A Beginner's Guide to Understanding SEO

Of all the questions we receive, those related to search engine optimisation (SEO) are by far the most common.

From thinking that updating your SEO will automatically move you to the top of Google, to being told that SEO can only be done by experts, there is a huge amount of false advice around on the topic.

So, in this guide, we'll share the basics of search engine optimisation for your Wix website so you can tackle it yourself and get a better understanding of what SEO can do - and what it can't!

So, what is SEO?

SEO or search engine optimisation, is the process of making your website more visible on search engines. It encompasses four main types:

1. On-Page SEO: is about making sure the content on your site is valuable, relevant and contains keywords, and is structured correctly with headings and links within the site.
   

2. Off-Page SEO: involves acquiring backlinks from other websites, increasing your social media presence, and gaining brand awareness.
   

3. Technical SEO: is concerned with the speed of your website, making sure it is optimised for mobile devices and that you have submitted your site to Google.
   

4. Local SEO: involves optimising your Google Business Profile, getting reviews/testimonials and using local keywords on your website.
   

All of these components of SEO work in combination, so it is important to make sure that each is addressed when you are building or adding to your website.

One of the benefits of using Wix is that SEO is built into the platform and there are tools ready to help you understand how to implement SEO best across your website. From adding keywords to getting your site linked to Google Search Console, there are guides and help at every step on Wix.

Let's take a look at each of these four types of SEO in a little more detail and show you how you can use Wix to ensure you have them all covered.

On-page SEO

Remember, this is about making sure your content is relevant and useful to your visitors (and is NOT just written for SEO).

So, how do you go about making sure you're doing that?

Be clear about what you do...

It's amazing how many enquiries we receive from business owners saying they want to be found in a specific location for a specific service, but their site doesn't specifically state either.

Remember, just because you know what you do, search engines aren't mind readers - so if you want to be found for business coaching in Colchester, you need to use those exact words, and more than once, on your site.

Content & Keywords are key

You may have heard this before, but not really understood what it means.

In a nutshell, you need plenty of content on your website. Fifty words on a page is insufficient to let search engines know what you offer. Instead, you need 250+ words on all of the important pages on your site and those words need to clearly explain WHAT you do, WHERE you do it, and WHY helps too.

And when it comes to keywords, the more specific you are the better. So, if you are a business coach, you would include your location and specialism, such as: "business coach for new business owners in Colchester". This is called a 'long tail keyword' and is essential for SEO.

Use Heading Styles Correctly

When building any website, you will see that heading and paragraph styles are available, such as Heading 1, Heading 2, Paragraph 1, etc. These do more than just make the text look good; they inform search engines of the hierarchy of the content throughout each page.

Heading 1 should be used once only on each page, followed by Heading 2 for sub-sections and Heading 3 for sub-sub-sections.

The Wix SEO CHecklist

You will find the SEO Checklist in the Wix Dashboard of your website. It's under Site & Mobile App > Website & SEO > SEO (as of July 2024) and the first step is to ensure seven tasks shown above are complete.

The checklist walks you through what you have to do to ensure all sections are filled correctly and connect your site to Google Search Console.

Once you have completed Step 1, you can move on to Step 2 which then helps you optimise all of the individual pages and images on your site.

Off-Page SEO

Google Business Profile

Setting up a Google Business Profile can also be done through your Wix website. In the Dashboard, click on Marketing > Marketing Home to find the GBP option. You can also connect an existing GBP here if you have one, so no need to start again.

Having your own Google Business Profile allows you to appear on Google Maps and your customers to leave reviews. It's another platform you need to keep updated, but as Google has a 94% market share* of search engines in the UK (as of June 2024), being visible anywhere on Google is super important.

Backlinks

These are harder to achieve, but not impossible. To gain backlinks you need to get other website owners to add a link to your website from theirs.

Directory sites, such as FreeIndex, Cylex and Hotfrog are a great place to start as they provide links back to your site free of charge.

Then you can start looking for opportunities to write content for other people - guest posts on other websites that complement your own. For example, we've had guest posts from a copywriter and a marketeer that help our clients better understand how those elements fit into their websites, and link back to the websites of our posters - so everyone wins!

Building Brand Awareness

Only you can get your name out there to start with, so tell EVERYONE about your new business and what you do. Although not everyone will be your customer, they may know someone who is.

There are plenty of ways to build that brand awareness - social media, advertising, cold calling, networking, events, flyers, etc. and the best ways will depend on your target audience (are they B2C or B2B) and where they 'hang out'.

Be consistent in both your message and brand (so use the same colours and fonts across print/digital/website/social) to help your brand get recognised.

And, if you're not sure it can work for a small business, check out our Website Rescue page - the strapline has become what we're known for and new clients often mention it when they call...

Technical SEO

Thankfully Wix takes care of most of this for you so you can breathe a sigh of relief. However, there are some small things that you can do to ensure that you are helping them keep your site performing at it's best...

Site Speed

Your website speed will be affected by very large images and videos, so try to keep these to a minimum by:

• Reducing your image file sizes before you upload them to your website. You can keep the originals for print materials, but you don't need a 4MB image on your webpage...
  

• Link to videos rather than host them on your own website using platforms such as Vimeo or Adilo (both paid but don't include ads) or YouTube (free but can then take people off to other sites through ads). These can still be played on your website, but just don't use up your website space/speed as they are hosted elsewhere

Mobile Optimisation

Wix gives you a mobile version by default so use that to your advantage and make sure that your site looks as gorgeous on mobile devices as it does on desktop - after all more than 61% of all website traffic comes from mobile users**.

But did you know that Wix has specific mobile tools like a welcome screen shown here (that appear while your site is loading in the background) or quick action buttons (to help visitors contact you straight from their phone)?

These mobile optimisation tools will help your website work properly on any device.

Local SEO

We've already mentioned Google Business Profile in Off-page SEO above, and this is honestly one of the best ways of being found locally for what you do as you appear right on the map for customers to find you. Just make sure you're keeping your details up to date!

Local SEO is also part of your on-page strategy - we've lost count of the times we've looked at a website and there is no mention of the location of the business until you reach to contact page (if at all). Now, that may not matter if you cater to clients across the country, or even further afield, but if you offer an in-person service, you don't want people from Ulswater finding you if you're in Uttoxeter...

Use Maps on your website

Make sure you mention WHERE you work and the places you travel to or cover if you are mobile. And you can do this on social media too - the more times you mention it the better.

Having a map on your website where you show your locations is also a great idea. Our favourite use of the Wix map feature is Beaconhill Woodfuels who show off their free delivery area within the Midlands with beacons for all major towns and cities.

Get Reviews

Whether your reviews come through email, Google, social media or on paper, ensure you share them regularly. This social proof is a psychological tendency we all have to follow others' actions when making decisions. We all prefer to take a recommendation from a friend than spend hours finding someone who may or may not be the right fit for what we need!

So, the more you get used to asking your clients for reviews the better.

In Summary...

Of course there is more to SEO than what we've shared above, but getting these basics sorted on your site first will give you a greater chance of being found on search engines.

Remember - SEO is simply a combination of consistency, content and keywords so make sure you are giving your website and other channels the attention they deserve and you will see improvements in your enquiries.

And, if you get stuck or just need a little help, get in touch and we'd love to help you figure our a strategy that works for you.

*https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/united-kingdom

** https://explodingtopics.com/blog/mobile-internet-traffic