How to Optimize SEO on Squarespace Without Hiring Anyone

You’ve got a beautiful Squarespace site. You’ve heard SEO matters. And you’re pretty sure something is off, but you don’t know what.

Here’s what I know after helping hundreds of entrepreneurs get found on Google: 80-85% of my own clients find me through Google and AI search. Not Instagram. Not referrals. Google. And the strategies I use? You can absolutely do them yourself.

No agency. No $3,000 SEO retainer. No guessing.

In this post, I’m walking you through the exact mistakes I see Squarespace site owners making, where to put your keywords, why blogging is very much NOT dead, and the one thing you can do today that will move the needle more than almost anything else.

Want the full keyword research walkthrough? Grab my free training: How to Get Found on Google and AI Search in 2026 (Without Creating More Content)

What’s the #1 Squarespace SEO Mistake Most People Make?

Not doing proper keyword research. Trying to rank for keywords no one is searching for OR keywords that are way too hard to rank for.

I see this constantly. Someone will spend months optimizing their site for phrases they think their audience is searching, and no one is actually typing those words into Google. Or they’ll target a phrase so competitive they have zero shot at ranking for it with a newer website. Either way, all that effort goes nowhere.

This is the mistake that quietly kills your SEO before you even get started.

How Do I Find the Right Keywords for My Squarespace Site?

The best free starting point is Ubersuggest. Put in the keyword you think you can rank for, then look at two things: the SEO Difficulty (SD) score and the search volume.

You want an SD under 35. That tells you the keyword isn’t so competitive that you’d need a massive domain authority to rank. And you want some volume, meaning actual real humans are typing this phrase into Google on a regular basis.

That combination (low competition + real search volume) is your sweet spot.

The problem with skipping this step? You end up optimizing for phrases that sound right to you but don’t match how your clients actually search. There’s often a gap between how we describe our own services and the words our clients type when they’re looking for help.

Want a step-by-step walkthrough of the full keyword research process? I cover it inside my free training: How to Get Found on Google and AI Search in 2026. It walks you through exactly how to find keywords that will actually bring you clients.

Here’s what happens when people get this right:

“After implementing these techniques, I was able to get on page 1 of Google for my keywords in a matter of 1 month!” — McKenna, Time Enough Death Doula

“I have felt like SEO was so daunting, but this seriously helped me quickly do some actionable steps that I would have never been able to figure out on my own! Also, keywords scare me! I love that you provided two sites for us to utilize to determine good keywords!” — Amy Yeoman, Fuel to Thrive Dietitian

One month to page 1. That’s what happens when you start with the right keywords.

Where Do I Put Keywords on My Squarespace Site?

First and foremost in the SEO title and meta description. These are the fields you fill in under the SEO tab for each page in Squarespace, the title that shows up in Google search results and the short description underneath it. These are the highest-priority placement spots on your entire site.

After that, your H1 — the main headline on the page itself. This is what Google reads first when it crawls your page copy.

Then it’s time to add more pages or start blogging to build out your keyword presence across the site.

A lot of people obsess over “hiding” keywords in random places or stuffing them into every paragraph. That’s not the move. Get the fundamentals right (SEO title, meta description, H1) and then focus on creating more content.

Is Squarespace Actually Good for SEO?

Yes. Squarespace makes it super easy to do SEO. They even have an AI tool that can do it for you, although I wouldn’t rely solely on that (more on that in a minute).

Here’s the myth I want to bust right now: “WordPress is best for SEO.” That isn’t true. The platform you ACTUALLY do SEO on is the best for SEO. If you will be consistent on Squarespace, then Squarespace is the best platform for your SEO.

The platform matters way less than whether you actually do the work. A perfectly configured WordPress site with zero keyword research will get outranked by a Squarespace site with a solid strategy every single time.

So if you’re on Squarespace? Stay on Squarespace. Focus your energy on the strategy, not on second-guessing the platform.

Do I Need to Blog for Squarespace SEO?

BLOGGING ISN’T DEAD.

I know, I know. You’ve heard that blogging is a waste of time. That nobody reads blogs anymore. That short-form content is where it’s at.

Here’s the reality: you can’t outrank someone who has had their website for 10 years if you only have a 4-page website. That means you have your keyword phrase on just 4 pages on your website, and that simply isn’t enough.

I’ve been blogging since 2018. I now get 80-85% of my clients through Google and AI, and that is because of those blogs. I don’t blog as much now, but those posts still work for me years later. They keep ranking. They keep bringing in leads. Without me doing a single thing.

Here’s a concrete example: my top-ranking blog is one about Shopify designers. I have only designed 2 Shopify sites. If you search “Shopify designer,” I am on page 1 of Google and I haven’t even really optimized my website for that keyword phrase. I got there because I provided a HIGH VALUE article.

READ MORE: Shopify Website Designers for All Budgets

That’s the whole game. You don’t need a million pages to rank. You need strategic, genuinely helpful content. One well-researched, high-value blog post can outperform years of sporadic posting.

And look at what happened for Bek Byrne, a photographer from Australia who went through my SEO (and Squarespace) course:

“I had my very first enquiry from Google after just 6 weeks 🎉! And the enquiry turned into a booking! Just locked it in! I’m so excited Bekah, and so shocked I’m being contacted already.”

Two months later, she followed up:

“I’ve gone from invisible to the 13th listing on Google search for my keywords!!! Not even 3 months later. Pinching myself. I knew you were the right choice! 🙏🏼 ❤️”

Six weeks to her first Google inquiry. Three months to the 13th listing. That’s what showing up consistently with the right content does.

Should I Use AI to Write My Squarespace SEO Content?

AI-generated content is hurting people if they don’t do the first step of keyword research.

Here’s the problem: AI can’t actually find the search volume of keywords. It just bases suggestions off of what you tell it you want to be known for. Now that may be the ideal phrase your clients are searching, but it may not be. And if it isn’t, then it’s ranking you for pointless keywords.

AI is a powerful writing tool. But it’s not a keyword research tool. If you hand it a topic and say “write me an SEO-optimized blog post about this,” it will write you something, but it can’t verify whether anyone is actually searching for that phrase. Only a tool like Ubersuggest can show you real search volume data.

Use AI to write faster. Use keyword research tools to make sure you’re writing about the right things. Do the research first, then hand it off to AI. Not the other way around.

What’s One Thing I Can Do TODAY to Improve My Squarespace SEO?

Research the RIGHT keywords.

Not just any keywords, the ones your ideal clients are actually typing into Google. With real search volume. With a competition score you can actually compete with.

Everything else (the blog posts, the page optimization, the meta descriptions) works when it’s built on a solid keyword foundation. Without it, you’re just guessing.

This is why I always start here. It’s the one step that changes everything.

And I’ve put together a free training to walk you through exactly how to do it: How to Get Found on Google and AI Search in 2026 (Without Creating More Content)

It’s where I’d tell every Squarespace site owner to start. No fluff, no overwhelm — just the actual steps that work.

The Short Version (Because I Know You’re Busy)

Here’s what SEO on Squarespace comes down to:

1. Find keywords people actually search for — use Ubersuggest, look for SD under 35 with real volume
2. Place them where Google looks first — SEO title, meta description, H1
3. Build out your site with more pages and blog posts — 4 pages isn’t enough to compete
4. Don’t rely on AI for keyword research — it doesn’t have access to real search data
5. Know that Squarespace is a great platform for SEO — stop overthinking the platform and start doing the work

You don’t need to hire someone to do this. You just need to start with the right foundation.

👉 Grab the free training here: rebekahreadcreative.com/seo

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Want to take it further? My Squarespace SEO Course walks you through the full implementation — keyword research, on-page optimization, Google Search Console, and everything in between. Students have seen real client inquiries in as little as six weeks.

Already have your keywords and just need help with the full website build? Check out Beyond The Template — my template and course system that gets your Squarespace site built and optimized in a weekend.