What is LOCAL SEO and why is it important for Squarespace websites?

As if SEO wasn’t mysterious enough, did you know that there’s a difference between traditional SEO vs. local SEO?

LOL yes, my friend, local SEO is entirely separate from “normal” SEO.

Squarespace SEO is full on but once you understand what local SEO is, you can use that to your advantage and dominate the rankings! I’m actually surprised it’s taken me this long to cover local SEO here, my bad - thank you for your patience :)

For many businesses, local SEO is the secret sauce that immediately shoot them up higher in Google’s rankings and gets them in front of their dream clients/customers with ease… if you know that it’s even something to consider in the first place, let alone how to work it!

As a Squarespace SEO expert and leader in this super random little niche, it’s my job/pleasure to introduce you to things like this and present it in a way that makes you think, yes Charlotte I can handle this!

This is the kind of insider info that I share with my Squarespace SEO consulting clients and students in my online course, Top Squarespace SEO. But since I’m not one for secrets and truly want the best for anyone with a website, I’m giving you the summarized goods here - totally for free!

Read the blog post or watch the video tutorial below - either way, you’re going to learn all about local SEO: what it is, why it’s important and what that means for your Squarespace website.

Some of you reading this might be totally new to Squarespace SEO and are looking for an introduction to this topic, someone to hold your hand and show you it’s not actually that scary. On the flip side, you might already be familiar with a few points on this list already but maybe you are looking for confirmation that you’re on the right track and haven’t missed anything important. No matter where you are in your Squarespace SEO journey, I know you’ll benefit from this info!

Alright, let’s get straight to it - read the post and watch the video tutorial below to learn all about local SEO!

SEOCharlotte O'HaraMarch 1, 2021seo, squarespace seo series, local seo, traditional seo

Updating your website during the COVID-19 pandemic

Let’s cut right to the chase: we’re several weeks into the COVID-19 global pandemic and sh*t’s getting real.

These are absolutely wild and crazy times and I often catch myself thinking, what in the actual heck is going on right now?!?!?!?!?

We’ve never experienced anything like this - the whole Corona virus situation and it’s impact on the world is truly unprecedented.

Personally, I feel like I’m stuck on an emotional rollercoaster and I don’t know when it’ll end. Some days are great, I feel high vibe and excited about work…. whereas other days are a struggle because I get so caught up in the hardships and challenges we’re facing collectively.

That being said, now more than ever I want to SHOW UP and YOU in any way that I can! Whether that’s my audience of casual blog readers, my amazing newsletter community or my beloved clients & customers, I am here to help you as best as I can.

My area of expertise is obviously Squarespace web design/development and Squarespace SEO, so that’s what I’m going to go over here today.

My inbox has BLOWN UP over the past few weeks with panicked questions from people who need help with their websites now. Many businesses are moving online (no easy task), and everyone is looking for help updating website content, collecting orders, setting up email newsletters to communicate with clients & customers, ramping up SEO... it’s a lot!

In this blog post, I’m going to share actionable updates you can make TODAY to your website to make sure that you’re totally covered during the COVID-19 pandemic. I will use lots of Squarespace-specific tips/recommendations but even if your website runs on another platform, I know you will still find these instructions helpful!

Have you set up a Google My Business profile to go with your Squarespace website?

Coming in HOT to talk about one of the most glorious, exciting and thrilling administrative tasks related to your Squarespace website…. setting up a Google My Business profile!

LOL ok so maybe it isn’t actually the most fun thing that you’ll do today but trust me, it’s a small task that will have undeniable results.

It has come to my attention that many/most people don’t even know about Google My Business (unsurprising, tbh), let alone understand how important it is to set up. Whether your business has a physical address or exists purely online, this is a digital feature that should always be set up along with any website and/or business.

So, as part of my role as your Squarespace SEO BFF, I’m here to educate you on this tech tip. I want to be sure that you are totally clear on how to set up a Google My Business profile to go with your Squarespace website and understand the value it has for online marketing, SEO and growing your digital presence.

Here's why every services based business needs an SEO strategy

Websites aren’t a “one size fits all” type of thing. Depending on what type of website you have, your needs and priorities are going to be totally different. Think about a lifestyle blog vs an e-commerce company vs a services based business… they all have websites but each one is going to look and feel unique.

Most of my clients are services-based business owners. I’d say about half of them run their businesses entirely online and rarely work with in-person clients, whereas the other half serve local clients and rely on their website to serve as their “online home”.

In both cases, these services-based business use their websites as a way to connect with their (potential, current and past) clients and customers, and promote their offerings online.

Services based businesses serve a whole variety of industries - we’re talking law firms, accountants, engineers, plumbers, florists, personal trainers, coaches, photographers, consultants, PR pros, social media managers, graphic designers, gardeners, dog walkers, psychics, bakeries, physiotherapists - you name it, the list goes on.

Some of these services must be performed in person (e.g., dog walkers, massage therapists, gardeners, etc.) but others can be done either in-person OR online/remotely (e.g., consultants, personal trainers, graphic designers, etc.).

Services based businesses can be one-off projects or ongoing, recurring services…. really, the sky’s the limit and there’s a huge amount of flexibility in services-based business models!

Almost all services based businesses, however, have a website. At this point, it’s pretty much a requirement because hardly anyone (except your granny) is going old school and looking up businesses in a physical phone book. Yes, we still rely on word of mouth and recommendations from our friends and family, but the trend is increasingly to connect with businesses online. More often than not, we check out a business’ website and then get in touch if we want to work with them.

But having a website doesn’t guarantee that potential clients and customers will find out about your business- far from it, in fact. All websites are not created equally!

That’s where SEO comes it - SEO can act as the perfect bridge between a website (think: business) and an online audience (think: future clients/customers).

I truly believe that every services based business needs an SEO strategy. Not only can SEO help grow your website, it also connects you to a much wider online audience who can potentially become paying clients and customers. Which, if you’re running a services based business, is the ultimate goal!

Today we’re going to cover the most important reasons why every services based business needs an SEO strategy, whether that website is on Squarespace or another platform.

squarespace seo checklist

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squarespace seo checklist

DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST TODAY!

Thank you!