Wix SEO: How to optimize your website for search engines

Looking to unlock your Wix website’s full potential? Here’s the good news—you don't have to go through the tedious process of decoding technical jargon to get there.

This guide eliminates the complexities of Wix SEO (search engine optimization) and breaks down practical steps to help boost your site’s visibility.

We’ll provide clear, actionable advice on everything from optimizing meta tags to ensuring your site is mobile-friendly. You'll gain the knowledge and confidence to elevate your site’s ranking on search engines, ensuring more traffic and visibility for your business. 

If you're venturing into the world of selling custom products, we’ve got an insider tip on integrating Gelato with your Wix store, adding even more value to your brand.

• Wix offers a variety of SEO tools and features suitable for beginners and intermediate users.

• An essential website builder SEO setup includes configuring meta tags, structured data, XML sitemaps, and image alt text.

• Mobile optimization and Google integration are crucial for improving your site's search ranking and analytics.

• Wix's SEO Wiz and additional tools help streamline and automate SEO processes.

• Integrating Gelato with your Wix store can enhance your site’s functionality and product offerings.

Wix SEO refers to the practice of optimizing Wix websites using the suite of SEO settings, tools, and features available on the platform. These tools are designed to help users optimize their websites for better rankings in search engine search results. From meta tags to alt text for images, Wix offers an array of user-friendly features that simplify the process of improving site visibility.

Wix offers SEO tools that are easy to use and can help you improve your site’s search engine visibility without needing any prior SEO experience. So, what are these features that make Wix SEO an intuitive process? Let's find out below.

SEO setup checklist

Wix's SEO Setup Checklist is a handy tool that guides you through essential SEO steps, from defining your target keywords to optimizing meta descriptions to optimize your website for Google search results. This feature is a great way to kick off your SEO efforts, especially if you’re new to the platform! 

To create your SEO Checklist, go to your Wix dashboard and follow these seven simple steps:

1. Navigate to the "Tools and Settings" section.

2. Click on "Get Started" under the SEO Setup Checklist.

3. Click "Get Started" again.

4. Input your business or site name in the "What's Your Business or Site Name?" field.

5. Ensure that the name you enter aligns with the name displayed on your website for consistency.

6. Click "Next."

7. Select and indicate whether you serve customers from a physical location or exclusively online. 

Meta tags and descriptions

Meta tags are snippets of information about your webpage that search engines consider when ranking. Wix allows you to edit and customize these tags, ensuring they accurately represent your content. A meta description is a short summary displayed in search results – a compelling description can entice users to click on your website!

Structured data markup (schema markup)

Structured Data Markup, also known as Schema Markup, helps search engines understand what your website is about. It's like adding labels to your website content and making it easier for search engines to understand. This can lead to richer search results with features like star ratings or event details. Wix offers built-in structured data functionalities, allowing you to implement this easily.

XML sitemap

An XML sitemap is crucial for helping search engines like Google understand your website's structure. It offers a visual of all your website's pages, helping search engines efficiently crawl and index your content. Wix automatically generates an XML sitemap for you – one less thing to worry about!

Canonical tags

These tags prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the "original" version of a page. Wix handles this automatically in most cases, but understanding the concept is helpful.

Alt text for images

The alt text describes the content of your images, making your website more accessible and SEO-friendly. Well-crafted alt text can help search engines understand the content of your images, making your site more likely to appear in relevant search results. Wix allows you to add alt text to your images easily. 

SEO Wiz Tool

One of the standout features of Wix's SEO toolkit is the SEO Wiz Tool. It is a user-friendly tool that guides you through the process of optimizing your website for search engines. It provides personalized recommendations based on your website's content and structure, making it easier for you to improve your search engine ranking and attract more organic traffic.

Mobile optimization

More and more people are using their phones and tablets to visit websites, so having a mobile-friendly website is crucial for SEO. Luckily, Wix websites are mobile-responsive by default, ensuring your website looks fantastic across all devices.

URL structure & customizable Slugs

Wix allows some customization of your website's URLs, which can be optimized to include relevant keywords. It allows you to customize slugs, which are the parts of the URL that come after the domain name. This helps search engines understand your content better. 

Google Search Console and Google Analytics integration

Google Analytics and a Google Search Console integration with your Wix site can be a game-changer for understanding and improving your SEO performance. Wix allows a smooth integration of these two platforms to help you gain valuable insights into your website's performance and refine your SEO strategy.

SSL encryption

Enabling SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) ensures that any data transferred between the user and your site stays private and secure. Wix automatically provides SSL encryption for all its websites, giving you peace of mind knowing your visitors' data is secure.

Multilingual SEO

Reaching a global audience is critical for many businesses, so Wix offers multilingual SEO support, allowing businesses to optimize their websites for different languages. If you're targeting a global audience, you can take advantage of these multilingual SEO features and optimize your website in multiple languages.

Local SEO

For local businesses, Wix offers tools to optimize a website for local search results. By optimizing your Wix site for local search SEO, you can make it easier for potential clients in your vicinity to find your business online. 

Wix analytics

Wix provides built-in analytics tools that offer valuable insights into your website's performance. By tracking website traffic and user behavior, you can understand where your visitors are coming from, how they interact with your content, and which pages are most popular. This information can help you identify areas for improvement and optimize your SEO strategy.

Like any platform, Wix has its advantages and challenges when it comes to SEO. Let's break down the key pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.

Pros

Here are some standout benefits of using this platform:

• Beginner-friendly: Even if you're new to website optimization, thanks to Wix's intuitive interface and helpful guides, setting up your site for better search engine visibility is straightforward.

• All-in-one platform: Wix includes everything you need for SEO, from meta tags to mobile optimization, allowing you to manage your website entirely from one centralized dashboard.

• Automated processes: From auto-generating XML sitemaps to adapting your content for mobile, these automation processes ensure you don't miss critical SEO steps.

• Seamless integration with Google Tools: These integrations provide valuable insights and data, enabling you to track site performance, monitor traffic, and make informed decisions. 

• Mobile optimization by default: Wix websites are automatically optimized for mobile devices, ensuring your content looks great regardless of screen size. 

• Helpful guidance: Wix provides useful tutorials, step-by-step guides, and tips directly within the platform. This support is crucial for beginners. 

• Multilingual SEO support: Wix's multilingual SEO support allows you to optimize your site for multiple languages, catering to a global audience.

Cons

Now, let's look at some drawbacks that might make using the platform somewhat less preferable.

• Limited customization for advanced users: Complex features like custom scripts or modifications to backend code aren't supported, limiting the optimization capabilities. 

• Site performance concerns: Wix websites might experience slower loading times, especially with media-heavy content. This lag can negatively impact user experience and SEO. 

• Code bloat: Wix websites sometimes contain extra code, also known as "code bloat." This can slow down your site, affecting user experience and SEO rankings. 

• Restricted URL structure control: You'll have limited flexibility when customizing URLs, which can impact how SEO-friendly your site is. 

• Lack of full backend access: You don't have complete access to the code or server-side functionalities, which limits your ability to implement advanced SEO techniques or custom tweaks. 

• Fewer advanced SEO tools: If you're an SEO pro looking for advanced tools and features, Wix might leave you wanting more. While great for beginners, the platform has few advanced SEO tools.

• Scalability challenges: Wix is fantastic for smaller sites, but as your business grows, you might find its scalability limitations challenging.

Now, let's examine some practical tips to help you make the most of Wix's robust SEO features and improve your site's visibility.

Use the Wix SEO Wiz

The Wix SEO Wiz simplifies SEO optimization. It guides you step-by-step to focus on key areas like keywords, meta tags, and more. This automated approach saves time and ensures you don’t miss crucial SEO practices, offering a personalized plan to enhance your site's visibility.

Actionable strategies

• Complete the initial setup: Follow the step-by-step guide to fill out your business info and target keywords for personalized SEO recommendations.

• Follow the checklist: Wiz provides the above checklist for its users; aim to complete all the tasks to ensure you cover every SEO factor.

• Monitor progress: Regularly check the Wix SEO Wiz dashboard to track your SEO improvements and tweak your strategy accordingly.

Submit your Wix site to Google Search Console

Once you've set up your Wix site, you must submit it to Google Search Console. It allows you to monitor your website’s performance, fix indexing issues, and get insights into how your content ranks on search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s a direct line to Google’s understanding of your website.

Actionable strategies

• Verify ownership: You can verify ownership through a meta tag or Google Analytics by adding your site to the Google Search Console.

• Submit your sitemap: Ensure Google can crawl all your pages by submitting your site’s XML sitemap, which Wix generates for you.

• Review reports regularly: Keep an eye on search performance reports to see which keywords drive traffic and where you can improve.

Focus on creating high-quality content

High-quality content helps you rank better and keeps visitors on your site longer, increasing engagement. Updating your site frequently with fresh content signals to search engines that your site is active and valuable.

Actionable strategies

• Research your audience's questions: Use tools like AnswerThePublic or Google Trends to discover what your audience is searching for and create content around those topics.

• Incorporate keywords naturally: Weave your primary and secondary keywords into content without overstuffing to keep it reader-friendly and SEO-friendly.

• Update old content: Regularly revisit older blog posts or pages to refresh outdated information, optimize keywords, and keep the content relevant.

Optimize for mobile

A mobile-optimized site is necessary for strong SEO. Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly sites in their rankings, and a well-optimized mobile experience will also improve your bounce rate and user satisfaction.

Actionable strategies

• Test mobile responsiveness: Use Wix's mobile editor to check how your site looks on different devices and make adjustments to ensure everything is legible and user-friendly.

• Reduce image sizes: Compress images to load quickly on mobile devices without sacrificing quality to enhance the overall experience.

• Simplify navigation: To improve user experience, make sure your menu is easy to navigate on smaller screens by using drop-downs or simplified buttons.

By closely following our checklist and leveraging Wix SEO tools, you can improve your site's SEO, drive more traffic, and enhance user experience. If you’re ready to take your ecommerce site to the next level, Gelato offers the perfect solution to complement your SEO efforts.

Integrating Gelato with your Wix website can take your online store to the next level. Gelato allows you to create and sell custom products such as t-shirts, mugs, wall art, phone cases, tote bags, and photo books, leveraging Wix’s SEO functionalities to drive traffic and boost sales. Enjoy effortless product creation and automation to streamline your ecommerce operations.

Ready to transform your Wix site into a thriving online business? Sign up for Gelato and choose a subscription plan today!