Site Performance & SEO Basics

Checking Site Speed

Site speed affects user experience and SEO:

1. Visit your published site
2. Go to Google PageSpeed Insights: https://pagespeed.web.dev/
3. Enter your domain
4. Get performance score (0-100)
5. See specific issues and recommendations

Improving Performance

Optimize Images
- Compress before uploading
- Use appropriate formats (JPG for photos, PNG for graphics)
- Use WebP for modern browsers
- Set appropriate image dimensions

Minimize Code
- Remove unused CSS and JavaScript
- Use Webflow's native features instead of custom code when possible
- Lazy-load images below the fold

Leverage Browser Caching
- Webflow automatically handles this
- Visitors' browsers cache resources
- Faster load times on return visits

Use Webflow's CDN
- Automatically included with Webflow hosting
- Serves content from servers closest to visitors
- Global performance optimization

Reduce Redirects
- Minimize redirect chains
- Direct links load faster
- Update old URLs to new ones

SEO Fundamentals

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your site rank in Google:

Meta Title
1. Go to page settings (gear icon on page)
2. Find SEO section
3. Enter Meta Title (50-60 characters)
4. Include keywords naturally
5. Appears in search results and browser tab

Meta Description
1. In the same SEO section
2. Enter Meta Description (150-160 characters)
3. Summarize page content
4. Appears under title in search results

Headings (H1, H2, H3)
- Use one H1 per page (usually page title)
- Use H2, H3 for subsections
- Include keywords naturally
- Helps search engines understand content structure

Alt Text for Images
1. Select any image
2. Add Alt Text in Properties
3. Describe what the image shows
4. Helps accessibility and SEO

Internal Linking
- Link to other pages on your site
- Use descriptive link text
- Helps search engines understand site structure
- Helps visitors navigate

URL Structure
- Use descriptive URLs (not /page123)
- Example: /blog/how-to-choose-a-template
- URLs should be readable and keyword-relevant

Content Quality
- Original, helpful content ranks better
- Longer content (1500+ words) often ranks better
- Answer user questions directly
- Update content regularly

Mobile Friendliness
- Webflow templates are mobile-friendly
- Google favors mobile-optimized sites
- Always test on real devices

Page Speed (Already Covered)
- Faster sites rank better
- See "Checking Site Speed" section above

Sitemaps & Robots.txt
- Webflow automatically generates these
- Help search engines crawl your site
- No action needed from you

Submitting to Google Search Console

1. Go to Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console
2. Add your site
3. Verify domain ownership
4. Track search performance
5. Monitor any issues Google finds

Monitoring Your SEO

Regularly check:
- Google Search Console for traffic
- Google Analytics for visitor behavior
- Page Speed scores
- Ranking positions for target keywords