4 new features in Squarespace 7.1 that can benefit your SEO

Squarespace has introduced a bunch of exciting features with its latest version - an improved page builder, a more intuitive design process, better galleries, and better options to boost your SEO. These 4 features in Squarespace 7.1 will help your organic search ranking and improve your overall SEO.

1. Built-in heading tags & new Heading 4 support

Squarespace 7.1 automatically creates heading tags for important text on your site, for example, your blog post titles will be assigned with Heading 1. The thing is - Google and other search engines scan your heading tags to understand your pages’ structure, and what content is on your site. This new feature lets you define your site’s semantic markup (HTML), and use relevant keywords in strategic sections on your site. In the long run, this lets Google know what your website is about and you get a better chance to rank higher in search result pages.

Additionally, Squarespace 7.1 introduced native Heading 4 settings. This option helps you avoid over-usage of H1 and H2(which can harm your SEO), and offers you more ways to hierarchically present your content, and help search engines understand it. Read more about this feature here.

2. One Master Template

In Squarespace 7.1, all templates share the same features and style options. Basically, the new version is like a master template, with all the options available in case you decide to switch your design along the way. That’s great in terms of flexibility, making it easy for you to get started with any template on 7.1, and for changing your website look at any time. It also entails fewer SEO issues, should you decide to change your design - because your site foundation stays the same, your SEO won’t be affected as much.

3. Index pages are no longer used

Squarespace 7.0 Index Pages are collections of pages and search engines interact with them differently than other pages in Squarespace. One common issue with these was the duplicated content, where all sections inside an index page could be indexed by search engines and counted as duplicates. Google could show various section pages in the search result, like /section-1, /section-2, and you don’t want that. In Squarespace 7.1, Index Pages are no longer in use and you don’t need to worry about this issue.

4. Alt tags for Gallery Sections

Squarespace 7.1 introduced a feature that allows you to add alt text to Gallery Sections. These are a type of page section in Squarespace 7.1 used to showcase images in various layouts instead of adding multiple image blocks. Alt tags serve as text that associates with an image, that some search engines use to identify the content of a page. Other times, alt text is displayed in place of an image, if an image file cannot be loaded. Adding alt text to images is a great way to give your site an SEO boost and make yourself more accessible for search engines.

Need we say more? Squarespace 7.1 has unmistakably improved its SEO game comparing to its previous version. If you’re looking to boost your organic traffic and get more quality leads from search engines - you should consider switching your website from Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1. Check out this guide, to help you ensure a smooth transition of content, with minimal harm to your SEO.

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Creatively yours,

Squaremuse Team