Custom 404 Pages in Squarespace: A Missed Opportunity

Design

25 Aug

Replace the example questions and answers with your actual FAQs. The structure is strict: each item in mainEntity is a Question object with a name (the question text) and an acceptedAnswer object containing the answer text.

Notice the text field in acceptedAnswer. This should be plain text, not HTML. Google strips HTML tags anyway, so keep it clean: "We offer 30 days to return items. Contact support@example.com to start the process." That's better than including paragraph tags or line breaks.

Structuring Questions for Search Intent

Not all questions are equal. Some capture search traffic. Some don't. The difference is understanding what people actually search for.

Good FAQ questions match actual Google searches. Think about your client's service or product. What problems does it solve? What objections do prospects have? What do customer support emails constantly repeat?

Examples of strong FAQ questions:

"Can I return items after 30 days?" matches a real search query people type. "How does your return process work?" is less specific but still searchable. "What is your position on returns?" is vague and unlikely to match search queries.

Use Google's autocomplete feature. Start typing your query in Google, and the dropdown shows what people actually search for. These are your FAQ questions. If autocomplete suggests "coffee subscription how much does it cost", that's a FAQ question worth answering.

Use Google Search Console if your client already has search visibility. The "Queries" report shows real questions people searched and found their site for. Turn these into FAQ items. They're guaranteed to match search intent because people already searched for them.

Include keywords naturally. If your client is a personal trainer, your question might be "How many sessions per week should I train?" rather than "What is your training frequency recommendation?" The first matches how people actually search.

How Many FAQs Should You Include?

More FAQs doesn't always mean more traffic. Quality beats quantity. A page with 5 really good, search-relevant FAQs outperforms a page with 30 generic FAQs.

Aim for between 5 and 15 FAQs. Below 5, you're leaving traffic on the table. Above 15, you're probably including questions nobody searches for, which dilutes the page's focus and makes it harder for users to find what they need.

Prioritise questions that directly affect purchase decisions: pricing, availability, shipping, returns, guarantees. Then add questions that address common objections or misconceptions about the product or service.

Common Mistakes When Building FAQ Pages

Mistake one: putting FAQs on the wrong page. FAQs belong on their own dedicated page, not buried at the bottom of a product page or scattered across multiple pages. Google ranks entire pages. A dedicated FAQ page sends a clear signal: this page is about answering questions.

Mistake two: writing questions nobody searches for. "Who is your favourite customer?" is cute but useless for SEO. "What payment methods do you accept?" actually ranks for search queries. Ask yourself: would someone Google this exact question?

Mistake three: writing answers that are too short. "How long does shipping take?" followed by "5 business days" is too minimal. Google wants substantive answers. Answer fully: "Standard shipping takes 5-7 business days from the date your order is confirmed. Express shipping is 2-3 business days. Orders placed after 2 PM on Friday are processed the following Monday. You'll receive a tracking link via email once your order ships."

Mistake four: forgetting to update FAQs. If a client's shipping policy changes, update the FAQ. If they add a new product, add FAQ questions relevant to that product. Stale FAQs send a signal that the site isn't maintained, and Google gradually trusts it less.

Mistake five: ignoring the visual design. An FAQ page that's poorly formatted or hard to scan won't engage users even if the content is good. Use proper headings, whitespace, and visual hierarchy.

Styling Accordion Blocks with CSS

By default, Squarespace accordion styling is functional but generic. You can make it match your client's brand and improve usability with CSS.

The accordion block uses the class .accordion-item for each question/answer pair, .accordion-item__title for the question heading, and .accordion-item__content for the answer text.

Here's a pattern for a modern accordion style:

.accordion-item {
  border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
  margin-bottom: 0;
}

.accordion-item__title {
  padding: 18px 0;
  font-size: 16px;
  font-weight: 600;
  color: #222;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: color 0.2s ease;
}

.accordion-item__title:hover {
  color: #c41e3a;
}

.accordion-item__content {
  padding-bottom: 18px;
  font-size: 15px;
  line-height: 1.6;
  color: #555;
}

This creates a clean, minimal accordion with a subtle hover effect on questions and proper spacing for readability.

If you want the active (expanded) item to stand out, you can target it with slightly different styling. Squarespace adds specific classes when an item is active, but the approach varies depending on your site version. Test by expanding an accordion item, inspecting it with browser DevTools, and looking for an active or expanded class.

A common pattern for active items:

.accordion-item.accordion-item--expanded .accordion-item__title {
  color: #c41e3a;
  border-bottom: 2px solid #c41e3a;
}

This makes the active question stand out with a custom colour and a bottom border.

Testing Your FAQ Schema

After you add schema markup, test it. Google provides a free Rich Results Test tool. Paste your page URL into the tool, and it will parse your schema, check for errors, and show you how Google interprets your FAQs.

Common schema errors: missing the "text" field in answers (use plain text, not HTML), questions that are too vague or generic, answers that are too short. The tool will flag these and explain how to fix them.

After you publish your FAQ page, it can take a few weeks for Google to crawl it, understand the schema, and start displaying it in rich snippets. This is normal. Monitor Google Search Console (the Coverage and Enhancements reports) to see when Google recognises your FAQ schema.

Monitoring FAQ Performance

Once your FAQ page is live, track its performance in Google Search Console. Create a custom report that filters for your FAQ page URL and track impressions, clicks, and average position.

If the FAQ page ranks for some keywords but not others, consider adding more content around those keywords. If certain FAQs aren't drawing any traffic after a few months, review them. Maybe the question doesn't match search intent, or the answer isn't detailed enough.

Google Search Console also shows you if there are any indexing issues with your FAQ schema. Fix these promptly.

Expanding Your FAQ Strategy

An FAQ page is just the beginning. As your client's business grows, so should their FAQ content. Create FAQ sections for different products or services. If they sell software, create an FAQ for setup, billing, features, and troubleshooting.

Each FAQ section should have its own schema markup. Each is a standalone FAQPage, but they can live on the same page. Squarespace handles this fine.

Over time, a well-maintained FAQ section becomes a content asset that ranks for hundreds of keywords and attracts users at every stage of their journey. That's the power of proper structure, good content, and technical implementation.

Start with one strong FAQ page, get the basics right, and expand from there.