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Squarespace SEO agency or services: what to hire, what Squarespace already includes, and how to judge a quote

Most of the technical SEO on Squarespace is built in, so a good quote is mostly about content, links and local work. Here is how to tell.

Published by AI Knows Us · Updated 21 October 2026

Hire a Squarespace SEO agency or freelancer for three things: a one off setup and audit of the settings Squarespace already gives you, content that answers what your buyers search for, and the links and listings that make other sites point to you. Do not pay a monthly fee for things the platform does automatically, such as the sitemap, SSL, clean URLs and default structured data. Squarespace's own Marketplace lists independent Experts who offer SEO, and any capable SEO agency can do the content and link work, because that part has nothing to do with the platform. The best quote names its deliverables one by one.

The platform details below come from Squarespace's SEO tools page and its Marketplace page, both read on 21 October 2026.

What Squarespace already does, so you do not pay for it twice

Squarespace lists these as included in every site. An agency should configure and check them, not bill for them as ongoing work.

  • Automatic sitemap. A sitemap.xml that lists every URL on the site, generated and linked for you.
  • Clean URLs. Static addresses for pages and collection items.
  • Structured data. Content, listings, blog posts and events are marked up by default.
  • SSL. Free certificates for Squarespace domains and connected third party domains.
  • Google Search Console integration. Verify the site and see the search terms people used to find it.
  • Page level control. SEO titles and descriptions per page, page hiding from search engines, and custom social sharing images.
  • An SEO setup checklist and AI SEO guidance. Squarespace says it gives an automatic website analysis and can add recommended metadata for pages and alt text for images.

So the technical floor is high, and there is no plugin layer to manage. If you want the full map of these controls, including URL Mappings for redirects, our guide to Squarespace SEO settings walks through them. Anything a proposal lists that appears above is setup work, done once.

What is left to buy

WorkWho usually does it wellShape of the cost
Setup and audit: titles, descriptions, URL Mappings for old addresses, image alt text, Search Console, the setup checklist completedA Squarespace Expert or a freelancer who knows the platformOne off project
Site structure: which pages exist, how services and locations are split, how blog posts link to themThe same person, ideally before or during a buildOne off, part of a build or redesign
Content: service pages, guides and comparisons that match what buyers searchA content specialist or SEO agency. Platform knowledge barely mattersOngoing, usually the largest line
Links and mentions: earning references from other sites, press and partnersA digital PR or link building specialistOngoing, labour heavy
Local: Google Business Profile, reviews, directory listingsA local SEO specialistSetup, then light upkeep

Only the first two rows need someone who knows Squarespace. That is the most useful thing to understand before you read any proposal: the word "Squarespace" in an agency's name matters for the setup, and much less for the work that moves rankings over the following year.

The places buyers find Squarespace SEO help

Squarespace Marketplace Experts

Squarespace runs a Marketplace where you can browse Experts by industry, design style and location, or use "Get matched" to share your budget, timeline and goals and request quotes. One of the listed service areas is search, described as professional SEO help to drive traffic "from search engines and LLMs like ChatGPT". You can review portfolios and chat before paying, and the agreed amount, in full or as a deposit, is paid up front.

Two facts from the same page are worth reading closely. Squarespace says it "does not employ, is not affiliated with, and does not endorse" Experts, and that the terms of each project are negotiated between you and the Expert. Experts are partners from its Circle programme who are invited to the Marketplace, and to be considered a partner must have created eight Squarespace websites in a year. That proves platform experience. It does not test SEO results, so ask SEO questions as you would of anyone else.

Independent freelancers

Many Squarespace designers and SEO freelancers work outside the Marketplace. They are often the best fit for a small site's setup and audit, because the job is finite and a freelancer's scope tends to be itemised.

General SEO agencies

An agency with no Squarespace specialism can still do excellent content, link and local work. Ask whether they will work inside the Squarespace editor themselves, or hand you instructions, and price that difference.

How to judge a Squarespace SEO quote

Rank every quote on one criterion: can you check, line by line, what was delivered? Apply it to everyone. A good proposal answers these questions in writing:

  1. Which settings will you change, and will we get a list? Titles and descriptions page by page, URL Mappings added, alt text written, Search Console connected. A spreadsheet of before and after is a fair request.
  2. How many pages of content a month, on which searches? A named list of target topics, agreed before writing starts.
  3. How will links be earned? Outreach, digital PR, partners or directories. Avoid anyone selling a fixed number of links; Google's spam policies treat bought links as link spam.
  4. What will the monthly report show? Search Console clicks and impressions for target pages, not a vague visibility score.
  5. Who owns the accounts? The Squarespace site, the domain, Search Console, Analytics and the Business Profile should all be in your name, with the agency added as a contributor.
  6. What happens if we stop? Content written for you should stay yours.

On that criterion, a freelancer or Expert with a written setup scope usually ranks first for the setup project, and a content specialist with a named topic plan ranks first for the ongoing work. Bundled monthly retainers that list "technical SEO" every month on a Squarespace site rank lowest, because most of that work is done once.

Red flags in a Squarespace SEO pitch

  • A promise of a number one ranking. Google's own guidance on hiring an SEO says no one can promise it.
  • Monthly charges for sitemap submission, SSL or schema that Squarespace already handles.
  • A plan to move you off Squarespace as step one, without a clear reason tied to your goals.
  • No access request for Search Console. Nobody can audit search performance without it.

Questions about hiring a Squarespace SEO agency

Do I need a Squarespace specialist for SEO?

For setup and structure, someone who knows the platform saves time. For content, links and local work, which is where most of the money goes, general SEO skill matters more than Squarespace knowledge.

How much do Squarespace SEO services cost?

Squarespace says Expert pricing varies by project scope, with estimates on profiles or quotes through a brief. Expect a setup to be a one off fee and content or link work to be priced monthly. Compare quotes on itemised deliverables rather than headline price.

Are Squarespace Experts vetted for SEO?

They are vetted as Squarespace builders: eligibility is based on building eight Squarespace sites in a year. Squarespace states it does not endorse them, so check SEO work and references yourself.

Can I do Squarespace SEO myself?

Yes, for the setup. Work through the SEO checklist, connect Search Console, write a title and description for every page, and add URL Mappings for any old addresses. Hire help when you need content at volume or link building.

What should the first month of an engagement produce?

A written audit, the setup changes made and listed, Search Console connected, and an agreed list of target topics for the content that follows.

Squarespace now checks AI answers itself, so compare that before you buy

Squarespace sells an AI Visibility tool inside the dashboard. Its page, read on 21 October 2026, says it generates realistic prompts about businesses like yours, runs them through AI search engines such as ChatGPT to see whether your site is mentioned, shows the competitor brands and sources that appear instead, and lets you re-run prompts over time. The Marketplace's own SEO description mentions LLMs too. That tells you where buying behaviour is going: the question a buyer used to type into Google is now often asked of an assistant, which answers with a few names. When you brief an agency, ask how they will measure that, not only rankings. If you want the same check run independently of your website platform, across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews, that is the category AI Knows Us works in.

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