Why Is Google Still Showing My Squarespace Template Info? (Fix It Fast!)

SEOSquarespace

Jan 2

TL;DR

If your Squarespace site is still showing the old template description on Google or has template URLs in its sitemap, don’t panic! Google takes time to update its index. In the meantime, update your SEO settings, delete any leftover demo content, and submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. Give it a bit of time, and soon your shiny, customized Squarespace site will be showing up exactly as you want it in search results.

So, you’ve put in the hard work, customized your Squarespace site to perfection, and finally hit that glorious "publish" button. But when you search for your site on Google, gasp, you still see the template’s old description, and your sitemap seems to have some weird URLs from the original template lurking around. What’s going on? Don’t worry—you’re not alone, and this issue is fixable!

Let’s walk through what’s happening and how you can solve it.

Why Does Google Still Show the Old Template Description?

Even though you’ve updated your SEO site title and description in Squarespace, Google doesn’t instantly reflect those changes. Search engines need time to recrawl your site and update their search index. This means there’s a bit of lag between when you make changes and when Google catches up.

But if it’s been more than a couple of weeks and nothing’s changed, here’s what to do:

Check if your SEO fields are correctly updated
Head over to Marketing → SEO → SEO Settings in Squarespace and make sure your site title and meta description are properly filled out. Double-check for any leftover template text.
Force Google to recrawl your site
Use Google Search Console to speed things along. If you haven’t already, sign up for Search Console and submit your sitemap. Once that’s done, you can request indexing for specific pages by entering their URLs and clicking "Request Indexing."

Why Are There Template URLs in My Sitemap?

Your sitemap is essentially a file that lists all the important pages and content on your website, helping search engines know what to crawl. If you’re seeing old template pages or images listed in your sitemap, it’s likely because:

Those pages haven’t been properly deleted
Sometimes when we start with a Squarespace template, we forget to delete demo content—like sample blog posts, pages, or placeholder images. If those pages still exist (even if they’re not linked in your navigation), they’ll show up in your sitemap.
Fix:
Go to Pages in your Squarespace editor and check for any leftover template pages. If you find any, delete them by clicking the trash can icon.
There are hidden template images still stored
Template images can sometimes hide in the backend. Even if they’re not visible on your live site, they can still appear in the sitemap.
Fix:
To remove old images, go to Design → Custom CSS and click "Manage Custom Files." Scroll through the list and delete any unused or leftover template images.

How Long Until My Changes Appear on Google?

After cleaning up your site and submitting it to Google Search Console, it can still take a few days to a couple of weeks for changes to reflect. Google needs time to crawl and index your updated content.

Pro tip: Keep an eye on your site’s performance in Google Search Console. It’s a great tool to track how your site is appearing in search results and whether any errors are still popping up.

Quick Checklist for Fixing Template Issues

Here’s a quick action list to help you stay on track:

✅ Update your SEO title and description in Marketing → SEO
✅ Delete any leftover template pages in the Pages section
✅ Remove any unused template images in Custom CSS → Manage Custom Files
✅ Submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console
✅ Request indexing for key pages via Google Search Console