Squarespace blog SEO: set up posts that rank

1. Set the Post URL format once

Open the Blog preferences panel and edit Post URL format. You can combine text with four variables (Squarespace: URL slugs):

Use %t alone for most blogs. Dates make URLs longer and make an updated post look old. The format applies only to posts created after you set it. Existing posts keep their URLs, which is what you want.

2. Fill each post's SEO tab before publishing

Open the blog, hover the post, click Edit, then the SEO tab (Squarespace: SEO descriptions).

• SEO title: the question or topic in plain words, for example "How to Waterproof a Tent (5 Steps)". The Items title format adds your site name.
• SEO description: one or two sentences on what the reader gets. If blank, Squarespace uses the post excerpt.
• URL slug: short, lowercase, the main words. Post slugs can be up to 200 characters, but 3 to 6 words is plenty.

Set the slug now. If you change it after publishing, Squarespace does not redirect the old URL, and you must add a line in URL mappings (Squarespace 301 redirects).

3. Write for the question, answer first

Put a two or three sentence answer right under the title. Then use headings for each part, and lists or tables for steps and comparisons. Readers who skim get the answer, and it is the kind of passage Google's features and AI assistants can quote.

Use the text block's Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles for sections. The post title is already the main heading.

4. Keep tags and categories few

Each tag and category gives readers a filtered view of your blog. Squarespace's shared robots.txt already asks search engines not to crawl tag, author and month filter URLs (Squarespace: Google SEO errors), so they will not compete with your posts.

The real cost is for readers: 40 tags with one post each is clutter. Use 5 to 10 categories that match your services, and a handful of tags.

5. Add alt text to images inside the post

Image blocks show no alt text unless you type it in the Image alt text field. Describe what is in the picture in a few words: "Spraying waterproofing on a tent fly". Do not stuff keywords into it (Squarespace: alt text).

6. Link every post to a page that earns money

A post about tent care should link to your tents or your repair service, with words that describe the target page. Then link back to the post from one or two related posts. Posts that no other page links to are hard for Google to find and rank. Our internal linking playbook has the full method.

7. Refresh posts that slipped

Once a quarter, open Search Console > Performance > Pages. Filter to your blog (URL contains /blog/) and compare the last 3 months with the 3 months before.

Keep the same URL when you update. Change the date only if you changed the content.

8. Publish less, update more

A blog with 30 strong, current posts usually beats one with 200 thin ones. Before you write a new post, check if an old one already covers the topic and could be improved instead.