Commerce V2: What New Product Markup Means for SEO

The SEO Earthquake Beneath the Upgrade

Squarespace’s shift to Commerce V2 isn’t just visual—it rewires the entire product page structure under the hood. That means if you rely on search traffic, you’d better pay close attention.

Google doesn’t see your layout. It reads your HTML markup, structured data, schema, and metadata. If those change, or worse, break, your product listings could vanish from page one.

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A Quick Primer: What Is Structured Data?

Structured data (aka schema markup) is the hidden code that tells Google:

• What your page is about

• What products cost

• What ratings or reviews exist

• Whether an item is in stock

• What image to show in search

In Commerce V1, Squarespace embedded this using a mix of microdata and JSON-LD. With Commerce V2, that delivery mechanism is being rewritten.

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What’s Changing in Commerce V2

1. HTML Structure

Commerce V2 standardizes how products are rendered:

• Fewer nested divs

• New data-* attributes (like data-product-price)

• Retired legacy IDs (like #product-title)

• Consistent markup across all templates

Before (V1):

<div class="product-price">

  <span class="sqs-money-native">$25.00</span>

</div>

After (V2):

<div data-product-price>$25.00</div>

This matters because schema tools and SEO crawlers often hook into specific markup to build rich snippets.

2. Schema Delivery

Squarespace uses JSON-LD to inject structured data like this:

{

  "@context": "https://schema.org/",

  "@type": "Product",

  "name": "Organic Cotton Tee",

  "image": "https://example.com/image.jpg",

  "description": "Comfortable and sustainable cotton tee.",

  "sku": "OC123",

  "offers": {

    "@type": "Offer",

    "price": "25.00",

    "priceCurrency": "USD",

    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"

  }

}

Some users report this schema either:

• Disappears during migration (temporarily)

• Conflicts with custom code or plugins

• Omits key fields (like review, aggregateRating, or brand)

You need to verify it manually, Squarespace doesn’t do it for you.

How to Audit Your Structured Data

Use These Tools:

1. Google’s Rich Results Test

   https://search.google.com/test/rich-results

2. Schema Markup Validator

   https://validator.schema.org/

3. Ahrefs / SEMrush / Screaming Frog

   To scan for sitewide missing data

Paste in a product page URL and check:

• Are all schema elements present?

• Are there errors or warnings?

• Are reviews and prices showing?

Optimizing for Commerce V2 SEO

1. Update Product Descriptions

V2 encourages shorter markup = more readable code. Now’s a great time to:

• Rewrite descriptions for clarity and SEO

• Add relevant long-tail keywords

• Avoid “keyword stuffing” Google still hates it

2. Recheck Alt Text on Product Images

Image markup may change in V2 layouts. Ensure your <img> elements:

• Include descriptive alt text

• Use real product keywords

• Avoid repetition

3. Revalidate Canonical URLs

If you use product variants or URL parameters, double-check your canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues.

Look for:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://yoursite.com/product-page">

4. Add or Repair Missing Schema Fields

By default, Squarespace doesn’t include:

• Brand

• SKU (if not entered)

• Reviews

• Ratings

You can inject this manually using a Code Block + JSON-LD script in the product description or page header:

<script type="application/ld+json">

{

  "@context": "https://schema.org",

  "@type": "Product",

  "name": "Eco Tote",

  "brand": "GreenBag",

  "aggregateRating": {

    "@type": "AggregateRating",

    "ratingValue": "4.8",

    "reviewCount": "213"

  }

}

</script>

Bonus: Don’t Forget Mobile Speed

Google’s Core Web Vitals are a ranking factor, and V2 often improves:

• Time to First Byte

• Cumulative Layout Shift

• Image loading speed

Check your scores at:

https://pagespeed.web.dev/

If things still load slowly after migrating, compress images and use Squarespace’s native lazy-loading.

FAQ: SEO After the Migration

Q: Will my Google rankings drop during the switch?

If you prepare, no. But unprepared sites can temporarily drop due to broken markup or lost metadata.

Q: Do I need to resubmit my sitemap?

Not usually. But if you change product URLs or structure, resubmit via Google Search Console.

Q: Will plugin SEO tools still work?

Yes, but some may need updating for V2 compatibility. Contact the plugin provider if structured data fails.

Migration SEO Checklist

• Run a structured data test pre- and post-migration

• Manually verify product schema accuracy

• Reinsert missing fields using JSON-LD

• Optimize alt text, titles, and metadata

• Check Core Web Vitals after update

• Keep plugins and scripts updated

Final Thoughts

Commerce V2 is a big step forward for performance and user experience, but it’s not SEO-proof out of the box. Most people won’t even know it’s impacting their traffic until rankings slip or rich results vanish.

Be smarter. Be proactive. Update your markup, test your schema, and give Google what it needs to keep your products front and center.