Webflow SEO 101: How to Rank Higher on Google

If you use Webflow, you know that the website builder is perfect for everything from e-commerce to small business sites.

While Webflow websites can certainly get you up and running more quickly, you probably still want to generate as much organic traffic to your site as possible. The good news is that you don’t need custom code to build a site that performs well on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

However, you do need to know a few tricks of the trade to optimize Webflow’s search engine optimization (SEO) features. This is the key to showing up higher in search engines like Google and Bing, as well as generating more traffic from organic search.

Ready to dig in? Let’s look at what Webflow is, how it works with SEO, and three tips to help you generate more SEO juice for your Webflow website.

What Is Webflow?

Webflow is a visual website builder that’s been around since 2013. It isn’t as common as WordPress, but it’s an increasingly popular choice because it includes both a content management system (CMS) and hosting.

Webflow’s biggest selling point is its control and cleanliness. You have control over nearly every aspect of your website’s SEO — without the need to hire a developer. Unlike no-code tools like WordPress, Webflow doesn’t come with third-party plugins, which keep your site’s code nice and clean.

However, Webflow gets you “closer to the code,” which means it doesn’t hurt to have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. The good news is that you don’t need to know more advanced languages like Javascript.

Is Webflow Good for SEO?

Yes, Webflow is good for organic search.

Other website builders don’t set you up for success with search engine algorithms, which can hurt your chances of indexing in search engines.

While Webflow is relatively new compared to other website builders, it’s an SEO-first site builder. It can help you create beautiful, intuitive websites with readymade templates and even animations to jazz up the user experience.

Webflow also keeps its code clean, which makes it easier for search engine bots to crawl your site. If you’re trying to quickly build your SEO presence, Webflow’s simplified code can speed up how quickly you’re ranked in the search engines.

While Webflow is still a dark horse in the world of CMS, many businesses choose this platform for its SEO perks, which include:

Speed: Webflow has well over 100 data centers across the world, which means its loading times are already optimized out of the box.
XML sitemap generation: Webflow automatically generates an XML sitemap, which search engines use to understand the content of your site. You’re also free to create your own intuitive sitemap.
Clean code: Webflow uses clear code that search engine bots understand, which helps you rank more quickly.

Webflow also includes easy functionalities for adjusting your metadata, pulling analytics, changing rich text, and building a responsive design that improves the user experience.

How to Use SEO for Webflow? 3 Tips for Webflow SEO Strategy

SEO can feel complicated, but Webflow simplifies the entire process for you. If you’re a beginner, try these tips to come out on top of the SERPs.

1. Invest in Technical SEO

Before you invest in off-page SEO strategies like backlinks, it’s best to optimize on-page first. This way, you squeeze as much SEO power out of your website as possible. Fortunately, investing in on-page SEO and technical SEO is easy with a platform like Webflow.

Use these Webflow features to boost your site’s ranking potential:

301 redirects: A 301 redirect funnels traffic from an old URL to a new one. It’s a great way to preserve your web page’s SEO ranking while changing its URL. Webflow makes it easy to create these redirects in just a few clicks. But if you’re afraid of throwing a 404 error, you can also use Webflow’s 404 feature to create a more helpful 404 page.
Robots.txt: This is a file that tells search engine crawlers how to index your site. If you don’t want search engines to index a page you’re in the process of building, you can tell search engines to skip it by altering your robots.txt file. Webflow makes it easy to adjust this file without digging into your site’s actual files.
Meta data: Your meta title and meta description will display to users on search engines, so optimizing this meta data is a Webflow SEO must-have. Search engine bots will also check this information to see what your site is about. It’s also good to add alt text and alt tags to your website’s images, both for accessibility and for search engine rankings. For extra ranking power, drop your target keywords into this metadata.
Schema markup: This structured data improves your listings. Add and edit the schema markup on all of your web pages to improve your search engine indexing and appearance.

2. Think About the User Experience

Webflow simplifies web design, but it’s still on you to create as streamlined of a user experience as possible. Fortunately, what’s good for human users is usually good for search engine rankings.

Webflow’s SEO features make it a cinch to improve the user experience with:

Internal linking: Linking between the pages on your site can help users find the information they need more quickly.
Short URLs: Change up your SEO settings in Webflow to generate short, succinct URLs that are easier for users to remember. Search engines also prefer clear URLs, so this is a win for SEO, too.
Simple navigation: Search engines reward websites that are easier to crawl, and we guarantee your users will prefer a simpler navigation menu, too. Create a responsive, mobile-optimized header and footer navigation menu to funnel both users and search engine bots through your site with the least amount of friction.

3. Create High-Quality Content

Content marketing is the backbone of Webflow SEO. With the right mix of content, you can boost organic traffic to your Webflow site.

Out of the box, Webflow comes with layouts, templates, and other time-saving features to make your content look great. It even allows you to schedule content, so you can pre-load batches of content into the Webflow CMS and release it on a predetermined schedule.

Both search engines and human users care about the quality of your content. Learn how to balance the expectations of site visitors and your search engine rankings by:

Making content scannable with lots of headers, bullets, formatting, and a table of contents
Adding images (with alt text) to make the piece more engaging
Delivering on search intent by answering the reader’s question
Answering questions, FAQ-style, within the copy

Remember to use relevant keywords in each piece of content on your Webflow website. You won’t see results overnight, but boosting your rankings for niche keywords can help your site rank higher over time.

You can also use SEO tools like Webflow Audit Tool, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console to fix any issues with your website’s content.

Ultimately, the goal of creating content on a Webflow site is to help you score a Featured Snippet in Google search, which will display your website as #1 on the SERP. This is no easy feat, which is why you need to create high-quality content, consistently.

If you need help creating content for Webflow SEO, Growth Machine is here to help. We can help you create a content strategy and publish content that follows Google EEAT guidelines. If you don’t have infinite time to create SEO-friendly content, working with an experienced SEO team is the best way to get results.

Simplify Your Search Engine Game With Webflow SEO

Building and managing a website is no picnic. But once you climb that mountain, you also need to continually optimize your website to boost organic traffic and increase your brand awareness.

If you need help overcoming competition in your space, leverage Webflow’s baked-in SEO tools to come out ahead. Follow these three best practices to stay ahead of the curve:

Invest in technical SEO
Optimize the user experience
Create high-quality content

Backend SEO optimization will get you far, but you also need to create content consistently to boost your rankings on the SERPs. Partner with Growth Machine’s expert team of SEO strategists, editors, and writers to boost your Webflow website’s SEO. Fill out our contact form to get help with keyword research, topics, posting, optimization, and much more.