Boost Your Squarespace Blog Traffic With These 5 Must-Have Strategies
Blog Overview: Contrary to popular belief, just launching your website won’t automatically result in droves of traffic. Google likes new content so creating a blog is the best opportunity to showcase how you’re an expert in your craft and your awesome personality, while also telling Google you’re relevant and people should know you.
In this multi-part post, I cover some key strategies to implement in Squarespace and throughout your blog to enhance the chances of actually getting your thoughts and knowledge found on the interweb.
Alright, let’s get straight to it. You’ve got a Squarespace blog, and you want it to shine. Whether you're sharing your latest avocado toast recipe or favourite luxury resorts, here are some ways you can optimize your blog.
What we’ll cover:
SEO Friendly Blog Post Minimum Standards
What is AMP and Should You Use It
Utilizing Squarespace Blog Settings
Connecting Your Website to Pinterest
How To Add Sharethis Buttons
Implement Google-Friendly Minimum SEO Standards Before You Hit Publish
Before we get into the techy stuff, let’s talk SEO. Think of SEO as the secret sauce that gets your blog noticed.
Here are some key factors to consider:
Killer Keywords: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find relevant keywords. Sprinkle them naturally throughout your post—title, headings, and body—but don’t overdo it. Keyword stuffing is a big no-no.
Catchy SEO Titles: Make your title compelling and include your main keyword. Aim for around 50 - 60 characters so it doesn’t get cut off in search results.
Meta Descriptions: Write a concise, compelling meta description that includes your main keyword. Keep it around 150 -160 characters.
Check out my post How To Write ClickWorthy Page Title & Descriptions for more tips on the above.
Blog Post Titles: Make your title compelling and include your main keyword. Aim for around 40 - 60 characters so it doesn’t get cut off in search results. SEOSpace recommends your H1/page title doesn't have too much variation from your SEO title as sometimes Google will show it on search results instead.
Blog Post URLs: It should be similar to your post title and try to make it between 3 and 6 words to make it clear and concise. Blog post URLs will be longer than your average page URL.
Headings and Subheadings: Use headings (H1, H2, H3, H4) to break up your content. This makes it easier to read and helps search engines understand the structure of your post. Include keywords in some of your headings.
Quality Content: Write content that’s informative, engaging, and valuable. Answer questions your readers might have. Longer posts (1,500 words or more) tend to rank better but don’t write fluff just to hit a word count. Having a Pillar Post with a lot of content that you break down into smaller posts works well for internal linking.
You can find ideas on what to write using Answer The Public, reading comments on Instagram and Amazon (book reviews about your topic are great for crowd-sourcing what people like/hate/want to know more of), and researching what’s working for your competitors. Note, if you want to rank, you must outdo what they have done or make it more unique.
Internal and External Links: Create internal links by linking to other relevant posts (like the blog link above) and reputable external sources (like the one below). This boosts your credibility and keeps readers on your site longer. For external links, ALWAYS open in a new tab!
Mobile-Friendly: Make sure your blog looks good on mobile devices. Google’s all about that mobile-first indexing, so a mobile-friendly blog is a must.
Images and Alt Text: Use images to break up your text and make your posts more visually appealing. Add alt text to your images—describe what’s in the image using keywords but in a human way. This helps with SEO and makes your site more accessible to users using screen readers.
Check out my post How To Maximize your Alt Text in Squarespace for Accessibility to learn how to write proper alt text.
OK, now that you know what makes a successful blog post, let’s get into the specifics of optimizing your Squarespace blog.
Activate AMP…or…not?
Sounds techy, but it’s pretty straightforward. AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages. Basically, it makes your blog load faster on mobile. And let's be real, who’s got time (or patience) to wait for slow pages these days?
Pros of AMP:
It Loads Pages Quickly: Makes your blog load faster than your morning caffeine fix. Seriously, we’re talking lightning-fast. Your readers will thank you.
SEO Boost: Google loves fast pages, so this could help you rank higher. More eyes on your content = more love for your blog. When you find blog posts on your ‘Discover’ page on your phone, many of these are usually AMP-activated pages.
Cons of AMP:
Less Control: Some custom styles and scripts might not work. You’ll find your related posts that use summary blocks, some images and graphics won’t show up. So in turn…
It’s Not Always Pretty: AMP can strip down your design, making it look a bit plain Jane. If you’re all about those custom fonts and fancy layouts, this might cramp your style.
You want to assess what’s important to your business. If you want to keep people scrolling longer once they get to your site you may not want to activate it so they can have access to your other content easily.
Below is a look at one of my blog posts WITH and WITHOUT AMP.
SCREENSHOT OF A BLOG POST WITHOUT AMP ON (previous website fonts)
SCREENSHOT OF A BLOG POST WITH AMP ON
Decided to Activate AMP?
Here’s how to do it:
Log in to your Squarespace account.
Navigate to Settings, then Blog Preferences
Click on Use AMP:
That’s it! Your blog posts are now AMP-enabled, and your mobile users will enjoy super-speedy load times.
Utilize All The Blog Settings in Squarespace to Maximize SEO & Your Visitor Experience
Squarespace is packed with settings that can make your blogging life easier and more effective.
Here’s how to make the most of them:
Blog Page Settings:
This relates to your main blog and how it is shown on Google.
Go to the Home Menu > Pages > click on your Blog Page.
Click the gear icon to open Page Settings.
Here, you can set your blog's URL, SEO settings, social sharing image for the entire blog and more. Make sure your blog URL is simple and includes your main keyword. This is also where you will set up and can modify your Categories + Tags to organize your content.
Add Your Tags and Categories:
Navigate to your main Blog Page Settings using the gear for blog-wide changes.
Under Advanced, add your Tags and Categories to this main section. You can add them here and also manage any that need to be deleted.
When you’re editing a specific post, you’ll go to Options for adding Tags and Categories and can add the ones specific to each post.
Categories are broad groups that your posts fall into, like “Recipes,” “Travel,” or “Lifestyle.” Think of these as the big buckets.
Tags are more specific topics within those categories, like “Vegan,” “Beach Destinations,” or “Morning Routines.” These help with the finer details.
Choose categories and tags that are relevant to your content and that your audience might search for. Don’t go overboard > 3-5 tags per post is a good rule of thumb and 1-2 categories per post.
Tip: add an Archive Block on your Main Blog Page so people can search your Categories easily. You can also just type out your categories and link to them > this is what I have done on my blog (journal) page.
Blog Post Settings:
This relates to an individual blog post and how it is shown on Google.
When editing a post, click the 3 dots to the right of the post and open Settings
Under the Content section, fill out the Post URL with a keyword-friendly slug that describes the post. It’s usually shorter than the title and shows at the top of the search bar.
Add a compelling Excerpt. This shows up on your blog page and in search results.
Add a Featured Image which will show on your Blog page and in Summary Blocks and an Author if necessary. The newest Google ‘leak’ states that having an author will be important for ranking! See my author profile at the bottom of the post.
SEO Settings:
Navigate to Blog Post Settings, then SEO
Add a Blog Title and Description which will preview in Google when your post appears (unless Google makes up its own).
Social Sharing:
Go to Blog Post Settings, then Share
You can change the Featured Image shared for each post, push the post to Google Search Console, Facebook or Pinterest and more.
Comments and Engagement:
Enable comments to foster community engagement. Go to Settings > Website> Blog Preferences
Choose whether to enable comments for all posts or individual posts and the need to approve them first.
Newsletter Integration:
Add your newsletter integration of choice and share your free offer or just a newsletter signup. Even if you are not emailing anyone yet, use the Squarespace Newsletter block and start collecting them for when you’re ready. You don’t have to overcomplicate things all the time. Shocking, no?
A PREVIEW OF THE SETTINGS OF INTEREST FOR BLOGGING (june 2024 view). to find anything hit / and type what you’re looking for.
Looking to learn about SEO and maximize your DIY search optimization skills?
Check out the Grow With SEO course by designer, Kate Scott. This evergreen course let’s you learn and implement at your own pace to maximize your traffic to your Squarespace website.
Connect Pinterest to Your Squarespace Website To Increase Blog Traffic & Track Popular Posts
Pinterest isn’t just for DIY’ing, recipes and wedding inspo. It’s a traffic goldmine which is where I think the unhappy Instagramers are focusing on next (hi, it’s me). By opting into Pinterest, you can make your blog posts pinnable, driving traffic from Pinterest to your blog and vice versa, and tracking analytics. This is where the connection comes into play.
It’s not just for blog posts though - you can also share your work (like images, case studies, etc) and Instagram posts and videos! BTW, this is a rabbit hole I’ve barely explored but everyone is RAVING about the potential, so I’m ‘hopping’ on.
How to Connect Pinterest:
Create a Pinterest business account:
Go to Pinterest Business.
Sign up for a free business account.
Claim your website:
In Pinterest, go to Settings.
Under Claim, click Claim Website.
Pinterest will give you a meta tag. Copy this code.
Add the Pinterest meta tag to Squarespace:
Log in to your Squarespace account.
Go to the main Pages Menu and scroll down to Website Tools
Navigate to Code Injection.
In the Header section, paste the Pinterest meta tag code.
Hit Save. Now your images are ready to be pinned, making it easier for Pinterest users to find your blog.
While you’re there claim your Instagram account. You can push Instagram instantly to Pinterest without lifting a finger! I would recommend making a specific board the posts go to to keep your page organized.
Don’t Forget to Add Shareworthy Graphics to Your Blog & Then Share Them To Pinterest!
This is an extra step, I get it. However, by creating specific graphics for your blog posts you will have a branded advertisement for you and your visitors to share to Pinterest.
Design your graphics in Canva, Adobe Spark, or wherever you’re proficient
Pinterest likes a vertical 2:3 ratio, so 1000 x 1500px works well
Keep it simple and on-brand ie. use your BRAND FONTS AND COLOURS.
Use high-quality images and add your blog URL or logo and an easy-to-read and relevant caption
Download your graphics once you’re happy with the design and add them to your post! I add mine at the bottom but you do you.
Make sure you have activated the Pinterest Save Buttons (see above image) on your blogs for easy sharing to Pinterest for users.
Once you’ve published your blog, go into your Pinterest account and Create a New Pin. Add your graphic, keyword-rich title and link your blog. Then, stalk analytics and see how everything is doing. The Pinterest pros say you can repin this once a week and even make new graphics to keep it fresh.
There’s a lot to learn here, so find some Pinterest experts to follow and absorb all their content.
Do you struggle with indecision in Canva or want some curated templates to choose from?
This is exactly why I recommend & use Haute Stock! A snapshot of what you’ll get:
New stock videos & images added weekly — new collections are added to the library every Monday so you can keep your visuals looking fresh!
Customizable Canva templates — Haute Stock adds new customizable templates regularly and they are the perfect addition to your marketing campaigns - like Pinterest! They even have service guides and e-book templates for your freebies!
Unlimited downloads — download and keep any number of images or videos you find on Haute Stock so you always have content at your fingertips!
Use code BIRCH at checkout for 15% off!
Add a ShareThis Integration For Social Sharing Buttons on Your Blog Posts
What’s the point of writing killer content if no one sees it? Squarespace removed their built-in ‘Share’ buttons for some reason in 7.1 so we’re left adding third-party tools.
I’ve been using ShareThis and it’s pretty easy to add. It’s a tool that adds social sharing buttons to your posts, making it easy for your readers to share your content with the world.
I’m talking about these buttons which automatically post at the BOTTOM of your blog unless you add a code block another place you want them, like here:
How to Add ShareThis:
Sign up on ShareThis:
Go to ShareThis.
Sign up for a free account and create your custom share buttons using the ‘Start With Share Buttons’ tool.
Get your custom code:
You’ll select what kind of buttons you want and customize them to your liking (I’m using Inline).
Once you’ve set up your buttons, ShareThis will provide you with a snippet of code.
Copy that code to your clipboard.
Add the code to Squarespace:
Log in to your Squarespace account.
Go to the Home Menu and click Settings.
Navigate to Advanced, then Code Injection (you need a Business account for this, FYI)
In the Header section, paste the ShareThis code you copied earlier.
Hit Save. Now your blog posts will have those snazzy share buttons, making it easy for readers to share your content.
NOTE: if you are using INLINE buttons like I am, you also need another code. I added this to the code injection in my Blog Settings. You can find this under Blog > Blog Settings > Advanced > Blog Post Item Code Injection. You will also add this code into a Code Block if you want these to show up anywhere else, like the top of your blog post.
Paste This:
<div class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons"></div>
And…that’s a wrap!
With these tips, your Squarespace blog has all the fundamentals set up to take on the big job of getting found online. Honestly, it’s getting harder than ever with the new Google search results and AI. But, you’re now set up for success and with consistent blogging, your website will get more traffic and in turn the Google will return your website in search more often!
PS. Don’t forget to submit your new page to your Google Search Console so it’s found faster by Google! This post I wrote on Finding Missing Pages on Your Website may help!
Did you learn anything new? Anything else you want more info on? Share in the comments below!
