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It can be frustrating to finish your brand new Squarespace website, hit publish, and then immediately Google yourself to find that nothing is showing up in search results.

"What the heck?! I thought a new website was supposed to help my business get more exposure!"

I hear you, my friend.

But don't fret. You can do some things to make sure that your brand new website is set up for success. Keep reading to find out what you can do for your Squarespace website to help your online business show up in Google search results.

1. Connect Google Search Console

You don't have to sign up for Google search console to be included in Google search results, but I will say that it sure as hell helps. You're essentially telling Google that it can read your website and log the information so that you can be found in search results faster, aka as soon as you hit that golden "publish now" button.

To get set up, you'll first need to create a Google account (if you don't already have one), then publish your Squarespace site and remove any site-wide passwords. Google can't crawl and index your site if you're hiding in the recesses of internet Narnia.

Then you'll head on over to Analytics >> Search Keywords >> Connect. Go ahead and log in to your Google account (the one associated with your website), review the permissions, and then click Allow. It takes a few days for the data to show up, so while you wait around for that to kick in, you can start on step number two!

2 Write a Site Description

A site description is a short paragraph of text that describes your site's content. You see these little nuggets of information every time you do a Google search-displayed below the results page title.

This description is super important not just for SEO (search engine optimization) but to make sure that potential clients get the right information on who you are and what you do.

Before you write this description, take some time to think about and research keywords you'd like to rank for on Google. Think about your ideal client and brainstorm potential queries or words that they might search for when looking for your business. You can create a giant list to begin, but I would try and whittle it down to 5-7 main keywords or phrases. 

Tip: What I like to do if I'm feeling stuck on where to start is to type in a phrase or word on Google to see what comes up in the "search related to..." section. For example, suppose I search for a website designer. In that case, I find that searches related to website designer are "website designer online," "website designer near me," and "I need a website designer." It helps me see what people are searching for, and then I can develop keywords related to those searches.

Once you've narrowed down your list of keywords, then you can write a site description that is rich with those words. Remember to write for actual human beings, and don't just stuff all of your keywords together in a random stream of consciousness. This can hurt your rankings in Google-the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

Click on Marketing >> SEO and then write your site description where it says SEO Site Description at the bottom of the panel.

3 Write Page Descriptions

A page description, like a site description, will be displayed in search results underneath the title and will describe individual pages on your site. This helps potential customers find specific content on your website, whether that's a blog post, services, or product you want to get in front of their blue light glasses. Plus, these descriptions allow you to insert more keywords to help customers find you.

Go to Pages and select the gear icon next to a page. In the left tab, you'll see a section for SEO. Write in a Title and SEO Description for each page on your website that you want to appear in search results. Remember to write these descriptions with potential customers in mind. You want these descriptions to be helpful and not send website visitors back to the land of Google search.

Tip: If you don't want a specific page to show up in Google search results, you can select "Hide page from search results." I like to do this with my 404 error page or specific content meant for email subscribers.

Bonus

Once Google Search Console has connected, you'll be able to track what people are searching for to find your website. This is information you want because you can learn just exactly what your keywords are and continue to use them in your content creation, social media marketing, and of course, to update your site and page descriptions!

If you'd like to give Squarespace a try, you can sign up for a free trial here. Save 10% off your first subscription to a website or domain using code PARTNER10. (That's an affiliate link!)

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