > SSL and selecting “Secure” (https). Doing so is crucial for both user trust and SEO, as Google prioritizes secure sites..

Example
Ensure your site’s URLs start with “https://” instead of “http://.”

Mistake 7: Poorly Managed Navigation Menus

Issue
Complex or cluttered navigation menus can confuse visitors and search engines, negatively impacting user experience and SEO.

Solution
Simplify your navigation menus by limiting the number of top-level items and using descriptive labels. Group related pages under dropdown menus to maintain a clean, organized structure.

Example
Instead of having separate top-level menu items for each service (e.g., “Web Design,” “SEO,” “Content Writing”), group them under a single “Services” dropdown.

Addressing these Squarespace-specific SEO mistakes can enhance your site’s search engine performance, improve user experience, and drive more organic traffic. Implementing these solutions will help you get the most out of Squarespace’s SEO capabilities.

Oyova’s Opinion: Is Squarespace Bad for SEO?

Is Squarespace bad for SEO after all? Squarespace offers a solid foundation for SEO, especially for small to medium-sized websites that prioritize design and ease of use. Its built-in SEO tools cover the basics well, making it suitable for users with limited technical expertise. Features like automatic sitemaps, SSL certificates, and responsive design ensure that fundamental SEO needs are met effectively.

However, Squarespace presents some limitations for advanced SEO needs. The platform’s restricted customization options can hinder more complex SEO strategies. Advanced users may find it challenging to implement custom code or integrate third-party tools necessary for detailed analytics and optimization. Additionally, issues with JavaScript loading and limited e-commerce SEO features can impact performance for larger or more specialized websites.

While Squarespace is not inherently bad for SEO, it may not be the best choice for users with advanced or specific SEO requirements. For most small to medium-sized websites, it provides sufficient capabilities to achieve good search engine rankings. By leveraging its built-in tools and addressing its limitations, users can optimize their Squarespace sites effectively.

Work With Oyova Today!

So, is Squarespace bad for SEO? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Squarespace offers a solid foundation for SEO, particularly for beginners and small business owners. However, it does have its limitations, especially for those needing advanced customization and tools.

If you’re looking to maximize your website’s SEO potential and overcome the limitations of Squarespace, partnering with an experienced digital marketing agency can make all the difference. Oyova specializes in providing tailored SEO services and eCommerce services that drive results. Our team will help you navigate the complexities of eCommerce SEO, implement advanced strategies, and ensure your site performs at its best.

Contact Oyova today to elevate your SEO game and achieve impressive online visibility. Let’s work together to make your website a powerful tool for growth and success.