How to Add Keywords to Squarespace Sites [2024 Guide]
Keywords are essential to Squarespace SEO, but how do you optimize their use for your site’s visibility? This easy-to-understand guide will walk you through how to add SEO keywords to Squarespace websites. What’s more, on top of learning how to add keywords to Squarespace websites, we’ll teach you how to find keywords and the common pitfalls to avoid.
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Key Takeaways
Keyword optimization is essential for improving SEO on Squarespace sites. The key is ensuring clear, natural integration, aligning with user intent, and avoiding “keyword stuffing.” According to the latest Google ranking algorithm, consistently publishing high-quality content centered around keywords boosts your chances of ranking by about 21%.
Strategic keyword placement in SEO titles, descriptions, headings, alt text, and within the first 100 words of content is critical for search engine ranking and online visibility. For example, including keywords in meta title tags alone account for 15% of the Google ranking algorithm.
Monitoring keyword performance and making adjustments to prevent keyword cannibalization is crucial for maintaining an effective SEO strategy. Tools like SEOSpace and Squarespace’s Site search keywords panel aid in this process.
Understanding Squarespace Keywords
Optimizing your Squarespace site with relevant keywords is key to helping search engines better understand and rank your content. About 75% of people will never scroll past page 1 of search results, so the importance of keyword optimization in search engine ranking can’t be overstated.
Adding keywords in a clear and natural way ensures both humans and search engines understand your content. This approach, known as keyword optimization, helps you avoid the negative effects of “keyword stuffing” — the practice of overloading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate a site's ranking in Google search results. To add keywords effectively, ensure they are contextually relevant and seamlessly integrated into your content.
The ultimate goal of SEO efforts should be to:
Answer people’s questions
Solve problems
Ensure keywords are relevant and valuable to attract interested visitors
Align with user intent
To ensure your SEO strategy meets these goals, you need to invest in quality keyword research.
What Is Keyword Research?
Conducting keyword research is a vital step in constructing an effective SEO strategy. This process allows you to understand what your target customers are searching for, enabling the strategic implementation of those keywords on your Squarespace website. Without this understanding, you may end up targeting keywords that are too competitive, making it more challenging to rank highly and grow organic traffic. To ensure proper keyword research, it’s important to understand the various forms keywords can take.
Tip: If you're looking to delve deeper into the nuances of keyword optimization, don't miss out on our webinar on how to do keyword research. It's your opportunity to learn the ins and outs of SEO.
Type of Keywords
Keywords can be categorized into various types, such as informational keywords, commercial keywords, etc., each with its own benefits and challenges.
Informational keywords are used when searchers are looking for information, such as “how to tie a tie” or “best ways to study for a math test.”
Commercial keywords indicate an interest in a range of options or consideration of purchases, like "best smartphones" or "top-rated electric toothbrushes.
Transactional keywords are used when the searcher is ready to purchase, for example, "buy Nikon D3500" or "discount code for yoga mats."
Navigational keywords, such as "Facebook login" or "Gmail sign in," are used when searching for a specific website or page.
Understanding and utilizing these different types of keywords according to search intent can greatly improve your website's content strategy and SEO performance. To optimize for these keywords, consider employing SEO tools and conducting thorough keyword research to discover the terms that align best with your content and audience's search behavior.
Keyword Research Tools
Numerous tools are at your disposal to aid in your keyword research process.
Some are free, like:
Google Keyword Planner, which provides keyword suggestions.
keywordtool.io, which provides data on already-ranking queries.
Google Search Console, a powerful free tool that provides data indicating which of your website pages are being shown in search engine results, specifically in Google search results for specific queries.
These tools can help you gather valuable insights and optimize your content for better search engine visibility. Alternatively, there are paid tools like Keywords Everywhere, a browser extension that provides search volume and competition data for keywords in Google searches.
8 Places to Add Keywords in Squarespace
After identifying your target keywords, the next step is to learn where and how to add keywords to Squarespace websites.
This involves integrating keywords into:
SEO titles
SEO descriptions
The first 100 words of your content
H1 headings
At least one site title
Page titles
URL slugs
Alt text
Tip: Check out this Squarespace SEO checklist for expert recommendations on how to add keywords to Squarespace + much more.
Page SEO Titles
Incorporation of a main keyword in your page SEO title and page titles significantly enhances search engine ranking and visibility.
Here’s how to go about this:
Navigate to “Website.”
From “Pages,” hover over the page you wish to change its title and click the gear icon.
From the “SEO” tab, you can notice the “SEO TITLE” editor. Change the content to your desired title.
Remember to add the keywords you wish to rank for better search engine optimization - your SEO title should be 50-60 characters as well as including your main keyword.
Headings and Subheadings
One excellent way to improve your site’s SEO performance is by integrating keywords into its headings and subheadings. Web pages should begin with a single Heading 1 followed by headings 2, headings 3, etc., to ensure clarity and navigation for both visitors and search engines. Headings should feature keywords to emphasize content for SEO, with the main keyword included in H1 and other related content organized under H2 and H3 tags.
Aligning your headings with search intent will ensure that the content matches the purpose behind the user’s search queries. This well-structured approach to headings enhances both user experience and indirectly affects SEO performance.
Meta Descriptions and Alt Text
SEO or meta descriptions summarize your page content and are displayed on search results and social media networks. Incorporating your main keyword naturally into your meta description can improve click-through rates from search engines due to compelling and keyword-rich content displayed under the site title. Additionally, using the keywords meta tag can help search engines better understand your content.
Here’s how to edit the meta description for a page of your Squarespace website:
Navigate to “Website,” hover over the page, and select the gear icon to open settings for that page.
Next, open the “SEO” tab and scroll down to “SEO DESCRIPTION (OPTIONAL).” This is where you add your meta description. It should be catchy, straight-to-point, and must not be longer than 150–160 characters in length.
Alt text on images also serves a crucial function for SEO by aiding search engine bots in understanding the content of the page. Descriptive alt text that includes keywords not only enhances SEO but also improves the site’s accessibility, aiding users who rely on screen readers. Consider adding an image and accompanying alt text every 100–200 words on each page.
To add alt texts to your images, follow the below steps:
Select the image of interest when editing the page they are on and click the pencil icon.
Once the settings panel is open, scroll down to “IMAGE ALT TEXT” and add your alternative texts.
While adding keywords to your website is crucial for search engine visibility, it’s important not to overdo it to avoid keyword cannibalization — more on this below!
Avoiding Keyword Cannibalization
When multiple pages on a site target the same keyword(s), it’s referred to as keyword cannibalization. Having multiple pages competing for the same keyword can result in lower rankings for both pages, as search engines typically only show 1 or 2 results from the same domain.
To check for keyword cannibalization, perform a site search with specific keywords to see if multiple results appear for your domain. You can then follow these steps to address the issue:
Audit your content: Review your website and identify which pages are competing for the same keywords. Decide whether to merge content for a stronger single page, delete less important pages, or redirect them to consolidate SEO value.
Implement a strategic internal linking plan: Establish a clear hierarchy of content through internal linking. This helps search engines understand which articles or pages are the most important and should be ranked higher.
Optimize your online shop structure (where applicable): For e-commerce sites, make sure your product pages link back to their respective category pages. This helps prevent individual product pages from competing against the category page you want to rank.
Monitor outdated content: Keep an eye on older pages. Outdated content might inadvertently compete with your newer, more relevant pages. Regularly updating or pruning old content can prevent this.
Want to see these steps in action and get a more in-depth explanation? Check out this comprehensive video on keyword cannibalization in SEO.
Tip: The Squarespace SEO Plugin by SEOSpace is an important tool that can help you avoid keyword cannibalization and many other SEO blunders. Users have reported up to a 68% increase in organic traffic in just 2 months, highlighting SEOSpace’s tangible impact on performance. You can try the Squarespace SEO plugin for free today!
As earlier stated, keywords are the backbone of every search engine optimization effort. Hence, you must develop a solid strategy to ensure long-term success. Let’s now see how to build a solid keyword strategy for Squarespace SEO.
Developing a Comprehensive Keyword Strategy
To craft an all-encompassing keyword strategy, it’s important to understand your target audience, their needs, and their information search methods. Conducting customer interviews with open-ended questions and storytelling can uncover specific language, pain points, and deeper motivations that inform a relevant keyword strategy.
Also, utilizing keyword research tools like Keywords Everywhere and Ahrefs, along with analyzing what keywords competitors rank for, helps in creating a robust keyword strategy.
Here are some steps to follow:
Use keyword research tools like Keywords Everywhere and Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords.
Analyze what keywords your competitors are ranking for.
Map keywords to specific pages on your website.
Ensure the content on the page matches the search intent of the keyword you want to rank it for.
By following these steps, you can create a balanced and effective keyword strategy. You must also monitor your SEO performance over time to know what’s working and where improvement is needed. Let’s see how to do this below.
Monitoring and Adjusting Your Squarespace Keywords Approach
After developing your keyword strategy, it’s important to track its impact using search keywords analytics, such as the search keywords panel on Squarespace Analytics, which helps identify visitor search terms on the site. Also, regular monitoring of search engine ranking through Google Search Console or Semrush’s Position Tracking, for example, can help identify keyword cannibalization issues and enable prompt resolution. This regular monitoring and adjustment will ensure that your keyword strategy remains effective and relevant.
How to Add Keywords to Squarespace Website Summary
In conclusion, to master Squarespace keywords, you need to understand their importance, conduct thorough keyword research, integrate them effectively, and continuously monitor and adjust your approach. Avoid keyword cannibalization, leverage tools like SEOSpace, and develop a comprehensive keyword strategy to truly make your Squarespace website shine in the realm of SEO. Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint — it requires ongoing efforts and adjustments to stay ahead of the competition and changes in search engine algorithms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Squarespace have an SEO tool?
Yes, Squarespace has built-in SEO tools for websites and online stores. For enhanced optimization, consider SEOSpace, a Squarespace SEO Plugin that offers advanced features to further boost your site's search ranking.
Why isn’t Squarespace good for SEO?
Squarespace is good for SEO. The platform’s easy-to-use and less-complicated interface makes it easy to follow the best SEO practices, resulting in improved performance. At SEOSpace, we’ve helped hundreds of Squarespace websites rank higher in search results with our Squarespace SEO plugin, which guides you through SEO best practices.
What’s the impact of keyword cannibalization on SEO?
Keyword cannibalization can significantly impact SEO by lowering the rankings of multiple pages targeting the same keyword. Since search engines prioritize showing only a few results from the same domain, two pages from a single website competing for the same keyword only weakens the site’s overall SEO strength.
How can I develop a comprehensive keyword strategy?
To develop a comprehensive keyword strategy, conduct customer interviews, use keyword research tools, analyze competitors’ keywords, and prioritize a mix of high- and low-difficulty keywords. This will help target the most relevant keywords for the right customer segment.
