Can Wix Rank On Google?

Wix, the popular website builder, has long been a subject of discussion in the SEO community. Website owners often wonder whether a site created using Wix can truly rank well on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). In this article, we’ll delve into the various aspects of Wix’s SEO capabilities, exploring its strengths and limitations.

Is Wix SEO-Friendly?

The Foundation of SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical component of any successful online business. Wix understands this and has taken significant steps to provide its users with the tools and features necessary to enhance their Google rankings. The journey towards becoming SEO-friendly was not instantaneous for Wix, but they have made substantial progress.

What Constitutes Good SEO?

When evaluating a website’s SEO, search engines like Google do not distinguish between different website builders or content management systems (CMS). Good SEO is a multifaceted concept, encompassing factors such as infrastructure, content quality, and optimization techniques. Wix users have seen improvements in their Google rankings, with 82% reporting positive outcomes after utilizing Wix’s SEO tools.

Expert Endorsement

John Mueller, a Search Advocate at Google, has stated that Wix is suitable for businesses. While there may have been doubts in the past, recent improvements, including enhanced site speed and performance, have solidified Wix’s reputation as a reliable platform for SEO.

How Wix Excels in SEO

Server-Side Rendering

Wix websites are built using server-side rendering, a method recommended by both Google and Bing. This approach simplifies the process of delivering website content to search engines, streamlining crawling and indexing.

Server-side rendering benefits both users and search engines. Users receive dynamic content that is responsive and engaging, while search engines obtain fully rendered content for accurate indexing. This is a significant SEO advantage that Wix websites offer from the moment they go live.

Crawlability and Indexing

The first step in getting your website discovered by Google is allowing the search engine to crawl and index it. Wix simplifies this process by establishing a direct connection to Google Search Console and enabling instant homepage indexing.

Wix sites automatically generate optimized sitemaps, which are submitted to Google Search Console for indexing. These sitemaps serve as maps of your website’s pages, guiding Google on what to index and how to navigate your site. This user-friendly approach aligns with the core principles of SEO, making it easier for Google to crawl and rank your site.

Performance-First Mindset

Website performance plays a pivotal role in user experience and SEO. Wix recognizes the significance of performance and has made considerable strides in this area. With the advent of Google’s Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor, Wix has focused on optimizing site speed.

Currently, over 60% of Wix mobile sites in the US pass Core Web Vitals testing. To achieve this, Wix employs several strategies, including image compression and lazy loading, which enhance website performance. Smaller, faster-loading images and efficient content delivery contribute to a positive user experience and improved SEO.

CDN and Caching

Content delivery networks (CDNs) play a vital role in delivering website content swiftly to users. Wix leverages CDNs to automatically select the optimal content delivery server based on the user’s location. The closer the CDN is to the user, the faster the content is delivered. This not only enhances website performance but also contributes to SEO by reducing page load times.

Additionally, Wix utilizes automatic caching, a process in which versions of a page are saved and presented to returning users. This minimizes server-side requests for repeat visitors, further enhancing website speed. Notably, Wix websites are designed to recognize custom code that may conflict with auto-caching, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Customization

Wix acknowledges that SEO should not adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach. Therefore, they provide users with extensive customization options aligned with best SEO practices. This customization encompasses various elements:

• Customized Structured Data: Users can add schema markup, such as how-to or FAQ schema, to enhance search engine understanding.
• Editable Robots.txt File: Control over what gets crawled on your site and what doesn’t.
• Custom Meta Tags: The ability to create custom meta tags based on targeted search terms.
• Bulk 301 Redirects: Streamlining the process of managing redirects and catching errors.
• Bulk SEO Customization at the Folder Level: Ideal for large sites, allowing for standardized metadata creation.

In summary, Wix’s commitment to customization empowers users to tailor their SEO strategy to their specific needs.

Will My Wix Website Be Found on Google?

One of the key concerns for website owners is whether their Wix site will be discoverable on Google. Fortunately, Wix has taken measures to ensure that Google can find and index Wix websites effectively.

Google Integration

Wix simplifies the process of connecting your website to Google by providing a seamless integration with Google Search Console. This integration streamlines tasks such as sitemap creation and submission to Google, making it easier for Google to crawl and index your Wix site.

Additionally, strong server-side rendering enhances Google’s ability to crawl a Wix site. You can even track Google’s crawling frequency, including specific pages, using Wix bot log data. These features contribute to a potentially successful SEO strategy on Wix.

Does Good SEO Cost a Lot of Money?

A common misconception is that achieving good SEO results requires significant financial investment. However, Wix offers a range of built-in SEO tools at no extra cost. Additionally, they prioritize user education through the SEO Learning Hub, which offers resources such as podcasts, webinars, videos, and articles to help users kickstart or scale their SEO efforts.

While some advanced features may require a premium Wix account, the platform provides a solid foundation for SEO without the need for substantial financial commitments.

Are Wix’s URLs Properly Optimized?

URL optimization is a fundamental aspect of SEO, and Wix users have the flexibility to optimize their URLs for each page. They can also edit folder names for blog and product pages, enhancing the management of page URLs.

Wix simplifies URL optimization by implementing automatic redirects when URLs are changed on main editor, booking, events, and product pages. This feature reduces the SEO workload and ensures that URL changes do not negatively impact your site’s search engine ranking.

Are Products on My Wix Online Store SEO-Optimized?

Wix ensures that products on its online stores are SEO-optimized by automatically adding product schema and image markup. Schema markup helps Google understand the content and structure of product pages, contributing to better search visibility.

As a Wix user, you have full control over product titles, descriptions, and product page meta tags. This level of customization empowers you to align your product descriptions with SEO best practices, incorporating relevant keywords and compelling product descriptions.

The Importance of Image SEO on Wix

Images are a crucial part of web content, and optimizing them for search engines is essential. Wix allows users to optimize images by adding alt text, captions, and surrounding content, which improves the likelihood of images appearing in Google’s image search results.

Alt text provides a textual description of an image, making it accessible to those with visual impairments and helping search engines understand the image’s context. Wix makes it easy to add alt text to your images, ensuring both user-friendliness and SEO-friendliness.

Wix’s Multilingual SEO Support

Expanding your online presence across multiple languages can be a complex task, but Wix offers multilingual SEO support. You can create versions of your site in different languages, complete with optimized meta tags and URLs.

Wix also simplifies hreflang tag implementation, allowing you to specify the language and geographical targeting of each language version. This enhances your site’s global reach and ensures that users from different regions receive content in their preferred language.

Is Wix Suitable for E-Commerce SEO?

E-commerce websites have unique SEO challenges, but Wix provides e-commerce-focused SEO features to address them. Key e-commerce SEO aspects supported by Wix include:

• Product SEO: As discussed earlier, Wix allows users to optimize product titles, descriptions, and meta tags.
• Structured Data for Products: Wix automatically adds product schema markup, providing rich results in Google search.
• Blog Integration: A blog is a valuable tool for e-commerce SEO, and Wix offers integrated blogging capabilities with SEO features.
• Online Store SEO App: Wix offers an SEO app specifically tailored for online stores, simplifying SEO management for e-commerce businesses.

Wix vs. Custom-Built Websites for SEO

While Wix has made significant strides in becoming an SEO-friendly platform, some differences exist when compared to custom-built websites:

Website Load Speed

Custom-built websites often load faster than those created using website builders. This is because custom-coded websites can be fine-tuned for optimal performance. However, Wix’s focus on performance has led to substantial improvements in website speed, making it a viable option for many businesses.

Advanced SEO Control

Advanced SEO practitioners may find certain limitations with Wix, such as less detailed control over auto-generated sitemaps and file naming for images. Custom-built websites provide more flexibility in implementing advanced SEO strategies.

Multilingual Support

For websites targeting multiple languages, custom-built solutions can offer more intricate multilingual SEO features. However, Wix’s multilingual support is suitable for many businesses and simplifies the process of creating and managing multilingual versions of your site.

In conclusion, Wix has evolved into a platform that can support robust SEO efforts. Its server-side rendering, crawlability, and performance enhancements have made it a viable choice for businesses aiming to rank on Google. While custom-built websites offer more advanced SEO control, Wix provides a user-friendly, cost-effective option for achieving good search engine rankings. By leveraging Wix’s built-in SEO tools and customization options, website owners can optimize their online presence and compete effectively in the digital landscape.