SEO that starts in the build.
Most SEO problems on Webflow sites are build problems. A CMS with no SEO fields, three H1s on one page, a staging site Google found first, old URLs that now go nowhere. I set this up while I build, so nobody has to fix it after launch.
Four areas, on every site.
None of this is extra work at the end. Each part has its place in the build.
On-page
Titles and descriptions
Written for each page, with the main keyword near the start and a reason to click. Titles stay under about 60 characters so they do not get cut.
One H1, headings in order
One H1 per page, then H2 and H3 in order. Heading tags follow the content, never the font size I want.
Technical
Sitemap and robots
Webflow sitemap on, robots.txt checked, and utility pages like thank-you pages kept out of search.
Redirects and 404
A 301 for every old URL and a real 404 page that helps people find their way back.
CMS
SEO fields on every collection
Each collection gets its own SEO title, meta description, OG image and image alt text fields, bound in the template settings.
Clean slugs
Short, readable slugs, and a rule for editors so new items do not end up with long or messy URLs.
Sharing and rich results
Open Graph images
A share image, title and description for each page, so links look right on LinkedIn, Slack and WhatsApp.
Schema
Structured data that matches the page: organisation, articles, FAQs or products, tested in Google's Rich Results Test.
Where most Webflow sites go wrong.
A blog with 200 posts and one shared meta description. Images with the file name as alt text. OG images that show the logo on every post. It happens because the CMS was never set up for SEO.
So every collection I build has its SEO fields from day one, with help text that tells editors what to write and how long it should be.
Fields I add for SEO
SEO title, falls back to the post name if left empty.
Meta description, with help text: one or two sentences, about 150 characters.
Share image, used for Open Graph, separate from the thumbnail.
Main image alt text, required, so the image field never goes out without it.
Schema, article structured data built from the post fields in the template.
My pre-launch SEO check.
Staging is not indexed
The webflow.io subdomain is hidden from search, so Google never finds the unfinished site first.
Canonical URL is set
One version of every page: with or without www, never both.
Every page has a title and description
I go through the page list and every CMS template, not only the home page.
Alt text on every image
Decorative images marked as decorative, and everything else described properly.
Schema passes the test
Tested in Google's Rich Results Test before launch, not after.
Forms and thank-you pages
Thank-you and utility pages are excluded from the sitemap.
Keep the rankings you already have.
A new site should not start from zero. When a site moves to Webflow, this is how I make sure search engines follow it.
List every URL on the old site, including old blog posts and campaign pages.
Match each old URL to its new page, or to the closest page if it no longer exists.
Add the 301 redirects in Webflow before the domain switches over.
Keep the titles and descriptions of pages that already rank well.
Submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console for errors in the first weeks.
What I keep an eye on.
Search Console coverage, to catch pages that are not indexed and why.
The Core Web Vitals report, because speed problems show up there first.
Redirects and 404s, so no old link ends on an error page.
New CMS items, to check editors are filling in the SEO fields.
A slow page ranks lower and loses visitors.
Compressed media, lazy loading and deferred scripts are part of every build I do.
See how I work on speedIf your site has one of these, it is costing you traffic.
Three H1s on the home page
Usually from a hero, a slider and a section title all set as H1. I keep one and fix the rest.
Every CMS item shares one description
The template had no SEO fields bound. I add the fields and bind them.
The staging site is indexed
Google finds the webflow.io version first. I switch off indexing and set the canonical.
Old links go to a 404
After a redesign, nobody added redirects. I map the old URLs and add 301s.