Webflow is all about keeping no-code website-building solutions at the user’s fingertips, giving non-techies the confidence to build and manage different kinds of websites. It’s an open secret that Webflow experts leverage with great success.
But an even more delightful addition to the Webflow offering is the platform’s suite of SEO settings that make optimizing websites for search engines swift, easy, and smooth. Find out how Webflow developers use the tool’s built-in SEO capabilities in the four steps below to improve search rankings.
1. Adjusting Publishing Settings to Boost SEO
Before publishing your content, adjust the Advanced Publishing Options settings. Advanced Published Options are accessible from the Settings dashboard, under Publishing, and they consist of:
- SSL
- HTML
- CSS
- JS settings
- And secure frame headers
Google considers sites with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to be secure, and having the certificate on your website can help with ranking. Webflow has SSL built into the system as a security control to keep your data encrypted and safe. Websites created after November 14, 2018, have the default settings set to Enable SSL. But if the function is deactivated on your site, turn it on, and Webflow will generate an SSL certificate for your website.
To enhance site security further, Webflow also uses secure frame headers. Secured frame headers block clickjacking attempts by preventing web pages from getting embedded in iframes. Toggle the button to Use Secure Frame Headers to activate the feature. Secure frame headers are automatically enabled on Membership and E-commerce Webflow sites and cannot be disabled.
Move the slide switch to ON to minify HTML, CSS, and JS. Minifying these functions compresses them, freeing up resources so the website loads faster. This boosts the website’s performance and optimization and improves the user experience, leading to better SEO.
Scroll up to Custom domains and choose where to publish your site. Save your changes and hit Publish.
2. Using 301 Redirects
Take advantage of 301 redirects. Webflow uses wildcard redirects to:
- Guide traffic from an old URL to a new one
- Connect old domains to new ones
- Redirect a domain to a different one.
Redirects guide search engine bots in the same way, and this helps preserve the site’s search engine ranking. Without these redirects, visitors and web crawlers would hit a dead end, undoubtedly affecting the site’s ranking.
3. Adding H1-H6 Tags
Webflow makes it easy to add H1-H6 tags on web pages. Check that the page’s H1 is the title and is positioned at the top. H1 tags help visitors understand what the website is all about. Adding the primary keyword phrase to the H1 further helps with SEO. But it has to make sense to website visitors.
Random words thrown together to appease the web crawler won’t cut it. If incoming traffic finds jumbled phrases that don’t communicate the goal of the website, they’ll quickly leave, which increases the site’s bounce rate. A high bounce rate means visitors derive little value from the website and bears ominous results for SEO.
It takes some practice to get the titles right every time. One fundamental approach to ensuring that titles hit the mark is designing them so anyone reading them can tell what the page offers. The title should communicate the main idea and purpose of the webpage. Incorporate the primary keyword or phrase naturally so the title doesn’t appear forced or manipulated.
Add H2-H6 tags to all the headings and subheadings as needed. Doing this gives the page a structured look, creates flow, and helps readers identify the main ideas presented and the subideas connected to them.
4. Optimizing Individual Web Pages
Experts rely on Webflow’s page settings to optimize web pages. Select a page under Pages, then go to Settings > General > SEO Settings.
Add title tags and meta descriptions to each page on the website, and ensure that the titles and descriptions spell out the purpose of the page. Avoid repeating the same title tags and descriptions on every page, as this will negatively impact the site’s ranking. Search engines reward unique content while penalizing repetitive ones. So create distinctive descriptions that help each page stand out.
However, use the keyword phrase in the title tags to help the pages tie in with the message in the H1. Creating this correlation between the pages builds cohesiveness and lets visitors know they can expect the same quality content across all pages.
In Summary
Webflow experts know the secret to better ranking in search engine results lies in using the SEO functions built into the Webflow system. And you, too, can master how to make these capabilities work for your website. The four techniques discussed above are a good place to start: adjusting publishing options for SEO, leveraging H1-H6 tags, optimizing individual web pages, and using 301 redirects.
