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If you’re a small business owner, it’s important that you allow customers to make purchases through your website. Not only is this crucial for selling goods or services online (whether you have an eCommerce website, travel website or something else), but it’s especially valuable if you’re offering a service (see our guide on how to start a service business ). You’ll want to ensure that clients have the ability to book your service directly from your website. Luckily, that’s possible thanks to Wix Bookings . Your clients can effortlessly schedule both private or group appointments, and you can accept payments as well as send out email reminders. With that in mind, let’s take a look at 11 effective bookings websites for inspiration as you create a website of your own (see types of businesses for even more). All these service business ideas and sites use a combination of beautiful design and effective online bookings pages to connect with customers and make sales. Along the way, we'll point to some of the Wix Bookings features that each site uses. Read also: How to start a business Wix Bookings website examples Live Right Pet Supplies & Grooming 3L Barber Co. Fury Room Wedding Gown Alterations NutriMe Oak House Distillery Hearts & Tears Motorcycle Club MyArt Acupuncture with Fabi HERoines Inc. Veronica Solomon 01. Live Right Pet Supplies & Grooming Looking at the adorable puppy on the first fold will make you fall in love with this site instantly. In addition to being visually appealing, the Live Right Pet Supplies & Grooming site is straightforward and intuitive to navigate. It outlines the available services people can book online using clear calls-to-action that help guide visitors toward their desired offering. To facilitate 24/7 online bookings, customers can sign in to a dedicated members area on the site. From there, they can log in to their own account and book their preferred appointments online as well as keep track of past ones. Additional features of this service business site include the business’s contact information and a map displaying its location. If you’re interested in adding other crucial elements like this to your site, take a look at this guide on how to create a professional service website . 02. 3L Barber Co. How do you stand out in a sea of competition, especially within a saturated market like hairdressing? With a professional website, of course. What starts as a minimalistic site gives way to a lush and photography-rich experience. Cool animations accentuate pictures and text throughout the 3L Barber Co. site, alongside professionally shot videos. At the same time, the semi-monochromatic color palette helps the red "Book Now" button stand out at the top of their site. Perusing this site can also give you inspiration for logo ideas that might be a good fit. Try using a barber logo maker to see for yourself, following this guide on how to make a barber logo . 03. Fury Room Fury Room is a service that helps you relieve stress by letting you go into a room and break things. You can do it with others or go at it alone, but it’s a cathartic experience that’s all in the name of fun. Their site is well-constructed and carefully thought out. First, it’s a multilingual website that is offered in both English and French, helping the business reach a broader audience. The company has further anticipated their clients’ needs by including an FAQ page, complete with helpful information for break room first-timers. On top of that, they include a must-have feature for any business— live chat —to facilitate communication with their customers. Lastly, they use their bookings website to present customers with a package picker that provides descriptions and prices of each service. All of this is wrapped up in an attractive black and yellow color scheme, along with a powerful custom logo . 04. Wedding Gown Alterations From the chic photos to the elegant color palette of black, white and light pink, the Wedding Gown Alterations site perfectly fits the tone for formal wear. To navigate to the bookings page, visitors can scroll down the homepage to the "Appointment Only" section, and then click "Book Online." From there, they’ll see a clear outline of each service—complete with eye-catching photographs, concise descriptions and a button for booking online. Other visual elements further enhance this Wix Bookings website. The choice of font, for example, is both classic and feminine, while the sewing machine logo adds a unique touch and illustrates the nature of their services. This combination of factors makes the site well worth browsing for inspiration as you create your own bookings website. 05. NutriMe Upon first glance, the green and white brand colors of this health and wellness website evoke vibrancy and health. Diana, a nutritionist from Australia, presents a site that instantly makes viewers feel fresh and revitalized. The high-quality images of healthy food, as well as informational text, gives visitors an immediate understanding of her offerings. A "Book" tab in the header prompts guests to browse through NutriMe ’s various packages. A Back to Top button further facilitates navigation, providing an easy way to get back to the top of the page. The website footer contains additional information, including contact details and social media links, to help Diana grow her customer base and enable people to get in touch. On some of the pages, including the homepage and contact page, Diana has placed a signup form directly above the footer to encourage visitors to subscribe to her newsletter. 06. Oak House Distillery As soon as you enter this distillery’s website, you’ll feel as if your tour has already begun. The homepage includes a glimpse inside the distillery and a brief history. The "Classes & Tours" page further entices viewers with a visual display of its services, which range from date night mixology classes to distillery tours. The Oak House Distillery site is also designed with easy website navigation in mind. Visitors can easily navigate to pages that showcase upcoming events, in addition to the bar menu, merchandise and bottles available for sale. You've got a separate "Contact" page, too, that makes use of a contact form so that visitors can reach out to the distillery directly from the website. 07. Hearts & Tears Motorcycle Club Hearts & Tears Motorcycle Club offers a one-of-a-kind service: motorcycle tours throughout Tibet, Nepal and other incredible locations. With large scale images that show off real footage from past tours, the website captures the imagination and intrigues potential customers. On top of that, the site has a gallery page that showcases their Instagram feed and YouTube videos, helping people get a feel for their tours before booking. It’s also informative and offers answers to any questions visitors may have, with in-depth descriptions of what each tour entails, rates and day-by-day itineraries. Signing up for a tour is easy and efficient—a "Book Now" button at the top right of the homepage guides visitors directly to the online bookings page. 08. MyArt The MyArt website strategically uses colorful buttons, icons and bubbly text to appeal to artists young and old. It includes snapshots of past workshops and sample paintings so that interested parties know exactly what to expect from MyArt's classes. MyArt's locations are also clearly displayed at the top of the homepage. Each location has dedicated pages introducing its teachers, classes, FAQ and student work. Interested customers can explore events based on location, age group and/or class type—then sign themselves or their kids up online. 09. Acupuncture with Fabi This website is home to an acupuncture service offered by Brazilian acupuncturist Fabi . The site is designed in a way that evokes warmth, tranquility and healing, with a cheerful and varied color scheme. The images on the website are particularly notable and feature modern graphics that bring to mind Chinese traditional medicine. Fabi makes it simple to schedule an appointment, with an "Appointments" tab in the navigation menu of her website. By clicking on this tab, clients are immediately taken to a list of options that includes the amount of time each service takes and its price. 10. HERoines Inc. HERoines Inc. is a women’s empowerment organization that hosts events with guest speakers, hands-on games and open conversations. Their website is beautiful, too, with a feminine pink and purple color scheme, large-scale images of members and participants, and testimonials. Visitors can get involved by clicking the "Events" tab in the navigation bar at the top of the site. There, they can see a list of events that cover everything from self care to relationships. An "RSVP & Register" button allows them to book events and purchase tickets online. 11. Veronica Solomon Veronica Solomon has a host of titles: designer, design mentor, blogger, speaker and micro-influencer. Her interior design website showcases her brand Casa Vilora Interiors, which is known for its bold, luxurious aesthetic. In addition to displaying photos of her work, her website makes it easy for visitors to book appointments. A variety of buttons draw in interested clients—including the red "Book Now" button in the navigation bar, the drop down menu in the "Contact" tab and the "Book Online" CTAs throughout the homepage. Veronica’s online booking page offers a wide array of options, from a free Discovery Phone Call to a Virtual Design Ideas Session. By presenting customers with the convenience of online booking, Veronica Solomon and other booking sites provide valuable inspiration as you build your own professional website.

As the leading website builder , Wix offers two powerful solutions to build and grow businesses online: the original Wix and Wix Studio. While both solutions include thoughtful tools that support the core aspects of your business journey, comparing Wix with Wix Studio is a bit like comparing apples to oranges.  While Wix caters to small business owners and individual creators, Studio is geared toward agencies and freelancers with multiple and/or enterprise clients. In this article, we'll explore the two platforms to help you understand the key differences. Create a site with Wix  or check out Wix Studio . What is Wix? Wix’s website builder simplifies the web design  process for non-technical users. Its drag-and-drop functionality and 900+ website templates  give you control over every aspect of making a website. Wix also offers an AI website builder , which allows you to create an entire website—from a simple chat. Just answer a few questions about your goals, and the AI will spin up a fully custom, fully functional site for you in minutes. Ready to get started? Learn how to make a website with this easy guide. When exploring Wix, you’ll find that it was built to be more than just a design tool. Whether you’re a business owner looking to reach more people online, a brand looking to tap into eCommerce  or an artist looking to show off your work in an online portfolio —you can take advantage of various built-in tools that make your life easier. AI is woven throughout the builder to help you work more deftly across your website, marketing channels and other business tools. For example, tap AI to write website copy that reflects your current branding and customer preferences. Then, use AI to design your emails  or optimize your page for SEO , while keeping the messaging consistent across all of your assets.  Wix also encourages its users to go beyond static web pages by incorporating dynamic elements, such as animations, video backgrounds and interactive forms. And, with seamless integration of third-party apps and plugins , you can easily incorporate business tools like online payments  and a bookings calendar into your website. Behind the scenes, Wix boasts a robust infrastructure to ensure unparalleled reliability , security and performance .  Every new feature, component and element created is built with performance in mind. Over the past year alone, Wix managed to achieve dramatic improvements for Core Web Vitals (CRW), increasing the ratio of Wix sites in the Google CrUX report  with good scores for all three CWV by 25% in the last year. Wix boasts a 99.99% up-time powered by its dedicated Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team. With advanced systems in place, such as the SOC 24/7/365 monitoring program, potential issues are identified and resolved swiftly, guaranteeing a seamless experience for both website owners and visitors alike.  On top of all that, sites built using Wix all come with accessibility settings built in  so that any visitor, regardless of ability, can interact with your business online.  Main features of Wix  900+ professionally designed templates and a drag-and-drop website builder  AI website builder, plus additional AI tools  and AI features for text generation, images and more   Business management solutions for bookings , eComm builder  and events  Built-in marketing and branding tools  Secure payments   App marketplace Best for…  Entrepreneurs across industries Independent professionals and freelancers Service-oriented businesses Ecommerce businesses  Bloggers and content creators  Educators  Event planners and producers Non-profit organizations Top benefits of Wix  One place to manage your entire website and business User-friendly and intuitive (no coding experience required) Reliable hosting and security Advanced SEO capabilities and tools 500+ apps and integrations Built-in AI tools Examples of sites created with Wix  Ayelet Raziel Art  Daniel Aristizabal   Karen’s Diner Aly Gray Izzy Wheels Start creating with Wix today.  What is Wix Studio? Designed for agencies, freelancers and enterprises, Wix Studio lets professional web designers and developers unleash their creativity—faster and better than ever. You can create high-end sites at scale while harnessing the robust infrastructure and business solutions that already come with Wix.  Start creating with Wix Studio . In other words, as you focus on bringing your client’s vision to life, Wix takes care of all the time-consuming tasks related to infrastructure, maintenance and security. You also have your pick of Wix’s time-tested solutions for eCommerce, online bookings and more—which can be personalized to any client via custom logic. This can be combined with the platform’s built-in tools for running email campaigns, SEO and more on behalf of your clients. In terms of website design, the Wix Studio Editor gives you a wide array of tools, ranging from smart tools that increase your efficiency to advanced tools that give you precise control. You can choose from highly responsive and customizable templates  or work in pixels, which open the door to complex designs like intricate animations, animated cursors and mesmerizing transitions. Responsive AI and custom controls make it easy to optimize your sites for every screen size. Furthermore, features like proportional scaling, preset layouts and shared design assets accelerate the building process for tight turnaround times. You've even got a plugin with Figma—allowing you to export your design from Figma to Wix Studio, where you can bring your final design to life. Another key characteristic of the platform: Wix Studio facilitates collaboration between designers, developers and clients with features like real-time feedback and live comments. You can hop between multiple workspaces and open up certain workspaces for client feedback. Wix Studio has a ‘content mode’ where clients can tweak the content without affecting the design. This streamlined workflow, coupled with version control and asset management tools, lets your team to work more effectively across multiple projects. When it comes to AI, Wix Studio has all of the AI capabilities  of Wix, plus a handful more. Unique to Studio is its responsive AI feature that makes each section or mobile breakpoint responsive across all devices. There’s also a generative AI model and code assistant in the VS Code to help you get tailored scripts, troubleshoot and retrieve product answers fast.  Thinking about Wix Studio vs. Elementor ? Compare them and find the best fit your design needs. Main features of Wix Studio Responsive, grid-based website builder  Real-time collaboration and unified workspace Open platform capabilities No-code interactions and animations Custom CSS   Responsive behavior using AI   Business management solutions for bookings , eComm and events  Built-in marketing and branding tools  Secure payments   App marketplace Best for… Agencies Enterprises Web designers  Web developers  Freelancers Top benefits of Wix Studio  Full creative control for agencies, enterprises and freelance designers/developers Multi-project management and collaborative workspaces  Combines Wix’s business apps and infrastructure with advanced design capabilities, collaboration tools and automation  Examples of sites created with Wix Studio MaDonna Collingwood Anzo Studio Les Marteau Studio VMV Studio Product Hiring House en[i]gma Coding Championship View a full collection of inspirational websites built on Wix Studio .  Wix vs. Wix Studio: feature comparison Note: All features and pricing information mentioned is current as of June 19, 2024. Can I transfer my Wix.com site to Wix Studio? While you can’t transfer a Wix Editor site to a Wix Studio site  (or vice versa), you can create a new site using the Studio Editor. When you make new sites with either the Editor or Studio, you'll still have access to your existing Wix sites in your new workspace and can edit them as usual in the Editor. To switch to Wix Studio from your original Wix Editor account, simply click one of several entry points that you'll see in your account profile, your site's dashboard, Sites page or the Wix templates page. Alternatively, if you have a team member who already uses Wix Studio, ask them to send you an invitation. Should you use Wix or Wix Studio? In a nutshell, it depends. Wix caters to DIY enthusiasts and small businesses seeking a user-friendly platform with ready-to-go features at affordable prices. On the flip side, Wix Studio is tailor-made for professionals and agencies craving extra design freedom, advanced design capabilities and highly responsive websites . Learn more about website builders vs CMS . Start creating your website today . Related reading: Wix vs. GoDaddy or Wix vs. Shopify Note: All features and information are current as of June 6, 2024.

For years, Wix has been working on solutions and tools to help businesses enjoy creative freedom online. Whether you owned a restaurant and needed a sophisticated way to collect reservations, or you were a brand owner looking to launch your first eCommerce store—Wix had something for you. Now, you can access any of Wix’s tools from anywhere on the web with Wix Headless , a cutting-edge API and convenience SDK(node), backed by enterprise-grade performance, security and reliable infrastructure. True to our mission, Wix Headless lets you freely access the same business management platform and services that power businesses on Wix, from any app or website that you’re building. For example, consider the Wix and Netlify integration. Netlify was our first design partner, making use of Wix Headless to give their users access to Wix’s powerful scheduling and booking services. Keep reading to discover how Wix Headless works. How can Wix Headless benefit you? While helpful for making a website , an all-in-one, no-code site-builder often comes with limitations that can hinder your business's growth. Wix Headless addresses these common pain points in the following ways: Future-proofing : Wix Headless offers a flexible and scalable solution that grows with your business, supported by Wix's comprehensive range of commerce, business and marketing tools. This ensures that as your business evolves or expands to new platforms, you won't need to spend time and money rebuilding critical infrastructure from scratch. Optimized frontend design : Traditional no-code or low-code site generators often limit your design choices, forcing you to conform to the decisions made by their developers. However, front-ends should not be "one-size-fits-all," as tailored optimizations may be necessary for specific use cases. Wix Headless empowers you to craft your unique frontend design, resulting in a cleaner and more optimized user experience, while still benefiting from the convenience of Wix's Business Services and robust management dashboard. Comprehensive business management dashboard : Wix Headless provides an all-inclusive back office system that enables businesses to manage and monitor their operations efficiently. The intuitive dashboard offers a centralized location for tracking key performance indicators, managing customer data and overseeing sales and marketing efforts. This powerful tool ensures that you have complete control over your business, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and streamline processes. Streamlined API integration : Wix Headless consolidates a wide range of backend services into a single, holistic API, simplifying the process of managing your business. This eliminates the need to rely on multiple APIs with varying billing cycles and integration complexities. The Wix Headless API includes powerful modules for essential business functions, such as eCommerce , Bookings , Events and Pricing Plans . By offering a comprehensive suite of services within a single API, Wix Headless simplifies your development process and streamlines your business operations. And, if your project requires additional APIs, you are free to integrate them as needed. Wix Headless in action: WhatsApp chatbot integration Wix Headless can be used in a multitude of ways, from creating more engaging shopping experiences across multiple devices, to delivering different types of content to diverse user groups. Here’s a more specific scenario: Imagine you own an online store and want to provide a unique shopping experience for your customers through a popular messaging platform like WhatsApp. Wix Headless allows you to build a chatbot that seamlessly integrates with your Wix store, enabling customers to browse products and add items to their cart directly within the WhatsApp platform. To achieve this chatbot integration, you can refer to this code as an example. Here’s a brief overview of the key components of this chatbot integration: wix_client.mjs : Sets up the Wix API client and handles OAuth authentication, enabling the chatbot to communicate with the Wix store through the Headless API. message_handler.mjs : Handles incoming WhatsApp messages and user interactions, managing the chat flow. products_api.mjs : Retrieves the available products from the Wix store. token_management.mjs : Manages user tokens and authentication for the Wix API, allowing the chatbot to interact with the Wix store on behalf of individual users. The chatbot guides customers through the entire shopping process, providing a product catalog view, individual product information (including images) and options to add items to the cart or proceed to the checkout. Here’s a breakdown of the WhatsApp chatbot’s flow, demonstrating how the Wix Headless API is utilized: The chatbot displays the product catalog, allowing users to browse available products. This is made possible through the Wix Headless API, which retrieves the product information from the Wix store. Users can select a product by sending the corresponding number. The chatbot then displays detailed information and an image of the selected product. Users can add the selected product to their cart. This action uses the Wix Headless API to manage the user's cart within the Wix store. The chatbot confirms the product has been added to the cart and displays the current cart items. Customers can either proceed to checkout or return to the product list to continue shopping. When users are ready to check out, the chatbot provides a link to complete the payment process on the store's website. The Wix Headless API is used to create a checkout session and generate the corresponding payment URL. Here's a bit more technical detail on how this all works: The Wix Headless API is used to fetch the list of available products in the store. This is done using the getAvailableProducts() function in the products_api.mjs file, which calls the wixClient.products.queryProducts().find() method. The chatbot maintains the state of each user's interaction with the store, such as their current stage in the shopping flow, the products they have viewed and the items they have added to their cart. This state management is implemented using the getUserState() , setUserState() and removeUserState() functions in the state_manager.mjs file. The handleMessage() function in the message_handler.mjs file is the main entry point for processing incoming messages from WhatsApp users . It uses the user's current state to determine how to respond to their input, such as displaying a list of products, showing details about a specific product or adding an item to their cart. To add items to the user's cart, the handleAddToCart() function calls the wixClient.currentCart.addToCurrentCart() method. When the user is ready to check out, the handleCheckout() function creates a checkout session using the wixClient.currentCart.createCheckoutFromCurrentCart() method and provides the user with a link to complete their purchase on the Wix store's website. This example showcases the limitless potential of Wix's Business Solutions when combined with popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp. By allowing customers to complete the entire shopping experience within the familiar interface of WhatsApp, you could better drive user engagement and increase conversions. Empower your business with Wix Headless This innovative platform empowers you to craft exceptional, captivating experiences across diverse channels, leveraging the comprehensive capabilities, robustness and user-friendliness of Wix's Business Services. Simultaneously, Wix Headless ensures you retain complete authority over your brand identity, data management and customer relationships. To get started with Wix Headless, check that you have a Wix premium plan and follow our guide for getting set up .

Looking for the best way to build your website? Get started with Wix → AI has transformed  website design , pushing the boundaries of what was once thought possible. Nowadays, almost anyone can learn  how to make a website . And in a world where  75% of users  judge a website’s credibility based on its design, more and more businesses are turning to AI-powered tools to create professional-looking sites. Wix has been at the forefront of AI since 2016, when it first launched its artificial design intelligence (ADI) capabilities. Today, ADI serves as the backbone to an even more comprehensive solution: the Wix AI website builder. Instantly create a site that’s fully customized to your business without compromising on quality, style or originality.  Ready to create your site? Take our AI website builder  for a spin. When choosing a website builder, you want one that’s flexible, powerful and simple. Wix is the go-to platform for millions of users looking to create a stunning website effortlessly. See what makes Wix stand out from the crowd and why it’s the right fit for you. From Wix ADI to a full-blown website solution With ADI as the foundation, our AI website builder offers a first-of-its-kind experience. Jump into a conversation with AI to define the vision for your website, then receive a site designed specifically for your business. Behind the scenes, the AI isn’t simply spinning up a pretty site—it’s connecting you with the right business tools and apps to give you a fully functional, ready-to-go website. Learn more: How to make a website quickly How to access the Wix AI website builder Option 1: from the Wix website   The simplest way to get started is to navigate to the AI website builder  page and click “Create with AI.” If you’re new to Wix or haven’t logged into your account, you’ll be dropped on the Wix login page. Follow the instructions to create a free Wix account or to log into an existing account. Once you’ve logged into your account, you’ll be invited to start a chat with AI. Click “Start Chat” to access the website builder. Option 2: from your Wix account  If you’re new to Wix, go to Wix.com and select “ Get Started .” This will guide you through a few setup questions, then drop you into your dashboard, where you can click “Design Site.” From here, you can choose to let Wix build a site for you or build the site yourself using a design template. Select the first option. If you already have a Wix account, log into your account and click “Create New Site.” Click “Start chat” on the next page to start building with AI. Once you’ve finished the setup steps, you’ll be dropped into your site dashboard, where you can click “Design site.”  How the ADI-powered website builder works  While we’ve designed the AI website builder to be so user-friendly that it doesn't require a how-to guide, the below steps can give you a glimpse at how it works. 01. Create your site brief  As a first step, the AI will ask you to answer a few questions about your business and goals. The AI will use the information to build a personalized dashboard for your business before designing your site. Once presented with the option, click “Generate Site.”  (If in the last step, you’ve entered through your Wix account, the website builder may automatically design a website for you based on the information you’ve already provided about your business.)  02. Tweak the website design as needed  The AI will unveil a new website—complete with prebuilt images, text and even videos that reflect your brand messaging.  If desired, ask the AI to regenerate the site or make it a little different. Or, click on any highlighted area of the site brief to make specific tweaks. You can change one of several aspects of the design:  Site profile: Basic details like your logo, site type and site name   Site structure: Sections that you want to include on your homepage, or other pages you want to add to your site Site description: A description about your business and/or what you want your site to achieve   Theme: The color palette, mood and typography of your site  Layout: The overall style (e.g., “clean” or “modern”) and arrangement (e.g., “mosaic” or “grid-like”) of elements on your page  03. Make additional adjustments in the Wix Editor  Once you’re happy with how your site looks, click “Continue with this site.” The AI builder will ask you to connect a domain if you haven’t already. Click “Let’s Go” to connect your domain, or click “Continue to the Editor.” From the Editor, click around freely to customize your site. You can change any copy or images, or add new page elements and widgets (as examples).  Throughout the Editor, you’ll be able to access other AI tools. These include AI for creating text, building images and more. Look for any areas within the Editor that have a star icon; this indicates that AI capabilities are available.  Don’t forget to customize the mobile version of your site. You can do this by clicking on the phone icon at the top of the Editor. You may already like how your mobile site looks by default, but you can always tweak it or hide certain elements from view.  Stay in the know— subscribe to the Wix Blog  for a weekly dose of web design tips, trends and updates. Why use Wix's AI solution to create your website?  For starters, Wix is an incumbent in the AI space. Wix’s ADI technology served as the blueprint for our AI website builder, which now gives every Wix user the option of creating a website in mere minutes by simply providing some upfront information about their businesses. The website builder offers the following advantages. “Is AI a disruption in the website industry? Yes it is, and we are such great believers in the technology, that we launched our first AI website creator back in 2016, Wix ADI.” - Avishai Abrahami, CEO at Wix The builder integrates with a variety of AI features One of the key advantages of Wix’s AI website builder is that it isn’t a one-trick pony. Beyond making it possible to create professional-looking websites, "Wix connects you with AI tools deeper down in the journey, like personal recommendations and business growth tools,” says Marine Levy Belder, a product marketing manager at Wix. “A lot of the AI website builders we see right now in the market don't give you this added value." When you create a website with Wix’s AI tech, you can instantly connect your site with a number of other Wix AI tools to grow your business—be it for eCommerce (think: AI-powered product descriptions), blogging (think: AI tools for SEO), branding (think: an AI-powered logo generator) and more. The builder is a mature, highly-developed tool Wix has been a long-time pioneer in both the web design and AI markets (see  how does AI work  or the different  types of AI ).  “Although generative AI sounds very trendy, it didn't start like this at Wix,” notes Wix’s Head of Product Yaara Asaf. “When the world first met ChatGPT, we already had a tool in Wix to help users create personalized and professional content. Our journey with AI didn’t start because of the buzz around AI, but because our users had a problem we wanted to solve.” Having iterated upon Wix ADI and worked closely with our users to provide the best solution possible, the AI builder offers a solution that’s both easy to use and thoughtfully constructed.  Results are highly customizable The AI website builder is not only designed to save you time with website development but to also protect your creative freedom in the process.  “You don't have a lot of options for customization with other builders,” says Marine. “There’s a repetitiveness in website templates. They’re very basic." Alternatively, Wix provides you with a starting point, then allows you to customize the layout, design and branding at will. You get the best of both worlds: an AI-powered foundation, but the flexibility to personalize your website. Examples of sites created with Wix’s ADI-powered website builder  To give you a feel for what you can create, we’ve hand-picked some great websites created with Wix’s AI solution. As you think about creating your own website, draw some inspiration from these selected sites. Empowered Feminine  Empowered Feminine ’s website grabs attention from the first fold. Brainchild of Victoria Shilongo—who aims to “create a united community grounded in love and service” for women around the world—Empowered Feminine immerses visitors in a warm, inviting digital atmosphere. The site highlights posts from Victoria’s blog, as well as services available to women seeking personal encouragement.   Heaven.ly The Heaven.ly  website features striking imagery and video against a midnight-black backdrop, reflecting the bold passion of the jewelry shop. The shop aims to celebrate the feminine spirit through jewelry that challenges restrictive, outdated fashion rules. The site features all of Heaven.ly’s available products, plus information about the brand’s origins and recent collaborations.

Turn your ideas into sales and start selling with Wix eCommerce →   An eCommerce site is much more than a pretty face. Behind the scenes, there are multiple gears, strategies and systems working together to deliver a smooth experience for your customers—from the moment they enter your site to the moment they make a purchase. So, whether you’re starting an online store  from scratch or already have one set up, it’s important to understand the reasons why most eCommerce sites fail. Only then can you avoid making the same mistakes and create a site (and business) that lasts. Ready to start your eCommerce journey? Now’s the perfect time to bring your vision to life. With Wix eCommerce, you have the tools to build a professional online store and create a website that captivates your audience, drives traffic and boosts sales. From endless customization options and built-in SEO to powerful marketing tools, everything you need to grow your brand and reach more customers is right at your fingertips. Take the first step and explore Wix eCommerce today. Make your mark online and turn your ideas into success. 7 main reasons why eCommerce websites fail Without further ado, let’s review the seven reasons why eCommerce sites fail and how to best address them. Slow load times Product pages that leave a lot to be desired Complex checkout processes Poorly planned marketing Bad site design Awful mobile experience Sloppy security 01. Slow load times It’s a given that your eCommerce website should grow with your business. But sometimes the rush to add new product pages, install helpful apps and publish fresh blog content (as examples) creates an unfortunate byproduct: slower-to-load pages. And when it comes to an online store, speed clearly matters. The highest eCommerce conversion rates happen on websites with load times between zero to two seconds, according to Crazyegg . And conversion rates continue to drop by 4.42% with every extra second of load time between zero to five seconds. In other words, the more time you lose to slow-loading pages, the more money you leave on the table. High-traffic periods also tend to exacerbate this issue by putting more strain on your site. It’s therefore evermore important to keep a constant pulse on eCommerce site speed  (as well as your eCommerce website optimization ) and proactively address any potential issues before they snowball into bigger, costly problems. How to solve slow load times Use Wix’s Site Speed Dashboard   - This dashboard uses actual user data to provide detailed performance reports. It includes key performance metrics, like Google’s Core Web Vitals (CWV), to help you stay ahead of performance issues. Choose third-party apps wisely: Too many apps may hamper your site’s performance. Only keep the ones that bring your online store—and your customers—the greatest value. Keep it simple : Limit the amount of custom code, special effects, and unnecessary content on your site. Check that elements like videos and animations aren’t bringing load times to a crawl. Avoid GIFs: GIFs that constantly loop and auto-play can be burdensome to your site. Videos are a better replacement, thanks to modern video encoding formats that keep file sizes small. Crunch your images : Large image files are common culprits of slow-loading pages. Compress images prior to uploading them to your store, and use smaller JPG files instead of PNG for your product photos. If you use Wix for eCommerce , you benefit ​from having a platform that automatically resizes your media and converts it into modern image formats, like WebP, for enhanced delivery. 02. Product pages that leave a lot to be desired Products are the star of your online store and as you expand your product and introduce new collections, it can be hard to keep pace. You may choose to cut corners by keeping product descriptions brief, or by copying and pasting descriptions provided by your manufacturers. You may even choose to upload just a single product photo because you never got around to taking more shots of your product. These hasty decisions can come with costly consequences. That’s because nearly half (45%) of all customers  say that high-quality images and detailed product descriptions are crucial for building their trust in a product that’s sold online. Not only are they essential for bridging the gap between online and in-store experiences, but they’re essential for setting the right expectations. On the contrary, a high-performing product page  has the power to prevent returns—currently a $761 billion  problem in retail—due to “item not as described.” If your website’s products pages lack detail, don’t have descriptions, or include blurry images, it’s time to improve them. How to solve poor product pages Offer unique product descriptions : Create custom product descriptions  for your site. Use them to answer frequently asked questions about your product (What is it made of? Is it machine-washable? How long will shipping take?) and to help customers visualize your product in the flesh. Take a variety of product photos: Follow product photography  best practices, such as taking photos of your products at multiple angles, using consistent lighting, and playing with the composition. If you offer variations, make sure to provide photos for each variant. Then, be sure to showcase your product photos attractively throughout your online store by following eCommerce merchandising best practices. Make sure your return policy is easy to find : Don’t leave important details, like your returns and exchange policy, up for interpretation. Include a link in an easy-to-find spot so that customers can shop with confidence. (If applicable) Include a sizing chart: For apparel or footwear, consider adding a sizing chart somewhere on your product page to help prevent returns due to incorrect sizing. 03. Complex checkout processes Mastering the checkout process is a common challenge among merchants. Stripe even found that 95% of leading eCommerce sites make five or more basic errors  on their checkout pages, like lacking enough payment options or requiring too many clicks to complete. In fact, if checkout takes more than two minutes to complete, 60% of shoppers will abandon their carts, says Stripe. And if a retailer doesn’t offer a shopper’s preferred payment method, buyers will bail 85% of the time. Take the time to audit your own checkout process. Assess it from your customer’s lens, and correct any inefficiencies that make checkout more complicated than it needs to be. How to solve checkout problems Offer multiple payment options : Accept payment in the form of debit/credit cards, shopping apps (PayPal, Stripe, Square), and digital wallets (Google Pay, Apple Pay). Using Wix Payments, you can offer all these and more from your website in order to accept payments online . Simplify checkout: Consider offering single-page checkout that allows customers to complete their payment without clicking through multiple pages (especially on mobile). Offer one-click checkout for any logged-in clients, while still providing a guest checkout option so that customers aren’t forced to spend time creating an account if they’re in a hurry. Prioritize security : Reduce the risk of payment fraud  by finding a solution that invests in security. For instance, Wix maintains the highest level of payment card industry (PCI) compliance to give you peace of mind. Limit data collection: Only collect the data that you need to ship out an order. Don’t ask for too much personal information, like social security numbers or dates of birth, as part of the checkout process.   04. Poorly planned marketing When investigating why most eCommerce businesses fail within 120 days of launch, one study  found that poor online marketing (37%) and a lack of online search visibility (35%) ranked as two of the top reasons. Common causes include: Treating marketing as an afterthought Investing haphazardly (or not at all) in online advertising Neglecting search engine optimization (SEO) (even though nearly half of today’s shopping journeys start on search engines ) Having poor (or no) social media presence Failing to use their email lists to send relevant offers and promotions The harsh reality is that just because you learn how to build an eCommerce website , doesn’t mean customers will come. Rather, it’s crucial for your business to proactively get itself in front of your target audience and establish an eCommerce marketing  strategy that’s thorough, executable and trackable. How to improve your marketing strategy Invest in SEO: Drive organic traffic to your site by investing in a long-term SEO strategy. Weave keywords naturally into your content, and heed other eCommerce SEO  best practices. Did you know: Store owners that take advantage of Wix’s built-in SEO tools see an average of 21% more traffic than those that don’t. Experiment with ads: Develop a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising strategy that entertains a variety of advertising channels: Google, social media, YouTube and others that your target buyers frequent. Get social : Establish a presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other channels (though avoid spreading yourself thin over too many channels at once). Test various types of content, while taking the time to naturally engage with followers. Build an email list: Use email to re-engage existing customers or leads. Run cart abandonment campaigns to win back shoppers and to keep your brand top of mind. Leverage content marketing : Publish blog posts, videos, and other content that’s focused on education, not simply sales. Showcase your expertise and demonstrate how your products fit into your customers’ lifestyles. 05. Bad site design In some cases, a site’s design is simply an eyesore. This can be a big problem, given that three in every four consumers judge the credibility of a business by the design of its website, according to research from Stanford University . In other cases, a site may look nice but the ecommerce user experience (UX) needs improvement. So, how can you tell which areas of your site need tweaking? Aside from getting a second opinion, consider using heat mapping and session recording tools to investigate how your users interact with your website, where they bounce, and why they’re not completing a sale. Use the analytics at your disposal, such as Wix Analytics , to further track on-page behaviors and understand how different customer segments engage with your content. How to solve a bad site design Start with a proven template: With Wix for eCommerce, you can choose from more than 500 designer-made templates built with conversion in mind (see best eCommerce website builders  to get started). Simplify your design : Sometimes it's tempting to add every feature available since it's included in your eCommerce website cost . However, this ultimately isn't effective. Make menus simple and create product collections (aka categories) that help shoppers find the right items fast. Keep “add to cart” buttons and product descriptions higher up on a page so users don’t have to scroll to find them. Encourage the next step : Avoid dead-ends by prompting users to advance their shopping journeys. Make sure that calls-to-action (like “buy now”) stand out visually, and sprinkle product recommendations throughout your pages to encourage cross-sells and upsells. Embed a search function: Allow users to easily search your site by typing your product name into a search bar. Emphasize customer service: Prominently display customer service info on your site. Consider whether chatbots or live agents could help improve the customer experience. 06. Awful mobile experience Your mobile site isn’t just a “small version of desktop.” It’s a conversion vehicle of its own. This is especially true at a time when smartphones account for about 73% of all retail site traffic  globally—and mobile devices generate 63% of online shopping orders. Unfortunately, the mobile shopping experience too often gets neglected. Distorted images, messy navigation menus, and hard-to read text are common symptoms of neglect, which tends to happen when a site is hastily created or modified. When looking at your mobile site, make sure it’s clean, easy to navigate, and efficient. Today’s mobile shoppers won’t tolerate friction; the average cart abandonment rate on mobile is around 86% , well above the desktop average of 70%. How to correct a poor mobile experience Streamline the checkout process : Your mobile site should be fast and designed to convert. Emphasize an efficient checkout process. Hide less-important content, such as extra galleries, feeders, and repeaters. Prioritize specific content: Decide on a proper hierarchy for your content, keeping in mind that with such little room on the screen, you need to carefully decide which buttons and messages to show first. Avoid publishing pages that are too dense with content, and be clear about the main call-to-action on each page. Keep your mobile site light : Between compressing your images and limiting special effects (such as animation), take steps to ensure that the mobile experience isn’t laggy for any visitors. Test everything : Just because a website template is mobile responsive doesn’t mean that everything will work perfectly as expected. Take the time to check out the mobile experience from your mobile device(s) and/or the preview mode of Wix’s Editor. Audit your mobile site for any cluttered areas, unclear images, or obscured buttons. Ensure that any major action is achievable with a swipe or tap of a finger. Using your Wix editor, you can customize the mobile experience just as you would the desktop experience. 07. Sloppy website security Unfortunately, shoppers aren’t the only people looking for your online store. Hackers may be lurking close by, looking for vulnerabilities in your site. In fact, the number of ransomware attacks on eCommerce businesses increased by 264% over the past year, amounting to more than 625 million digital assaults. Downtime is the byproduct of ransomware or other data breaches—and it’s costly. Gartner estimates that one minute of downtime causes $5,600 in revenue loss . And, the larger the eCommerce business, the bigger the costs. For Amazon, one minute of downtime is estimated to cost $220,000 in revenue . Needless to say that for more reasons than one, eCommerce website security  should be a top priority—not an afterthought—for your business. Cyberattacks can tarnish multiple aspects of business: your sales, brand trust, organic rankings (i.e., SEO), customer safety and more. How to shore up sloppy security Maintain up-to-date SSL/TLS certificates: This type of encryption is the gold standard to prove that your website is safe to do business with. If you choose a hosted eCommerce solution, like Wix, updated SSL/TLS encryption is built-in. If you build your store yourself, you’ll most likely need to purchase updated certificates. (Hint: If your site has an SSL certificate, it will use the prefix HTTPS instead of HTTP.) Look for enterprise-grade security : When it comes to picking your eCommerce platform or any third-party apps for your site, check that they maintain high security standards. For example, Wix assesses every one of its app partners for security and privacy compliance. And with Wix itself, you benefit from built-in data encryption, anti-fraud protections, around-the-clock monitoring, and rapid response solutions. Only store the data you need: Never store credit card data on your servers except for recurring payments. This reduces the amount of sensitive data that you have in your possession in case of a security breach. Keep an eye on website governance: Limit the number of people who can access your site and your customer data. Award admin rights sparingly. Create backups: Back up your site so that you don’t lose pertinent data or site settings in the event of a breach. Wix site's automatically backup, for example.

As more of life takes place online, businesses are looking to engage with their target audience quicker, or fear losing them. Gen Z’s typical attention span clocks in at a mere 8 seconds , while Millennials can hold focus for 12 seconds. To make a valuable first impression online, add a splash page to your website. This strategic page, also known as an intro page, greets visitors before they even reach your homepage—and can engage them immediately. This article will explore exactly what a splash page is, why it’s useful, and how to add one to your website. We’ll also show you some great examples to help you build a splash page of your own. Ready to make a splash? Start by creating a website of your own. What is a splash page? Splash pages capture a visitor's attention before entering your website. Your splash page introduces them to your site and then leads to the homepage. A splash page can both benefit your branding and marketing efforts by maintaining brand consistency and messaging, and be used for a variety of practical scenarios. From a design standpoint, this web “accessory” will enhance your website’s look and impress viewers with flair. Splash pages may also utilize more web design elements such as animations, video and unique elements than a website’s main page. Splash page vs landing page vs homepage Many web users confuse a splash page with a landing page or homepage, but while these three web design assets share similar forms, they perform different functions on a live website. A landing page is a destination, a single page that gets visitors to complete an action or click through to an end goal. Your homepage acts as your website’s main page. Apart from images and a description, a homepage typically also includes a navigation menu that visitors use to browse through the site’s categories and pages. Why use a splash page? A splash page can perform many functions on your website. Browse through the options listed below and decide your own splash page’s purpose. Focus on just one or two goals to keep it short and sweet. Charm visitors Use complementary visual elements on your website’s splash page to show off your work and grab your users’ attention. This clever marketing tactic can work for any business site, but it especially shines for art, photography or design portfolios. Some of the best website designs use splash pages to show off photographs, graphic designs or videos and give visitors a taste of what’s to come. Advertise a launch or event Use a splash page to showcase a soon-to-be-released product or an upcoming event and further your marketing efforts. This can effectively notify visitors and create excitement around your upcoming launch. With this marketing momentum in mind, add a contact form to your splash page for extra engagement, letting visitors know that you’ll use this information for future updates. Restrict access to your site If your website deals with sensitive content or products that are restricted to a particular group, a splash page is a smart way to add a prominent disclaimer. For example, an online alcohol store can use a splash page to ensure that visitors to their website are of legal drinking age. Allow visitors to choose a language or region Building a multilingual website will make information about yourself or your brand more widely available by providing translated and localized content for users. A splash page can provide space for users to choose their language and location preferences before they arrive at your website. This makes for easy navigation and a pleasant user experience. Alleviate wait times While stellar website performance and page speed are of utmost importance for users, there are, in fact, times when a page or screen needs to load. Particularly for mobile websites, splash pages can be used to display creative elements (like a loading bar) to indicate the remaining time until the next screen loads. As Khalil Habashi, technical and UX designer for Wix, explains: “On mobile, there is way less incentive for users to wait. Especially because mobile users are out in the world, on-the-go and time is a commodity. That's why today, mostly on mobile, you see gamification of splash screens with tap gestures and swipe features. It’s a creative and playful way to keep users engaged while they wait.” Habashi also explains that this gamification approach is only appropriate for mobile splash screens, since on desktop, users browse differently; they’ll likely click to another window or leave. For desktop users, it’s recommended to clearly indicate the expected page load time. Evolution of splash pages As with most web design trends , splash pages have been considered both en vogue and passé . In web design’s evolution , flash technology was new in the late 90s as, “interactive menus, splash pages, decorative animations, and beautifully rendered bubble buttons dominated the web design trend to wow people.” But in the mid-to-late 2000s, splash pages already felt dated and drab. In 2014, Gene Crawford discussed with Creative Bloq why this “long-dead design pattern” was already making a comeback. According to Crawford: “I actually feel that [splash pages] may help draw the visitor in more, as the creators of the original splash pages intended, and it makes really neat visual interactions possible, like the main navigation bar scrolling into place and becoming 'locked' in the header area. This simple movement really helps to focus the visitor’s attention on the site's navigation.” Crawford’s key takeaway was that if a splash page created any friction to the user experience, it should not be used. Jenna Romano, web design blogger at Wix, shares that a splash page must align with a website’s cohesive visual identity. “A splash page is not a pop-up that is distinguished from the rest of your site, it’s almost a website in and of itself,” Romano shares. “It must uphold the functional and visual aspects of the overall web design” To put it simply, a splash page should draw visitors in—not push them away. View minimalist websites  to gain inspiration for your splash page. SEO and splash pages Splash pages can impact your SEO, for better or worse, depending on how they’re designed and implemented. A key challenge is making sure search engines can crawl and index your site effectively. If your splash page includes minimal text or lacks proper links, it might block search engines like Google from accessing deeper pages, which can hurt your visibility. Google’s mobile interstitial guidelines add another layer to consider, especially with mobile-first indexing. Splash pages that block key content or disrupt the mobile experience can negatively impact rankings. For example, large pop-ups that are hard to dismiss frustrate users and signal poor usability to Google. To avoid splash pages causing any SEO issues, follow Google’s popup guidelines . First, remember that Google uses mobile-first indexing, so pay attention to their guidelines on mobile interstitials . Keep splash pages simple, easy to close and optimized for mobile accessibility. When done right, a splash page can deliver a strong message, improve user interaction and maintain solid SEO performance. 5 splash page examples for inspiration Let’s look at some great splash page examples: Zara As a global retailer, Zara’s corporate website is available around the world. When you first enter the website, Zara’s splash page greets you and asks for language and location information. This simple step, using two drop down menus, optimizes and personalizes the browsing experience with the correct language and currency for pricing. In addition, Zara’s splash page has a minimal, almost quiet design. A striking image puts Zara’s clothing front and center, enticing visitors to click through to the good stuff. The overall aesthetic is consistent with the brand’s products and brand identity, and confirms that visitors have landed in the right place. Spritz Society Upon entry to Spritz Society’s bright and colorful website, an age verification splash page greets you. Think of it like a virtual bouncer, or getting ID’d to confirm that visitors are the legal drinking age to access the site. While there is no law or regulation that requires age verification, with DTC alcohol products on the rise , more attention is falling on alcohol brands to provide clear verification on their websites. There are more age verification steps such as state-approved online verification providers and carrier ID inspection (adult signature required upon delivery) to prevent underage sales of alcohol. Regardless, if your brand sells alcohol, cannabis or any other age-specific product, the first and most important step is a splash page to verify that all visitors are of legal age before accessing your content. H&M Here’s another fashionable splash page example for location and language selection. H&M’s splash page lists every possible location and language by continent. Unlike a drop-down menu, this method clearly and conveniently lays out all the relevant information. Furthermore, each language is localized and displayed in the correct dialect, which makes this more accessible for first-time visitors to navigate to their respective site. H&M’s splash page also showcases their brand identity, with bold on-brand imagery that highlights their products. The New York Times The New York Times not only asks users to log in, but also requires visitors to subscribe before reading their articles. This “paywall,” or a splash page that requires readers to subscribe or pay a fee before accessing content, is a common monetization strategy among digital publications. For first-time visitors, The New York Times offers three articles free of charge to sample content and entice them to subscribe. On the fourth article, the paywall pops up. When creating your splash page, keep in mind that, without proper implementation, paywalls can alienate audiences or negatively impact customer retention. Football.com Football.com’s splash page takes language and region into account, cleverly playing on the variation between American football and European football (known as soccer to most North Americans). With clear visual representation of each respective sport, users can select their desired region and game version. Once they’ve selected, they receive curated content based on their preferences. This splash page example also includes an option to opt out from seeing it in the future. By selecting “Don’t show me this again”, returning users can bypass the splash page on return visits. How to create a splash page If you’ve decided a website splash page is right for you, you have two methods to create your own: do it yourself or hire a designer. Do it yourself When you use a website builder like Wix, you can access a range of customizable templates to suit your website needs. Alternatively, you can use the templates as inspiration to create something unique from scratch. Check out these splash page templates and start creating your own. Keep the design simple and visually appealing to grab visitors' attention. Use high-quality images, concise text and a clear call-to-action (CTA) that encourages users to explore further into your website. Clearly communicate the purpose of your splash page, whether it's to announce an event, promote a product or collect visitor information. Review that the message aligns with your website's overall goals. Consider when the splash page should appear – upon arrival, after a few seconds, or when a specific action is taken. Add interactive elements like animations, videos or interactive forms for higher user engagement. Make sure your splash page is mobile-friendly to provide a seamless experience across devices. Provide a seamless transition from the splash page to your main website content. Include a visible option to enter the site or continue browsing for a user-friendly experience. Track analytics on your splash page to measure the splash its performance, including conversion rates and user behavior. Use this data to optimize design elements and messaging for better results. Hire a designer Alternatively, you can hire a freelance web designer to create your website’s splash page. What to include in your splash page and why Before you start building your splash page, define your goals. Are you looking to promote an upcoming event? Do you want to wow visitors with stunning visuals or grow your mailing list? What you include in your splash page will vary by industry, personal taste and business goals. Try including these effective elements in your splash page: Eye-catching visuals: A splash page can attract visitors with intriguing visual elements that represent yourself, your work or your brand. Since a splash page typically includes very few elements, upload a background image that will stand out. Speaking of visuals, be sure to create a logo and include it on your splash page—since this is the face of your brand, it will indicate to visitors that they’re in the right spot. Concise messaging: A splash page should include a succinct message that informs the viewer, describes your brand and conveys that there’s more to come. Apart from welcoming users to your page, you can include text that will inform your audience of relevant updates or provide them with instructions before entering your site. Or you could use it to even set the tone with an inspiring quote. Remember to use short, action-oriented text—visitors shouldn’t have to read a full page before reaching your site. Remember to also use language that’s consistent with your brand identity. A clear exit link: Your intro page must carry viewers to your homepage. Add a button with a clear call-to-action that reads “enter here” to ensure visitors reach their final destination. If the main purpose of your splash page is to give visitors language options or view a specific website version, this is the place to let them choose their preferences and direct them to the relevant homepage. Ideally, splash pages shouldn't ask visitors to take specific actions. However, if your splash page promotes an offer, advertises a specific product or directs traffic to a certain page—use a clear call-to-action. How to optimize a splash page While you can design a splash page however you please, consider these pro tips while you create your own: 01. Use visual hierarchy Keep visual hierarchy in mind when laying out your site’s splash page elements. Consider each component’s size and placement to ensure everything works in a fluid and effective manner. 02. Keep it consistent Since the splash page is a preface to your website, keep the style—including use of language, as well as your website’s color scheme and imagery—consistent with the rest of your website design. This will not only please visitors aesthetically, it will also strengthen your branding. 03. Ensure speedy loading time A slow loading website will cause even the most patient of people to leave a page. When creating your page and adding in elements, follow a flat architecture structure and keep in mind how each element may affect your page speed . 04. Add subscription forms and social media accounts A splash page lets you capture contact information and sign up both new and returning visitors for your newsletter mailing list. Additionally, add social media icons linked to your relevant accounts to help your audience to follow you and stay up-to-date with your latest ventures. Learn more about how to make a website with our extensive guide.

In general, we turn to Google to find the answers to pretty much all of our questions. So it’s no wonder that business and website owners everywhere do what they can to make their information findable on Google. Which is exactly what SEO is—the practice of optimizing your content to appear higher within search results. The first step in accomplishing great SEO is creating a website on a platform that facilitates easy customization and content updates, and provides the tools you need to optimize your site elements. We suggest using a website builder like Wix, which enables simple site updating and has built-in SEO tools. Once you have the foundations of your site ready, you’ll need to pay attention to many small details such as metadata and linking, which can help improve your rankings. This article will cover what it takes to implement those details and make sure that they are meeting SEO standards and eventually SEO ROI . Once we've taken you through some of the basics of what defines SEO, we recommend you check out our Wix SEO hub - for all things SEO related, from beginner to advanced. What is SEO? SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing websites so that they rank well on search engines through organic (non paid) searches. This is one of the most crucial marketing strategies for any business. Because Google aims to provide a positive user experience for its searchers, it wants to present the best possible information available. Therefore the focus of SEO efforts should be the process of making sure search engines recognize your content as the leading information on the web for a particular search query. Read also: ASO vs. SEO How does SEO work? Search engines use robots that crawl webpages across the internet in order to determine what content they contain and, in turn, what the pages are about. These bots scan the code, picking up the written text, images, videos and more that appear on webpages to gather all information possible. Once they’ve gathered enough intel about the type of information available on each page and determined that this content will be useful to their searchers, they add these pages to their index. The index is essentially all possible web results that a search engine stores to provide to a potential searcher. Search engines assess what the best result is based on what searchers are looking for, as well as what other information already exists online. When someone searches, their algorithm matches the user’s search query to the relevant information in their index, providing searchers with an accurate answer to their query. The platforms then use hundreds of signals to determine the order in which the content will appear for each searcher. These signals are what SEO experts try to master. It’s important to note that Google does not release specifics about their algorithm or process, so it’s impossible to know exactly what factors impact indexing and rankings. SEO, therefore, isn’t a perfect science and even when it seems that all optimizations have been implemented, it often requires patience and continual tweaking to see results. On-page vs. off-page SEO Since there’s no way to know exactly what influences search engine rankings the most, experts recommend that your SEO strategy contain a variety of tactics. Those tactics can largely be broken down into two categories: on-page and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to the strategies that you implement on your webpages themselves, including everything from the design and written content, to your metadata, alt text, sitemap , canonical tags and more. Off-page SEO refers to the steps you take outside of your pages. This includes elements like external links, social posts and other website promotion methods. Both on-page and off-page SEO are essential in driving traffic to your site and in ultimately signaling to Google that your site is a significant player on the internet. By letting Google know that your pages are important and that people are interested in learning about what you have to offer, you can help your pages rank higher and gain more traffic. Pros and cons of SEO Pros of SEO Increased website visibility: If you're consistently appearing at the top of search results, so people are seeing your site and hopefully remembering it too. SEO can be a cost effective way to drive users to your website : It's not totally free, but can cost less than paid advertising. The benefits of SEO are often long term: Getting your pages to rank in search can help you generate traffic and conversions over years. Ranking high in search can create higher credibility and trustworthiness for your site, and in turn your business. Cons of SEO SEO is rarely a quick win: It takes time to setup and a strategy and implement it. SEO is also a case of constantly optimizing websites and content to rank or maintain search engine rankings. SEO results can be unpredictable: Your efforts are at the whim of search engines algorithms which can change and update. This may lead you to need to change strategies. Search engine results can be competitive : Depending on the search term and competitors in that space. It can be difficult for smaller brands to compete against larger brands with more brand and product authority. Some parts of SEO, like technical SEO, require specific expertise. How to implement SEO The first step in implementing SEO best practices is creating an outstanding website . Make sure that your website is easily navigable, provides a great user experience and clearly presents the information you want to convey. This ensures that you’re on the right track to providing an excellent answer to searchers’ queries. Leveraging SEO and integrating it into the website creation process is vital. Various studies have shown that organic search is the single greatest provider of traffic to websites - with that being even more pronounced within the B2B context. To that, traffic from organic search, when done correctly is essentially built to last (with proper maintenance over time, of course) and forms a crucial part of a site’s long-term growth. Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding at Wix.com However, SEO is much more than just a great website. Here are some practical steps you can take to get started with SEO: Make an SEO plan Do keyword research Optimize page speed Write your title tags and meta descriptions Implement alt text Create internal links Work on external links Check that your site is mobile friendly Analyze results 01. Make an SEO plan Search engine optimization requires work and consistency, making it essential that you have a plan in mind before diving into the specifics. Be sure to think about your SEO strategy in line with your larger goals, so that you can understand whether your efforts were successful. For example, if you’re an eCommerce website looking to utilize SEO in order to bring more traffic and make more sales, your SEO plan might look different than if you want to raise brand awareness or get more foot traffic to your brick and mortar store. Be sure to have these goals in mind ahead of time and to optimize your site accordingly. Specifically, think about details like your site’s URL, as well as larger aspects like if you'll have a dedicated employee for SEO, or if you plan to optimize your site alone. Also, be sure to plan from the get-go how and when you'll take stock of your pages’ SEO performance and optimize. Consider how you will check your rankings and what you consider a success. If you’re unsure what the best route is for various optimizations, consider trying one option and storing the others in a list for potential future use. Take note that SEO success takes time, so be sure to be patient. 02. Do keyword research Arguably one of the most important parts of understanding and implementing SEO is doing keyword research . Keyword research is the process of finding the most relevant words to use on your webpages. By doing some investigating, and using professional keyword research tools , you can understand how people around the world tend to search for things related to your product or service. Keyword research helps you understand what phrases are most searched for and therefore guides you in the creation of pages that can be optimized for those queries. Choosing to use the right words on your webpages can make a huge difference when it comes to how much traffic your site gets. We suggest thinking of a number of topics that are related to your brand and using these as driving forces in your keyword research and content creation. In recent years, Google has gotten better at understanding that beyond the specific words that pages can be optimized for, there are overarching topics that pages can provide an answer for. Instead of searching for just one keyword upon which to base your SEO strategy, consider the general group of keywords that your page could rank for based on the given topic. You can still choose a top keyword to use in your page title or URL, but think about your pages as providing complete answers to the topic, rather than focusing solely on that one keyword. So, let’s say your name is Jenny and you sell flowers. You may think the best route is to optimize your homepage for the keyword “flower shop.” While this may be a fruitful choice, it shouldn’t be the only word that you focus on. Instead, think of the various topics that you specialize in and that someone searching to buy flowers will want to know. Consider subjects like flower delivery, flower freshness or types of flowers. Including information about these topics will ultimately make your site a better resource for someone who wants to buy flowers. By providing a better user experience, you are also signaling to Google that your pages are strong contenders for anyone searching for a complete flower solution. But keyword research does not end there. Continuing with the flower shop example, you may notice that the search results page for “flower shop” is dominated by big name brands that your small store can’t compete with. In this case, you might want to focus on your geographical location ( local SEO ) or a niche that you specialize in (utilizing long tail keywords ). Including this information on your webpages will let Google know that you are a strong option when people are searching for something that you specifically provide. 03. Optimize page speed One of the factors that Google takes into consideration is page speed or loading times. How fast your website loads is an important element of user experience. A slow website will turn users away from your site before they even see what it has to offer. It’s therefore essential that you pay close attention to this and make sure to optimize your website speed. Page speed can be broken down into three main categories that are often referred to as core web vitals. These are: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): The time from a click on a URL until a user can view the most prominent content on a webpage. First Input Delay (FID): The time between a URL click and when someone can interact with your site elements. In other words, when a user can click on something on your page. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How stable your site elements are while your page loads. This number is ideal when it is low—indicating that as your page loads, the elements are more or less in the place they will be once your page is fully loaded. Together, these elements make up what Google considers important when it comes to loading times. Some of the easiest ways to ensure that your site loads quickly include not overloading it with media or features, optimizing image sizes and sticking to one or two fonts throughout. These will make your site look cleaner and feel more professional, as well as keep your loading time down. 04. Write your title tags and meta descriptions Metadata refers to the information that you provide Google to describe what your webpage contains. Important aspects of metadata include title tags and meta descriptions . When you conduct a search on a search engine, each result is presented with a headline and description letting you know what kind of content you’ll find on the page. Providing Google with that information will help both searchers and Google understand the most important parts of your pages. Did you know? Wix's AI meta tag creator can help you scale your work by suggesting title tags and meta descriptions. Many SEO experts consider your meta titles, or title tags, and meta descriptions to be some of the strongest SEO signals that you can send Google. It is therefore critical that you try to include your most important keywords in your title tag. Title tags and meta descriptions also have an underlying SEO advantage. They give you control over the text that searchers see when they first encounter your website. Including enticing text that clearly answers the searcher’s query can lead to more clicks to your website. The more people that click on your site, the more Google notices that it is a good match for their searches and the higher they might rank you. It is essential to note, however, that Google does not commit to using the metadata that you provide. They can choose to change your headlines or descriptions as they see fit. In fact, in recent months it seems as though Google is moving increasingly towards a model of not using provided title tags and meta descriptions. That said, the titles and descriptions that you write for your page still have the potential of being used on SERPs (search engine result pages) and are worthwhile to optimize. 05. Implement alt text Alt text, or alternative text, is the small description that you give to the images on your site. It is embedded into your site’s HTML and is an important SEO asset. Bots that crawl webpages can quickly read alt text to understand what an image contains. Alt text is also an important accessibility feature, helping blind web browsers get the full picture of your pages, even without seeing them. Tools that read webpages aloud can read alt text to help explain what images contain to those who cannot see them. This alternative text also makes your images more likely to appear on Google searches, both in the Google images section, but also increasingly at the top of regular search result pages. Images are becoming more and more standard across Google searches, and the better your alt text, the more likely that your image will rank. Of course, if your site is getting exposure both from ranking for images as well as content, you are likely to gain more traffic. Google also perceives webpages that utilize alt text to be more optimized in general. This can help your site appear better in the eyes of search engines. An important thing to consider is exactly how to write alt text. When you look at an image you can likely think of various ways to describe what you see. For SEO purposes, it’s recommended to think strategically about your alt text and try to include some keywords to give your site an extra push. However, alt text cannot be only keyword focused; it should still accurately explain what the image depicts. 06. Create internal links Links are an important factor for SEO. When one page links to another it helps Google navigate your site and build a network of connections between pages and their content. This can help with the categorization of pages, and perhaps more importantly enables Google to index your pages (or add them to the list of sites Google considers when displaying search results) more efficiently. One of the best linking strategies is internal linking, or linking between pages within your own website. This is simple as you have control over all your pages and can easily add links from one to another. Internal linking also helps boost site authority. By linking lesser visited pages to stronger pages within your own site, you are sending Google a signal that both pages are important. Internal linking is also important for user experience. By connecting relevant pages to one another, you’ll make your site more navigable and ensure that your users can easily find what they are looking for. Internal linking can therefore drive traffic between your website pages, bringing attention to all of your assets. 07. Work on external links External links, or backlinks, are when other sites link to your site. This is an important SEO tactic as it drives up the authority of your site. When an important webpage references your content, it sends a signal to Google that your pages are a good source of information. External links also help your pages gain exposure, allowing more potential users to reach them and learn about your product or service. External links work best when they are genuine and natural. This happens when another platform has noticed you and has decided that your site can add value to their content. They therefore link to your page as a way to help their own readers or users. The more authoritative or important the other site, the more valuable their link is. While there’s no short-cut for gaining genuine external links, the best way is to strive to consistently create good quality content. "By enriching your content with statistical data, expert quotes and unique insights, you significantly increase the chance that other websites will link to it. More backlinks, more exposure to your brand." Asaf Or Shenhav, Outreach specialist at Wix 08. Check that your site is mobile friendly Another essential element of SEO is ensuring that all searchers can reach your site and have a positive user experience. In today’s world, over 50% of all traffic comes from mobile devices . That means that it’s well worth your while to ensure that your site is mobile friendly. Not only will this boost your business and ensure that people searching from their phones can use your site, but it is also important to Google. The search engine often employs mobile-first indexing, which essentially means that it crawls the mobile version of your site in order to determine how it should rank amongst its results. That’s why the mobile version of your site deserves your undivided attention. When you create a site with Wix, a mobile version of your site will automatically be created for you. You can find this version by toggling to the mobile icon in the editor. We recommend reviewing this mobile version to ensure that it looks the way you envisioned and that all site elements are easily findable. Specifically, look out for navigation on mobile and ensure that your site menu and buttons are clear. 09. Analyze your SEO results Since SEO is a living and breathing task, you have to be sure to consistently assess your pages’ performance and tweak accordingly. You can check your page rankings and performance with SEO tools like Ahrefs and Google Search Console in order to get a sense of the direct impact of your optimization. These tools can help you understand if your site has improved in the rankings and note which keywords your site is ranking well for. If you’re unhappy with your rankings or traffic, you can consider all of the previous items on this list and tweak your content accordingly. Other important analytics tools include Google Analytics and Wix Analytics . These can help you gain insights into your traffic and build a deeper understanding of where it is coming from. You can also assess how users interact with your pages, which can help you understand and optimize your content accordingly. Authoritativeness and SEO An important element in gaining trust from both people and Google alike is proving your authority. We tend to trust the experts and seek out advice from people who are particularly knowledgeable in their field. Google does the same thing. It determines what sites have the most information and qualifications to report on a given topic, then prioritizes them by presenting them to searchers. Google refers to this as E-A-T or Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Gaining authority can be done in a number of ways. The simplest way is to accurately discuss the item or service which you know the most about. Thus, if your service is an online store selling flowers, built with an online store builder , and your site has a blog , this blog should discuss topics surrounding flowers and flower care. Looking to learn how to create a blog ? Wix has got your covered with thousands of design features, built-in SEO and marketing tools, that will allow you to scale your content, your brand and your business with their blog maker. Being an authority on a given topic can also be achieved with some simple steps. For example, make sure that your site content is updated. This freshness factor isn’t always the most important SEO strategy, but it is nonetheless a best practice. Next steps with your SEO practice Now that you know what the main SEO strategies are, you might be wondering what to do next. You can start by going through the aforementioned steps and ensuring they are implemented on your site. A simple way to do this is to utilize Wix SEO tools such as the SEO Wizard. This tool will give you personalized SEO recommendations according to the needs of your site. Of course, you can also implement each of the strategies independently. We also suggest exploring a complete SEO guide that can help you understand many more SEO details and take your site to the next level. Additionally, consider these SEO tips which can help you learn how to make the necessary changes to your pages in order to give them the best chance at ranking for your desired keywords. In addition, you can check out Wix Learn SEO tutorials for more in-depth guidance. We've also rounded some of our top SEO trends that anyone looking to optimize their site for Google should get on board with. You’re off to a great start if you have in fact added all of the tactics mentioned. However, keep in mind that SEO work does not end there. An important facet of SEO is maintenance. You will have to continuously check in on your site to make sure everything is working properly and is up-to-date. Often, slight changes on your site can break links or harm site functionality, which is why it’s essential that you check in and maintain your site. What is SEO? FAQ What is SEO for beginners? When getting started with SEO as a beginner, it's best to begin with the basics. These include making sure that your on-page optimizations are on point - your meta title, descriptions and alt text. Your page should be indexable as a priority. Next you can start to think about the topics and keywords you want to target, and then plan pages or content around it. You will also want to set up tracking for your SEO efforts, including tracking your rankings and organic clicks. What are the different types of SEO? On-page SEO (the optimization of web pages to rank in search results), Off-page SEO (efforts made to improve the authority of a page through backlinks and mentions), Technical SEO (site structure, hierarchy and website performance) are the three main types of SEO.

Back around its online debut in 2011, the parallax scrolling effect made waves as a new and exciting web design trend. Many internet fads have come and gone in the years since, but parallax scrolling has established itself as a fundamental design asset that’s here to stay. When you're deciding how to create a website , parallax scrolling is a great way to add depth and movement to the browsing experience. Below you’ll find a full explanation of what parallax scrolling is, complete with a selection inspiring examples of parallax scrolling websites to learn from and a few website templates to get you started. What is parallax scrolling? Parallax scrolling is a web design technique in which the website background moves at a slower pace than the foreground. This results in a 3D effect as visitors scroll down the site, adding a sense of depth and creating a more immersive browsing experience. Parallax is based on optical illusion. Since the human eye perceives objects that are close to us as larger than things farther away, we perceive distant objects as if they were moving more slowly. The illusion has been long adopted into parallax across different mediums, fostering a realistic effect. Its first use was in traditional animation, dating back to as early as Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , and in video games such as Super Mario . With advancements in CSS and HTML , parallax effects later evolved into the world of web design as we know it today. Here are nine outstanding parallax scrolling examples built with Wix, handpicked for your web design and making a website inspiration: Parallax scrolling examples 01. Mild Design Emilie De Grosbois, a Montreal-based visual artist and the founder of Mild Design, can show us a thing or two about how to make a portfolio . Her own portfolio website strikes visitors with an impressive welcome: a series of intricate fullscreen images displayed in a long scroll. These are some of the best website images we've seen. By use of parallax, the transition from one image to the next becomes not only smoother, but it also adds a sense of depth, as if the images gently glide on top of each other. 02. Nolan Omura Nolan Omura is a Hawaii-based photographer and videographer specializing in underwater photography. His ingenious take on the parallax scrolling effect adds depth and motion to his already captivating homepage design. By dividing the page into full-width strips, site visitors are met with exhilarating shots of aquatic life each time they scroll down further. The strips float gently above one another, using a mix of both parallax and reveal scrolling effects. Giving the photographs even more movement are minute animations. While these are barely discernible, the website animations - combined with the use of parallax and video - make this page fully come to life. 03. Chris Covert Aerospace engineer Chris Covert’s bold resume website is just as professional as it is innovative. The site’s design and interactivity manage to inject much of Chris’ personality into what could have otherwise been a dry list of skills, experience, and education history. Chris places shots of his printed CV and business card in the center of the screen. Using the reveal scroll effect, the website background images swiftly changes behind them as the visuals stay put, achieving a surprising result. Paying much attention down to the smallest of details, the website provides a remarkable answer to the question of how to write a resume . It also includes a downloadable PDF document of the CV for potential employers to print out. 04. Ivy Chen Designer and illustrator Ivy Chen’s use of parallax makes for a unique portfolio website, in which her works gradually reveal themselves as if by scrolling magic. Ivy’s use of the parallax scrolling effect is not only mesmerizing, but also amplifies and explains the page’s content. As a multidisciplinary designer, she operates at the intersection of illustration and graphic design. The two fields are integrated seamlessly, with her fashion illustrations slowly transforming into real life garments as we scroll. 05. Industrial Jewellery Jewelry designer Hila Rawet Karni’s website employs parallax scrolling to create an interesting, multifaceted browsing experience. By layering images and text on top of one another and having them move at different speeds, the page seems to be constantly changing and forming new compositions as we scroll. The layered look also helps this small business website keep up with the latest web design trends. Notice, for example, how the middle photo of a sitting woman stays in place as other elements drift alongside it. That photo eventually rolls out of the screen too, making room for other sections of this website and achieving a dynamic feel. 06. Barco Sorriso Digital illustrations and a vivid color palette lend a cheerful, welcoming tone to this nonprofit website . The top fold depicts a boat in the ocean, fitting for an organization whose name means ‘The Boat Called Smile’ in Portugese. As we scroll down this multilingual website, however, the ocean view of the first fold is gradually obscured behind the greenery of the second. This sleek transition, achieved by use of parallax scrolling, brings to mind the layers and depth of animated films or video games. 07. Karlie Kloss This elegant and clean website is the perfect modeling portfolio for supermodel Karlie Kloss. The website color scheme aims for simplicity in its choices of white, gray and black, and so do the generous amounts of white space. At the same time, this classy look is combined with small touches that keep the website far from ordinary: the subtle use of pink, the heavy black font, and the sense of motion imparted by parallax scrolling and the use of video. 08. Hana Knizova London-based Hana Knizova’s photography website features a long scroll of images revealed and obscured using parallax scrolling. The photos on the homepage are an introduction to Hana’s varied projects and many specialities as a photographer, from editorial to portrait to maternity photoshoots. Simultaneously, the images also double as the website menu , creating a unique navigation system where each image leads to a different inner page. 09. Frankie Ratford The personal website of graphic designer, digital nomad and entrepreneur Frankie Ratford is colorful, vibrant and bubbly. The sunny colored top fold features several layers of parallax. While Frankie herself remains static in a candid and relatable portrait, her name slides upwards from behind the photo, followed by a bio section that glides on top of the same image. The rest of this graphic design website makes more subtle uses of parallax scrolling in its display of various informative details. Enabling parallax scrolling on your Wix website To enable parallax scrolling on your Wix website, use strips that have a color, image, or video background. Combining multiple strips together can enrich the effect. How to enable parallax scrolling on a strip : 1. In the Editor, click ‘Add’ on the left menu, then choose ‘Strip.’ 2. Click ‘Change Strip Background.’ Here you can change the background to a color, image or video of your choice. 3. Click ‘Settings’ on the Strip Background, and under ‘Scroll Effects’ choose the desired effect (Parallax, Reveal, Zoom-In or Fade-In). 4. Check out the effect in action in Preview mode, and revise if needed. How to set your background image to parallax scrolling : 1. In the Editor, click ‘Change Page Background.’ 2. Click ‘Settings’ on the background image. 3. Under ‘Scroll Effects,’ select ‘Parallax.’ Website templates with parallax scrolling To get started easily, choose one of our many website templates that’s designed with built-in parallax scrolling, then customize it to your needs. We’ve selected three such templates to help you in creating a website: Online Personal Care Store : This template for an eCommerce website features its products on clean, solid backgrounds. At the same time, parallax scrolling is applied to photos of people interacting with the products, setting them apart and making for a more interactive experience. Bread Shop : This mouthwatering template is made up of several full-screen strips with parallax scrolling. A cinemagraph on the third strip adds an extra sense of motion. Let’s Play : This multi-layered parallax template achieves a sophisticated look with a color-changing gradient fullscreen background and a static layer of typography. For additional information, check out this detailed template tutorial . Learn more: What is mouse parallax? Parallax scrolling FAQ What is the best use of parallax scrolling? Parallax scrolling is best used sparingly and strategically. It's most effective when used to create a specific mood or atmosphere, or to highlight a particular element on a page. Parallax scrolling should not be used on every page of a website, and it should not be used in a way that makes it difficult for users to navigate the site. Why is parallax scrolling avoided? Parallax scrolling can be avoided for a number of reasons. For example, it can be difficult to implement on mobile devices, and it can also make websites feel less accessible to users with certain disabilities. Additionally, parallax scrolling can be overused, which can make it feel gimmicky and unprofessional. What does parallax mean in video games? In video games, parallax is a technique that is used to create a sense of depth. This is done by making the background images move at a different speed than the foreground images, which creates an illusion of movement. Parallax is often used in platform games and racing games to create a more immersive experience.  What size image should be used for parallax scrolling? The size of the image you use for parallax scrolling will depend on the size of your website and the effect you want to create. In general, you will want to use a large image that is at least the same size as your website's viewport. However, you can also use smaller images and scale them up using CSS. What is an example of a parallax effect? An example of a parallax effect is on a website where the background image scrolls more slowly than the text or graphics in the foreground. This creates a sense of depth and movement, making the design feel more dynamic and engaging. What is a parallax in layman's terms? Parallax is when things closer to you seem to move faster than things farther away. Imagine looking out a car window—nearby trees zoom by, but distant mountains barely seem to move. Websites use this idea to make scrolling feel more interactive by moving different layers on the page at different speeds.

In order to run a successful business, it’s critical that your marketing efforts are up to speed with the latest trends. These days, business owners have learned that traditional marketing techniques like print ads and cold calls aren’t the best way to attract customers. Instead, you’re better off ensuring you create a website with useful, engaging content that your audience genuinely enjoys. The practice of building your marketing strategy around valuable content is known as inbound marketing, and it’s proven far more effective than traditional approaches in attracting and retaining customers. In this article, we’re going to walk you through everything you need to know about this technique, from the definition of inbound marketing to examples and strategies of inbound marketing done right. What is inbound marketing? Inbound marketing is a marketing methodology that involves creating engaging and relevant content pieces and experiences to attract customers to your brand. It includes building a professional website filled with great content, publishing compelling posts on your blog and social media channels, and boosting your website’s rank on Google (a practice known as SEO). The philosophy behind inbound marketing is that the more value you’re able to offer users in terms of useful website content, educational resources, and other helpful tools, the more they’ll gravitate towards your brand. Done well, this method will not only help you attract one-time buyers, but also build and retain a loyal customer base. Event marketing , for example, can be an incredibly efficient form of inbound marketing. By introducing potential customers to your brand in a fun, engaging way, they'll be more likely to show interest and possibly convert. Find out how to promote an event in 9 actionable steps. Inbound vs outbound marketing Inbound and outbound marketing are two distinct types of marketing that tend to be defined in contrast to one another. Outbound marketing, also known as interruption marketing or push marketing, is the use of old school sales practices such as print ads, cold calls, email blasts, and more. The aim of these tactics is to get the word out to as many people as possible with the hope that some of them will buy your products. Before inbound marketing gained traction, outbound marketing was the standard practice for businesses. The downside of this technique is that it isn’t targeted toward any specific set of customers who may be interested in your product. Because the message is broadcasted to a large general audience, it won’t be relevant or interesting to most consumers - and will usually be ignored. On top of that, outbound marketing is a one-way conversation. Rather than listening to consumers’ concerns and addressing their needs, push marketing methods simply talk about the product and the reasons to buy it. As a result, many consumers stay as far away from outbound marketing as they can. If you use an ad blocker on your web browser, send marketing emails straight to your spam box, fast forward through TV ads, or drive past billboards without a second glance, I’m sure you can relate. Inbound marketing, on the other hand, is like a magnet. Far from being loud, pushy, or aggressive, this type of marketing is more subtle but also more potent. By speaking to consumer needs, helping them solve a problem, and teaching them something new, effective inbound marketing builds trust and gently guides people toward a product. Inbound marketing methodology The key to successful inbound marketing is to engage with customers at every stage of the marketing funnel, from the first touchpoint through the final purchase. The goal of your promotional efforts should be to attract people to your brand, convert them into prospective customers, close sales, and delight them long after the purchase. For that reason, the inbound marketing methodology is divided into four phases: Attract, Convert, Close, and Delight: Attract: Generate leads by creating useful and engaging blog posts, social media posts, and other marketing materials. Sustainable marketing has also become a extremely popular inbound marketing method as the demand for environmentally-friendly products has grown. Aim to attract people who are already interested in your product or niche, as they have the highest potential to become customers. Convert: Once you’ve drawn in strong leads, continue to target them with content that convinces them to convert into loyal customers. Start by gathering their contact information and personal details. You can do this using landing pages and CTAs (calls-to-action), or by offering free downloadable content across your site. Close: After converting your leads into prospective customers, guide them even further down the funnel with compelling content that convinces them to make a purchase. Delight: Inbound marketing doesn’t stop after the first purchase. Continue to delight your customers by rewarding them with meaningful interactions and high quality, informative content. This is key to building stronger relationships with your audience, establishing trust in your brand, and boosting the reputation and credibility of your business. Inbound marketing examples Now that you have a broad understanding of what inbound marketing is, it’s time to look at some examples of different kinds of inbound marketing. These include: Blogs , such as our very own Wix Blog . Infographics , like this one about website user stats. Whitepapers and eBooks , like these pieces from the Content Marketing Institute’s white paper library . Case studies , like these case studies from Google . Videos , like those on the popular Nintendo YouTube channel . Webinars , such as these webinars by Wix Learn . Online courses , such as the digital marketing classes by HubSpot Academy . Email newsletters , as shown in these newsletter ideas. Podcasts , such as Slack’s Work in Progress podcast. Social media posts , as seen on the Wix Facebook page . Quizzes and entertainment , like these recipes by Nutella . SEO , as explained in these SEO tips. While there’s a wide range of options, you’ll notice that inbound marketing largely revolves around content marketing, social media marketing and SEO. Together, these digital marketing tactics serve to drive organic traffic towards a brand and move customers through the sales funnel. Inbound marketing strategies Once you’ve looked through the different inbound marketing examples, consider the kinds of content that would be most relevant to your audience and brand. Are you thinking about creating a blog? Should you be posting more on social media? What about making videos? As you develop your new inbound marketing plan, these marketing strategies can help you get started: Know your target market Shape the right brand identity Create a blog Start guest blogging Get creative with your content Optimize for SEO Post on social media Collaborate with influencers Interact with your audience Create powerful email campaigns Use digital tools Offer free value 01. Know your target market Remember that inbound marketing, unlike outbound marketing, doesn’t involve shouting out your message to as many people as possible. On the contrary, it’s about attracting high quality traffic - users who are actually interested in your particular niche and who have the potential to convert. That’s why the first step in mastering inbound marketing is conducting market research. Take the time to define and understand your target market - their interests, hobbies and professions, as well their demographic and geographic information. You can gather this data using website analytics and other marketing integrations. Then, use this information to create buyer personas, fictional representations of your customers that you can use as a reference throughout your marketing strategy. With an in-depth understanding of your potential customers, you’ll be closer to marketing to them in a way they’ll find interesting and enjoyable, rather than spammy or intrusive. 02. Shape the right brand identity Think about it: a business that markets to tech-savvy twenty-somethings will have a very different brand identity than a business that sells to retirees - even if they offer similar products. To attract and retain the attention of your target market, build a brand that resonates with your potential customers. Every aspect of your inbound marketing efforts - from your blog content to your email newsletters to your social media branding - should use language, images, and color palettes that are relevant and relatable for your audience. This will show your audience that your brand addresses their particular needs, and they’ll form a stronger connection with your business as a result. 03. Create a blog Content marketing forms the core of a powerful inbound marketing strategy. And while it encompasses a wide array of content types, blogging is its heart and soul. Creating a blog is one of the best ways to attract new visitors to your website. In order to get found by prospective customers, you’ll need to post informative content that speaks to their needs and answers their questions. A high-quality blog also establishes your brand’s credibility and expertise, building trust among your target audience. In other words, you can’t go wrong with a blog. Keep in mind that longer, in-depth, and actionable content produces stronger results than that which merely skims the surface. 04. Start guest blogging In addition to publishing great blog posts on your own site, try to publish guest posts on other popular blogs. Guest blogging is a powerful way to promote your website, as it helps you capture the attention of new members of your target audience who might otherwise never have heard of your business. Begin your guest posting efforts by reaching out to other blogs within your niche. Some of them provide special pages, usually entitled “Write for Us,” “Become a Contributor,” or “Editorial Guidelines,” that provide information for guest writers on how to proceed. If you don’t see these pages, email the company to ask about guest blogging opportunities and share some of your article ideas. You can also reach out to the writers directly over LinkedIn or Twitter. To maximize the effectiveness of this strategy, be sure to write guest posts on a consistent basis. You should also link to your website or blog in the author bio, as well as in the body of the post itself. This will create backlinks, which play an important role in boosting your website’s SEO. 05. Get creative with your content While blogging is a great practice, it isn’t the only content marketing method you’ll want to include in your inbound marketing strategy. You should also branch out into other forms of content, such as eBooks, podcasts, videos , webinars, and more. For inspiration, take a look at these guides for how to create a podcast, how to live stream, and how to start a YouTube Channel . 06. Optimize for SEO The ultimate goal of improving your search engine optimization (SEO) is to boost your content’s performance on search engines. You can think of SEO and content marketing as two sides of the same inbound marketing coin. While content marketing is about creating well-written, informative, and engaging content, SEO is about making sure that content actually gets found on Google. If your content ranks 1, 2, or 3 in the Google search results, it’s far more likely to be read than if it ranks 50 or 100. To improve your SEO, be sure to: Conduct keyword research to place high volume keywords within your content. Use long-tail keywords to target a relevant audience within your niche. Include internal links between your blog posts and website pages. Find opportunities to place backlinks on external web pages that lead to your own site. 07. Post on social media Social media platforms are also an essential inbound marketing tool for drawing organic traffic to your brand. Start by thinking about which platforms your audience is using. Are they perusing pictures on Pinterest, swiping through Instagram Stories, or sending out tweets? Focus your efforts on creating posts on the social media platforms where your audience is most active. Whichever platforms you choose, make sure to draw users to your brand by forming personal connections with potential customers. Post content relevant to their interests and needs, and engage with them in the comments section. 08. Collaborate with influencers Another inbound marketing strategy on social media is to take advantage of influencer marketing . Influencers are people who have built a strong reputation and following on social media, typically centered around a particular niche. If their niche aligns with your product or service, their followers are likely the same people you want to be targeting with your brand. To take advantage of the large following of these social media stars, build relationships with influencers relevant to your business goals. To get the ball rolling, reach out to them directly on social media platforms. Talk to them about how they can benefit from a collaboration - whether it’s free publicity, a complimentary gift, or another reward. This will help you expand your reach, add credibility to your brand, and stimulate interest in your product. Another type of collaborative tactic beyond influencer partnerships is to post content on third party websites via affiliate marketing . 09. Interact with your audience Inbound marketing means engaging with users as much as possible. In addition to responding to user comments on social media, you should find other opportunities for conversation. For example, you can implement a live chat on your website that you can use to answer customer questions or provide guidance, or ask for customer feedback via surveys and polls. Consistently interacting with customers will make your brand feel accessible, trustworthy, and personal. Furthermore, your audience will appreciate you for listening to their concerns and giving them the opportunity to share their thoughts. 10. Create powerful email campaigns With the help of email marketing tools, you can send out targeted emails that provide each customer with specific content tailored to their needs. The most effective email marketing offers genuine value, either in the form of expert information, actionable advice, or free content. In particular, email newsletters are an effective inbound marketing tool because they educate and inform while driving traffic to your website or blog. Other examples of quality email content include free eBook downloads and special offers like discounts or coupon codes. To send newsletters and other marketing emails to different segments of your target market, try Wix Email Marketing . 11. Use digital tools As you begin to attract more customers, the process of segmentation and targeting becomes increasingly complex. For that reason, it’s important to take advantage of marketing automation tools to gather and sort your customer data. 12. Offer free value A common theme in inbound marketing is that offering free value goes a long way. Between informative blog posts, downloadable eBooks and whitepapers, and free online courses and webinars, thorough and detailed content marketing attracts customers to your brand by promising value from the very beginning. You can take this idea a step further by offering a one-month free trial, as well as a free consultation to potential clients. Show your leads that you genuinely care about their well-being, not just that you’re trying to push a sale. They’ll be pleased to have connected with a trustworthy, likable brand.

Influencer marketing is a collaboration between yourself and someone your audience follows on social media and respects their opinion. There’s actually much more to it than that, but we’re going to get you started with the basics and how to tackle this popular form of marketing below. What is influencer marketing? Influencer marketing is a collaborative social media marketing campaign between an influencer and a brand. The influencer uses their reach to boost awareness about a brand or product to their following, which overlaps with the target audience of the sponsoring business. It’s great for audience building, lead generation, growing sales, engagement, and customer loyalty. It works as part of both local marketing and global marketing efforts. All in all, influencer marketing can help get the word out about your brand or product, with the help of a knowledgeable figure that has sway in your market. Just like any other important tool for your business, influencer marketing is another way to speak to your target audience. Also, it is one fastest growing marketing trends . Influencer marketing taps directly into the concept of social influence. This is a process by which individuals or communities change their behavior to meet the demands of a social environment. In this example the environment is social media, where many of the factors of social influence exist - peer pressure, socialization, conformity and persuasion. Influencer marketing statistics If you’re still on the fence as to whether you should give influencer marketing a chance, try these stats on for size. Less is sometimes more : A study from Markedly shows that micro-influencers tend to get more engagement than celebrities. The industry isn’t losing steam : Mediakix estimates the influencer marketing industry to reach $5-$10 billion dollars by the year 2020. Making money as an influencer is a growing trend and for good reasons. It’s marketer approved : Mediakix reports that 89% of marketers say that influencer marketing ROI is at least as good or better than other methods. But finding the right fit is hard : According to Mediakix , 61% of marketers say that their number one challenge with influencer marketing is finding the best influencer for campaigns. Why influencer marketing? One of the toughest things a small business can do is to get in front of the right audience without being immediately dismissed. The way people respond to ads and other promotional material is much different than it once was, making it harder for people to figure out which marketing strategies will help them achieve success. This is due to several factors: the number of ads shown, the now-expected marketing tricks, lacking in any sort of originality. Due to the number of ads shown and over-familiarity with marketing tricks, it's getting harder to catch consumers' attention - making it especially difficult for those just getting started in business. Well, if you’re struggling to get to your audience effectively or if you’re just trying to stay ahead of the curve, you may want to look into influencer marketing. First, what (or who) is a marketing influencer? A marketing influencer is a person who can effectively sway an individual’s purchasing decisions. Influencers are generally very knowledgeable and credible within a niche market and very actively engage with its members. Take makeup artist, Nikkie De Jager ( @NIKKIETUTORIALS ) for example. She shares valuable techniques and impressive works of her craft, garnering her the massive 12.4 million Instagram followers she has. What makes these social media stars effective is that they have essentially built themselves into their own independent brand - one that feels genuine and relatable to their followers. So when they promote other brands, their followers are likely to trust their recommendations. They’ve also put in the effort to learn and become an authority on a particular subject. It's that kind of expertise that launches them beyond just another traditional advertisement. Instead, they have built themselves into independent, identifiable brands of their own. They then use that platform to promote other brands that align with their values and outlook. How do influencers make money? There are several main ways in which influencers make money as the stars of influencer marketing. - Sponsored content. Brands pay influencers to create content around them using a product or service. - Affiliate marketing. - Product placement . Influencers are paid or receive products for free if they use them in their photos and videos. - Product endorsement . Influencers endorse a product or service through their social media platforms and fees. - Influencer events. Influencers are paid to attend brand events and to promote products at it. Learn more about how to edit photos: How to edit AI generated images How to edit stock photography How to edit images for social media Types of influencers Much like there are different markets to advertise to, there are different types of influencers to partner with, each with their own specialty and market. Influencers can be celebrities, journalists and reporters, bloggers and vloggers and other types of content creators. Each type has their own audience and expertise, and the size and nature of each should be considered when finding an influencer to work with on a campaign. If you’re just getting started with influencer marketing or are trying to get into a hyper-specific niche, you can look into micro-influencers . Unlike typical influencers, “micros” tend to be regular people that are knowledgeable about a topic that isn’t incredibly popular, but has its own dedicated following. They can be seen as more relatable than higher-profile influencers. The number of followers needed to be categorized as a micro-influencer is wildly debatable. Some say less than 2,000 followers, some say a minimum of over 3,000, and others claim anywhere from 1,000-10,000 to 1,000-100,000 followers. Feel free to do a Google search. We’ll wait. Jokes aside, micro-influencers prove that you don’t need to hire a millionaire to effectively reach your audience. Just know that when you go lower on the influencer spectrum, you’re aiming for a “regular person” speaking to “regular people” vibe for your campaign. When going higher up the pole, you’re more likely to work with industry experts, CEOs, and celebrities. Looking for an influencer? Check out our list of up and coming influencers who are making waves in their respective industries. How to find influencers With the last stat above in mind, it’s important that you take your time trying to find the right influencer for your campaign. You want to make sure your goals, audience, and expectations are aligned from beginning to end - but that’s for when you find the best influencer. How do you find an excellent partner in the first place? Try these sources: Blogs and other online publications If you’re looking for an expert on a subject, finding a writer or reporter within your industry is a good place to start. If you have someone in mind, be sure to do more research by reading content they’ve published. Social media This should be a relatively obvious one. Even if you’re not specifically seeking a social media influencer , there’s still a large chance that your candidate has a social media following to some extent. This can allow you to see how they interact with their followers. A great resource for finding an influencer on social media is your own audience. Keep tabs on accounts that are continually mentioned and tagged in posts or have their posts shared often. Still searching for an influencer on social media? Well, did you use the search? It’s your friend and you should find both relevant content and people by searching for your industry keywords and hashtags. Search engines Speaking of search, did you try Google? It may sound silly, but doing a search for an influencer, especially with your market in the search box ( e.g. ‘your business industry’ + ‘influencer’ ) could yield some favorable results. Even if it leads you to one of the other tools to help find an influencer, it’s hard to go wrong with the world’s most popular search engine. Of course, you’ll also need to do additional research on your influencer if you get a hit to make sure they’re aligned with your values and are a good overall fit. Online influencer software With the growth of influencer marketing steadily rising, it’s not surprising to find there are specialized services for finding influencers. One of the most popular sites around for this is BuzzSumo. It allows you to find influencers by topic or location, and then analyze them by reach authority, influence, and engagement. Influencer marketing firms If you have the budget and don’t have the time, hiring an agency is another route you can take. While you may not learn as much about the process as you would if you did it yourself, agencies like Obviously can help you meet your goals. From identifying influencers to managing your networks and devising a complete social strategy, you’ll be taken care of. Influencer marketing examples H&M H&M is one of the most well-known fashion brands in the world. Its global reach also helps explain its massive reach on social networks, like its over 31 million followers on Instagram. There’s a reason why: A quick look at the official @hm account will also show you a very well put together Instagram marketing strategy. The brand is also very familiar with influencer marketing. Campaigns have included @laura_tobon , @sincerelyjules , and @elavelden Wix Here at Wix, we’ve been lucky to partner up with several amazing people. From Karlie Kloss to Rhett and Link from Good Mythical Morning, we’re more than a little proud. Lyft Lyft, a popular ride-sharing service, has partnered with several celebrities in a series of YouTube videos called “Undercover Lyft.” The premise of the series is simple: A celebrity disguises themselves as a Lyft driver and reveal themselves at the end of the ride. There’s a decent assortment of videos that have been produced, including ones featuring Shaq, Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis, and Danica Patrick, just to name a few. Influencer marketing drawbacks While there are many benefits to influencer marketing, there are also several drawbacks brands and marketers should be aware of when formulating a strategy for social media. These include: - Cost: Depending on the influencer you use, influencer marketing can prove to be expensive, especially if the ROI is low. This is why micro influencers have grown in popularity over the last few years, as often they charge lower fees but can still have considerable impact for a brand and their promotional tactics. - Content control and quality: Some influencers have iron-clad contracts limiting the type of content they can create. Make sure at the same time the content they create aligns with your brand values and ethics. - Time and effort: Influencer marketing often takes considerable time and effort to make it successful over the long term. The whole life-cyle from choosing an influencer, to agreeing on content creation terms and schedule, to publishing and promoting, can be drawn out.

Mad Men ’s Don Draper tells us that “advertising is based on one thing— happiness.” Since everyone is focused on the pursuit of happiness, it’s no wonder that businesses seek persuasive copy that promises to meet their customers’ needs. The written word has the power to transform people’s minds about a product or service, to convince them to think differently about something, to propel them to perform a certain action and so much more. Companies harness the power of the written word across their various marketing assets. Indeed, strong copy forms the backbone of nearly all branding efforts, from deciding to create a website to advertising online. For that reason, professionals in all industries should familiarize themselves with copywriting basics as part of growing their business. Here’s the complete beginner’s guide on how to write effective copy. What is copywriting? Copywriting is the activity of writing texts for advertisements or other promotional material. A key component of content marketing , copywriting combines the art of the written word with the science of advertising. Think about copywriting as a call-to-action but on a larger scale. The goal of copywriting is to evoke emotions in potential customers that compel them to buy or learn about your product or service. Copywriting appears across a wide range of marketing and branding assets. This includes online ads (think website banners, pop-ups and social media ads), website content , email newsletters, print ads, physical advertising spaces and landing pages. It’s also the backbone of scripted, auditory marketing materials, such as promotional content on radio, TV and podcasts. A good copywriter demonstrates a deep understanding of a business’s target audience, delving into their psychology and learning how to persuade them with the written word. Copywriters can either be part of a marketing department within an organization, work for an advertising agency, operate independently as a freelancer. 10 tips for writing copy that sells Given the crucial role copywriting plays in marketing and advertising, every business professional should have an understanding of the most important copywriting principles. These 10 proven methods that will help you write original, persuasive copy for your product or service. Craft a compelling headline Write from a fresh perspective Know your target audience Respect the customer Emphasize your value proposition Be clear and concise Prioritize benefits over features Use the AIDA model Overcome customer objections Delve into your audience’s psychology 01. Craft a compelling headline Your first order of business is to craft a headline that will grab your audience’s interest. Arguably, your headline is the most important part of your copy. Statistics have shown that about 80% of people read headline copy, but only 20% will read the rest. To create the best possible headline, start with the four U’s: Useful: Lead with a benefit that your audience won’t be able to ignore. Urgent: Show your audience why they need to take advantage of your offer right away. Unique: Tickle your reader’s curiosity by explaining why your solution is one-of-a-kind. Ultra-specific: Use numbers in your title, as they build credibility and are proven to boost conversions. This case study by ContentVerve shows just how critical headlines really are. A simple tweak to the landing page headline of a local Scandinavian gym led to a 38.46% increase in memberships. For more inspiration, try out this blog title generator to help spark new ideas. 02. Write from a fresh perspective With so many marketing messages coming at us from every possible direction, consumers are accustomed to blocking them out. That’s why brilliant copy has to surprise the reader by using different approaches and angles that they didn’t see coming. Readers tend to predominantly focus on the first two paragraphs they see and read in a horizontal movement—what is termed as an F-shaped pattern . For that reason, effective copy should include the most important points at the very beginning. Use the first few lines of your copy to jolt your audience with a fresh perspective, and infuse your content with emotion to show them why they should care. 03. Know your target audience According to the legendary British advertising executive, David Oglivy, “advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals." A copywriter can’t simply trust their gut instinct. They have to employ a data-oriented approach and have a thorough understanding of who their customer is and how the product solves their problems. When dreaming up website content ideas, try to get into your customers’ minds and see from their perspective. One helpful way to do this is by creating buyer personas, or fictional representations of your ideal customers. Your buyer personas should include details such as demographic information, geographic location and career. This will give you a better understanding of the kinds of people you’re targeting with your product, also known as your target audience. Once you form a deep understanding of your audience, you’ll be better equipped to tap into their wants, passions and dreams. That way, you’ll be able to create copy that directly speaks to their needs. This not only includes offering them solutions relevant to their interests and lifestyles, but also using language and cultural references that are familiar to them. 04. Respect the customer To quote Oglivy once more, “the consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife.” As such, your copy should show them consideration and respect. While you should be direct, beware of coming across as pushy or aggressive. Well-crafted copy speaks to consumers as friends, which in turn makes the brand likable and builds trust in the company. Furthermore, good copywriting is strong enough on its own. It should be truthful rather than mislead customers. With that in mind, avoid over-exaggerating product benefits, using false or misleading testimonials, or talking down to your readers. If you wouldn’t send your copy to your loved ones, it shouldn’t be sent to strangers either. 05. Emphasize your value proposition A value proposition is a sentence that tells your visitors why they should buy a product or service from you, rather than from your competitors. Note that this is different from your slogan. Essentially, it’s a unique identifier that shows why your offering stands out. Getting this message across is critical to writing copy that converts. In fact, value propositions are so crucial to an ad’s success that in a test conducted by QuickSprout, they found that they can help boost conversion rates by over 10%. Don’t over complicate matters - keep your value proposition short, clear and direct. Examples of great value propositions include: Slack : Be more productive at work with less effort. Evernote : Keep your notes organized and effortless. Zoom : Flawless video, clear audio, and instant sharing. All your marketing materials should include your value proposition, as this helps persuade customers and is also a good practice for establishing your brand identity. The process wording of this proposition can vary, but you should include some form of it on crucial assets such as online and print ads, landing pages, and the homepage of your website. 06. Be clear and concise “Murder your darlings” is a phrase coined by English writer Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in his 1916 book On the Art of Writing . It serves as a metaphor for how you should approach the editing process. One of the most important principles of good writing, the idea is to edit your work objectively and without sentiment, keeping it simple and direct. Clarity and concision are the building blocks of powerful copy. Be ruthless with your edits: Avoid using industry terminology that your audience won’t necessarily understand or relate to, and rid your copy of excess descriptors, adverbs and fluff. 07. Prioritize benefits over features A big mistake people make when selling a product is focusing on the product’s features rather than its benefits. Don’t simply describe the product in your copy. Instead, explain what your product can do for customers and how it can better their lives. Then, connect that to the experience of using the product. Contextualize your product’s features by directly tying them to the benefits. 08. Use the AIDA model Developed in the late 19th century, the AIDA model is used to describe the steps a customer goes through when purchasing a product. This is a useful formula to consider when you’re trying to get past writer’s block as you create your copy. The acronym AIDA stands for: Awareness: Begin each piece of copy by grabbing customers’ attention with an eye-catching headline or opening sentence. Explain what your product does, and make your value proposition clear from the beginning. Interest: Then, pique your prospect’s interest in the product or service that you’re selling so that they keep reading. For example, you might provide a compelling statistic. Desire: Next, build their desire to purchase your offering. Show your audience how badly they need your product or service, and how it will change their lives for the better. A great way to do this is by providing a clear list of the product’s benefits. Action: At this point, make it easy for customers to close to the sale or otherwise convert. For example, you might have a CTA that takes them directly to a product page or signup form. Follow these steps with all your copy, and you'll be creating evergreen content for your audience to enjoy for years to come. 09. Overcome customer objections Let’s say a potential customer sees your copy and understands your value proposition. Still, they might have concerns: Can they trust your brand? Will your product really be all that it claims to be? Will it arrive on time or at all? At this point, it’s crucial that you acknowledge and empathize with your reader rather than ignore their gnawing objections. You need to build mutual trust between you and your audience. One way to do this is by adding a guarantee that will prove to your reader that they can only gain from this deal and have nothing to lose. You can offer free trials, for example, to help seal the deal. Testimonials from happy customers are another effective way to respond to people’s hesitation and assuage their concerns. 10. Delve into your audience’s psychology The way you craft your copy can increase the perceived value of the product you’re selling. For example, companies that add a payment in installment section to their copy (and make it more prominent than the full price) make the product appear cheaper. Another technique is to structure your copy in the form of a story. In fact, studies have shown that 92% of consumers prefer ads and content with a storytelling element. With short-form content such as emails, ads and landing pages, create cliff-hangers that speak to your audience’s desire for story. For example, you might conclude an email with an important question - and then delay the answer to keep your readers riveted and engaged. To paraphrase Margaret Atwood, don’t wait for perfection because you won’t end up writing anything. Copywriting is all about being original and inventive - and that involves taking bold risks and learning from your mistakes. Use these tips as guidelines for your own experimentation and creativity.

In 1978, Gary Thuerk of Digital Equipment Corporation sent out the first ever mass email to approximately 400 clients. He claimed to have generated $13 million worth of sales as a result, revealing the high potential of email as an effective marketing tool. Today, email marketing remains one of the most efficient methods for promoting brands and engaging with prospects and customers. Since Thuerk's first email, campaigns have evolved over the years from mass email blasts to strategic, highly targeted messages. In this article, we’ll dive into what email marketing is, as well as how your brand can use it to build engagement and growth. Does Wix have email marketing?  We explain what features you get with Wix's email marketing and how to build your own campaign. What is email marketing? Email marketing is an effective type of marketing that involves sending emails to prospects and customers. This valuable tactic can be used for a variety of purposes, including driving conversions, promoting products, or generating interest and loyalty in your brand. Learn more: Small business marketing While far from being novel, email is a key strategic channel for nearly every industry and is one of the most effective ways to convert people into customers. In fact, research has shown that organizations receive an average ROI of $42 for every dollar spent . Benefits of email marketing Marketing emails can fulfill several purposes for your company or organization, depending on their content. Their main benefits include: Promoting your products or services Building engagement with your brand Driving traffic to your website Turning prospects into customers Turning one-time buyers into loyal fans Because email is a direct line of conversation with your customers, it has advantages over other forms of marketing communication. First, people are more likely to see an email than a social media post, which may not appear in the feeds of prospective customers and followers. Second, emails let you send different messages based on your subscribers’ individual desires and needs. Compared to one-size-fits-all marketing campaigns, this targeted form of communication is far more effective in generating conversions. Types of marketing emails From automated emails to weekly newsletters (we've got some email marketing examples and newsletter examples here ), different types of messages achieve different goals for your brand. You can use a combination of them to put together a comprehensive email marketing strategy: Email campaigns are sent with a specific purpose in mind, whether it’s to promote a special offer, encourage users to download a whitepaper or e-book, or sign up for a free trial. Email newsletters are sent on a consistent basis to provide regular updates to subscribers. A newsletter might share new blog posts or case studies, discuss a product update or recent milestone, or highlight upcoming events. For more information, take a look at this article on how to make a newsletter that stands out. Automated marketing emails are automatically sent based on predefined triggers. For example, you might send a welcome email to new subscribers, a celebratory email to subscribers celebrating their birthdays, and a reminder email to customers with abandoned shopping carts. Or, you might send a drip campaign that nurtures leads and convinces them to buy. Whichever email automation you choose, you can set up strategic automated responses using free email marketing tools . Automated transactional emails are another effective form of marketing automation that are automatically sent following a transaction. They include order confirmations, shipping updates and reminders about appointments or events. While these emails are quite simple, they’re important for building customer trust, particularly for eCommerce websites . How to do email marketing Now that you have some background on email marketing, it’s time to learn how to create effective marketing emails in 5 simple steps: Build your mailing list Choose an email marketing service Segment your audience Create great content Optimize your campaigns 01. Build your mailing list The first step in beginning your email marketing strategy is to get subscribers. Keep in mind that you’ll need to obtain people’s permission in order to use their addresses. It’s poor practice to purchase a mailing list, and most email marketing companies have a strict permission-based policy. In addition, you’ll need to make sure you’re compliant with any applicable laws, including the CAN-SPAM Act in the US, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU, and the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) . With that in mind, the best way to build an email list is to use tactics that encourage people to voluntarily sign up. One way to do this is by using lead magnets - something valuable that you give away for free in exchange for an email address. Most lead magnets aren’t products but, instead, digital goods that you can create cheaply and easily using your industry expertise. These include: E-books Webinars Whitepapers and case studies Business toolkits and guides Consultations Coupons Once you define your lead magnets, add opt-in forms to your website to encourage people to sign up. Be sure to use enticing headlines and compelling CTAs asking users to subscribe. For instance, you might offer a downloadable guide to email marketing using the title “The Complete Email Marketing Checklist” and the CTA “Download Now.” Next to the CTA button, you’d have one field for the subscriber’s name and another for their email address. You can place these forms in a variety of strategic places on your site, including a pop-up, sidebar, or a blog post. 02. Choose an email marketing service Because email marketing involves handling a large number of subscribers, sending targeted messages and analyzing your email metrics, you’re going to need a robust email marketing service to help you manage and organize your work. There are several different platforms available, including: Wix Email Marketing MailChimp Moosend GetResponse ConstantContact SendInBlue Wix Email Marketing is a particularly effective tool that you can conveniently integrate into your website. It includes inbuilt analytics features, such as statistics on email opens, views and clicks, so that you can analyze the performance of your campaigns. In addition, you can customize the design of your emails so that they look professional, reflect your brand identity and resonate with your audience. On top of that, Wix Email Marketing lets you connect your email to your website . That way, you can send emails through a special business email address, and view data about their performance directly through your site's dashboard. 03. Segment your audience Another key email marketing tip is to divide your audience based on their unique interests, characteristics and behaviors. This process, called segmentation, allows you to send more targeted communication so that your emails directly appeal to the wants and needs of your target market. There are a few different categories by which to divide your subscribers. These include: Demographics: Factors as age, gender and income level can tell you about a person’s needs and interests. Geographic area: Information about your audience’s country or region can help you tailor your content based on different interests, languages and cultures in different parts of the world. Website behavior: Data about users’ interactions with your website - such as which pages they visit and which products they view - can point to their interests and help inform your targeting strategy. Purchase history: Details of your customers’ purchases can help you differently target one-time versus repeat buyers, as well as send distinct messages to people with different interests. Amount spent: The amount of money customers have already spent on your site can give you an idea of how much they’re willing or able to spend in general, and what kinds of products they’re likely to buy. Position in the marketing funnel: Whether a user is a brand new subscriber or has an abandoned shopping cart, you can use this information to create emails that guide them toward making a purchase. Personal interests: Information about people’s personal interests - which you can gather by allowing users to create profiles on your website or save their favorite items - gives you a better understanding of your customers’ individual preferences. Overall, keep your communication as targeted as possible, even if you choose to send email blasts to mass audiences. By sending different email campaigns between these categories, you can create content that is more relevant, relatable and convincing. 04. Create great content At this point, you have everything set up to start creating your email marketing campaigns. The next step is to generate the content itself. Whichever kind of content you’re creating - an automated message, a newsletter or an update about a new product - you’ll need to keep a few key principles in mind. First, remember that your goal is to become a welcome guest in your subscribers’ inboxes. Rather than come across as spammy or annoying, craft thoughtful emails that provide your audience with real value. You can do this by providing perks or insights your subscribers will appreciate, whether it’s actionable tips, exclusive content or a seasonal coupon code. The writing itself should be engaging, too. Build rapport with your audience by speaking to them individually (e.g., addressing them by name and writing in the second person). Infuse your content with personality, and add humor when appropriate. Your goal is to sound like a helpful friend, rather than a corporation. Finally, conclude with a professional email signature , as this creates an immediate association between your brand and the campaign. 05. Optimize and improve Once you’ve written and sent your emails, you’ll need to analyze your email marketing KPIs so that you can continually optimize your campaigns. These metrics should already be built into your email marketing service. The most important analytics to track include: Delivery rate: This tracks the number of emails delivered. If some emails aren’t getting delivered, you may be sending to addresses that don’t exist. 95% or higher is considered to be a strong delivery rate; if your number is any lower, clean up your subscriber list and delete any invalid addresses. Bounce rate: Opposite from the delivery rate, this metric shows how many of your emails were not delivered. If your bounce rate is high, you risk destroying your sender reputation, which can trigger filtering and blocking on your IP. Be sure to regularly purge your email list to keep your bounce rate low, boost your engagement rates and avoid the spam folder. Open rate: This shows the percentage of subscribers who opened your email, giving you an understanding of whether people are actually interested in your messages. If your open rate is low, consider how you can improve your email content, better target your audience and create more compelling subject lines . Click rate: This reveals how many people click on the links within your emails. It’s also a helpful way to understand which links generate the most clicks. If your click rate is low, chances are you need a more strategic targeting strategy and better CTAs. Spam complaints: This shows whether your emails are getting marked as spam. To avoid this, make sure you have a valid list of subscribers who have opted in to receive your content. You should also maintain high open rates and low bounce rates to maintain a strong sender reputation and avoid the spam filter. Based on these numbers, you can find out what is working and what needs to be improved in your email campaigns. You can then use this analysis to refine your marketing strategy , engage subscribers and boost your conversion rate. Email marketing best practices As you optimize and improve your email campaigns, there are a few key strategies you’ll need to implement in order to avoid common email mistakes and, instead, boost engagement and drive conversions: Follow proper email etiquette: Always make it your goal for people to actively appreciate and enjoy your emails. This means treating your subscribers with kindness and respect. Only message people who have demonstrated interest in your company by subscribing to your emails. Also make sure to keep your promises to your users: use a subject line that isn’t misleading, don’t send emails more often than you say you will, and make it easy for people to unsubscribe. Perfect your timing: Think carefully about the time of day you send your emails. There is no black-and-white answer for which times are more strategic than others; in fact, your audience’s age, location, and occupation will affect their email open times. However, you can get a sense of which times work best for your business by performing A/B tests and using the results to inform your future campaigns. Stay mobile-friendly: Recent research has shown that mobile accounts for nearly 50% of all email opens in the US. For that reason, it’s critical your emails are optimized for mobile as well as desktop viewing. Consider ways to adapt to the small size of the mobile screen, including making your subject lines shorter, simplifying your formatting, reducing your image sizes, and using large CTA buttons that users can easily tap with the thumb. Add value: You may have enticed your customers to subscribe in the first place by offering them some sort of value, whether it’s a free downloadable guide or coupon code. After that initial offer, keep the value coming. Continue to delight your customers with actionable tips, special content, and the occasional holiday or birthday message. You’ll generate engagement - and build brand loyalty - as a result. Pro tip: Check out these email marketing statistics to help strategize your email marketing efforts.