12 useful search engine optimization (SEO) tips

SEO

1. Create an "SSL" certificate.



Google marks websites that have an SSL certificate as secure and ranks them higher in search results than non-secure websites. By creating an SSL certificate, the URL will change from starting with HTTP to now starting with HTTPS.

This is a factor that is clearly emphasized by Google.

All new websites we launch are with an SSL certificate.

Are you a Gasta customer with a Squarespace site and do not have https?
Get in touch and we will fix this quickly.

By turning on SSL, the website will probably be faster since Squarespace uses HTTP/2 for all its secure pages. This will in turn contribute positively to the ranking of the website.

Creating an SSL certificate on non-secure Squarespace pages
If you are using a website that is marked as non-secure, you should be careful before clicking the SSL button in Squarespace. Changing to the https version can have major consequences on the search results of the website.

To avoid this, make sure that all http://-linkane is permanently redirected to the corresponding https://-link. You also need to register the new https:// version in Google Search Console.


2. Register your website



Registering your website in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools is always beneficial, regardless of which platform your website is built on. By registering, you provide information to the search engines that your website exists and you ensure that the website can be crawled.

Tips for registering with Google Search Console: Register the domain both without and with www (e.g. www.gasta.no and gasta.no).

To register your website:
Read more about how to register your Squarespace site in Google Search Console
Read more about how to register your Squarespace site in Bing Webmaster Tools

Gasta registers all new projects in Google Search Console.


3. Submit sitemap to Google




Once you have registered your website in Google Search Console, it is important to submit an XML sitemap to the service. This will help Google to index the website faster and more accurately.

Fortunately, this step is very easy, as Squarespace automatically generates a sitemap for the website.

The URL will be www.dittdomene.no/sitemap.xml and all you have to do is enter this link in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.


4. Make your Squarespace page as fast as possible

Browsers rank websites that are fast higher than websites that are heavy.

If you're wondering how fast the website is, check it out on Pingdom.

If the website is under or around 2 seconds in the Pingdom test, it's OK.

If you want a faster website, it's a good idea to pay attention to the following tips:

Use services such as Tiny Png or JpegMini to reduce the size of the images you upload to Squarespace.

Keep the use of external scripts to a minimum.

When using webfonts, it's good to stick to two different ones, no more.

Turn on AMP (Accelerated Mobile Web Pages) in Squarespace. This helps blog posts on mobile load faster, which in turn will help Google prioritize them in search results. To turn on AMP, go to Squarespace and follow these steps:
Settings > Blogging > click on the 'AMP' box.


5. Create good page titles

Page titles are one of the most important elements on a website, since search engines use the titles when they index the website.

The page title is displayed at the top of the browser window.

You should therefore be specific and preferably focus on your most important keywords, so that you are visible and highly ranked when these words are searched for.

If you want to add or change a page title in Squarespace, go to Pages > select the relevant page > click on Settings (gear).

You will then see a dialog box, here you enter your page title under the field "Page title."


6. Use "heading" in your headlines



It is very important to remember to use "Heading" in Squarespace.

All you have to do in Squarespace to use the heading function is to select the text you want to have as a heading, then choose between the different headings in the drop-down menu.

The heading should be Heading1.

If possible, include keywords in the heading 1 heading.

And remember: never use more than 1 Heading 1 on a page.

Intermediate titles can be Heading 2 or Heading 3. By using Heading 1, 2, 3, you signal to Google which information is most important, second most important, etc. on the page.


7. Enter meta descriptions

A meta description is a short text that contains information about the website. This text can usually be seen under the link that appears on the various search engines:

Meta description is not a direct factor in being ranked higher by Google, but it can lead to the website being visited more often and getting a higher clickthrough rate (CTR).

This is a factor that Google uses as a signal for ranking.

In Squarespace, you can enter a meta description in three different places, but none of the places use the name "meta description".

To enter a meta description for your website ("Home page") - go to "Marketing" > "SEO", then enter your meta description in the "Search Engine Description" field.

To enter a meta description in subpages (Static page), go to "Pages", hover over the relevant page, click on Settings (gear) and select "SEO" in the menu and then enter a meta description for the subpage in the "SEO Description" field.

Tip: you should definitely take the time to add meta descriptions for the subpages as well.

To add a meta description to a blog post, go to the blog post > click "Edit" > then "Settings". Once this has been done, enter the meta description under the "SEO" tab.


8.Add alt text/file name to all images


The two most important reasons to add alt-text to your image files are:

Screen readers use it to provide an explanation of the image to visually impaired and blind users.

Search engines use alt text to categorize the context.

When adding alt text, try to include keywords if it's natural.

Adding alt text in Squarespace is easy, but it can be a little confusing as the method varies depending on whether you add it to "Page", "Gallery image", "Product image", or "Thumbnail image".

Most people would like to add alt text to images that are embedded in Pages. Here's how you do it:

Add your image, hover over the image and click "Edit", click "Design", click e.g. "Inline", make sure "Caption Below" is selected, Add caption (this will then be alt text)

If you do not want the caption to be displayed, set the caption to "Do not display caption".

As the method varies, Squarespace offers a good overview of how to enter alt text.

OPTIMIZATION OF IMAGE FILES IN SQUARESPACE

Search engines also make use of image file names when indexing and categorizing the content on pages, so it's beneficial to optimize your image files. For example, if you upload an image of a fjord and mountains in Norway, it is better to save the file name as 'fjord-fjell-norge.jpg' rather than 'fjfinbs1245,jpg'. You can easily change this by clicking Edit on the photo and entering the desired file name in the "Filename" field.

Tip: try to include keywords in photo alt texts as well


9. Have a simple URL structure

Google recommends having a simple and clean menu structure and structure of your URLs.

A clean URL is simple, short and informative.

For example, a URL for your services should be displayed as "www.dittdomene.no/tenester" and not "www.dittdomene.no/p334.fjf#ref=5678-tjenester."

Squarespace automatically creates URLs for your pages, but you can easily change them under Source URL.
Squarespace should automatically generate clean URLs, but it is always good to follow these tips:

Have short and relevant keywords in your URL.

If necessary, split the URL with a hyphen to highlight the keywords better for both Google and users of the page: www.dittdomene.no/logo-merkevarer better than www.dittdomene.no/logomerkevare)

Use a hyphen instead of an underscore (ex: www.dittdomene.no/logo-merkevare is better than www.dittdomene.no/logo_merkevare)


10. Focus on good content



Most people with experience of search engine optimization agree that it is crucial to create good content on the website.

Good, relevant content creates more readers of the page. This in turn will help your posts perform well in search results. Especially if the post generates more backlinks, i.e. external pages that link to your post.

Creating content that leads to backlinks sends a positive signal to Google.

KEYWORDS ARE IMPORTANT

Before you start creating content, it's important to research which keywords are right and important to focus on.

Read also: How to choose the right keywords on your website


11. Assess the quality of your on page SEO




Squarespace has a direct link to Google Search Console, so you can see how many people have searched for a word, and how many people have clicked on your website after such a search.

Here you can also read what position your website has on the keyword in Google.

If you also want to review the "SEO situation" on your website - contact us at Gasta for a status report

Or take a look at Hubspot's overview of third-party tools you can use to check your SEO status.


12. Is your website not visible in search results?

To see what your website looks like in search results, you can search:
"site:dittdomene.no" (example: site:gasta.no).

This gives you an overview of how visible your website is in searches.

Can't find the website? This can have various reasons.

The website may not have been indexed yet, or the page may have been "sandboxed".

If your website has not been indexed, you can follow the tips mentioned earlier in the blog post about sitemaps.

There may be several reasons why the website is "sandboxed".

On Ahrefs you can get more information.

Ellen Emilie Stangeland

Ellen is a digital marketer at Gasta design & communication. She works a lot with Squarespace and SEO. She likes to keep up to date with the latest news from Squarespace and other technology.

ellen@gasta.no

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