Our Squarespace results
People ask if Squarespace is good for Google Ads. We did not want to guess, so we tested it. We picked 7 of Squarespace's own template demo sites, checked the code to confirm each was built on Squarespace, and ran them through Google PageSpeed Insights on mobile.
Here is what we found (ClickMend scans, October 2026, 7 pages):
| Measure | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Performance score (0 to 100) | 60 | 46 to 77 |
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | 8.6 seconds | 4.1 to 12.0 seconds |
| First Contentful Paint | 4.2 seconds | 2.7 to 5.2 seconds |
| Total Blocking Time (TBT) | 135 ms | 47 to 510 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | 0 | 0 on all 7 |
| Page weight | 1,771 KB | 1,254 to 2,313 KB |
Google's Lighthouse scoring calls 90 to 100 good, 50 to 89 needs improvement, and 0 to 49 poor. Six of 7 demos landed in the middle band. One scored 46. None reached 90.
The pages were not very heavy. A median of 1,771 KB is lighter than most builders in our full builder test. The slow part was getting the first thing on screen.
Why care for Google Ads? You pay for the click as soon as it happens. If the phone shows a blank screen for 4 seconds, some people tap back before they see your offer. Google's own Quality Score help page says the speed your page loads can be the difference between someone bouncing or buying. ClickMend does not read your Quality Score or promise a lower cost per click. It checks the parts of the page that feed into landing page experience: speed, Core Web Vitals, and whether your tracking works. If Google already shows a warning in your account, read landing page experience below average.
What slowed the pages
- Files that block the page from drawing. Lighthouse flagged render-blocking files on all 7 pages. It estimated 1.0 to 1.9 seconds could be saved on each. Most came from Squarespace's own style and script files.
- Slow first paint. The first content showed up at a median 4.2 seconds. On most of these pages the biggest item on screen was a text heading, not an image. The text was ready, but the browser waited on other files before drawing it.
- Web fonts. Lighthouse flagged font loading on 6 of 7 pages. All 7 demos loaded fonts from Adobe Fonts.
- Unused JavaScript. Flagged on all 7, a median 399 KB per page, mostly from Squarespace's own script files.
- Images. Lighthouse found image savings on 5 of 7 pages, from 38 to 484 KB. On a page you build, with your own photos, this can be bigger.
The demos also loaded a cookie consent script. If your site uses one, it is one more file on the ad page.
Fixes you control on a Squarespace page
You can't change Squarespace's own files. You can change what the ad page asks the browser to load.
- Make a separate, short page for the ad instead of sending clicks to the home page.
- Use one or two fonts, with as few weights as you can. Every font file is one more download before text looks right.
- Resize and compress photos before you upload. A phone does not need a 4,000 pixel wide image.
- Put the headline, phone number, and form at the top. Move galleries, video, and long sections lower or off the page.
- Remove code blocks, embeds, and widgets the ad page does not use.
- Check your Google Ads conversion tag still fires after any change. Our guide on conversion tracking not working shows the 5-minute check.
Then run the page through a free ClickMend scan. It shows the score, the Core Web Vitals, and the slow parts in plain words.
Limits of this test
- We tested 7 pages. A small sample, so the median could move with different templates.
- These were template demo sites, not real ad pages. Your images, forms, and tags change the result.
- Lab data from one run per page on a simulated mid-tier phone. Scores move a little each run.
- None of the 7 demos had real-user data in Google's Chrome UX Report.
Compare Squarespace with Wix in our Wix speed test, or see all 8 builders side by side in the landing page builder speed test.
Frequently asked questions
Is Squarespace good for Google Ads?
It can be. Google Ads does not check which builder you use. It sends people to your final URL, and that page needs to load fast on a phone and track the lead. In our small test, Squarespace demos scored a median 60 out of 100 on mobile.
Why is my Squarespace page slow to show anything?
In our test, the first content took a median 4.2 seconds to appear on a simulated phone. Lighthouse flagged files that block the page from drawing on all 7 pages, with estimated savings of 1.0 to 1.9 seconds. Fewer fonts and a simpler top section help.
Do Squarespace pages jump around while loading?
Not in our test. Layout shift was zero on all 7 Squarespace demos, which is a good result.
How do I test my own Squarespace page?
Paste the final URL from your ad into the free ClickMend scan. You get 2 scans a week, no card, a 0 to 100 score, and a check of your Google Ads conversion tag.