When you're building a website on Wix, it's easy to get drawn into the creative side of things—choosing the perfect template, selecting a catchy domain name, and picking just the right font. But there's another piece of the puzzle that's equally important: making sure people can actually find your site online. That's where SEO comes into play, and if you're like most folks, you're probably wondering how much it costs to get your Wix site SEO-ready.
This article is going to break down the various costs associated with Wix SEO. We’ll talk about both free and paid options, and give you a clear understanding of what you might expect to pay if you're looking to optimize your site for search engines. By the end, you’ll have a solid grasp of how SEO can fit into your budget and help your site get noticed.
Understanding Wix's Built-in SEO Features
First off, let's talk about what Wix offers out of the box. Wix actually provides a pretty decent set of SEO tools for free. These tools are designed to help you optimize your site without needing to hire an expert or spend hours learning complex SEO strategies.
One of the most notable features is the Wix SEO Wiz. This tool acts like a personal SEO assistant, guiding you through the basic steps of optimizing your site. It starts by asking you a few questions about your business and the keywords you want to target. Then, it creates a personalized SEO plan tailored just for you.
Besides the SEO Wiz, Wix also allows you to:
- Edit meta tags for each page
- Customize URL slugs
- Add alt text to images
- Create a sitemap
- Integrate with Google Search Console
All these features are part of the free plan, which is great for beginners who want to start optimizing their site without diving into their wallets. However, as your site grows, you might find yourself needing more advanced tools and features, which is where additional costs can come into play.
Premium Plans: What Do They Offer?
While the free tools are a fantastic starting point, Wix also offers premium plans that can give your SEO efforts a bit more oomph. These plans aren't just about SEO—they bundle in a range of features that can help improve your site's overall performance.
Here's what you can expect from Wix's premium plans:
- Custom Domain: A custom domain is crucial for branding and can positively influence your SEO.
- Increased Storage and Bandwidth: As your site grows, you'll need more resources to keep everything running smoothly.
- Professional Email: Having an email address that matches your domain can enhance your credibility.
- Ad Vouchers: Some plans come with Google Ads vouchers, which can help you kickstart your online marketing.
The cost of these premium plans varies. For instance, the Combo plan starts at around $14 per month, while the VIP plan can go up to $39 per month. For many small businesses, the Combo or Unlimited plans offer a good balance of features and cost.
Investing in SEO Apps
Wix's App Market is another avenue where you might choose to spend some money on SEO. The market hosts a variety of third-party apps that can help enhance your site's SEO performance.
Popular apps include:
- Site Booster: This app helps get your business listed on top search engines and directories.
- SEO Monitoring: These apps track your site's performance and alert you to any issues that might affect your rankings.
- Keyword Tools: These tools help you discover and target the right keywords for your site.
Most of these apps offer a free version with basic features, but to unlock all the goodies, you'll often need to pay a monthly subscription. Prices range from $3 to $20 per month, depending on the app and the features it offers. While these costs can add up, they often provide valuable insights and tools that can significantly boost your efforts.
Hiring an SEO Expert
Let’s say you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole SEO thing. Maybe you don’t have the time to manage it all on your own, or perhaps you just want to ensure everything's done right. In this case, hiring an SEO expert might be the way to go.
SEO experts can do everything from performing audits to creating content strategies and managing link-building campaigns. The cost of hiring an expert varies widely based on their experience and the scope of work. Freelancers might charge anywhere from $50 to $200 per hour, while agencies could have monthly retainers ranging from $500 to several thousand dollars.
While this might seem steep, many businesses find that the investment pays off in increased traffic and sales. Plus, having an expert on your side can save you time and ensure you're following the latest best practices.
Budgeting for Content Creation
SEO isn't just about tweaking settings and adding keywords—it's also about creating high-quality content that attracts visitors and keeps them engaged. Whether it’s blog posts, videos, or infographics, good content is essential for improving your search engine rankings.
If you choose to hire someone to help with content creation, expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $500 per piece, depending on the complexity and length. On the other hand, if you're a DIY type, you might only need to budget for tools like Grammarly or Canva, which can help polish your work.
It's important to remember that content is a long-term investment. While it might take some time to see results, consistently publishing valuable content can significantly improve your site's authority and visibility over time.
Considering Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimizing the backend of your site to ensure it’s easily crawlable and indexable by search engines. This can include improving site speed, fixing broken links, and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly.
Wix does a decent job of handling many technical aspects for you, but there might still be some issues that require a bit of extra attention. Tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights can help identify areas for improvement. If you're not comfortable making these changes yourself, hiring a developer might be necessary.
Developer rates can vary widely, but you should expect to pay $30 to $100 per hour. While this might seem like a lot, technical issues can have a big impact on your site’s performance, so it’s often worth the investment.
Measuring and Monitoring Your SEO Efforts
Once you’ve put all this effort into optimizing your site, you’ll want to track your progress to see if it’s paying off. Tools like Google Analytics and the built-in Wix Analytics can help you monitor your traffic, see which pages are performing well, and identify areas for improvement.
While these tools are free, there are also paid options that offer more advanced features. SEMrush and Ahrefs are popular choices among SEO professionals, providing detailed insights into your site’s performance and your competitors'. These tools can be pricey, with monthly subscriptions ranging from $100 to $400, but they can offer valuable data that might justify the cost.
The Cost of Time and Effort
While we've talked a lot about financial costs, it's important to remember that SEO also requires an investment of time and effort. Whether you're learning the ropes yourself or managing a team, it takes dedication to consistently apply SEO best practices and adapt to changes in search algorithms.
Consider creating a schedule or setting aside specific times each week to focus on SEO. This can help ensure you're consistently making progress and not letting things slip through the cracks. It might also be helpful to join online communities or forums where you can learn from others and stay updated on the latest trends.
Ultimately, the time you invest in SEO can pay off in increased traffic and conversions, making it a worthwhile endeavor for most website owners.
DIY vs. Outsourcing: Making the Right Choice
One of the biggest decisions you'll face is whether to handle SEO on your own or hire someone to do it for you. Both options have their pros and cons, and the right choice depends on your budget, time constraints, and comfort level with the technical aspects of SEO.
Handling SEO yourself can save money, and it gives you full control over your strategy. Plus, there are tons of free resources available that can help you learn the basics. However, it can also be time-consuming and may lead to mistakes if you're not sure what you're doing.
On the other hand, outsourcing SEO to a professional can free up your time and ensure everything is done correctly from the start. It can be costly, but many businesses find the investment worthwhile for the peace of mind and professional results it provides.
Consider starting with a DIY approach if you're on a tight budget, and gradually outsourcing tasks as your business grows and you have more resources available.
Final Thoughts
So, how much does Wix SEO cost? It really depends on your goals and how much you're willing to invest. With Wix's free tools and some dedication, you can start optimizing your site without spending a dime. However, as your needs grow, you might find that investing in premium plans, apps, or professional help can provide the extra boost you need.
If you're feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, Pattern can lend a hand. We specialize in helping ecommerce brands and SaaS startups grow by driving more traffic from Google and turning that traffic into paying customers. Unlike most SEO agencies, we focus on results, not just rankings. We create programmatic landing pages that target hundreds of search terms, helping your brand get found by more people ready to buy. Our conversion-focused content doesn't just attract visitors—it turns them into paying customers. And we don't believe SEO should take 12 months to show results. So, if you’re ready to make SEO a growth channel that drives sales, we’re here to help.