Technical SEO glossary: infrastructure terms for Wix developers and site owners

Technical SEO has its own specialised vocabulary that can be intimidating for new practitioners. This lesson defines every major technical SEO term with specific context for how each applies to Wix websites. Understanding these terms allows you to diagnose technical issues, communicate with developers, and make informed decisions about your Wix site's infrastructure.

Canonical Tag

An HTML element (rel="canonical") that specifies the preferred version of a URL when multiple URLs display identical or similar content. Canonical tags tell search engines which version to index and credit with ranking authority, preventing duplicate content issues. Wix automatically generates canonical tags for most pages, but you should verify them in the page SEO settings and override them manually where needed for dynamic content pages.

Robots.txt

A plain text file at the root of a domain that instructs compliant search engine crawlers which pages or sections should not be crawled. Wix automatically generates a robots.txt file. You can view it by adding /robots.txt to your domain. Check that critical pages and folders are not accidentally disallowed, and use it to block low-value areas like internal search result pages from consuming crawl budget.

Sitemap (XML Sitemap)

An XML file that lists all the URLs on your website you want search engines to discover and index, along with metadata about each URL including last modification date, change frequency, and priority. Wix automatically generates and updates an XML sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Submit it to Google Search Console to accelerate indexing of new and updated pages.

Crawl Budget

The number of pages Google will crawl on your website within a specific timeframe, determined by server capacity and page importance. For most Wix sites with under a few thousand pages, crawl budget is not a major concern. However, for larger Wix eCommerce sites with faceted navigation or extensive product catalogues, managing crawl budget by blocking low-value URLs becomes important.

Crawl Depth

The number of clicks required to reach a page from your homepage. Pages with lower crawl depth (closer to the homepage) are crawled more frequently and accumulate more internal link equity. SEO best practice recommends keeping all important Wix pages within three to four clicks from the homepage. Deep pages receive less crawl attention and authority.

Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS)

Google's user experience ranking signals measuring loading performance (LCP - Largest Contentful Paint, target under 2.5s), interactivity (INP - Interaction to Next Paint, target under 200ms), and visual stability (CLS - Cumulative Layout Shift, target under 0.1). Wix has improved its Core Web Vitals performance significantly, and following the technical optimisation modules of this course will help your Wix site meet all three thresholds.

Mobile-First Indexing

Google's approach of using the mobile version of a website as the primary basis for crawling, indexing, and ranking. Wix websites are responsive by design, meaning the mobile version is automatically maintained. However, you must ensure that all content, structured data, and metadata present on desktop is equally present on mobile. Check this using Google's URL Inspection tool in Search Console.

Schema Markup and Structured Data

Standardised code (typically in JSON-LD format) added to web pages to help search engines understand the content and context of information. Schema markup enables rich results such as star ratings, FAQ accordions, product prices, event details, and recipe information in Google search results. Wix supports JSON-LD structured data through custom code blocks and some apps, enabling rich results that significantly improve click-through rates.

Noindex

A directive instructing search engine crawlers not to include a specific page in the search index. In Wix, noindex is controlled per page in the SEO settings under "Prevent search engines from indexing this page." Use noindex for thank-you pages, duplicate content pages, admin pages, and any content that should not appear in search results.

HTTPS

HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure, the encrypted version of HTTP. Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal in 2014. All Wix websites are automatically served over HTTPS, so this is handled for you. However, when you connect a custom domain, verify that HTTP requests redirect correctly to HTTPS and that there are no mixed content warnings.

301 and 302 Redirects

Server instructions that automatically forward users and crawlers from one URL to another. A 301 redirect signals a permanent move and passes the majority of link equity to the new URL. A 302 redirect signals a temporary move. In Wix, you manage 301 redirects through Marketing & SEO > SEO Tools > URL Redirect Manager. Use 301 redirects whenever you change a page URL, delete a page, or restructure your site.

404 and 410 Status Codes

404 (Not Found) indicates a page does not exist. 410 (Gone) indicates a page has been permanently removed. Wix shows a default 404 page for missing URLs. You can customise this page to improve user experience. Monitor 404 errors in Google Search Console and either restore the missing content or redirect the URL to the most relevant alternative page.

JavaScript SEO

The discipline of ensuring JavaScript-rendered content is properly crawled and indexed. Wix relies heavily on JavaScript, but Google's crawler uses a headless Chromium-based renderer that processes JavaScript. However, there can be delays in rendering. Critical content like headings, product information, and internal links should be in the initial HTML response where possible, not dependent on JavaScript execution.

Hreflang

An HTML attribute specifying the language and regional targeting of a webpage, helping search engines serve the correct language version to users. Wix Multilingual automatically manages hreflang implementation when you enable multiple languages. Verify correct hreflang configuration using Google Search Console's International Targeting report and the hreflang Testing Tool.

Lazy Loading

A technique that defers loading of images and other below-the-fold content until the user scrolls down to them. Wix implements lazy loading for images automatically, which improves initial page load performance and LCP scores. For your hero images (above the fold), ensure they are NOT lazy loaded, as this would delay the LCP element and hurt performance scores.