7 Signs It's Time to Hire an SEO Expert for Your Squarespace Website
You've spent hours perfecting your Squarespace website. You've chosen the fonts, uploaded your favorite brand photos, written your service descriptions, and finally hit publish.
And honestly? You're pretty proud of how it turned out. But, there's just one little problem… Nobody seems to be finding it.
You're still relying on Instagram to bring in inquiries. You're constantly sharing your website link. And when you search for your own services on Google? Your business is nowhere to be found. (Que the dramatic music!)
Sound familiar? If you've been wondering whether it's time to hire a Squarespace SEO expert, you're in the right place.
The truth is, Squarespace has some pretty great built-in SEO features. But simply having a Squarespace website doesn't mean it's automatically optimized to show up when your ideal clients are searching.
And while there's plenty you can do yourself, there comes a point when trying to figure everything out on your own might not be the most effective use of your time.
So, how do you know when it's time to bring in a professional? Let's talk about seven signs that your Squarespace website could benefit from expert SEO support — and how to decide whether hiring someone is actually the right next step for your business.
TL;DR: If your Squarespace website isn't attracting relevant traffic, you're unsure which keywords to target, or you've been making SEO changes without understanding what's working, it might be time to hire an SEO expert. Professional support can help you identify what's holding your website back, develop a strategy, and make improvements that support your long-term visibility on Google.
Table of Contents
Your Squarespace Website Looks Amazing, but Nobody Can Find It on Google
You've Tried DIY SEO, but You Have No Idea if It's Actually Working
Your Competitors Keep Showing Up on Google, but Your Business Doesn't
You Keep Hearing That You Need to Blog for SEO, but You Don't Know What to Write About
You've Outgrown Your DIY Website and You're Ready for Something More Strategic
You're Spending More Time Trying to Figure Out SEO Than Running Your Business
Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring a Squarespace SEO Expert
1. Your Squarespace Website Looks Amazing, but Nobody Can Find It on Google
Let's start with one of the most frustrating situations.
You've invested in a beautiful website, your branding is on point and your services are clearly laid out. Everything looks exactly how you envisioned it! Fab!
But when you search for the services you offer, your website doesn't appear anywhere near the results you'd hoped for. Here's the thing: a beautiful website and a search-optimized website aren't automatically the same thing.
Your website might look incredible to visitors, but search engines still need to understand what your business does, who you serve, and which searches your pages are relevant to.
For example, imagine you're a wedding photographer in Brampton. Your homepage might have a gorgeous headline that says:
"Capturing your most meaningful moments."
Beautiful? Absolutely.
But does that headline clearly communicate that you're a Denver wedding photographer?
Not really.
Your website needs to balance compelling messaging with language that helps both visitors and search engines understand your services. That might involve improving your page titles, headings, website copy, and overall content structure. It also means understanding which keywords your ideal clients are actually searching for instead of guessing.
When hiring an SEO expert makes sense
If your website is already live but you're struggling to attract relevant organic traffic, an SEO expert can help identify whether the issue is related to indexing, keyword targeting, content, technical problems, or something else entirely.
Rather than making random changes and hoping something works, you'll have a clearer picture of what needs attention.
2. You're Not Sure Which SEO Keywords You Should Be Using
To quote David Beckham… “Be honest.” Have you ever opened your Squarespace SEO settings, stared at the little box asking for your SEO title, and thought:
"Okay... what am I actually supposed to put here?"
You're definitely not the only one! Keyword research is one of those things that sounds relatively straightforward until you actually sit down to do it. You know what your business does and who you really want to work with. But figuring out exactly what those people are typing into Google? That's where things get a little trickier.
Let's say you're a business coach. You might assume that targeting the keyword "business coach" is the obvious choice. But that phrase is incredibly broad.
Someone searching for a business coach could be looking for help with starting a business, managing employees, scaling a company, or improving their leadership skills. If you specifically help female entrepreneurs build profitable service-based businesses, your keyword strategy needs to reflect that.
The goal isn't simply to attract more visitors. It's to attract people who are actually looking for what you offer.
An SEO expert can help you identify relevant keywords, understand the intent behind different searches, and determine which pages should target which topics.
They can also help you avoid a common mistake: trying to optimize every single page for the exact same keyword.
When hiring an SEO expert makes sense
If you're choosing keywords based on what sounds good rather than research, professional support can help you build a more intentional strategy.
This is particularly valuable when you have multiple services, serve different audiences, or want to attract clients in a specific geographic area.
3. You've Tried DIY SEO, but You Have No Idea if It's Actually Working
Maybe you've already spent a few weekends working on your website's SEO.
You've updated your page titles. You've added keywords to your website copy. You've renamed a few images. You've even watched approximately 47 YouTube tutorials on Squarespace SEO. Okay, maybe not 47. But you get the idea. And after all that work? You're still not sure whether any of it has made a difference.
Here's something important to understand: SEO isn't just about making changes to your website. It's also about measuring what happens afterward.
Without tracking your results, it's difficult to know which improvements are helping, which pages need more attention, or whether you're attracting the right people.
For example, you might notice that your website traffic has increased. Amazing!
But if that traffic is coming from people searching for free templates when you sell custom website design services, it might not be bringing you any closer to your actual business goals. That's why it's important to look beyond traffic alone.
What should you actually be tracking?
Depending on your business, useful metrics might include:
Organic search clicks and impressions.
Which search queries are bringing visitors to your website.
Which pages are attracting organic traffic.
Whether visitors are submitting inquiries or booking calls.
Changes in search visibility over time.
Google Search Console and Google Analytics can help you understand different parts of this picture.
But having access to the data and knowing what to do with it are two different things.
When hiring an SEO expert makes sense
If you've implemented SEO changes but don't know how to evaluate the results, an expert can help you establish a baseline, identify meaningful metrics, and prioritize your next steps.
That way, you're not constantly wondering whether your efforts are paying off.
4. Your Competitors Keep Showing Up on Google, but Your Business Doesn't
Picture this. You open Google and search for one of your main services. And there they are. Your competitors. Again.
They're showing up for the searches you'd love to be found for, while your own website seems to be missing from the conversation. Frustrating? Absolutely.
But before you assume Google just doesn't like your website, it's worth taking a closer look at what might be happening. Your competitors may have more established websites, stronger content, relevant backlinks, or service pages that better match what people are searching for.
They might also be targeting different keywords than you realize. For example, you might have one general services page explaining everything you offer.
Meanwhile, a competitor might have individual pages dedicated to each of their services, with detailed information that answers specific customer questions.
Those pages may be a better match for certain searches. That doesn't mean you need to copy your competitor's website.
It means you need to understand where the opportunities are for your own business.
What can an SEO expert do?
A competitor analysis can help identify:
Which relevant keywords competing websites appear for.
What types of content they're publishing.
How their service pages are structured.
Where your website has content gaps.
Which search opportunities may be realistic for your business.
The goal isn't to obsess over what everyone else is doing.
It's to use that information to make more informed decisions about your own website.
When hiring an SEO expert makes sense
If competing businesses consistently appear for searches that matter to you, but you don't know why your website isn't showing up, an SEO expert can help investigate the differences and develop a strategy based on your business.
YOUR WEBSITE LOOKS GREAT. BUT IS ANYONE ACTUALLY FINDING IT?
You’ve put time, energy, and money into your Squarespace website. But if your ideal clients aren't finding you on Google, it might be time to look at what's happening behind the scenes.
You don't need to figure out keywords, technical SEO, and website optimization all on your own. With the right strategy, your website can become more than just a pretty place to send people — it can help the right people discover your business.
My SQUARESPACE SEO INTENSIVE is designed to help you understand what's holding your website back and make strategic improvements that support your visibility on Google.
5. You Keep Hearing That You Need to Blog for SEO, but You Don't Know What to Write About
You've probably heard this advice before: "You need to start blogging if you want to improve your SEO!" So you decide to give it a try. You open a blank blog post, stare at the screen, and immediately realize you have absolutely no idea what to write. Should you share business updates? Answer frequently asked questions? Write about industry trends? And how are you supposed to know whether anyone is actually searching for these topics?
Here's the good news.
You don't need to publish blog posts every single day to build a useful SEO content strategy. But you do need to be intentional about the topics you're covering.
For example, if you're a Wedding photographer, a blog post about your favorite coffee shop might be fun to write. But an article answering "How much does an engagement session cost in Calgary" is more directly connected to a question someone might ask before hiring you.
See the difference? One topic might help readers get to know you. The other could help someone discover your business while they're actively researching a service you provide.
Both can have a place in your marketing, but they serve different purposes.
What an SEO-focused blog strategy actually involves
A strategic approach to blogging considers:
The questions your ideal clients are searching for.
Keywords that are relevant to your services.
Topics that demonstrate your expertise.
Existing content that could be improved or expanded.
Opportunities to link readers to relevant services.
It also considers how your articles connect to one another.
Instead of publishing a collection of unrelated posts, you can build a library of resources around the topics you want your business to be known for.
When hiring an SEO expert makes sense
If you want to blog consistently but don't have a clear content strategy, an SEO expert can help you identify relevant topics, prioritize keywords, and develop a realistic publishing plan.
And if you already have a blog that isn't attracting much traffic, they can help determine whether your existing content needs updating before you create more.
6. You've Outgrown Your DIY Website and You're Ready for Something More Strategic
Remember when you first started your business?
You probably just needed a website that looked professional, explained what you did, and gave people a way to contact you. And honestly? That was a perfectly reasonable place to start.
But businesses evolve. Maybe you've refined your niche, your services have changed, you're charging more than you were two years ago, or maybe you're simply tired of relying on social media for every single inquiry.
Your business has grown, but your website hasn't necessarily grown with it. This is where SEO becomes part of a much bigger conversation. Because sometimes the problem isn't just that your website needs a few new keywords.
It might need clearer messaging, a better page structure, more detailed service information, or an entirely different approach to how visitors move through your website.
For example, if you've added three new services but still have all of them squeezed onto one generic page, you might be missing opportunities to create more relevant, useful content for each offering.
An SEO expert can help evaluate how your website's current structure supports your business goals. And if you're already planning a website refresh or redesign, this is an ideal time to consider SEO.
It's often easier to plan your page structure, keyword targeting, and content requirements before making major design changes rather than addressing them after launch.
Just remember that redesigning an established website requires care. Changing URLs or removing pages without considering redirects and existing search performance can create avoidable problems.
When hiring an SEO expert makes sense
If your website no longer reflects your business or you're preparing for a redesign, professional SEO support can help you make strategic decisions before investing time and money into changes.
7. You're Spending More Time Trying to Figure Out SEO Than Running Your Business
Let's talk about something that doesn't get mentioned enough. Your time!🙌
As a small business owner, you're already wearing approximately a million different hats. You're delivering client work, responding to emails, creating content, managing your finances, and trying to keep everything running.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, you're also supposed to become an SEO expert? It's a lot.
Of course, learning the basics of SEO can be incredibly valuable. Understanding how your website works and what makes it discoverable can help you make better decisions about your online presence.
But you don't necessarily need to become an expert in every technical detail. Sometimes, outsourcing makes sense because the work requires skills you don't have. Other times, it makes sense because you simply don't have the time to do it properly.
And sometimes, you might only need a professional to develop a strategy and show you how to implement it yourself. There's no one-size-fits-all answer. (And that’s one of the things I love the most about small business ownership!)
Ask yourself these questions
Do I understand what needs to be improved on my website?
Do I have the time to research and implement those improvements?
Am I comfortable troubleshooting technical SEO issues?
Do I know how to measure whether my efforts are working?
Would professional support free up time for other important parts of my business?
If you're answering "no" to most of these questions, it might be worth exploring your options.
When hiring an SEO expert makes sense
If SEO has become another task that's constantly sitting on your to-do list, an expert can help you move forward with a clearer plan. Depending on the service, that might mean a one-time audit, a strategy session, hands-on optimization, or ongoing support. The right level of help depends on your website, your goals, and your budget.
So, Do You Actually Need to Hire a Squarespace SEO Expert?
After reading these seven signs, you might be thinking:
"Okay, a few of these sound VERY familiar. But do I really need to hire someone?"
The answer depends on where your business is right now.
If you've just launched your website, you're still figuring out your services, and your budget is limited, learning some SEO fundamentals yourself might be a sensible starting point.
Squarespace gives you access to important SEO settings, including page titles, descriptions, URLs, and image alt text.
You can also get started with Google Search Console to understand whether your website is appearing in search results.
But if your business is established, you're ready to attract more relevant traffic, and you're tired of guessing what your website needs, professional support may be worth considering.
Especially if you've already invested in a website and want to make better use of what you've built.
The goal of hiring an SEO expert isn't simply to get more traffic. It's to develop a strategy that helps the right people discover your business.
And that requires understanding your website, your audience, your services, and the search landscape you're competing in.
What Should You Look for When Hiring a Squarespace SEO Expert?
Before you hand over your website to someone promising to get you to the top of Google, there are a few things worth checking.
First, look for someone who understands Squarespace. While SEO principles apply across website platforms, Squarespace has its own settings, features, and limitations. Experience working within the platform can make implementation more straightforward.
Second, ask what their services actually include. Are they conducting keyword research? Optimizing your existing pages? Reviewing technical issues? Developing a content strategy? Or are they simply updating a few SEO titles and descriptions?
Those are very different levels of service.
Third, ask how they measure results. A reputable SEO professional should be able to explain what they'll track, how they'll evaluate progress, and what factors may influence your results.
And finally, be cautious of anyone guaranteeing a number-one Google ranking.
Search rankings depend on many factors, including competition, search intent, website history, and Google's systems. No SEO expert can guarantee a specific organic ranking.
Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Getting Strategic About Your Squarespace SEO?
If you've made it this far and recognized your website in more than a few of these signs, it might be time to take a closer look at what's happening behind the scenes.
Maybe your website isn't attracting the traffic you'd hoped for. Maybe you're unsure whether you're targeting the right keywords. Or maybe you've simply reached the point where you're ready to stop figuring everything out yourself.
Whatever the case, you don't necessarily need to start your website from scratch. You need to understand what's working, what's holding you back, and which improvements make sense for your business.
Not sure where your SEO stands?
Start with my SEO Assessments to get a clearer picture of your website and what needs attention.
Ready to get serious about your Squarespace SEO?
Explore my Squarespace SEO Intensive if you're ready to move beyond DIY and get professional support for your website.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring a Squarespace SEO Expert
Is Squarespace good for SEO?
Yes. Squarespace includes many of the tools needed to implement fundamental SEO practices, including customizable SEO titles, descriptions, URLs, mobile-friendly layouts, and automatically generated XML sitemaps.
However, having access to these features doesn't automatically mean your website is optimized.
Your content, keyword targeting, website structure, technical health, and competition all play a role in search visibility.
Can I do Squarespace SEO myself?
Absolutely. Many small business owners can handle foundational tasks such as writing descriptive page titles, improving website copy, adding image alt text, and connecting Google Search Console.
More complex tasks, such as developing a comprehensive keyword strategy, diagnosing indexing problems, or managing SEO during a website migration, may benefit from professional support.
How long does Squarespace SEO take to work?
There's no universal timeline. Some technical changes can be processed relatively quickly, while improvements in competitive search rankings may take several months or longer.
Results depend on factors such as your website's history, the changes being made, the competitiveness of your keywords, and how frequently search engines recrawl your content.
How much does it cost to hire a Squarespace SEO expert?
Pricing varies depending on the scope of work, the provider's experience, and whether you're purchasing a one-time audit, hands-on optimization, or ongoing support.
Before comparing prices, make sure you understand exactly what's included in each service.
Will hiring an SEO expert guarantee that my website ranks on Google?
No reputable SEO professional can guarantee a particular organic ranking.
However, an experienced specialist can help identify problems, improve your website's optimization, and develop a strategy informed by your business goals and relevant search opportunities.
The focus should be on meaningful progress rather than promises of overnight results.
Keep Reading
10 Questions Your Squarespace Website Should Answer Before Someone Ever Contacts You →
Make sure your website is answering the questions potential clients are quietly asking before they decide to reach out.
Before You Try to Get More Website Traffic, Fix These Things First →
Before chasing more clicks, make sure your website is ready to do something useful with the attention you're already getting.
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Hi, I’m Kaylee!
I design strategic Squarespace websites for small businesses to help the right people find you, trust you, and choose you.
