TEMPLATE

Written By Andrea Rona

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    New Post checklist:

    CREATE A NEW POST

    1. Give the post a title where it says to "Enter a post title..."

      • you can change this later, BUT this title is usually what auto-populates the post's URL slug

    2. You can write a brief introduction or paste in your blog post text if written outside of Squarespace.

    3. Add an image or thumbnail graphic if you want one (great if you want people to "pin" your posts to Pinterest for safekeeping).

    4. Save your changes, by exiting Edit mode.

    5. Set the default post settings before you forget!

    BLOG POST’S SETTINGS:

    CONTENT

    • Add a blog post thumbnail, if you want one

      • shows up in the home blog page's feed, summary blocks that show recent posts elsewhere on the website, etc

      • You can upload one, or choose one from your asset library by clicking "Search for Images"

      1. ALWAYS check/update the post URL slug

        • use keywords or phrases with DASHES for spaces, such as /blog/blog-post-settings

        • anytime you duplicate a post, this URL slug will be the same as the original, with alphanumeric nonsense after it, such as /blog/previous-post-slug-a3bd8

        • anytime you create a new post, the post slug may be ONLY alphanumeric nonsense, like the pictured example below: /favorite-tools-resources/z0mh8yfvvtty9vafyo2meagc9rr6sh

      2. Skip the Excerpt for blog posts; it usually just gets in the way & we can put that same content in the SEO description instead

      3. Check the Author; this will automatically be the website owner, but if more than one person has access permissions to your site, you may want to adjust who wrote this post

    • Source URL

      • This is a great place to link a reference for a researched blog post, or

      • The linked page on your website where you want the post title or thumbnail image to redirect to when clicked from Summary Blocks or blog home page feeds –IF you are using the blog collection to house/organize/manage ads INSTEAD of traditional posts. Learn more about this method in #8 of this blog post.

    OPTIONS

    1. Change Status when you're ready, to:

      • Draft (default for all new posts)

      • Scheduled (pick a date/time, then Squarespace will auto publish it for you)

      • Needs Review (a Draft with a noticeably different label that reminds you to review the post before publishing)

      • Publish (will be "live" immediately)

    2. Set the Tags: there's no limit to how many you can use, they work like Hashtags on social media (with needing the hash symbol #); I typically always add these 5 different types of tags 👇🏻

      • Year, ie: 2022

      • Full post title, and maybe alternate titles or phrases, ie: How to Create New Blog Posts on Squarespace: a checklist

      • keywords related to the post topic, ie: blogging, squarespace, new blog post, checklist, diy website

      • key phrases related to the post topic, ie: blogging on squarespace, how to create a new blog, new blog checklist

      • key phrases related to your intended audience, ie: online business owners, photographers, solopreneurs, etc

    3. Set the Categories: there's no limit that I know of, but I'd stick to using between 1-3 per post

    4. Choose your Comment settings

      • When the toggle is green, a comment box will be at the bottom of the post.

      • This toggle only affects this particular post; it's not a global setting.

      • If I haven't done this for you during our project, you can turn Comments on for all blog collections in Settings < Blogging < Comment Settings

    SEO

    • set the Post Title

      • doesn't have to be exactly the same, but it does need to convey the same idea

      1. set the Post Description

        • This is where I'd put your "excerpt," making sure to use keywords and key phrases that are related to the topic and the post content, which will help Google know who to show this post to in search results.

    SOCIAL IMAGE

    • select the blog post link's preview image when shared online, otherwise it may display your logo by default

      • you can upload a new image here or choose one from your Asset Library

    SHARE

    • all of the connected Social accounts will show up here

    • the most important one in my opinion, is Google Search Console

    • TIP: when enabled, Publishing your post on Squarespace also notifies Google Search Console immediately that there is new content to add to search, rather than waiting an undefined amount of time for Google to find this content on its own.

    SAVE your changes!

    • if you selected "Published" for your Status, your post will be published only when you click Save.

    • if you selected a different Status, you can come back & update it to Published, when you're ready.

    Andrea Rona https://www.abrcreative.com
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