How to Move Your Website to Squarespace Without Losing SEO

Nov 30

So, you're eyeing a makeover for your website? Go you! Maybe those gorgeous Squarespace templates have caught your attention, and you're ready to give your online presence a fresh coat of digital paint.

But hey — what about your SEO? If you've put some serious work into your SEO, you might be wondering: Will switching platforms affect your search engine ranking?

Don't sweat it! As your friendly neighborhood freelance Squarespace designer and small business cheerleader, I've got your back. Let’s answer your questions, explore Squarespace SEO tips, and learn how to transfer a domain to Squarespace templates while preventing any negative impact on your existing SEO.

What is Website Migration?

You've probably heard the term "website migration" thrown around a bit. Sounds fancy, right? But really, website migration is just moving your website from one hosting platform to another. Think of it like moving offices: You still have the same business but with a new “virtual” location. For example, if you’re currently hosting with WordPress but want to switch to Squarespace templates, the swap would be a website migration.

Why Would You Move Your Website to Squarespace?

First off, let's talk about why you might switch to Squarespace in the first place:

It’s User-Friendly. Ever feel like some website platforms (ahem, WordPress) speak a whole different language? To truly access all the benefits of platforms like WordPress, you need professional training and experience with the platforms. Squarespace is built to be user-friendly. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor and straightforward navigation, Squarespace allows you to easily create and manage professional-looking websites.
It’s Faster. Designing your site, managing plugins and security, and updating your content can be a full-on side hustle if you work with a complex website platform. Squarespace makes it simpler and faster to get your site off the ground.
Two Words: Squarespace Templates. Oh, and those Squarespace templates? Total game-changers! They can give your website that perfect brand aesthetic you’re looking for. And the best part? They're super customizable. From minimalist designs to bold and vibrant layouts, Squarespace templates offer something for every style and industry. Match 'em to your brand vibe, and voila — instant website makeover.

Does Website Migration Affect SEO?

Website migration can affect your links and rankings, but only temporarily — especially if you follow specific Squarespace SEO tips. With the right strategy, you don’t have to compromise on design or SEO when switching to Squarespace templates. With proper planning, the impact can be minimized.

Squarespace SEO Tips: How To Move Your Website to Squarespace While Minimizing Impact To Your SEO

1. Audit Your Website’s SEO.

Time to do a little detective work! How can you know if the change will affect your SEO if you don’t know your starting point? I always recommend my clients to perform a quick SEO self-audit to see where they’re at before they transfer a domain to Squarespace.

Overall, you’ll want to check a few main elements:

Your current organic keyword rankings. Make an account with Google Search Console and run a Search Analytics Report to spot what keywords you’re currently ranking for. Get a baseline of where you’re at.
Your domain authority. You can use free tools from Moz and Ahrefs to check your domain authority. Your domain authority is basically a score representing how strong your website’s search engine ranking is.
Your backlinks. Your site gets a “backlink” every time another website hyperlinks one of your pages to its content — like if it used one of your blog posts as a source and hyperlinked it! Google loves these for SEO. You can use Google Search Console or Ahrefs to see how many backlinks you have before you transfer a domain to Squarespace.

Basically, we’re seeing where you’re at now and how much SEO could get lost. If your website is relatively new, low on content, or not SEO-friendly, you might just find that there’s not much to worry about with website migration! (If that’s the case, check out #4 for Squarespace SEO tips!)

2. Maintain Your Domain Name.

Remember: Consistency is everything! One of the biggest reasons people lose SEO with website migration is because they change their domain name (ex. lionclawcreative.com is my domain name).

Your domain name serves as your online identity and plays a crucial role in SEO. Changing your domain name can confuse both users and search engines, leading to a drop in rankings and traffic.

If you absolutely have to switch things up, just make sure those redirects are in place.

3. Preserve Page Elements.

Think of it like keeping your favorite room layout when you move to a new house. You want things to feel familiar for your visitors and search engines alike. So, keep those page names, URLs, page titles, and meta descriptions the same:

Page Names: The names of the different pages you can navigate on your website. Examples: “About” or “Services.”
URLs/Slugs: Slugs are the part of the URL that sends users to each specific page. Examples: lionclawcreative.com/about or lionclawcreative.com/services.
Page Titles: Similarly, your page titles should be the same. This is the name that pops up as the page suggestion in Google search results.
Meta Descriptions: Underneath the page title, you’ll find the meta description. This is the preview text search engines show before someone clicks on the link.

Remember: Your site’s design and look can change, but try not to change the words if you don’t want to lose your existing SEO. The exception here is if you think changes need to be made for clarity’s sake or because certain pages or services are outdated or no longer offered. Above all, Google wants to deliver clear, correct results to its search users.

4. Focus on New SEO for Website Migration.

Now, let's talk about leveling up your website with Squarespace SEO tips:

Add Keywords to Your Pages & Blogs: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find keywords with a high search volume and low competition rate. Then, strategically incorporate them into your website's content and blog articles to boost your search engine rankings.
Regularly Publish Blog Posts: Keep your website fresh and attract organic traffic by regularly publishing blog posts on topics related to your industry.
Optimize Google My Business: Make sure your Google My Business profile is created and up-to-date with accurate business information and encourage customers to leave reviews for better local search rankings.
Prioritize Mobile Optimization: While designing your website, make sure to update the design for mobile devices as well (you can switch into the mobile preview to see how it will look for mobile device users). Our templates are already designed for both desktop and mobile, but as you swap out the default images and content with your own, you may want to make a few tweaks here and there.