Getting Your Site Found on Google: SEO Best Practices
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of getting your site to rank high in search engines when people search for relevant content. The goal is to show up on Google (and other search engines) when potential customers are searching for services like yours. To help you achieve this, we've assembled a comprehensive guide that explains fundamental SEO best practices and expert insights on harnessing the power of Wix tools.Want to learn more about SEO?Check out our complete Wix SEO guide with everything you need to know about our SEO features and capabilities, along with how you can use them to optimize your site. SEO best practicesThere is a set of practices aimed at improving your website's visibility in search engine results pages. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and results may take time to materialize. Staying up-to-date with industry trends and algorithm updates is crucial to maintaining and improving your website's search engine rankings. Below are some SEO best practices you should consider.Before you begin:Make sure that you have set your site to be found by search engines.Create quality contentLet's talk about the magic ingredient—quality content. It's the key to climbing the Google ranks. If you ever find yourself wondering why you're not ranking as high as you'd like, consider taking another look at your list of target keywords. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and ask, "What would one of my customers type into Google when looking for a business like mine?"Content is at the heart of SEO. Create high-quality content that not only incorporates your target keywords but also provides valuable information, answers questions, and engages your audience. For example, make sure your products or services have clear descriptions, and write engaging blog posts. Consistency in content creation is essential for building authority.Google tends to favor sites that are well-written and frequently updated content. Regularly publishing blog posts, ones that your target audience will enjoy or find informative, is a very effective way of doing so. It helps attract and engage your target audience and get links (backlinks) to your site from relevant or reputable sites. This improves your online reputation and credibility, increasing your chances of ranking higher in search results.Learn how to add and set up Wix Blog.Research keywordsConduct thorough research to identify the most relevant and valuable keywords for your website. Understanding what terms your target audience uses will guide you in creating content that aligns with their interests and needs. Use Wix's keyword research tool integration to discover descriptive and intricate keyword strings, ensuring your content addresses the depth and complexity of user search queries, moving beyond basic terms like 'shoes'. It can help you discover valuable keywords that strike a balance between search volume and competition. Remember, the strategic use of long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific keyword phrases, can significantly boost your online visibility and engagement. For example, instead of targeting the broad keyword 'shoes,' you could use a long-tail keyword like 'best running shoes for flat feet.' This caters to a more specific audience looking for precisely what your site offers. Long-tail keywords allow your site's content to align more closely with the unique queries that users enter into search engines. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of your site appearing in relevant search results and attracting highly targeted traffic.Add keywords to your site's pagesIt's not just about having keywords; it's about using them thoughtfully. Take a look through your website and make sure you've sprinkled those keywords where they belong. That means in your headlines, body text and more. The trick is to make it all sound natural, like a friendly conversation with your visitors.Remember, keywords should be optimized at the page level, not the site level. Each page can and should be tailored to different keywords within a related topic. It's not about repeating the same word excessively but ensuring that each page thoroughly explores a specific topic or keyword to enhance its relevance and user experience.Optimize on-page SEOOptimize on-page elements like title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and URLs with your chosen keywords. These elements provide search engines with valuable context about your content, making it easier for them to rank your pages in search results. Use the Wix SEO Assistant to help you optimize your site's pages for search engines and learn how to optimize your site's content for SEO. Understand the technical SEO aspectsTechnical aspects, such as creating an XML sitemap, using robots.txt to guide search engine crawlers, fixing broken links, and implementing HTTPS for security, are foundational to a well-optimized website.Wix built-in features ensure your site comes with an optimized sitemap and robots.txt file right out of the box, so you don’t have to do any optimization yourself. It also includes automatic redirects to help prevent broken links right from the start.Learn more about your site's sitemap file. Ensure a good user experience (UX)An intuitive and user-friendly website design, easy navigation, and a logical site structure enhance the user experience. Google rewards websites that prioritize user satisfaction with higher rankings.Update your business information (for local businesses)For businesses with physical locations, optimizing your Google My Business listing and maintaining consistent business information (Name, Address, Phone Number) across the web is crucial for local search visibility.You can manage your Google Business Profile details in your Wix account. Update your photos to showcase new goods and services, or update your opening hours and contacts details. When you edit your profile information on Wix, the changes are also saved in your Google Business Profile.Learn more about Google Business Profile. Regular monitoring and analysisUse tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to continuously monitor your website's performance. Analyzing keyword rankings, traffic patterns, and conversion rates helps you make informed SEO decisions.With Wix Site Inspection, you can scan your site's pages for issues that could affect how they rank in Google search results. Get insights about discoverability, mobile usability, and indexability of your pages on one dashboard so you can identify the most important issues to fix.Wix Analytics Search Engine Optimization (SEO) reports offer valuable insights to your site's SEO tailored to your business's information and keywords. Discover which search queries bring the most traffic to your site from Google. You can also use these reports to learn how search engine bots crawl your site.Important:To connect to Google Search Console, you must have a Premium plan and a domain connected to your site. This can be either a domain purchased from Wix or a domain purchased from another domain host.Regularly scan your site's pages for issues using the Wix Site Inspection tool. Analyze your site's SEO performance with Wix Analytics SEO reports. Make your site mobile-friendlyEnsure that your website is designed to be mobile-friendly and responsive. With the increasing use of mobile devices for browsing, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its rankings. Just remember to publish your site after making any edits or changes.Utilize social media & promotionsDon't just publish content; actively promote it through various channels, such as social media, email marketing, and outreach to industry influencers. Promotion helps your content reach a wider audience and attract more traffic. Encourage social sharing of your content as it can indirectly impact SEO by increasing visibility and driving more traffic to your site. Social media signals can contribute to improved search rankings.Share exciting updates about your business by posting on social media. Use Wix Email Marketing to create, send and manage professional email marketing campaigns. Additional Wix tools for your SEO needsWix offers a comprehensive suite of tools to empower you with the best SEO techniques for all search engines, including Google, Yandex, Bing and Yahoo. It's important to understand that achieving remarkable SEO results takes time and dedication. Your ranking on Google is directly related to the effort you put into optimizing your site. Learn more about using the Wix SEO dashboard and tools to improve your site's SEO.Get started with the SEO Setup ChecklistThe SEO Setup Checklist is designed to help you kickstart your SEO efforts. Answer 3 questions to create a personalized checklist for your site's SEO. The checklist helps you with the initial set up needed for search results. Connect to Google and your site's homepage will be submitted for rapid indexing.Go to the SEO Setup Checklist to create your site's personalized SEO checklist now.  Optimize your site using the SEO AssistantThe Wix SEO Assistant continuously helps you in optimizing your site for search engines. It identifies potential issues with your site and gives you recommendations that you can follow to improve your page's content, structure, and SEO attributes. For example, it will remind you to write a blog post or perform a site inspection if it’s been a while. Learn more about optimizing your site with the Wix SEO Assistant.Learn with the Wix SEO Learning HubGo to the Wix SEO Learning Hub and access in-depth guides, articles, tutorials, webinars and podcast episodes with the most up to date SEO knowledge brought to you by industry leaders. You can also get the latest updates in the SEO tab of your site's dashboard under Marketing & SEO.Keep in mind that SEO is an ongoing process, and it may take time to see results. Staying up-to-date with industry trends, regularly revisiting and optimizing your content, monitoring user engagement, and seeking feedback from your audience can help you adapt and refine your SEO strategy over time. Remember that patience and persistence are key when it comes to achieving long-term SEO success.