The team at Strategy Driven Marketing has found Squarespace to be a super flexible and accommodating website building and hosting platform. This affordable, all-in-one platform offers an array of stylish template options that are easily personalized and device responsive.
Squarespace also makes it easy to connect with a wider audience by linking your website to your brand’s social media profiles and pushing out content as you publish it. The seamless processes make it seem like social streaming is part of your site design. Below, we’ll look at different ways you can create an integrated online presence with Squarespace and social media to grow your site’s reach and connect with your target audience.
Add social icons
You can include social icons on your website by adding links to your social accounts. In most Squarespace templates, social icons display with a template-specific design that can then be customized. If a template doesn’t automatically display the social icons, they can easily be added to any website. As you would expect, when site visitors click on a social icon they are taken directly to your brand’s social profile.
You can also encourage site visitors to share your content on their own social profiles. The location of Share buttons on your website will vary depending on the template you are using. They will either display at the bottom of collection pages or below collection items. Squarespace lets you add Share buttons for Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter.
Push content from your website to social media
Website content can be pushed to your brand’s social media profiles as it is published on your site. A “push” option tells Squarespace to automatically create new social posts on specified social profiles when you publish the content on your website. The content collection items you can push to social platforms include blog posts, gallery page images and videos, events, products, and album tracks.
Connecting your social accounts and enabling the push feature is an excellent way to save time if you are looking to post new content across multiple platforms. Squarespace allows users to push website content directly to Facebook (pages only), LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter. It should be noted that content can also be pushed out by manually sharing URLs.
UNDERSTANDING WHICH IMAGES DISPLAY IN SOCIAL POSTS
A social post that shares a link to your website can automatically include an image that, when clicked, leads to the web page that is linked in the post. Squarespace helps social networks automatically find images on your website based on a set of rules. That being said, we should note that which images are used is, ultimately, controlled by the social network, not Squarespace.
Posts linking to Layout Pages, collection pages, or Indexes
Social networks use the first image available from the following list when sharing a layout page, collection page, or Index:
Alternate Social Sharing Image
Social Sharing Logo
Site logo (if the page is set as the homepage)
Social network’s best guess
Posts linking to a collection item
Social networks use the first image available from the following list when sharing a collection item such as a specific blog post, product, or event:
Item thumbnail
First Image Block
Social Sharing Logo
Social network’s best guess
The exception to this would be any posts linking to gallery page images which always display the social sharing logo.
Posts linking to a Cover Page
When sharing a cover page, social networks use either an alternate social sharing image or the social sharing logo. If neither of those exists, no image is used.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT TEXT DISPLAYS IN SOCIAL POSTS
Social media platforms often automatically display text from a website when a link is posted. The text is intended to provide followers a preview of what they can expect to find on the web page. The factors that determine which text is pulled into the post depends on the type of content being shared, how it was shared, and the social network being used. Squarespace helps social networks automatically find text on your website based on a set of rules. That being said, we should note that which text is used is, ultimately, controlled by the social network, not Squarespace.
SEO titles and descriptions
Since SEO titles and descriptions will most likely display in social posts, they should be added to every page. Best practice is to make them consistent on every page and concise as social media platforms have character limits. Squarespace also allows users to add an SEO site description that communicates the main idea or purpose of a brand and its website. The page title or description displays if there is no SEO title or description.
Sharing links on Facebook
Here's what should display for different types of site content shared on Facebook:
Homepage - Homepage title, site meta description, primary domain
Collection items - Item name, item description or blog post excerpt, and the primary domain
All other pages - SEO title, SEO description, primary domain
Sharing links on Twitter
Here's what should display for different types of site content shared on Twitter:
Collection items - Item name, your primary domain
All other pages - SEO title, SEO description, primary domain
Users can also enable Twitter Cards to have more information like product images and prices displayed.
Sharing links on LinkedIn
Here's what should display for different types of site content shared on LinkedIn:
Homepage - Homepage title, primary domain
Collection items - Item name, item description, primary domain
Cover Page - SEO title, SEO description, primary domain
All other pages - SEO title, primary domain
Sharing links on Pinterest
Pinterest is a bit different from other social platforms. Pinterest save buttons must first be added before you can post links to the platform. Thumbnail images are required on any blogs, pages, or products that are to be pinned by a brand or its site visitors. The primary domain always displays. A description is not automatically pulled from your website and is, instead, written by the person sharing the content on the Pinterest platform.
MEASURE SOCIAL TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE
Utilizing social media platforms is step one. Understanding the performance of your content in order to gain the most from your efforts is an equally important step two. Squarespace Analytics allows brands to see which social networks are driving the most traffic to the brand website. The Traffic Sources panel provides insight as to which channels are driving the most visits and revenue. This data can inform your marketing strategy regarding SEO, blogs, social networks, email, paid ads, and so on. It shows where visitors are coming from and which referrers are the most valuable to your site or online store.
Exactly what is available in the Traffic Sources panel depends on the plan or the type of trial site started. the direct, email, referral, social, and search channels display on all plans. Website Personal plans also see a paid channel with data from display ads and paid search traffic. Website Business, Commerce Basic, and Commerce Advanced plans see separate Display Ads and Paid Search channels.
Website Personal and Website Business plans see traffic sources by visit. Commerce Basic and Commerce Advanced plans see traffic sources by multiple KPIs, including revenue, orders, and conversion. Website Business, Commerce Basic, and Commerce Advanced plans can also track individual campaigns created from the URL Builder.
Whether your website is hosted by Squarespace or another platform, utilizing social media channels to further your brand’s reach is imperative to a healthy digital presence and should be part of your overall marketing strategy. The experts at Strategy Driven Marketing are here to guide and assist your social media efforts. We’d love to learn more about your brand’s specific vision, goals, and needs to better help you achieve social success. Contact us today to get started!