Squarespace built in url keeps getting indexed by google console

Hi all,

Really hoping someone can help me sort this out once and for all. My custom domain (www.square-tree.co.uk) was set as my Primary Domain long before I publicly published my site and linked it to google console (on the same day i published it). When i published my site my built-in url was still the random combination of letters and numbers that automatically get generated by squarespace. A few days after my my website custom url was indexed i noticed that it never came up in google searches, but the squarespace built-in url did! So i quickly changed the name of my built in URL to demo-square-tree.squarespace.com because I read on other threads that if I changed this name it would stop google from being able to crawl and index it......a week later i discovered that google had indexed it and the squarespace url was again appearing in google search instead of my custom domain....so i changed this url again to demo-site-sqt.squarespace.com. So far that url has not been indexed but the previous one is still appearing in google search instead of my custom URL, however, when you click the link it shows an error message that this website no longer exists....i'm concerned this wont be the case if google bot indexes the new built-in url again!!!

If i do a search for site:sqaure-tree.co.uk in google it shows results for indexed pages but so does site:demo-square-tree.squarespace.com. I'm worried google will put a penalty against my website for duplications if i don't get this problem resolved ASAP.

Since publishing my site I also haven't been able to add my custom url to my google business profile as it keeps getting rejected, despite being verified and indexed on google console. I'm now wondering if its got something to do with this custom url and built-in url confliction?!?! Google business support haven't been able to resolve the issue for 2 weeks despite several attempts so perhaps there is an issue at the squarespace end? I've noticed that everytime i change the built-in URL a message is displayed asking if i'm sure I want to change my Primary url....but this isn't  my primary url! I've attached screen shots to help explain. I can provide screen shots of my DNS records if this is of any help? I purchased my domain a few years ago from another company and transferred it over to be hosted by Squarespace when i started making my website.

If anyone can help please let me know. I can't get a single thing from my custom url to appear on google. I have requested a re-index of my custom url but i'm still waiting for this to happen.

Thanks Vix

Hi @Vix you can use Google's outdated content tool to address the search issue above: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7041154

Currently, the built-in domains are being quickly and aggressively indexed. SQSP should noindex these URLs when a custom domain is used. 

Circle members can upvote this feature request: https://forum.squarespace.com/ideas/noindex-on-built-in-domains-r758/

On 8/20/2024 at 11:34 AM, Collaborada said:

Hi @Vix you can use Google's outdated content tool to address the search issue above: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7041154

 

 

Thanks for this information!  I'll give Google's Outdated Content Tool a try. 🤞

Hi @ChoiceKaliber note that you'll need to change the built-in before using the tool. Good luck! 

Hi @Collaborada thank you for sharing that link. I spoke with Squarespace support and they re-generated a new sitemap and asked me to update this in my console. I waited a week and over the last few days I had noticed that my custom domain URL was starting to appear in keyword searches (examples square tree services or square tree tree surgeon), last night it finally appeared in lots of searches but this morning my website has vanished from google search! It's definitely still indexed and is showing up when i site: search the url. Is it common for a website to stop appearing in google keyword searches? I'm wondering if this will be a brief thing, particularly as my website is only a month old? Or should i be getting worried? I've checked all my page settings and none of them are set to hide from search engines etc.

Thanks Vix

Hi @Vix. If a domain is indexed but not displaying on Google for brand search, yet displays on other search engines, see this issue: https://www.collaborada.com/blog/website-disappeared-from-google

On 8/27/2024 at 2:19 PM, Collaborada said:

Hi @ChoiceKaliber note that you'll need to change the built-in before using the tool. Good luck! 

Hi @Collaborada!  I changed the name of my built-in URL in Squarespace and Google just reindexed it and is now displaying the updated built-in URL in search results.  Also, I was unsuccessful in using Google's Outdated Content tool.  There does not appear to a working workaround for this issue (for a site that's subscribed to a Squarespace "Personal" plan).

Did you ever find a solution to this issue? My client is experiencing the same thing and we are having a lot of difficulty resolving it. I am at a loss. And the client is very frustrated at this point. Help!