Is a Wix HTML Site Google Ranking Friendly?

Is a Wix HTML site Google ranking friendly? It depends on the template and how you've customized it. Based on a few templates I've seen, there's often room for improvement. Let's take the Catwalk-Sidewalk template as an example.

Current Issues with Wix HTML Sites

Bad: All script is loaded before the body.
Fix: Move script into a single file and place it at the end of the page for faster load times. Pages that load in less than a second receive a higher ranking.

Bad: No actual content is displayed when script is turned off.
Fix: Show content as static at render time so a search engine crawler can index it.

Bad: Images once loaded have no alternative text.
Fix: Add alt text to each image to explain what it represents.

Bad: Divitis - an excessive use of div tags with multiple classes.
Fix: Improve meta-data structure and use tags that relate to their content. At minimum, reduce the number of divs and their complexity.

Large Issues with Wix HTML Sites

Loading content with JavaScript is a significant issue. While I can't confirm this for certain, if this is the case across all Wix templates, it can severely impact SEO. This practice can slow down page loading times and make it harder for search engines to crawl and index the content.

Divitis is another challenge. WYSIWIG (What You See Is What You Get) builders often lead to an excessive use of div tags, which can negatively impact SEO. While there isn't a perfect solution within these builders, it's one more reason why people still make websites from scratch. However, with advancements in technology, better solutions may be on the horizon.

Conclusion

It doesn't seem that Wix is prioritizing SEO as a primary goal for its websites. It appears that SEO was largely ignored in this example template. However, with the right modifications, a Wix HTML site can be optimized for better Google rankings. Focus on reducing load times, ensuring content is accessible, providing proper alternative text for images, and streamlining the use of div tags. With these improvements, a Wix site can become more Google ranking friendly.