Google Search Console: Does It Help Squarespace SEO?
Perhaps You've Heard of Google Search Console and Come Out in Hives?
I get it. 🌿
Maybe you're wondering if Google Search Console is really necessary for a small business owner who's already pushed for time and didn't sign up to be a marketer.
Years ago, as an artist, the digital world wasn't my natural habitat. I was more at home among my paints and brushes than navigating the labyrinth of SEO and website analytics.
Google Search Console was an alien concept, a tool I casually dismissed without realising its potential.
I didn't understand its importance until I dived into it many moons ago, and it's an adventure I wish I'd embarked on sooner.
I offer this info to my web design clients and to you as a small business owner, so you can unlock its benefits sooner than I did.
In this post, we'll cover:
What Google Search Console actually is (with a metaphor that makes it click)
Five genuine reasons to connect it to your Squarespace site
How to check what Google already knows about your site
After recently helping a client with their Squarespace website, he asked whether setting up Google Search Console was necessary. I figured more small business owners might be wondering the same, so let's get stuck in.
Still Baffled? Here's the Official Version
Sometimes it helps to hear it from Google directly.
Here's a link from Google sharing all about Google Search Console.
What is Google Search Console
To sum up, think of it as a free tool that helps people find you. Pretty great, right? 🌱
Or, if you're like me and love a good metaphor, imagine your Squarespace website as your beautiful garden. You've planted gorgeous flowers 🌻 (your products or services), created inviting pathways (user experience), and nurtured them with care. But if no one knows where your garden is, how will they appreciate its beauty?
Google Search Console acts like a friendly bumblebee 🐝 guide. It flits around the online world, telling everyone about your stunning garden, highlighting your most vibrant blooms (popular pages), and even alerting you if any pesky weeds (website issues) need pulling.
By connecting your website to Google Search Console, you're inviting that guide to help you showcase your garden to the world, attracting more visitors and ensuring your hard work doesn't go unnoticed. 🍂
Remember, if you have a Squarespace website, here's how to verify your site with Google Search Console and integrate it into your backend to display some handy data points.
For all metrics, you'll need to log in to your Google Search Console account.
5 Reasons to Connect Google Search Console to Your Squarespace Site
Here's where it actually gets useful.
Whether you're a seasoned business owner or just starting out, these five reasons cover the core value Google Search Console adds to your Squarespace site.
1. See How People Find You
This is the reason most business owners come to Google Search Console for in the first place.
Understand which keywords bring visitors, identify popular pages, and adjust content accordingly
53% of website traffic comes from organic search (source: BrightEdge)
Insider tip: Google Search Console shows "near me" searches, crucial for local businesses
2. Fix Website Issues
Nobody wants to find out about a broken page from a frustrated customer.
Get notified via email about crawl errors, broken links, and mobile usability problems that hurt SEO
Imagine customers trying to reach you on a broken page, frustrating, right?
Remember, Squarespace can't catch everything. Google Search Console is your secret weapon 🌿
3. Track Search Performance
This is where you actually see what's working.
Google Search Console helps monitor clicks, the number of times your site URLs appear in search results (impressions), and average ranking for specific keywords over time
A great opportunity to see what's working and what's not, then optimise your website for better results. If you need help with this, book a 90-minute Squarespace Help Session
Monitor link reports, great for when you're focusing on a link-building strategy
Bonus tip: use this data to inform future marketing campaigns and content creation
New since this post was first written: Google's added AI-powered natural language configuration to the Performance report, so you can now describe the analysis you want in plain English instead of clicking through filters, plus proper weekly and monthly views for spotting trends more easily.
4. Submit Important Pages
You don't have to wait for Google to find your latest content on its own.
For new or updated pages you want indexed, submit them via Google Search Console. In other words, take control and expedite your most recent content, the latest blog post, product, or service page, rather than waiting for Google's bots to eventually crawl your site.
Pro tip: use Google Search Console strategically when tracking seasonal promotions or limited-time offers to maximise visibility.
Bonus tip: you can also check your site's appearance and evaluate how your results look on Google's search engine results page, also known as SERP.
5. Stay Ahead of the Curve
SEO isn't a set-and-forget task, it shifts constantly.
Get insights into Google algorithm updates and adjust your website accordingly. Future-proof your online presence by understanding Google's latest moves.
For hands-on SEO help alongside Google Search Console, I recommend SEOSpace for Squarespace sites, it's simple to use, jargon-free, and genuinely effective. (Affiliate disclosure: SEOSpace is a tool I recommend, small compensation is possible on click-through, at no extra cost to you.)
Get my free Squarespace SEO Checklist (helpful for all platforms) and learn reliable ways to boost your search rankings. 🌿
Resources
A few extra places to dig deeper.
If you’d like to see how a search engine indexes your site, search for “site:yourdomain.com” (replace with your domain), in Google and see what pages come up. This gives you an idea of the content Google’s already picked up on
Google Search Console is also a great resource for SEO guidance and beginner-friendly guides
Here’s a very informative blog post by Hubspot: The Ultimate Guide To Google Search Console in 2023.
Here’s a video: Intro to Google Search Console - Training
FAQ’s
-
Yes. Squarespace's own analytics show you what happens on your site, but Google Search Console shows you how Google itself sees your site, indexing issues, search queries, and ranking data you can't get anywhere else.
-
Yes, completely free. You just need a Google account and to verify ownership of your site.
-
Usually a few days to start seeing data, though a fuller picture builds over several weeks as Google crawls and indexes more of your site.
Wrapping Up 🌿
Google Search Console is a potent tool in your Squarespace website arsenal.
It equips you with valuable insights to enhance your visibility, fix potential issues, and understand your audience better. It's your friendly guide in the vast digital garden, helping you attract more visitors and let your hard work shine. 🌿 So whether you're a seasoned small business owner or just starting out, consider Google Search Console not as an optional extra, but as an integral part of your online strategy.
It's time to invite that friendly bumblebee 🐝 into your garden, and watch it flourish. 🌻
Not sure what your current Search Console data is actually telling you? That's exactly what a Web Audit Service covers, a proper look at your SEO health across all platforms, with a clear strategy for what to fix first. 🤎
Book Your Web Audit + Strategy Session
I'd be thrilled to help with your Squarespace SEO. I offer a full range of website and strategy services, from a Web Strategy Session through to a 3-day website, to a fully Custom Squarespace Website with SEO built in from the ground up.
Click the button below to talk through what's right for you.
Thanks for being here, and if you’d like more tips, tools, and tricks [without the overwhelm], to help YOU grow your small business, I’d love to have you join my twice-monthly HeartBiz Letter.
Subscribe here to receive free downloads, including an ideal Customer editable Canva Template, and an SEO Checklist for Squarespace (or other platforms).
