Welcome! In this post, I’ll be covering how to effectively prepare your blog posts for publishing inside Squarespace 7.1. I'll cover how to create your post, but more importantly, to how to use categories, tags, and SEO descriptions to improve your overall site SEO. Plus, I've included a helpful video tutorial to visually guide you through the process. Whether you're new to Squarespace or want to enhance your current blogging skills, this post has you covered.

Let's get started on making your blog posts shine in Squarespace 7.1! Detailed instructions, with tips on using categories and tags, and how to complete the SEO description, are also provided below the video.

Step 1: Access Your Squarespace Account

1. Log in to your Squarespace account using your credentials.

2. Once logged in, you'll be directed to your Squarespace dashboard.

Step 2: Create a New Blog Post

1. From the dashboard, click on the "Pages" option on the left-hand menu.

2. Choose the blog page where you want to publish the post, or create a new one by clicking the "+" icon.

3. Click on the "Blog" option, and then select "Add Blog Post."

4. Enter your blog post's title and content in the respective fields. You can use the formatting tools to style your content.

Step 3: Add Categories and Tags

Scroll down to the "Options" section of the blog post editor.

1. Under "Categories," click on the "Add Category" button to create a new category or select an existing one. Here are some tips on selecting blog categories:

   1. Relevance: If you're a visual artist writing a blog post about "Mastering Watercolor Techniques," your relevant categories could include "Art Tutorials" or "Watercolor Painting."

   2. Hierarchy: Within the "Art Tutorials" category, you might have subcategories like "Watercolor Techniques," "Oil Painting Tips," and "Drawing Fundamentals."

   3. Consistency: Maintain consistency in category naming. If you have a category named "Mixed Media Mastery," avoid using "Mixed Media Magic" for a similar topic.

   4. Limited Number: Opt for around 3-5 well-defined categories, such as "Art Techniques," "Inspiration," "Studio Insights," "Artist Interviews," and "Art Supplies."

      
      
      

2. Similarly, under "Tags," click on the "Add Tag" button to add relevant tags to your post. Tags help organize your content and improve SEO. Here are some tips on selecting relevant tags:

   1. Specificity: For a post about "Creating Depth in Watercolor Landscapes," specific tags could be "watercolor techniques," "landscape painting," "depth perception," and "art composition."

   2. Variety: Use a mix of short and long-tail tags. Alongside "watercolor landscapes," include longer tags like "depth and perspective" and "creating atmosphere in paintings."

   3. Content Elements: If you mention "color blending" or "wet-on-wet" in your post, turn them into tags to highlight essential artistic elements.

   4. Limited Number: Include around 4-8 relevant tags, such as "watercolor tips," "painting tutorials," "landscape art," and "artistic perspective."

Step 4: Configure SEO Settings

Navigate to the "Settings" tab within the blog post editor.

1. In the "SEO" section, enter a search engine-friendly title in the "SEO Title" field. This title should be concise and capture the essence of your blog post.

2. Write a compelling meta description in the "Meta Description" field. This should be a concise summary of your blog post's content and include relevant keywords.
   
   

   Here are some additional tips:

3. Keyword Research: Research keywords like "watercolor painting techniques," "landscape art tutorials," and "depth in paintings" to understand popular search terms.

4. Long-Tail Keywords: Incorporate long-tail keywords as tags, such as "creating depth in watercolor landscapes" or "using perspective in art."

5. Meta Information: Craft an SEO title like "Mastering Depth in Watercolor Landscapes: Tips and Techniques" and a meta description like "Enhance your landscape paintings with our expert tips on creating depth and atmosphere using watercolor techniques."

6. Avoid Overuse: While discussing watercolor landscapes, avoid excessive use of phrases like "best watercolor techniques" and "top landscape painting tips."

Step 5: Preview and Publish

1. Click the "Preview" button to see how your blog post will appear to readers.

2. Review your post's formatting, categories, tags, and SEO settings in the preview.

3. Once satisfied, click the "Save" button to save your changes.

4. To publish your blog post, click the "Publish" button. Your post is now live on your Squarespace website.

Step 6: Review and Share

1. After publishing, navigate to your blog page to ensure your new post is visible and correctly formatted.

2. Share your blog post on social media platforms or other channels to reach a wider audience.

Congratulations! You've successfully published a blog post on Squarespace 7.1, complete with categories, tags, and optimized SEO settings.

Remember, the key to a successful blog post is creating engaging content, using relevant categories and tags, and optimizing your SEO settings to attract readers and improve your site's visibility on search engines.

A big thanks to Sylvia Troconis for allowing me to use her website for this video tutorial. Check out her amazing artwork here: https://sylviatroconis.com