When preparing your website copy, start by identifying the words and phrases your ideal guests are using in searches.

Begin with a focus on simple keywords, like “(Your location) vacation rental”

Use these keywords in:

• Page titles and descriptions

• Headers

• Image filenames + alt text

• URL slugs (ie: /portuguese-cabana-holiday-rental)

• Blog posts

• Property descriptions

Pro Tip: Don’t overuse (stuff) keywords — focus on natural, helpful content that speaks to your guests.

Also, focus on unique primary keywords for each page. Do not use the same primary keyword for each page to avoid confusing Google!

Use keyword research tools to identify high-quality keywords and phrases specific to your location. Keyword phrases, or long-tail keywords, are less competitive search phrases typically consisting of three or more words, like the localized keywords above. These can help you target guests more effectively.

Keywords Everywhere is a good resource for researching appropriate keywords.

I recommend reading this article — How to Do Keyword Research for SEO — for everything you need to know about keywords by SEOSpace*.

When choosing your domain name, use your brand name along with your location for an extra SEO boost.

Tip: If you already have a domain without your location, or if you have more than one location, create a page on your site with the location as the url. For example, a “Location” page with the property name, address, and phone number (NAP) along with a Google map embedded.

Each website page has a unique URL. Keep URLs short, clear, and keyword-friendly. This is also important for blog posts, especially if you are using your blog for local guides.

Example: /spanish-casita-holiday-madrid

Elevate your website pages with engaging content, including:

• Professional photos + videos showcasing your space

• Guest testimonials and reviews

• Local pages for each property if you have more than one

• Blog (A blog is your secret weapon for local SEO marketing. Consistent blogging can boost local SEO rankings and create a local connection.)

Customize the page titles and description for all your website pages. Squarespace can recommend copy that matches your brand with an AI writer.

Always use keywords!

SEO Page Titles

Control how your page titles appear in browser tabs, social shares, and SEO search engine results. The title should be clear and short to fit in the search result (50-60 characters and between 5-12 words).

Example: “Luxurious Tuscany Villa Vacation Rental — Book Direct & Save”

SEO Page Descriptions

Each page on your site should have a unique SEO description. The text should be short and readable (150-160 characters), and describe the content of the page.

Example: “Stay in our luxurious Italian villa in the hills of Tuscany. Enjoy delicious cuisine and local wine with stunning vineyard views. Book direct now and save!”

Page or Meta Description Note:
While you should definitely write a description for every page on your site, Google doesn’t always use it in search results. Instead, it may pull a snippet of text from your page that better matches the user’s specific search query. This isn’t a bad thing! Google is simply trying to show the most relevant information for each search. That said, a well-written meta description can still influence click-through rates, so it’s worth the effort.
Tip:
Make sure the first few sentences of your page content are clear, relevant, and keyword-rich. That way, whether Google shows your meta description or grabs content from the page, it still reflects your message.

Avoid creating pages with little content. Each page that is searchable by Google should be at least 300 words or more to be considered valuable by a search engine.

Note: When pages are not important for Google to search (ie, legal pages), be sure to Hide Page from Search Results in SEO settings.

Your headings are important for helping search engines understand what is important on a website page.

Follow a heading structure or type hierarchy that consists of your Headings, Subheadings, and Body copy. They should be organized from most important headlines on down (H1, H2, H3, p). Always including keywords!

Your Heading 1 style is your main headline and should be used only once per page. This is what's read by Google to understand what that page content is all about.

The image file name is important for SEO.

After you format your images, you will also want to optimize the name of your files with an SEO-friendly title that includes your keywords.

This is what the search engines (like Google) will read in a search since they can’t actually “see” your images. This will also be what appears in the chance that your image doesn’t load, or for those that use assistive devices.

Use dashes between words for the search engine to recognize this as an image file name.

Keep the filename short (five words or less), but descriptive.

For best SEO practices, also include Alt Text with your image.

Write the image description using a few keywords describing the image. This is the description that is also used when the image does not display and for visually impaired readers.

NOTE: Keep alt text to 125 characters or less! It is also not necessary to use the keywords "image" or "photo".

For extra support on adding alt text to your images, see this Squarespace article: Adding alt text to images.

Google loves high-quality, original, and relevant content.

Write posts that are at least 3000 words or more to get more traffic to your site, including social shares and backlinks, keeping your site active.

Write helpful posts around your location. This is a good way to share as local guides in your location. In a competitive market, a blog is key for local SEO marketing. Consistent blogging can boost your local SEO rankings and creates a local connection.

Blog post ideas:

• “Favorite Things to Do in (your Destination)”

• “Best Restaurants in (your Town)”

Add links to your booking page in each post as your call to action. It’s also helpful to link to any resources included in your posts.

Remember to use keywords!

Embed a Google Business Map onto your site. Besides helping guests see where you’re located, Google uses map embeds as another signal that confirms your location, which can boost your chances of showing up in local search results.

Make sure to add your name, address, and phone number (NAP) and make sure it is consistent everywhere it’s listed! If you want to appear in searches for a nearby popular destination, it helps to mention it in parentheses.

For example:
123 Coastal Lane, Vila Nova de Gaia (15 minutes from Porto)

This way, guests (and Google) know you’re close to the action.

NAP helps Google verify your business and boosts your local SEO. But if you’d rather keep your rental’s exact location private (totally fair!), you can still include your rental name, general location (like city or region), and a way to get in touch. Just be sure to keep this info consistent across your website, social media, and all listings.

Most travelers browse and book from their phones.

For an optimized mobile experience:

• Compress images for faster loading and site speed.

• Use readable text that is not too small.

• Always test your site on your mobile device!

Here’s what to do if you get an email from Google Search Console saying you have Mobile Usability issues.

This is the page that shows up when a page is not found, usually due to a broken link or incorrect URL. Creating a custom 404 page that guides a visitor where to go, such as back to the homepage or other important pages, keeps them on your site longer, improving the user experience and avoiding a bounce from your site.

Read this blog post on What is a 404 Error page and how can I customize it in Squarespace?

Your site should have a secure connection with an active SSL certificate. This will boost trust with site visitors and search engines.

Squarespace activates SSL by default so your site is accessible via HTTPS.