We know, SEO is a challenging topic. Being the avid Wix user that you are, you probably already know the basics, you’ve checked out the Wiz (you have, right?) and are now ready to become an SEO master. The only thing you’re missing are these crucial tips that will help you boost your ranking, obtain more visitors, and possibly more clients. Check out these 12 SEO tips that will get your Wix website climbing Google’s echelons in no-time!
01. Try Wix SEO Wiz
It’s true, you don’t even need to hire an external service to do your SEO. We’ve developed an intuitive and free tool that will help you improve your ranking: Wix SEO Wiz. The Wiz is your magical personal assistant when it comes to SEO and will guide you every step of the way. You can easily find it in the dashboard of your Wix account, or by clicking HERE.How does it work? After answering some basic questions and filling in your keywords, the Wiz provides you with a tailored plan. This includes all the actions you need to take in order to rank higher on Google, Bing and co. This amazing tool has allowed 67% of websites using the Wiz to appear on Google’s first page. Just think, how many new visitors and clients you could bring in – simply by using Wix SEO tools. If that didn’t convince you, here’s what Google themselves said about the magical Wiz: “For the Wix users, this [Wix SEO Wiz] is a pretty cool experience because they can see their page in the search results immediately after they have created it. There is no waiting, there is no wondering, ‘Am I on search or not?’ Within seconds, they’re on Google.” said Mariya Moeva. Read more about in this article about the Wix & Google collaboration.
02. Use long-tail keywords
Sounds like a slimy amphibian, but don’t worry, we’re just referring to keywords that contain more terms than average. Okay, let’s rewind. First, what are keywords? These two to five word phrases are what a searcher would type into a search box to find you, or a business like yours online. For example, if you’re the proud owner of a cupcake shop, you would want a searcher to enter the keyword ‘best cupcakes’ and find your website. However, this may be too difficult as these shorter keywords generate millions of results, making them much more competitive. If you use short keywords, your website may get lost in the Loch Ness of Google’s results.This is why you need to ‘go long’. Try finding more precise keywords by adding your specialty and/or location. Looking at our cupcake example, you could go for gluten-free and vegan cupcakes in Brooklyn’. The more targeted your keyword, the better as you’ll be able to attract the right audience and increase the chances of searchers clicking on your website from search results. Not sure how to choose your words? Check out this post on how to find the best keywords for your website.
03. Choose the right domain
If you haven’t already got yourself a personalized domain, there’s no time like the present. With Wix, you can easily get your own secure domain and connect it to your website. Not only is it an SEO best practice, it will give your biz the professional look it needs to compete online.However, owning a domain isn’t enough, you’ve got to choose the right one. How to go about it? There are three things to keep in mind when taking the domain plunge. First, you want to keep it as short and catchy as possible to make the Internet browsers want to click when seeing your name. Second, your business name or area of expertise should be included, so that visitors can easily understand what you do. And lastly, it’s a great idea to include your main keyword, if possible. This may increase your chances for coming up in the search results for your chosen word. Not sure how to commit? Have a look at this article for more expert SEO tips on choosing the right domain.
04. Write unique titles & descriptions
Filling in your metadata, i.e. your titles and descriptions, should be in your SEO 101 crash course. But if you want to be a grade A optimization student, you need to write unique titles and descriptions not only for your homepage but for each one of your website’s sections and pages. Why is that? Using the same metadata may seem like your website contains duplicate content. This is ‘frowned upon’ by search engines, as they won’t know how to rank your pages.Equally important is to write titles and descriptions that are catchy and attractive so that Internet people will choose your website, rather than another result. The more people click on your site, the better, as website clicks from search results are known to be associated with a better ranking. Want to know exactly how it’s done? This article contains everything you need to know about writing a title that Google loves.
05. Make it mobile friendly
We can’t avoid it, but the world is turning smartphone dependent. 50% of searches are done via mobile, and this number will only continue to grow. While we can’t stop it (*checks smartphone while typing*), the best thing to do is to ride the wave and to be prepared like Scar in the Lion King. It’s simple: if you want to succeed in the online jungle, having a mobile-friendly site is non-negotiable. Luckily, your Wix website already comes with a mobile friendly version. Not to mention, that it’s possible and super easy to implement accelerated mobile pages (AMP), so that your blog posts load über-quickly on mobile when clicked on from search results. Want to be fast? See how to make your website more mobile-friendly.
06. Submit a sitemap
A sitemap is, in simple terms, a plan of your website. It shows how your different pages are connected to one another. Why do you need it? It’s useful to send a sitemap to search engines so that they can crawl your website more easily and quickly, which will improve your overall SEO. Basically, it’s just like when you check out a map before visiting a new city. One way to submit your sitemap is via Google’s Search Console. The process is a tiny bit technical, but worry not as there is a whole step-by-step guide to help you along the way.Another, much easier way to submit your sitemap is by using Wix SEO Wiz. All you need to do is connect your domain and in a click, you can easily submit your sitemap. Yes, it’s that easy.
07. Go local SEO
Are you a local business owner? Then, you surely want to attract people in your surrounding area. More times than not, these people will actually be looking for you online (lazy, much?).This is exactly why you need to improve your local SEO. No need to stress, as we’ve got the top SEO tips to help you boost your foot traffic and get you on the map (literally). The best way to start is by claiming your business on Google My Business, and filling in your profile from head to toe. This way, your business can be found when searching on Google Maps. Plus, you’ll have a chance to win some prime real estate in Google’s local pack, the boxed result that appears at the top of the results page, which includes a map and a list of 3 businesses.
Another great way to is to sign up to as many local directories as you can. The Wix Site Booster app makes this process super easy for you by finding the most relevant places across the web and reminding you to sign up. Ready to go loco? Read this post for more advice and advanced tips on local SEO.
08. Structure your site
This may seem like a step that is sometimes overlooked, but a good site structure is essential for your SEO. In addition to making it easier for search engine bots to crawl and understand hierarchy, it’s paramount for users to be able to peruse through your site freely. This can seriously help increase metrics such as: amount of pages visited and time spent on your website. And these are key elements search engines will factor in when deciding the fate of your ranking.What do you need to do? Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. Wix website templates automatically provide you with an optimal structure for your website. All templates come with an intuitive menu to make navigation on your site simple and intuitive. Plus, heading tags (these are SEO terms for headlines and titles) are all beautifully formatted in a way to give hierarchy to your page so that it looks and feels organized (and stunning). Remember when customizing your menu to include all sections in a clear way so that all of your website content can be easily found (and clicked on). A visitor shouldn’t click more than twice to reach any other page of your website.
09. Describe your Images
A website without images is like a musical without the songs. It’s a fact, rich media such as photographs or images, enhance your website’s user experience. And you know what happy users means? That’s right, a strong SEO for your website. There is one minor problem though: Google and other search engines can’t see images like we do. This is why you need to add text to help them understand what’s on your photos, graphs and other pics. Adding these little textual descriptions will enable your images to be found on Google Image Search, which allows you to get even more traffic to your site. On top of this, search engines tend to perceive websites with optimized images as more polished and grant them with a better overall ranking. Remember, it’s important that you add unique and descriptive alt text to all of your images. Using Wix, it’s actually really easy to insert alt text for your images. Learn how to do it and become an alt text pro.10. Write valuable content
If I could offer you only one tip for the future of your website, content would be it. Content is known to be one of the most important ranking signals when it comes to your website. And not just any content will work – it needs to abide by three conditions in order to achieve greatness. It’s got to be unique (not copied from anywhere), fresh (updated regularly) and valuable (readers can find on your website only). What’s the best way to achieve this? Start a blog! The Wix Blog has advanced capabilities integrated into the platform, all you need to do is pick up a keyboard and start writing. To make sure your website stays fresh, we’ve compiled a list of 21 content ideas for your website.
11. Get more backlinks
Optimizing your site is already a great start to your online success. But every website needs a little help from Internet friends to get by. What we mean is that, in order to really excel in SEO, you need to get so-called ‘backlinks’ to your website. Basically, these are links from external sites to your own. Being the most powerful ranking signal, this one is the hardest to achieve. Don’t worry though, we’ve got a blog post for that too. Check this out to discover how to become an outreach pro.Another way to get your name out there and attract attention from online peeps is social media. Although not as strong a signal, engagement on these channels is an indirect way to improve your SEO. And of course, Wix automatically makes your links shareable on social so you don’t need to worry about your website looking good on Facebook and Twitter. It also gives you complete control when it comes to the image shared with your link on social media. You can easily change it from inside the editor. See how easy it is to do here.
12. Keep it up
And last but equally important: don’t rest on your laurels. SEO is all about continuous efforts to make sure you stay competitive online. This doesn’t mean that you need to redesign your ‘Home Page’ every day. But rather, understanding what works and what doesn’t will help you create even more valuable content. Which means that you should regularly measure your website’s metrics (time on page, number of visitors, from which countries, etc.). This guide explains exactly how to use Google Analytics.SEO is an ever-evolving industry as algorithms are continuously updated and new research is done on a daily basis. What’s the best way to make sure you’re on top of your SEO game?
Stay alert. To do this, subscribe to the Wix Blog and read about the latest SEO trends and SEO articles we’ve got in store. Plus, you can get inspiration from other Wix users that have totally nailed their SEO by using the Wix platform.
