I will be the first to admit that NO, I repeat, NO website platform is perfect. Every one has different advantages and limitations. After working and experimenting with several different platforms, I ultimately chose Wix as the sole website platform to use for my website design clients and website template students.
For some reason, choosing a website platform has become a polarizing topic for many pet industry professionals, so I wanted to make a list of the top reasons why Wix works SO well for small pet businesses.
But first... a disclaimer and my overall recommendation you won't often see from any website designer. The website platform is RARELY ever the problem (especially if you're using one of the more popular ones like Wix, WordPress, Squarespace or Showit). The problems are always:
How often are you updating your website content?
Do you have high-quality content on your website?
Have you made use of all of the SEO settings and optimizations of your platform?
So don't let a designer tell you it's always one platform or the highway, because that's the one they use and there are no other good options because that's simply not true.
Google will tell you that it doesn’t matter the website platform so much as it does the quality and relevancy of content on your site.
That said, there are clear reasons we use Wix for our client sites and website templates (and why we no longer work with Squarespace, WordPress, or Shopify), and that's because we've learned over the years what has been best for our small pet service businesses. The main gist... it's plain easy to use! But, let's get more into it!
1. Wix is affordable
Depending on the plan you choose, Wix first paid plan starts at only $17 per month (even less if you take advantage of one of their 50% off sales). If you do upgrade to a premium plan, you also get your domain free for the first year as well, which is a HUGE bonus.
2. Wix is easy to maintain, edit, and update
One of the most frustrating things that I hear when talking with clients and others in the pet industry, is when they spend $$$$$$$$ to get a custom website built for their pet business and yet, they can't get their website updated for a myriad of reason:
They have to spend lots of money
They're worried they'll mess up their website
They don’t even know who to contact
It takes forever to hear back and get the updates published
It’s astonishing to me and it's something I wish people were actually aware of before looking into getting a new website. You should always have complete control and confidence with your website, regardless of which platform you choose.
3. Wix has lots of integrations!
You can add HTML code, which allows you to integrate with pretty much any booking software you use in your business. Even if it doesn’t, you can just link to the login pages or new client portals.
It also integrates with my favorite email marketing software, Convertkit, or Flodesk, which is great for small pet service businesses!
4. Wix has great built-in SEO features
Wix used to have a bad rep regarding SEO, specifically from WordPress designers. This is the FURTHEST from the truth. They have a tool called the Wix SEO Wiz within all of their website accounts, so you can follow the checklist so you begin your SEO rankings for Google. You can also integrate with Google Analytics and Facebook pixel, connect to Search Engine Console, manipulate your SEO page title and meta descriptions, etc. There really aren't any features that Wix is missing when it comes to SEO, and you might argue the lack of usability from some other platforms makes it harder to rank with SEO since users aren't updating their website regularly.
And if you don’t believe me, hear it from Google! A Wix expert wrote in his most recent Wix SEO blog post that during the Google I/O Conference, Google mentioned Wix’s massive SEO improvements.
See below:
“For the Wix users, this is a pretty cool experience because they can see their page in the search results immediately. Within seconds, they’re on Google.” - Google
And if that ain’t enough for ya, take a look at this:
The above quote is taken from an article that goes into detail, with written evidence FROM Google employees, that you should ultimately just choose whatever platform YOU prefer to work with. In my opinion, this means working with the a more affordable and user-friendly platform that you can maintain on your own long term, right??
5. Wix is mobile-friendly and now has a separate mobile editor
You can customize the mobile version of your webseite directly in the editor, which many platforms do not offer. Not only can you manipulate items in the editor, but you can also remove and add in custom elements ONLY in the mobile editor. By the way, this is automatically also included in my web designs (it’s basically like two designs at once!). Being able to customize your mobile site differently from your desktop version is SO helpful!
6. Wix is accessibility-friendly
Wix really puts an effort toward being more accessible, which truly impresses me. I don't see many designers or platforms mentioning the topic of accessibility, but it's something I include on all of my website templates and custom website designs whether it's education, implementing settings, etc. Check out Wix's info on Accessibility Guidelines. They also have an awesome new feature called the Wix Accessibility Wizard that will comb through your website and make sure it's accessible.
7. Wix has proper security and necessities many other platforms are missing.
To be honest, this shouldn't really be a feature that sets Wix apart because you'd think ALL website platforms would have these things, but the unfortunate truth is they do not.
Wix has built-in security. They automatically update your sitemap. They have robot.txt files. They can do 301 redirects. You can customize the SEO title and meta description for every page. You don't need to update plug-ins like other platforms. They have safe data encryption and use third-party risk management. They have around-the-clock monitoring for threat detection. You can learn more about their website security on their website, but rest assured... we've never had an issue since we started our business in 2017.
8. You can get your website professionally designed by Pet Marketing Unleashed when you choose Wix!
If that's not enough reason to use Wix, I just don't know what is! HA jk, but really.
Last but not least, Wix works so well for pet businesses because you can get a professionally designed website for your business that's truly easy to maintain by working with someone like me. We ensure that your website is optimized for conversions, has multiple CTA’s, is mobile-friendly, is SEO optimized, and has awesome high-quality content!!
If you're ready to take your business to the next level, if you're ready to commit to making a change for yourself and your career, then let's work together to build you the best website possible.
If you want to see how customizable Wix is or if you want to see some of our other web designs, you can view our portfolio. You can also check out our Wix website templates built specifically for dog walkers and pet sitters, dog trainers, and pet photographers.
Just know that no matter what, we're here to help! We WANT you to have the best website ever so that you can actually convert your audience, have more time off, and feel more confident and stress-free as a petpreneur. 💕 We hope you know that.
