Squarespace Website Launch Checklist: 15 SEO and Technical Checks
Squarespace handles a lot of technical setup for you — SSL, responsive design, clean URLs. But it won't write your SEO metadata, optimize your images, or configure analytics. These 15 checks catch the things Squarespace doesn't do automatically.
SEO Settings (Checks 1-6)
| # | Check | Where in Squarespace | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set SEO title and description for every page | Page → Settings → SEO tab | Leaving defaults — "Home" as the homepage title |
| 2 | Set site-wide SEO title format | Settings → SEO → SEO Title Format | "%s — Powered by Squarespace" as the suffix |
| 3 | Add alt text to all images | Click image → Edit → Alt text field | Decorative images with no alt text |
| 4 | Connect Google Search Console | Settings → Connected Accounts or DNS verification | Never connected — no indexing data |
| 5 | Verify sitemap is accessible | Visit yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml | Custom domain not connected yet, so sitemap is on .squarespace.com subdomain |
| 6 | Set a custom 404 page | Pages → System pages → 404 | Default 404 page with no navigation or helpful content |
Domain and SSL (Checks 7-9)
| # | Check | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Custom domain connected | Settings → Domains | Both www and non-www versions should resolve |
| 8 | SSL certificate active | Settings → Domains → SSL | Enable "Secure" and "HSTS Secure". Squarespace provides free SSL. |
| 9 | Old domain redirects set up (if migrating) | Settings → URL Mappings or 301 redirects | Pages from old site returning 404 instead of redirecting |
Performance and Mobile (Checks 10-12)
| # | Check | How |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Test on mobile devices | Open on actual iPhone and Android device, not just browser preview |
| 11 | Check page speed | Run PageSpeed Insights — Squarespace sites can be heavy due to high-res images |
| 12 | Optimize images before uploading | Resize to max 2000px wide, compress to under 300KB each |
Analytics and Legal (Checks 13-15)
| # | Check | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Install Google Analytics 4 | Settings → Developer Tools → External API Keys → Google Analytics |
| 14 | Add a Privacy Policy page | Create a new page, add to footer navigation |
| 15 | Configure cookie banner (if required) | Settings → Cookies & Visitor Data |
Post-Launch
- Run an SEO audit — Use WebsiteChecker.Tech to crawl the live site. Squarespace-specific issues to watch for: oversized images (Squarespace doesn't always compress aggressively enough), missing alt text, duplicate page titles from blog post templates.
- Submit sitemap to Search Console — Add yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml in Search Console's Sitemaps section.
- Monitor index coverage — Check Search Console after 1 week. Are your pages being indexed?
- Set up Squarespace Analytics — Built-in analytics provide traffic data immediately. Use alongside GA4 for a complete picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check before launching a Squarespace site?
Key areas: SEO titles and descriptions for every page, SSL certificate enabled, custom domain connected properly, mobile responsiveness verified on real devices, Google Analytics and Search Console connected, sitemap submitted, 404 page customized, and favicon uploaded.
Does Squarespace have good SEO?
Squarespace handles basic technical SEO well out of the box — SSL, mobile responsiveness, clean URLs, auto-generated sitemaps. What it doesn't do: it won't write your title tags, meta descriptions, or alt text for you. And its customization options for technical SEO are more limited than WordPress.
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