How to Improve On-Page SEO in Squarespace Using Keywords
Squarespace is a user-friendly platform for small business owners that makes ranking high on Google a breeze. Not sure where to start with your own Squarespace SEO? Don’t worry! Here, I’ll share how to improve your on-page SEO in Squarespace using keywords. You’ll be able to increase traffic, rank higher on Google, and spend time doing more of what you love. Let’s dive in!
First thing’s first, what exactly is SEO?
SEO, aka Search Engine Optimization, is a long-term organic marketing strategy to increase your website’s visibility on search engines (like Google) and attract your ideal audience. A beautiful and functional website balanced with strategic SEO will help your site establish roots on search engines, and allow your business to be recognized as an industry leader long term. SEO is an impactful organic marketing tool since it allows you to reach your ideal audience at a low cost, taking less time than traditional paid marketing, and increases your ROI.
How can I improve on-page SEO in Squarespace using keywords?
To easily improve your on-page SEO in Squarespace (and save yourself a lot of time!) you’ll want to create a SEO keyword strategy. You can start by answering these questions:
What specific keywords am I trying to rank for?
What keywords is my site currently ranking for?
How can I apply my keywords to my content to rank higher?
Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors!
Questions to answer to improve on-page SEO using keywords:
1) Which keywords am I trying to rank for on Google & other search engines?
Your on-page SEO strategy all starts with knowing which keywords would help your business stand out on search engines. And then incorporating these keywords throughout your site content to be picked-up by search engines.
First, what are keywords? “Keywords” are specific words that searchers (i.e., your ideal client) type into search engines to find what they are looking for. “Long-tail keywords” are phrases that incorporate 3 to 7 keywords to describe you, what you offer, and where you offer it.
What does ranking refer to? “Ranking” aligns with your site’s specific position on Google. The effective use of keywords will determine if your business ranks on the 1st page or the 25th page of Google. Keywords are the phrases that your ideal clients will type into Google when they are searching for your services.
When researching keywords, it is best to focus on long-tail keywords: phrases with 3 or more words. Going beyond just one or two words will help Google display your content when searched. For instance, if you are a wedding photographer that focuses on small weddings, rather than using the keyword of “photographer” or “wedding photographer” you could use “wedding photographer for intimate events”. Just using “wedding photographer” would mean your business would be lost in the sea of all other wedding photographers online. By adding additional keywords, your specific niche can stand out in the ranking, and more clients looking for your specific service will be able to find you. (Hooray!)
To help your business stand out, you will want to think of a few keyword phrases that represent what you do, what your specific niche is (i.e., what sets you a part?), and where you offer your services.
A few examples:
Business coach for women in Calgary
Destination wedding photographer for Canadian elopements
Copy editor for non-fiction books in Winnipeg
Creating a list of keywords will help guide your content creation and improve your rankings on Google. Now stop! Take a breather and spend some time thinking about keywords that would describe your business and unique offerings. Then, play with how these keyword phrases would resonate with your ideal clients - what would they search on Google to find you?
2. Which keywords am I currently ranking for on Google? (How can I find my site’s current ranking on Google?)
To see how well your website and each of it’s pages are ranking, it is important to have your site setup with Google Search Console and to have each URL page indexed with Google. I promise, it’s worth it! The Google Search Console is completely free for basic business setup and will provide you with valuable information you can use to boost your SEO.
Google Search Console provides you with valuable info, including:
Which keywords are ranking on each website page
The total number of clicks to those pages
The average ranking of each page (e.g., ranking between 1 and 10 means your website page is on the first page of Google!)
(If your website isn’t ranking just yet for any keywords, that is completely okay. We all start somewhere!)
Once you know the keywords that you want to rank for and keywords you currently are ranking for, you can start closing the gap and explore how to improve your on-page SEO and rank higher!
3. How can I apply my keywords to my content to rank higher on Google?
Once you have an idea of the keyword phrases that will help search engines match you with your ideal audience, you’ll want to craft helpful content that applies those phrases. The most effective way to do this is through blogging. Yep, you heard me! Blogging is still alive and well as a long-term organic marketing tool that packs an impactful punch for your website.
How to apply keywords to your blog content: Write blogs that apply your keywords. Each keyword phrase should relate to one blog post only. If you use the same keyword to target two different blogs, Google will see them as competing content and will typically only rank one of them (making the other null in void, and no one wants that!).
Using the wedding photographer example from Question #1, here are some blog topic examples that would help attract an ideal client:
Best Canadian wedding locations for elopements
Questions to ask a photographer before hiring them
How to find the right photographer for your elopement
Okay, breather round 2! Before jumping in and writing SEO blogs, take some time to plan out which keywords would drive traffic to your website and what topics could align with those keywords. From there, draft quality content that could really help your dream audience. This will build trust and credibility in your business.
You’re now one step closer to improving your SEO in Squarespace and improving your Google ranking. I hope this post was helpful for you on your SEO journey (believe me, I know there is a lot involved!) and you feel more confident in improving your site’s SEO using keywords.
