For U.S. businesses seeking to build a website with minimal technical expertise, Squarespace remains a popular choice due to its intuitive design and streamlined setup process. However, the platform’s SEO capabilities are a topic of debate among digital marketers and SEO specialists. This article examines the SEO strengths and limitations of Squarespace in 2025, based on available data from user experiences, technical testing, and practical implementation scenarios. The focus is on how the platform affects on-page SEO, technical SEO, and broader content strategies for American businesses.
SEO Capabilities of Squarespace
Squarespace offers a suite of built-in SEO tools that are accessible to users without advanced technical knowledge. These include customizable title tags and meta descriptions for each page, which are fundamental for improving visibility in search engine results. Title tags and meta descriptions help search engines understand the content of a website, and they serve as the primary text that appears in search results, influencing user click-through rates.
Additionally, Squarespace automatically generates XML sitemaps and robots.txt files. These tools are essential for technical SEO, as they help search engines efficiently crawl and index a website’s content. The XML sitemap acts as a blueprint of the site, guiding search engine crawlers to the most important pages, while the robots.txt file controls which parts of the site should or shouldn’t be crawled.
However, the platform lacks advanced customization options that are typically available in other content management systems like WordPress. For example, Squarespace does not allow users to access or modify the underlying code of their websites. This restriction limits the ability to implement advanced SEO techniques such as schema markup, which helps search engines better understand the structure and meaning of content on a page.
Limitations in Image Optimization
One of the notable limitations of Squarespace in 2025 is its lack of support for modern image formats like WEBP. While most major content management systems have adopted WEBP for its improved performance and SEO benefits, Squarespace continues to rely on older formats like JPEG and PNG. This can impact site speed and user experience, both of which are important ranking factors for Google and other search engines.
The absence of WEBP support is particularly concerning for businesses that rely heavily on image-rich content, such as photographers or e-commerce stores. These businesses may experience slower page load times, which can indirectly affect their SEO performance by reducing user engagement and increasing bounce rates.
Responsive Design and Mobile SEO
Despite its limitations in advanced SEO customization, Squarespace excels in certain areas, particularly in responsive design. The platform’s templates are designed to automatically adjust to various screen sizes and devices, which is a critical factor in Google’s mobile-first indexing strategy. A mobile-friendly website is essential for maintaining visibility in search results, especially as more users access the internet via smartphones and tablets.
The ability to create responsive websites is a significant advantage for businesses that may not have the technical expertise to implement such features manually. It ensures that users have a consistent and optimized experience regardless of the device they use to access the site.
On-Page SEO Considerations
On-page SEO involves optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search engines and attract more relevant traffic. Squarespace provides users with the ability to customize title tags and meta descriptions, which are essential for on-page optimization. These tags should be used strategically to include relevant keywords and accurately describe the content of each page.
However, the platform’s lack of support for schema markup and other advanced on-page SEO techniques limits the ability to fully optimize content. For businesses that rely on rich snippets or structured data to enhance their search result listings, this can be a significant drawback.
Content Strategy and SEO Performance
A critical takeaway from the source material is that SEO performance is not solely dependent on the platform used but also on the content strategy and ongoing optimization efforts. For example, a photographer using Squarespace struggled to rank for competitive keywords not because of the platform itself but because he wasn’t producing fresh, relevant content. His competitor—a fictional TV character—was consistently generating new content, which helped maintain higher search visibility.
This highlights the importance of a long-term SEO strategy that goes beyond the technical capabilities of the platform. Businesses must focus on creating and updating content regularly to stay competitive in search engine rankings. This includes publishing blog posts, case studies, product pages, and other forms of content that provide value to users and signal authority to search engines.
Migration and Redesign Considerations
For businesses that are migrating to or redesigning their Squarespace site, it is essential to follow best practices to minimize the impact on SEO. One of the primary concerns during a site migration is maintaining the URL structure. If URLs change during the migration, search engines may lose track of the site’s content, leading to a drop in rankings.
To mitigate this, it is recommended to catalog the URL structure of the existing site in a spreadsheet before the migration. After the new site is launched, 301 redirects should be set up to point old URLs to the new ones. This helps preserve the site’s SEO equity and ensures that users and search engines are directed to the correct pages.
Built-In Domain Challenges
Another potential SEO issue with Squarespace is the use of the built-in domain (e.g., example.squarespace.com). If not properly configured, this default domain can appear in search results alongside the custom domain, leading to confusion for users and diluting the site’s authority. This can result in duplicate content issues and split traffic between the two domains.
To resolve this issue, businesses should use Google Search Console to remove the built-in domain from search results. This can be done by submitting a request to Google and ensuring that the custom domain is the only one indexed and displayed in search results. Proper configuration of the site’s DNS and domain settings is also essential to prevent this issue from occurring in the first place.
The Role of an SEO Expert
Given the limitations of Squarespace in advanced SEO customization, many businesses choose to work with an SEO expert or agency to optimize their sites. An SEO expert can help implement strategies such as content audits, keyword research, and competitor analysis to improve the site’s visibility in search results.
Additionally, an SEO expert can help businesses navigate the platform’s constraints and find workarounds for common limitations. For example, while Squarespace does not allow for schema markup, an expert can help optimize meta tags, internal linking, and content structure to compensate for this limitation.
Conclusion
Squarespace offers a range of built-in SEO tools that make it a viable option for businesses looking to create a website without extensive technical knowledge. However, the platform has notable limitations in advanced SEO customization, particularly in areas such as schema markup, image optimization, and code-level modifications. These limitations can affect the site’s performance in search engine rankings, especially when competing with businesses on more flexible platforms like WordPress.
Despite these limitations, Squarespace can still perform well for SEO if the site structure and content strategy are strong. Businesses should focus on creating and maintaining high-quality, relevant content to stay competitive in search results. Additionally, following best practices during site migration or redesign can help minimize the impact on SEO and preserve the site’s visibility in search engines.
For businesses that require advanced SEO capabilities, working with an SEO expert or considering an alternative platform may be necessary. Ultimately, SEO performance is multi-factorial, and while the platform plays a role, it is not the sole determinant of success.