what-i-wish-i-knew-about-seo-when-i-designed-my-first-website-endeavor-design-studio-squarespace-seo — Creating a website is one thing, but launching a website that ***gets found online and by the right searcher***s is something completely different. Here, I share everything I wish I knew about SEO BEFORE I launched my website. Hopefully, I can save you some time and help you avoid the same costly mistakes I did when learning SEO. Let’s get your site noticed with these SEO tips, and save you valuable time in the process!

When I launched my first website almost a decade ago (for an intentional living blog I was so excited to share!) I thought the hard work was done. My website was now out in the world, and it was only a matter of time before visitors would find me. While that was slightly the case, for the most part, the traffic was from friends and family that already new about the site and wanted to show support. So sweet! BUT, not the point.

As I continued to create websites with limited traffic, I realized something was missing. I asked Google question after question (like a 10-year-old with a Magic 8 ball) about how to drive site traffic and get noticed online. I quickly learn that in order to actually a) show up on search engines and b) get “matched” with those looking for what my websites were offering, I’d have to learn all the secrets to this magical thing called “SEO”.

I researched like I never had before to learn all the ins-and-outs of what SEO is, and how it could help put me on Google’s radar.

Getting started with SEO can feel incredibly overwhelming. With information available all over the internet, it’s still hard to get a good grasp on what good SEO actually looks like. And, what steps you need to take one time, versus repeatedly, in order to get the full benefits for your business.

As someone who has steadily been climbing the SEO mountain, I know what it feels like to be getting started. I also know what it feels like to realize you’ve been making a lot of mistakes with your SEO strategy…. It’s my goal to make applying good SEO to your own site as simple as possible, so you don’t have to scour the digital universe (or make a lot of the same mistakes I did!).

Here’s everything I wish I knew about SEO when I created my first Squarespace website:

1. Launching a site does NOT mean you’ll SHOW UP on search engines

When I launched my first site, I’ll be honest, I had no idea what I was doing beyond the design. I knew how I wanted my pages to look and the content I wanted to fill them with, so that’s what I did! I jumped in and designed a website I absolutely loved. Then, I launched it! I remember feeling so impressed by what I had just accomplished. Designing a website for yourself (and one you are actually really happy with!) is no easy task, and I felt proud as heck.

But… this excitement only last a few weeks. My website was for a blog that I was sure could help others or, at the very least, would spark someone to navigate to my site! I was wrong. And confused. I didn’t understand why no one was visiting my site? Any of this sound familiar?

In my SEO research, after learning about and implementing keywords, I quickly learned about Google Search Console and the powers of “indexing”.

Let me save you A LOT of time. Simply creating a website, doesn’t mean ANY of the pages are going to show up in ANY search engine. INDEXING each page through Google Search Console is your first step once you launch a webpage.

2. What in the world is “indexing”?

To be completely honest, when I launched my first few websites (again, think mid-2010s!) I had never heard of Indexing. Since then, indexing is one of the main things I check regularly on mine and my clients sites since it’s SO IMPORTANT.

Indexing in SEO is the process of search engines organizing all of the content online to understand which content should be displayed in specific searches. As a newbie in the web design world, I thought this was an automatic process. Indexing pages can happen automatically… but this can take months for search engine “crawlers” to find your content. Indexing a webpage on Google helps Google’s bots discover, understand, and include your webpages in search rankings.

NO INDEXING = NO SEARCH ENGINE APPEARANCES

The thought of indexing EVERY PAGE seemed daunting. I quickly learned however how easy indexing is, and highly recommend it for anyone with a website!

To Index your website pages, you’ll use Google Search Console to submit the URL of your webpage directly to Google. This can expedite the indexing process, especially for new or updated content. Every page (including blogs) on your site should be submitted for indexing. This will help the bots find you more quickly and show that you’re the right match for searchers.

3. Short & clear URLs are the best for SEO:

Including every page keyword in your URL title really isn’t helpful. Although I didn’t do this, I was guilty of changing my URLs regularly to include what I thought were “the best” keywords for the page at the time. When it comes to mainstay pages on your site (like “Home”, “Services”, etc.), keep it as clear and simple as possible to make it clear to Google’s search bots what your page is about. Keywords will be picked up in your page content, so don’t worry about including them all in your URL. This can actually make it more complicated for the bots

EX: endeavordesignstudio.com/squarespace-design-services-small-business-owners-calgary-alberta-canada

CHECK Example: endeavordesignstudio.com/squarespace-services

4. Creating a clear content plan BEFORE launching will save A LOT of time:

Just like most things in life, a change in one area can have a significant impact in another. As someone who loved to optimize my sites, I was constantly making changes to page content and URLs until I got everything just right. As an SEO expert now, I know that creating a clear content plan from the very start of your website design project can save you HOURS (maybe even DAYS of your time).

A basic SEO equation: 1 Change Here = 1 Change There

For example, as I learned what SEO practices worked best (like the short vs. long URL descriptions in example 3), I also made a number of significant changes to my site content as a result. I didn’t realize that changing my URL meant I would need to re-index the page with Google (and that this could take weeks to show up on search engines again).

While I completely recommend taking the time to optimize your site (it will be SO worth it), having a plan for your page content and URLs before you launch can save you A LOT OF TIME.

5. SEO goes beyond just keywords

Since you’re here, I can assume in your SEO research you’ve heard a lot about keywords. While they are incredibly important for good SEO, there is so much info out there about how to use them. Here are some other less-talked-about items that are JUST AS IMPORTANT AS KEYWORDS:

Accessibility/Alt Text:
- Every single photo on your site can act as a way to let Google and other search engines know what your website is about. Skipping the Alt Text is like skipping over the easy-to-collect coins in Mario.
- How do you add Alt-Text? In Squarespace, adding Alt-Text is as simple as:
  1. Double clicking on an image
  2. Scrolling down to “Image Alt Text”
  3. Adding a keyword-packed description
SEO page descriptions:
- Adding descriptions for each page is noted as an “Optional” item. And, guess what? When I was first starting out and learning all about website design, I took the option to not do items that didn’t pertain to design themselves. The result? A lot of blank Squarespace SEO page descriptions.
- When I did finally start adding page descriptions since I found out how important they were for SEO, I made the second mistake: writing massive paragraphs stuffed with page keywords.
- Here’s what I wish I knew:
  1. Page descriptions are another essential part of SEO and getting found online. Take the time to write them before you index your pages.
  2. Keep the descriptions between 140-160 characters per SEO best practices. Adding in long scripts of text stuffed with keywords only makes it more difficult for crawling bots to understand what your site is about. Again, less is often more with SEO.
Formatting:
- Okay, this one was a major surprise to me when I was first designing websites. Are you ready? Your website formatting (think page headings, structure, etc.) also impact SEO!
- One KEY formatting item that can have a detrimental effect on your SEO ranking with Google is the use of H1s (Heading 1) throughout your site. A very important rule = every page should ONLY HAVE ONE H1 HEADING (No more, no less). The H1 heading should be used as the title of your page, and be between 10-15 words to help paint a clear picture of what your page is about.
- Note: Design platforms and templates often don’t take SEO into account. Be sure to check your design pronto to make sure each page only have one H1 heading. AND, make sure the copy that’s formatted as H1 is helpful to describe the page.

6. Links are like mini-votes for your website:

I have to admit, I used to wonder why so many bloggers would link their blogs to other blogs. It seemed like they were just directing traffic away from their blog or around their site. As someone who likes to keep things focused and organized, I omitted blog links from my site. Oh boy, was this a mistake.

Linking your blog pages or other content, to search engines, is like voting for that content. The more you link, the higher your site and pages are ranked. As simple as that! So, be deliberate, but link those pages!

7. High quality & consistent content are the power behind SEO:

Unless you’re an established business with a rolling stream of clients (cheers to you!), drawing visitors to your site is a first place to start to maintain and scale your business. I knew early on that I wanted to create content to help other small business owners create websites that would attract a lot of traffic and help them grow. So, I started up web design & SEO blog! (Welcome J)

Something major I didn’t realize was actually limiting my blog from being found was the length of my blog posts.

The SEO algorithm for Google has changed over the years. Initially, blogs with approx. 500-1000 words were sufficient to show up in search results. But, with the onset of content creators and AI-created content, Google upped this minimum to 2,250 words! (Yep, you’re reading that right).

Today, short listicles aren’t enough to get found online. Instead, it’s necessary to invest your time in creating high-quality, relevant content that provides value to your audience. Focus on solving their problems, answering their questions, and addressing their needs. Quality content not only attracts visitors but also earns backlinks and improves search engine rankings.

Another SEO Equation: Less + Quality Content IS BETTER THAN More + Diluted Content

8. SEO results don’t happen overnight:

Today, a lot of results are garnered quickly. For instance, posting on Instagram can return INSTANT likes and comments. This can feel amazing (ahem, it’s called dopamine). BUT, this is not a long-term business growth solution. Instagram and other social media platforms require consistent posting to stay relevant. The posts are up and down just as quickly. SEO, on the other hand, is like a marathon rather than a sprint. Results aren’t instantaneous (as much as that can feel validating!) It can take weeks and months for your SEO efforts to show their results. (This is why it’s so important to get your site set up with correct SEO ASAP!)

When I started, I wish I knew that remaining patient and persistent with my SEO endeavors would lead to longer term success than other social platforms. I spent DAYS planning content for Instagram, only for it to be posted and forgotten about quicker than I could keep up with. AND, the posts weren’t as relevant to my business or as helpful for my mission.

If you’re a small business owner who provides a specific service or offerings, investing some time in SEO will help get you noticed online, so you can reduce your time and effort creating short-form content. Believe me, this helped me gain so much time back for my business (and my life!).

Wrapping It Up

And there you have it! All the things I wish I knew about SEO when I launched my first Squarespace site. Remember, SEO is a continuous process, so stay patient, persistent, and proactive in your efforts to achieve your desired results.