In the past, backlinks were the building blocks for growing organic traffic. Today's search algorithms, which are more adept at understanding user intent, enable Google (and other search engines) to rank sites using various factors other than referrals. However while not the sole determining factor, backlinks remain valuable for website ranking. What are backlinks? In SEO, backlinks are web page links that direct users from one web page to another, creating an incredible referral network in online search. Not all backlinks are made alike. When aiming for a strong backlink profile, the key factors to consider are the relevance and quality of the domains and pages linking to your content. This means relevant backlinks from authoritative sites signal to Google that your page is worth the attention. SEO experts term this linked value as "link juice." To enjoy optimal results from the link juice you’ve earned, prioritize quality rather than quantity. According to Google Search Advocate, John Mueller, a single high-quality link from a website holds significant value and can make a page rank. This suggests that having even one really good link signifies the website's relevance and importance to Google. How do backlinks boost your website? Backlinks play an essential role, but what exactly is their impact? Here are reasons why marketing teams invest in link building. 1. More organic traffic: Backlinks are a leading ranking factor in searches. If all else is equal, a page with authoritative and relevant backlinks is more likely to rank on the first page of Google for its targeted searches. 2. Boost in referral traffic: Links from high-traffic sites and pages can enhance your website's traffic by encouraging clicks from those referring pages. 4. Credibility with Google: Google evaluates a site's content quality through signals indicating expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). Backlinks indicate that your page is trustworthy and knows what it’s talking about. 5. Credibility with readers: Pages linked by websites respected in their industry are more likely to be reliable and convincing to your target audience. 6. Faster indexing time: When you include internal backlinks from pages already indexed, Google quickly discovers and crawls the new page, leading to faster indexing. When are backlinks particularly valuable? There's no situation where the right backlinks are unfavorable to search rank and quality. Investing in link building is generally a good idea if your site is well-structured and optimized for search. Certain situations make this investment especially worthwhile. 1. You have a truly unique content: If your content is one-of-a-kind, like expert interviews or exclusive research, it's harder to replicate. This uniqueness makes it an ideal target for successful link building. 2. Your target keywords are specific: If your blog post focuses on unique keywords, like "top 10 plant-based lipstick brands," rather than generic ones like "best lipstick colors," you'll find it easier to build backlinks. Generic topics not only face more backlink competition but also encounter heightened competition in search results. 3. You’re writing for search phrases with no data: Some keywords have low monthly searches or lack sufficient search history data. Many businesses overlook the opportunities these keywords offer, such as attracting high-intent customers or dominating search results. Creating content for these keywords can help you gain more traffic and earn relevant backlinks, signaling to Google and your readers that you're the new authority on the subject. Attributes Affecting Link Quality of Referring Domains In any job search, a recommendation from a respected industry expert can give you an edge. Similarly, aligning with websites in good standing with Google can speed up the ranking process for your online content. Here are some factors that determine if a referral is more valuable than others: 1. Site Quality: Google prefers referring domains with strong E-A-T, user experience, and site structure. Backlinks from such sites are more favorable than those from similar websites that don’t have these qualities. 2. Site Relevance: The relevance and proximity of a referring domain/page to your target page significantly impact backlink quality. It doesn't need to be an exact match but should be close. For instance, Google is likely to value links more if they connect sites from two related digital marketing disciplines, rather than linking a marketing site to one that’s about pet adoption. 3. Anchor Text: Google checks anchor text to understand a page's content better and what a link is conveying. The more relevant and straightforward the anchor text is to the linked topic, the more information Google must appropriately rank it for relevant searches. 4. Types of Links: Follow links instruct Google's crawlers to "follow" the link and explore the target page, making them the most valuable for passing link equity. They are usually the default setting, but some brands may choose to nofollow all external links. Nofollow links use a specific tag to limit link juice (although Google treats this as a hint, it’s not a strict directive). UGC (user-generated content) and sponsored tags indicate to Google that a link is either outside a site's control or paid for. Three Under-used But Effective Strategies for Boosting Your Backlink Profile Building links is challenging but integral to a successful SEO strategy. While customized choices are essential for specific objectives, there are certain best practices everyone can observe in acquiring and maintaining excellent backlinks. 1. Cultivate Relationships with Industry Leading Brands and Top Creators To consistently earn quality links, adopt a sales approach by treating people with genuine interest. Establish connections by offering help, giving more than taking, and adding a personal touch into your interactions. While cold emails might work occasionally, having a relationship makes it easier to make appropriate backlink requests. However, exercise caution to preserve these relationships, as they take time to build but can very easily be undone. Avoid these behaviors: - Requesting backlinks too frequently or in multiples - Proposing links to sites or pages without mutual relevance - Making it their obligation to find or suggest anchor text By following these relationship-building strategies, you increase your chances of securing valuable backlinks. 2. Watch Out for and Fix Broken Backlinks Securing a backlink doesn't guarantee that it’s permanent. Pages become outdated, referring domains change, and the content they cover may shift. It's crucial to monitor these links and ensure that the linked pages remain accessible and active. Continual backlink monitoring is an integral aspect of SEO, extending beyond the winning of the initial link. Some commonly used tools by SEO practitioners include: - Google Search Console, a forever free tool - SEO Spider from Screaming Frog, which is free for up to 500 URLs - Semrush, offering a seven-day free trial with full access - SEO Spyglass, available for a free trial with in-depth backlink insights 3. Explore Niche Websites Have you ever seen a blog solely dedicated to recipes from the southern US or a website guiding Dungeons and Dragons beginners in creating their first characters? These are examples of specialized or niche websites. Niche sites focus on a specific topic and audience, often being among the few competing for a sizable portion of traffic. If these sites align with your website's content, they provide an opportunity to establish a connection that brings a consistent supply of backlinks. In addition to niche sites, there are other opportunities to get various types of backlinks (note: many are nofollow links, which are more beneficial for traffic than authority). These opportunities include: - Social media profiles and bios, including those of key company personnel at a company - Directory sites like G2, Capterra, Yelp, and similar aggregators with editable profiles - Community platforms such as Reddit, Quora, and forums specific to topics or niches Backlink FAQ How many backlinks do I need for my website? There is no specific minimum number of backlinks required for a website to rank, as confirmed by Google. In the past, link quantity was crucial for SEO success, particularly with Google's PageRank algorithm. Although current ranking algorithms are more intricate, outdated practices still influence the emphasis on backlink count. For those prioritizing traffic, emphasize quality --with a single relevant referring domain potentially yielding more traffic than numerous backlinks from less relevant, lower-quality sites. What should I do with backlinks I don’t want? Unwanted backlinks are common for all websites, ranging from irrelevant to inappropriate or spammy sources. Other undesirable backlinks also include adult websites and low-quality content aggregators. Google suggests ignoring such links, but if facing a manual action for unnatural backlinks, you can make use of Google's disavow feature in Search Console to address the issue. Is merely building backlinks sufficient for ranking? Unfortunately, not. The quality of content is more important. However, when comparing two similarly high-quality pages on the same topic, the one with more quality backlinks is highly likely to achieve a higher rank. As Google's exact criteria for determining content quality are unknown, a successful SEO strategy should prioritize both content and backlinks. If I don't want to invest time in building links, can I buy them instead? This falls into a gray area in SEO. Google's Search Central documentation warns against links intended to manipulate PageRank or search results, counting them as violation of guidelines. While it's preferable to organically build links, some websites choose to buy links for a paid link building strategy, often without facing penalties. If you decide to try a strategy that goes against Google's rules, understand that it could lead to penalties affecting your website's ranking or even getting completely removed from search results. The key to a successful link building strategy Recognize that link building alone won't guarantee success in SEO. Some reasons for the failure of link building, or for businesses giving up too soon, include: - Expecting immediate results - Having content that lacks originality or quality - Ignoring internal linking - Having a weak website structure and user experience - Lacking cohesion between organic and paid content Every website faces initial challenges in its link-building journey, requiring one to work hard. However, backlinks illustrate the Snowball Effect in marketing, where initial slow momentum transforms into compounding benefits that demand less effort. By consistently publishing high-quality content and earning relevant backlinks, more people will discover your pages organically through referrals and searches. This, in turn, leads to additional pages linking to your content without much effort –also known as passive link building. Effective link building relies on consistent, day-to-day efforts rather than flashy tactics. It involves getting the basics right day after day, week after week, and year after year. Successful SEO is an ongoing marathon without a definitive destination, which can be either highly rewarding or potentially costly. Note: While this article references Google as the default search engine due to its market share and advanced language processing capabilities, the principles discussed here are applicable to other search engines as well. Beach Websites backlinking program involves the following white hat areas: OUR BACKLINKING PROGRAM: Social bookmarking Profile creations Image sharing Directory submissions Blog submissions Quora submissions

Despite the ever-changing world of search engine optimisation (SEO), high-quality content creation remains one of the most important factors for improving a website's visibility and ranking in search engines like Google. Here are three key reasons why content is still crucial for SEO in 2023: Content builds trust and authority. Google wants to send users to the most trustworthy, informative sites for any given query. Creating regular, fresh content on topics related to your business demonstrates expertise in your field. This signals to Google that your site is an authority on those subjects and should rank higher. Content improves keyword targeting. Doing keyword research to inform your content strategy allows you to optimise pages and posts around terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for. This on-page SEO helps search engines understand your content's focus and relevance for those keywords. Content generates engagement and links. Compelling, useful content gets shared and linked to by readers, websites, and social media users. These social signals and backlinks are key ranking factors for Google and other search engines. More engagement on your content can lead to higher rankings. In summary, SEO content takes advantage of search engine algorithms to boost visibility and traffic. For any business today, having a smart, effective content strategy is still one of the best ways to improve your SEO and get found online.

UX design is the abbreviation used for “User Experience Design” and by definition incorporates all aspects of the end-users interaction with the company, its services, and its products. It refers particularly to the craft of making the user’s experience when interacting with a digital product as effective, efficient, and pleasant as possible. Simply put, UX design is the process of building products with the user in mind. This comprehensive definition covers a wide range of factors, including accessibility and ease of use, brand setting and consistency, and overall aesthetics. The user’s moment to moment reactions and how it comes together to create the general experience is also covered. The role of a UX designer There are 3 very important aspects to be considered by a UX designer: The What, The How, and The Why: What can be done with the product? (Anticipating the product’s features and functionality) ·How simple is it to use? (It mainly considers how the product will be used and what the UX designer can do to guarantee that the entire experience is as intuitive as can be) Why would someone need the product? (It explains a user’s needs for a specific product) Since UX design is a “human-first” approach and often needs layers of prototyping, research, and testing and the UX designer’s role often goes far beyond the range of a single project, it should not be surprising that UX Designers work closely with other related design fields, including: User Interface (UI) Design UI design covers the styling of the interface screens and touchpoints encountered by a user. In other words, UI design encompasses specific visual design choices surrounding layout, images, typography, other visual elements as well as micro-interactions. Graphic design is included here as well and contributes to visual elements such as designing logos etc. Interaction Design (IxD) IxD forms a connection between UI and UX design. IxD’s scope is wider than UI design and includes the process flow and functionality of interface elements. IxD’s usually depends greatly on front-end web development. What is the UX design process? As mentioned previously UX designers focus on user experience in other words how a website or app makes you feel while using it. Establishing that takes research, prototyping, and testing, with notable role players working closely together with other types of Designers and Product Managers to bring every idea to life in a manner resonating with end-users. Tony Ho Tran states in Inside Design that every modern, successful product or business needs UX to design behind it. “With it, customers will remain satisfied and (ideally) loyal to your business,” he writes. “Without it, your user can be left frustrated and bitter with your product… resulting in, ultimately, fewer users,” Tran says the most effective UX design creates a positive experience for a company’s target audience by expecting — and ultimately satisfying — their needs. So, what is the actual UX design process to make it happen? The process can be broken down into a few key steps allowing a team to determine user needs, develop test ideas, and refine a design so it has a major impact. Understanding the problem As with any problem the issue can only be resolved with a clear and thorough understanding of the problem and parameters. Saadia for UX Planet explains that “Design solves a problem” and “In order to provide a solution, you first need to understand the problem.” In UX design this can mean talking to customers and coming up with ideas together, establishing which problem you are trying to solve for your company, their company, and the end-users, and bringing the project team together to ensure everybody’s understanding is the same before the real hard work kicks off. Research and Analyze Extensive research is the pillar of UX design and begins well before building prototypes or signing off on graphic design decisions. This might mean spying on your rivals to get an idea of their product offerings, including their shortfalls and any prospective sources of inspiration, while another area focuses on end-users. “Your user research is going to be the lifeblood of your project,” explains Tran. “The things you discover and unearth during this stage lays the foundation for how your entire project will turn out.” “Not only do UX Designers want to know who their users are, but Designers want to dive deeper into their needs, fears, motivations, and behavior,” writes Nick Babich for Adobe’s design blog. During this stage, it can be useful to create user identities – such as, fictional depictions of your target customers — to give you a clear guideline for what you would like to achieve. Sketch and Design During this stage, you are finally grinding out ideas and although they do not have to be 100%, they must be engrained in your research with the ultimate focus on solving the current problem. When sharing concepts with your teams or other stakeholders you can use whiteboard flows, wireframe prototypes, and even hand-drawn sketches as part of the process. Moving ahead, you will start to get into the finer detail of a final design and carving out specifics such as typography and style guidelines with your graphic and UI design team According to Babich, an effective design phase is both highly collaborative, requiring input from the whole product development team, and iterative, meaning that it cycles back upon itself to validate ideas and assumptions. “You’ll have to design, redesign, scrap it, and design it all again,” Test, Launch, Repeat After the completion of building a final design that is supported by research and analysis, you are almost ready to send it off. Before this though you have to establish that works well, resonates with users, and if the initial problem is solved. This can only be done through extensive testing and making sure every piece of the product is usable and effective First, though, comes plenty of testing — ensuring every single piece of the product is usable and effective. Doing so requires a few approaches, according to Tran: Internal testing, end-user testing, and potentially a beta launch. “This is a limited release of your product to a small number of people with the goal of finding issues and cleaning them up before you launch it to the world,” he explains. “When it comes to the UX design process, there’s no one fits all solution,” says Babich. “But whether your UX process is lightweight or it’s full of a lot of activities, the goal of each UX design process is the same — create a great product for your users.” UX Design Basics in the UX design field From coluir and mood to typography and research, there is a lot to cover in the broad and ever-growing user experience (UX) design field. Mood Boards When starting a design, it is always a good idea to create a mood board. A mood board is a type of visual presentation or 'collage' consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. It can be used to convey a general idea or feeling about a particular topic to the viewer or user Primary and Secondary colours When planning your design, it is standard to select sets of primary colours and secondary colours that will act as the dominant and accent colours of your design. These can all be complemented by a neutral or grayscale colour selection. If you are having difficulty with choosing colours, the 60-30-10 rule is a good place to start. Choose a dominant colour and use it 60 percent of the time, then use a secondary color that matches the dominant one. Use an accent color (the 10 percent) sparingly, or in situations where you want to highlight content. It also helps to choose a light background (white) or dark background (dark grey) to keep things simple. Design Thinking Design thinking is an attitude to conceptualise and build products that solve problems while creating positive experiences for end-users. It places an emphasis on empathy and is a great companion to conducting good user research and high-quality UX design. Typography When selecting the correct font, it is important to pay attention to sizes, height, and whether you are using serif or sans serif. Each component has a different effect on the feel of the content. Google has a broad Font Library which provides a great way to explore different styles and how they work together. When learning typography, it is best to pick one typeface with many weights – italic, light, bold, medium, etc. Learn how to work with different weights to create visual hierarchy and to better understand balance and structure. Once you are comfortable with that typeface, choose another and do the same. Visual Hierarchy Sizes are important to distinguishing hierarchy and establishing balance on a page. It is important to UX specifically as it helps with website navigation. Usually, the Call to Action and title predominantly draw the eye while the rest is deprioritized secondary information. Always order information in a manner that guides the reader’s eye to the important information first. Customer Empathy Establishing customer empathy is very important and is an essential aspect of the design thinking process. When creating designs, prioritize a user-centric approach to uncover insights and develop marketplace solutions that fulfill your customer’s needs. Prototyping and Validation The capability to build and measure success based on customer experience allows you to gain the benefits of prototyping. Validation frameworks test assumptions, confirm solutions, and maximize the efficient use of resources prior to a product launch is very important. Focus on User Research The heart and soul of UX design is user research. To know your customers is of utmost importance to produce a smooth user experience. Knowing your customers is the key to producing a seamless user experience. From surveys to usability tests, there are over 20 different qualitative and quantitative methodologies that allow for different kinds of exploration in UX practice. Given its overarching influence on the way consumers interact with brands, UX design has become an essential component of today’s business world and is already changing the way organizations create their products and services.

Embracing Evolving Industry Trends in Technology and Design Where technology and design trends continue to shape the way we interact with websites, businesses might consider future-proofing their online presence. Building a website that can adapt and incorporate emerging industry trends ensures longevity, relevance, and an enhanced user experience. Here we explore the importance of future-proofing websites and how businesses can embrace evolving industry trends in technology and design. 1. Responsive Design for Mobile-First Experiences With the proliferation of mobile devices, having a responsive website design has become essential. Responsive design ensures that your website seamlessly adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions, providing an optimal user experience across devices. By prioritising mobile-friendly experiences, businesses future-proof their websites and cater to the growing number of users accessing the internet on smartphones and tablets. Remember this depends on your industry. Larger B2B businesses with predominantly corporate clients will likely have their site viewed more often on desktop computers than trades and eCommerce businesses focussed on a younger audience. 2. Prioritising Accessibility and Inclusivity As digital accessibility continues to gain importance, future-proofing websites involves ensuring inclusivity for all users, including those with disabilities. Designing websites with accessibility in mind, such as providing alternative text for images, keyboard navigation options, and captioned videos, allows businesses to reach a wider audience and comply with accessibility standards. Embracing inclusivity not only enhances user experience but also aligns with legal requirements and ethical considerations. 3. Integrating AI-Powered Solutions Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has rapidly advanced and has the potential to revolutionise website experiences. Businesses can future-proof their websites by integrating AI-powered solutions such as chatbots, voice assistants, and personalised recommendations. AI can enhance user interactions, provide instant support, and deliver tailored content, ultimately improving engagement and user satisfaction. 4. Adapting to Voice Search and Virtual Assistants Voice search is gaining momentum, driven by the popularity of virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. Future-proofing websites involves optimising content for voice search queries by incorporating natural language and conversational keywords. Businesses that adapt to voice search trends ensure their websites remain relevant and visible to users relying on voice commands for information and assistance. 5. Implementing Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) bridge the gap between websites and mobile applications, offering a seamless and app-like experience. PWAs can be accessed through web browsers and provide features like offline functionality, push notifications, and smooth performance. By embracing PWAs, businesses future-proof their websites by delivering fast, engaging, and user-friendly experiences, particularly on mobile devices. 6. Integrating Immersive Technologies Emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) offer exciting opportunities to enhance website experiences. Future-proofing websites involves exploring ways to integrate immersive technologies, allowing users to interact with products, spaces, or virtual environments. For businesses in industries such as retail, real estate, or tourism, incorporating VR or AR elements can revolutionise how customers engage with their offerings. 7. Designing for Micro-interactions and Animation Micro-interactions and subtle animations can elevate website experiences by adding depth and interactivity. Future-proofing websites involves incorporating well-crafted micro-interactions, such as hover effects, smooth transitions, or interactive elements, to create engaging and delightful user experiences. Thoughtful animations can guide users, provide feedback, and create memorable moments, enhancing the overall user journey. 8. Maintenance and Updating] Not related to your clients and customers, this item is still important. Is your site easy to update and maintain? Or do you need to hire an expensive coding team? With a few lessons, can anyone in your organisation make updates to your site, or schedule a blog post? Some business might require, or prefer, a professional to maintain their sites and provide skilled and often faster design and content changes. But for small, easy changes this may not be cost or time effective. Future-proofing websites is important for businesses to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. By embracing emerging industry trends in technology and design, businesses can ensure their websites remain relevant, user-friendly, and engaging. Prioritising responsive design, accessibility, AI-powered solutions, voice search optimisation, progressive web apps, immersive technologies, and interactive animations allows businesses to adapt to changing user expectations and provide exceptional online experiences. By future-proofing their websites, businesses can maintain a competitive edge and deliver lasting value to their target audience in the dynamic world of technology and design. Remember also that design trends change and your site could look old and tired and outdated within just a few years. It might even suit your business to get a new design regularly to stay dynamic on trend. The cost of a new or redesigned website is much cheaper than just a few years ago so don’t be scared to start over with a new look and feel. Ask Beach Websites today about building a website for now and in the future, or let us take a look at redesigning your old site for a new future.

Beach Websites is a WiX legend partner, and we've been designing with the platform for more than 8 years. We sometimes recommend a client might need a Wordpress, or fully coded site depending on their needs. But here is our definitive view of the pros and cons of each. The two platforms offer something similar but in completely different ways. Wordpress has been around much longer and is more popular with traditional coders. WiX tends to be more popular for everyday users because it’s much easier to user, adjust and add to. I suggest WiX to the vast majority of my clients because they just don’t need the functionality that WordPress offers. Many issues are much-of-a-muchness, but take a look and the pros and cons below... the biggest difference for all my clients is cost. I simply cannot produce a WordPress site for the low prices I charge for WiX sites. WiX recently brought out their game changing new product, WiX Studios. This gives agencies like ours even more control over the design process with breakpoint designing more like a Wordpress or fully coded site. This allows for greater responsiveness, and the ability to design more dynamic sites to make your website stand out. Design For design, WordPress is limitless…depending on your budget. We can custom code an entire site to have it exactly how you or any designer wants it… for a price. Also once you’ve uploaded all your content on a WP site, you can change the design easily (within reason) to a new theme – although navigation might need to be adjusted. The standard WiX editor is about 80% of this design flexibility at a much lower cost, which is about 100% more that what most companies need. However a full redesign has to be done manually. With the new WiX studio, designing has recently become even more flexible for the platform, and while its only been available for a few days, we can see that this product will be highly disruptive. Updating / adjustments The bigger difference is in updating down the track. My coding team can put together a great site and you and your team will be able to change images and update text and add a blog post. However, you won’t be able to do anything more than that without a coder, or very strong knowledge of the WP (most people use envato) design system. I’ve been using wordpress for over a decade and I still struggle with it and have to call on my team. WiX is drag and drop; and you can add whole levels of functionality with only a few hours’ practise. Responsiveness This is an area that WiX loses a few points in its standard editor. For mobile it’s fine…you can separately adjust the mobile version of your pages and I personally prefer this to whatever the theme you choose in Wordpress which you are then stuck with in terms of the mobile layout (unless you pay for a coder). For tablet it’s more problematic. Most designs work okay on tablet but it’s not perfect. That being said the whole tablet revolution didn’t really happen, and most users are still on desktop (in their offices) or mobile. Again, i we design your site in the new Studio, the responsiveness is off the charts and actually better than Wordpress as we can adjust the template for different break points (and therefore for mobile and tablet). Functionality Wordpress works as an open source platform; the site and its features are hard coded, or created using plugins, created by the developer community. This offers more flexibility due to the vast range of plugs with advanced features. There are still a lot of things you can do in a coded site that WiX simply can’t do, like advanced bookings/membership/B2B eCommerce etc. The downside to this is that managing updates and compatibility between plugins can be complex. Most of the better plugins are also paid annually, which is an extra cost on top of hosting. WiX creates their core product and all their features in-house which means there is accountability should plugins not work as advised. The price you pay for hosting covers all of their functionality (although there are premium hosting levels) and you get a lot for your hosting cost. You can also add functionality with ease since its modular, and the vast majority is included in the basic hosting packages. With WiX code (velo) and databases you can actually code most of the main functionality in WiX to get close to the advanced processes that can be done in wordpress. I’ve used velo coding for an advanced eCommerce site, and often use the WiX database system for large search-based sites. Updates and Backups This is where Wordpress causes the most headaches. A plugin designer may decide to update their coding, or there is a server fail or a security breach, and a part of your site stops working. Wordpress and plugin updates need to be installed anytime they are changed, and this can mess with your coding or design, meaning you need to pay someone to fix it. Sometimes there is even an annual cost to include all the updates. There have been cases of plugin developers disappearing, going bankrupt etc. and their products don’t get updates to match worpress updates which means the site owner has to start again with than functionality. Wix updates automatically and its modular nature means that no update will mess with your current design and functionality. Updates are including in the annual hosting cost. Page Load Speed This is dependent on the number and size of elements on a page. WiX’s speed is optimised on their platform. Wordpress’ speed also depends on on-page content but also on your hosting server. With a higher quality server, you can get much faster speeds that WiX, but you pay for it. SEO Almost every WordPress designer/developer will tell clients that only a WordPress site can rank on search engines. This information is 5-years out of date. Google does not have a bias towards WP sites. WiX is generally considered good for basic SEO and marketing with a great system for doing SEO self checks. Wordpress is slightly more powerful and flexible when it comes to SEO, with built in features and plugins available to optimise your site. However, keeping your content updated, and adding new content in the form of blogs, and having good social media links, are all more important than anything an advanced SEO plugin can offer. Security WiX provides a number of security measures included in their packages such as SSL encryption, firewall protection and daily malware scans. It also has a dedicated security team that monitors and responds to threats. Wordpress offers similar, but all security plugins must be kept up to date, and this is often with an annual fee. Hosting WiX is hosting on the company’s dedicated cloud servers, with hardware around the world for security. You can’t move your site off WiX. However no-one can take your site; you still own the design. Wordpress can be moved between servers (although this can cause problems) and you technically ‘own’ the full site and all its coding. Cost A Wordpress site takes 3-5x longer to develop than a WiX site, and the cost is therefore 3-5x! Also for management and adjustments which you can’t do yourself, my cost for Wordpress sites updating is often at least three times. WP sites need to be maintained because of plugin updates, so you often need to pay a team to monitor your site. Note that if you'd like a more dynamic site designed in WiX studio, the initial outlay will be more expensive due to the extra time involved. But for large, professional companies we recommend staying ahead of your competitors with a more modern, future-proof site.