Improve Squarespace SEO by giving each public page a clear reader task, appropriate headings and relevant metadata, then checking how the page is delivered and discovered. Review the homepage, ordinary pages and collection items separately. A saved description and an entry in a sitemap answer different questions, so keep both checks in the review.
Begin with the content the business can explain accurately. List the service or question each page owns and the next action a reader should take. Use that inventory to identify missing answers and overlapping pages before rewriting descriptions across the entire site.
Which content should each page own?
Choose a distinct outcome for the page, such as understanding a service, comparing a specific approach or reading a project explanation. Put the main answer where a visitor can find it and use headings that describe the actual questions being answered. Metadata should then summarise the page’s useful content.
Keep the navigation and links connected to those tasks. A page should lead naturally to the relevant service or next step rather than forcing a visitor back to the homepage to reconstruct the route. Review the actual page body and links when deciding whether two similar titles need separate pages.
Ask the content owner to verify operational claims before publication. A page can be well structured while still promising work the business has not agreed to provide. Retain the evidence and owner for claims about the offering, keeping the editing exercise grounded in what the organisation actually does.
Which description field applies to this page?
Squarespace’s description guide explains the distinctions. Squarespace’s SEO site description represents the homepage. Individual pages have their own SEO descriptions. Collection-item SEO descriptions are available for blog posts, products and events. Identify the page type before editing so the change reaches the intended destination.
Squarespace distinguishes page descriptions from SEO descriptions. Review the installed site version and template context where that distinction matters. Text visible in a page’s design and text entered for search presentation should each be assessed against their actual purpose.
Search engines may select more relevant page content instead of the supplied description. Write a truthful, readable summary and keep the useful answer in the body. Evaluate the delivered field and later search observation separately rather than assuming a saved summary will appear identically for every query.
Missing collection-item descriptions can lead to excerpts or product descriptions being used. Include a collection item in the content review so a homepage-only check does not leave the article or product route unexplained. Ask the owner to read the proposed summary alongside the full page and confirm that they agree.
| Page review | Content decision | Verification question |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Explain the organisation and its relevant routes | Does the site description represent the actual homepage? |
| Service page | Answer the service enquiry clearly | Does its own description match the page’s scope? |
| Article or other collection item | Own a distinct reader question | Is the item’s summary appropriate to its content? |
| Similar existing pages | Consolidate or distinguish the outcomes | Can the editor explain why each destination exists? |
| Discovery route | Review intended public URLs | Are the relevant pages delivered and represented as expected? |
This original page-owner worksheet makes the editorial decision visible before the technical checks. Keep the page URL, content owner and unresolved question with each row so the review can be continued by another colleague.
What does the sitemap tell you?
Squarespace’s sitemap guide describes the built-in output. Squarespace generates a sitemap containing URLs and image metadata. Squarespace updates the sitemap after content is added or removed. Use the actual generated sitemap as one discovery observation alongside the intended page inventory.
Trial sites and parking pages do not have sitemaps. Confirm the site context before treating an absent sitemap as a content defect. A test or private arrangement should be reviewed according to its intended visibility, with any later public release handled through the proper approval route.
Squarespace does not allow direct editing of its sitemap. Make the appropriate content and supported site-setting decisions, then inspect the resulting output. Retain the URL and date of the observation rather than proposing an unsupported manual sitemap edit.
Keep discovery and index status distinguishable. A sitemap entry identifies a published URL the system is presenting through that route. Search-engine discovery and indexing need their own relevant evidence. Record what was actually checked so the owner can understand a missing result without an unsupported ranking conclusion.
How should a description change be reviewed?
Record the current page purpose and the reason for the proposed revision. Draft the new summary using the actual content and confirmed offering. Ask a reviewer to identify what they would expect to find after clicking that description, then compare it with the page.
Save the approved change through the field applicable to the page type and inspect the delivered result. Include the page title, body and relevant metadata in the evidence. If the page or field differs from expectation, investigate its configuration before changing the editorial requirement to match the output.
Review the reader journey on the intended device arrangement. A concise description can attract an appropriate reader, while the page still needs readable content and a clear next step. Record confusing headings, links or missing answers as editorial findings with an owner.
Original homepage-and-article discovery exercise
Prepare a fictional business homepage and a sample article in a separate test site or approved review arrangement. Give each a distinct reader outcome and proposed description. The exercise compares the content, saved fields and discovery observations without inventing search performance results.
First, have another editor read the proposed descriptions and explain the expected destination. Inspect the corresponding page bodies together and resolve any promise the content does not fulfil. Retain the approved purpose and wording with the page-owner worksheet.
Next, save the descriptions through their appropriate routes and inspect the delivered pages. Record the actual metadata and whether the body, title and next action remain consistent with the intended task. Include the collection item’s own settings in the review.
Finally, inspect the generated sitemap in the appropriate site context and compare it with the intended public inventory. Keep later search observations separate, recording the query and context when they are available. Use the findings to refine the content and its ownership before expanding the same review across the site.
For related work, see search visibility and website development. Get started with your page inventory and the reader tasks each destination needs to serve.
By Spout Team. AI-assisted drafting by Codex using the linked primary documentation.