Squarespace SEO in the AI Era: How to Rank in AI Search Engines
The digital landscape is shifting beneath our feet. For nearly two decades, "search" meant one thing: Google.
But today, user behavior is fracturing. People are no longer just typing keywords into a search bar; they are having conversations with ChatGPT, asking Perplexity for sources, and expecting Gemini to summarize the best local services in seconds.
This is the era of the Answer Engine. For Squarespace users, this shift presents a massive opportunity. If you can adapt your strategy to master SEO with AI, you can bypass the crowded traditional results and get cited directly by the bots that are powering the future of the internet.
Key Takeaways
The "Entity" is King: AI models do not just match keywords; they match "entities" (brands, people, concepts). You must establish your brand as a trusted entity.
Reviews Feed the Machine: Since AI cannot physically experience your product, it relies heavily on third-party reviews to determine quality.
Technical Health Matters: AI crawlers need a technically flawless site to "read" your data. Broken links and poor structure will leave you invisible.
Reverse Engineering: You can use the AI tools themselves to tell you exactly how to rank.
Schema is Essential: Structured data acts as a translator between your content and the AI's database.
Table of Contents
The New Search Landscape: ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
To succeed at SEO with AI, you must first understand the players. We are moving from "Search Engines" (which list links) to "Answer Engines" (which generate answers).
ChatGPT (SearchGPT): Focuses on conversational history and authoritative sources.
Perplexity: Acts as a real-time research assistant, citing sources heavily.
Google Gemini (SGE): Integrates AI answers directly into the top of Google search results.
Your goal is no longer just to get a click; it is to be the "citation." When an AI generates an answer about "best wedding photographers in Austin," you want your Squarespace site to be the source it references.
Step 1: Audit Your AI Presence
Before you can optimize, you need to know where you stand. You can get a free site audit with SEOSpace first. A critical part of SEO with AI is simply asking the platforms what they already know about you.
Open ChatGPT or Gemini and type a prompt like: "What do you know about [Your Brand Name]?"
If the AI replies with "I don't have information on that," you have an "Entity Problem." You are not yet in its knowledge graph. Next, ask: "Who are the top competitors for [Your Service] in [Your Location]?"
Take note of who shows up. These are the brands the AI currently trusts. Your job is to analyze why it trusts them more than you.
Step 2: Reverse Engineer the Rankings
One of the most powerful strategies in SEO with AI is using the tool against itself. You don't have to guess the ranking factors; you can ask for them.
Once the AI lists your competitors, follow up with this prompt: "Why did you recommend these specific businesses? What criteria did you use to rank them?"
The AI will often tell you exactly what it looked for. It might say, "I prioritized businesses with high ratings on Trustpilot, clear pricing on their website, and recent mentions in local news."
This response is your new SEO roadmap. If the AI says it values "clear pricing," and your Squarespace site hides prices behind a contact form, you now know exactly what to fix to improve your SEO with AI.
Step 3: The Technical Foundation
While AI feels like magic, it is built on code. AI bots are just advanced crawlers. If your Squarespace website is technically messy, if it has broken links, slow load times, or confusing navigation, the AI will struggle to index your content and will likely ignore you.
To ensure your site is readable by these new engines, you need a robust technical audit.
The Best Tool for the Job: SEOSpace
Trying to check every technical element manually is impossible. We recommend using SEOSpace, the leading SEO plugin built specifically for Squarespace.
It runs a comprehensive scan of your site, checking for the exact technical issues that block AI crawlers, such as missing meta descriptions, broken links, and poor heading structures.
Don't leave your rankings to chance. Get the SEOSpace plugin for free today and get a clear "Traffic Light" score for your website's health.
Additionally, you must use Schema Markup. This is code that tells the AI, "This text is a review," or "This text is a price." Squarespace has some built-in schema, but adding custom schema is often necessary for advanced SEO with AI.
Step 4: Optimizing for Trust and Reviews
In the traditional Google world, backlinks were the primary vote of confidence. In the world of SEO with AI, reviews are the new currency.
AI models do not have eyes or ears. They cannot taste your catering or see your photography. Therefore, they rely entirely on "sentiment analysis" from third-party sites to judge your quality. If you want to rank for "best," you need the reviews to back it up.
Diversify: Don't just rely on Google Reviews. Get listed on Trustpilot, Yelp, and industry-specific directories.
Sentiment: AI reads the text of reviews, not just the star rating. Encourage clients to mention specific services in their reviews (e.g., "The portrait photography was amazing").
By building a consensus of trust across the web, you signal to the Large Language Model (LLM) that you are a safe recommendation to make to its users. This is a cornerstone of modern SEO with AI.
Conclusion
The shift to AI search is not the death of SEO; it is the evolution of it. By focusing on building a strong brand entity, maintaining a technically flawless Squarespace site with tools like SEOSpace, and actively managing your reputation, you can dominate this new landscape. Remember, SEO with AI is about clarity and trust. Be the answer the AI is looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Traditional SEO focuses on keywords and backlinks to rank a link on a page. SEO with AI focuses on "entities" (brand authority), direct answers, and structured data to get cited in an AI-generated summary.
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Absolutely. AI bots require a site that is easy to crawl and understand. SEOSpace ensures your technical foundation, like sitemaps, headings, and meta tags, is perfect, which is a prerequisite for showing up in AI results.
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Keywords still matter, but "intent" matters more. Instead of stuffing the keyword "Squarespace SEO" 50 times, focus on answering the natural language questions users ask, such as "How do I fix my ranking drop on Squarespace?"
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It is likely an "authority" issue. ChatGPT prioritizes brands with a strong digital footprint across the web. Increase your mentions in press, directories, and review sites to build the trust signals required for SEO with AI.
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AI models are updated frequently. We recommend running a scan with SEOSpace at least once a month to ensure no new technical errors have popped up that could hurt your SEO with AI efforts.
