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Is Squarespace good for SEO?

Yes, for most small New Zealand businesses. It handles the technical basics well, and the things that actually decide your rankings are up to you on any platform. Here's what it does, what it can't do, and the mistakes that come up most often.

What Squarespace does for you

  • SSL on every site, so your pages load over https without any setup.
  • A sitemap that updates itself at yoursite.co.nz/sitemap.xml whenever you add or remove a page.
  • Mobile layouts on every template. Google ranks the mobile version of your site, so this matters.
  • Editable page titles, descriptions and URLs for every page, product and blog post.
  • Image alt text on every image block.
  • 301 redirects through URL mappings, so old addresses can point to new ones when you rebuild.
  • Basic structured data added automatically, so Google can read your business name, logo and pages.
  • Search Console built in. Connect it in the analytics panel and you can see the searches people used to find you without leaving Squarespace.

Where it falls short

Speed

Squarespace pages carry more code than a hand-built site, so they're rarely the fastest in a search result. Careful image sizes and fewer heavy blocks make up most of the gap.

Manageable
robots.txt

You can't edit it. Squarespace's default is sensible, and you can hide individual pages from search in each page's settings, which covers most needs.

Rarely matters
Custom code

Adding your own structured data, such as FAQ or service markup, needs code injection. That's only available on Core and above, so it's missing on the NZ$19 Basic plan.

Core plan
Blog URLs

Blog posts sit under a fixed folder such as /blog/. That's fine for Google, but you can't flatten it later without redirects.

Minor

None of these stop a small business ranking on page one in New Zealand. They matter more for big sites with hundreds of pages, which is when I'd look at WordPress or something else.

The most common Squarespace SEO mistakes

  • Page titles left on the default. “Home” or “Services” tells Google nothing. Write a title with what you do and where, for example “Electrician in Lower Hutt | Your Business Name”.
  • No redirects after a rebuild. The old site's pages had rankings. Without URL mappings to the new pages, those rankings disappear.
  • Template demo pages left live. Unused pages with placeholder text still get indexed. Delete them or hide them from search.
  • Huge images. A 6MB photo straight off a phone slows every page it's on. Resize before uploading.
  • One page for every service. If you do three things, give each one its own page with its own title. One “Services” page can only rank for one of them.
  • Search Console never connected. It's free, and without it you're guessing what people search for.
  • No Google Business Profile. For a local business this matters more than anything on the website. It's what puts you in the map results.

What actually decides your rankings

On Squarespace, WordPress or anything else, the same few things move a small business up the results:

  • A clear page for each service and each area you work in.
  • A Google Business Profile that's complete, accurate and gets regular reviews.
  • Links from other relevant New Zealand sites: suppliers, associations, local directories, the press.
  • Content that answers the questions your customers ask before they buy.

Squarespace gets the technical side out of the way so your time goes into those. That's most of the reason I build on it.

Common questions

Is Squarespace bad for SEO?

No. That reputation comes from older versions and from sites set up carelessly. A well set up Squarespace site can rank on page one for local searches in New Zealand.

Is Squarespace or WordPress better for SEO?

WordPress gives you more control, which helps big sites. For a small business site, the difference is small, and Squarespace needs far less upkeep. There's a full comparison in Squarespace vs Wix vs WordPress.

Which Squarespace plan do I need for SEO?

Basic covers the essentials. Core adds code injection, which lets you add your own structured data and tracking. Most businesses are better off on Core. Prices are in what a Squarespace website costs.

Can you fix the SEO on a Squarespace site someone else built?

Yes. The SEO setup starts with an audit of exactly these things.

Can you have a quick look at my site?

Yes. Send me the address and I'll tell you the first few things I'd fix. It's free, and there's no obligation to hire me afterwards.

Ask for a quick look What SEO costs in NZ