If you’re using Squarespace, you want your visitors and search engines to see your custom domain (such as www.yourwebsite.com) rather than the .squarespace.com version of your site (which appears in editing mode).

However, Google sometimes indexes the Squarespace built-in URLs, potentially leading to confusion and hurting your SEO. Historically, this issue mainly affected new sites that did not launch correctly. Recently, however, it has become a platform-wide issue, affecting even long-established sites. Here, we offer a workaround until Squarespace resolves the problem on their end.

Note, sometimes users informally refer to the editing environment as the “staging site,” “development site,” or “backend,” although it’s not a traditional staging environment.

Increased Indexing of Squarespace URLs

Until recently, the indexing of built-in Squarespace URLs wasn’t a major concern for most users. But in 2024, something shifted in Squarespace’s configuration or Google’s indexing algorithms, leading to a noticeable increase in the indexing of “.squarespace.com” URLs for all sites.

This uptick means more sites are now finding their built-in URLs in Google search results, which dilutes SEO efforts and confuses visitors who land on a Squarespace subdomain instead of a branded, custom domain. Changing the built-in domain no longer solves the issue, as re-indexing of the backend environment happens within a short timeframe.

How to Check Your Site

You can check if your built-in domain is indexed with the “site:” command. For example, if your built-in Squarespace domain is demo.squarespace.com, type this in to your browser: site:demo.squarespace.com — if you see .squarespace.com URLs listed, then these pages could be displayed in search results.

A Temporary Fix

Please check back for any code updates or additional info. You’ll only need to use this code until Squarespace implements a fix.

The code below redirects visitors (and Google) from any “.squarespace.com” URL to the preferred canonical URL. Note this workaround is only available if your Squarespace pricing plan includes code injection, which is available on Business/Core plans and higher.

To add the code: Open the Code Injection panel, copy the code snippet below to the Header, save your changes, then test that it works as expected:

Redirecting from the .squarespace.com URLs helps ensure search engines focus on your branded, canonical URLs. While Google’s execution of Javascript redirects is generally effective, it isn’t entirely foolproof. However, this method should significantly reduce the likelihood of built-in Squarespace URLs being indexed.

In addition to adding the code, you might want to take one or both of these steps:

1. Add your built-in domain to Google Search Console (GSC) and use the URL removal tool. While adding a built-in domain to GSC is generally not recommended, this option could be helpful depending on the issues your site is facing. However, new users should proceed with caution and ensure they fully understand this action’s potential effects—misuse of the URL removal tool can impact your site’s presence in search results. Removals are temporary, only lasting about 6 months, which is why we recommend injecting the code above.

2. Change your Squarespace built-in domain. When Google attempts to crawl the old built-in URLs, it won’t find them, which leads to their removal from the index. Note, this simple method alone used to be enough to correct the issue for most sites.

If any part of this process is unfamiliar, consider a short SEO training session for guidance.

Squarespace Needs to Address This

Preventing the indexing of the backend URLs should be a server-side function—handled by Squarespace to eliminate the need for all users to implement a fix. A server-side solution would:

• Ensure consistency: Every user would have their custom domain prioritized without needing to add code themselves.

• Eliminate errors: Not all users have the technical know-how or time to implement and verify code injections.

• Protect SEO for all users: By blocking the indexing of these URLs directly at the server level, Squarespace could help users avoid SEO issues altogether.

While the code snippet above serves as a workaround, the need for a platform-wide solution is clear.

⭐️ Report to Squarespace Support

From experience, getting Squarespace Support to recognize this issue will require a high volume of requests. Circle members can upvote this request. And everyone can report it directly to Support, we suggest sending an email along these lines:

Subject: Block Indexing of Built-In Domain

Sample message: Google is aggressively indexing “.squarespace.com” backend URLs, impacting SEO for our custom domain. Squarespace needs a server-side solution to block built-in URLs from being indexed. This would resolve the platform-wide issue for all users.

You can ignore Support’s scripted replies, but continue pushing back to emphasize this is an important platform fix, tell them it needs to be escalated to the engineering team. The best approach is to be both firm and persistent. The goal is to get the request escalated and persistence is key here. Hopefully, the right eyes will eventually see it:

• Be clear and direct: Start by laying out the issue concisely, emphasizing that it’s a platform-level problem rather than an individual user issue. Explain the impact on your experience and, if possible, any productivity or business implications.

• Mention your tenure as a user: If you’ve used the platform for a long time without issues until now, mention that history. It can lend credibility and weight to your report.

• Send screenshots: Show them the “.squarespace.com” URLs displaying in Google Shopping or regular search results.

• Ask for escalation directly: Say something like, “This issue needs to be escalated to the engineering team for resolution.” Repeat this when they give standard responses.

• Document previous attempts: If you’ve reported the issue before, reference past case numbers or interactions. Reiterate that you’re looking for a long-term fix rather than a workaround.

• Encourage other users to report: The more reports they get, the harder it will be for them to dismiss it as an isolated problem.

Conclusion

If you’re seeing your backend domain appear in search results, using the code above can help. However, the best long-term solution is for Squarespace to take action and prevent backend URLs from being indexed by default, allowing users to focus on building their brands without the worry of subdomain interference in search results.

If you have questions or need help with this setup, please book a short SEO training Zoom session.

More Resources

• Learn more about Squarespace and Google Search Console.

• See our Squarespace SEO checklist.

• Hire an SEO professional to review your site.