> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rafflex.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rafflex.io/marketing/website-tools/seo-settings.md).

# SEO Settings

Most traffic to raffle sites comes from social media, but it is still good to make sure your site looks professional in Google searches and whenever your link is shared.

***

SEO stands for search engine optimisation. In plain terms, it is how your site describes itself to Google and other search engines, and what people see when a link to your site is shared on Facebook, WhatsApp, X or in a text message.

RaffleX handles most of this for you automatically. You only need to set a few defaults, and every page on your site uses them unless it has better information of its own.

There are three places that control how your site appears:

1. **Your site wide SEO defaults**, set once in Settings.
2. **Your homepage title and description**, set in the page editor.
3. **Your competitions**, which use their own title, description and image automatically.

***

### Set Your SEO Defaults

These settings apply right across your site. Fill them in before you launch.

1. In the **admin panel**, click **Settings** in the left-hand menu.
2. Open the **SEO** tab. The page is titled **SEO & Analytics**.
3. Fill in the fields in the **SEO Meta Data** and **Site Icons** sections (explained below).
4. Click **Save Settings**. You will see a message saying **SEO settings saved successfully**.

#### SEO Meta Data

| Setting                     | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **SEO Default Description** | Required. A short summary of your site. It appears under your site name in Google results, and in the preview when your link is shared, on any page that does not have a description of its own. Keep it under 160 characters, as search engines usually cut off anything longer. |
| **SEO Default Image**       | Required. The preview picture shown when someone shares a link to your site on social media or in a messaging app. The recommended size is **1200 x 630 pixels**, as a PNG or JPG.                                                                                                |

Every new site starts with a general description about winning cash prizes. Replace it with your own words so it describes your brand.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Writing a good description.** Say who you are and what customers can win, in one or two short sentences. For example: "Win cars, cash and tech for as little as 49p. UK raffles drawn live on Facebook every week." Avoid stuffing it with keywords, because Google shows it to real people.
{% endhint %}

#### Site Icons

| Setting      | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Fav Icon** | The small icon shown in the browser tab next to your page title, and the icon used when a customer saves your site to their phone's home screen. It is also shown on your site's password page (see [Hide Your Site Before Launch](/getting-started/hide-your-site-before-launch.md)) and on the maintenance page. |

Use a square image, at least 180 x 180 pixels. A PNG with a transparent background usually looks best. Simple shapes work better than detailed logos, because the icon is shown very small.

{% hint style="info" %}
Not sure what size your images should be? The [Image Size Guide](/helpful-info/image-size-guide.md) lists the recommended size and upload limit for every image on your site.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Changed your image but still see the old one?** Social networks and browsers save a copy of your preview image and icon for a while. After changing the **SEO Default Image** or **Fav Icon**, it can take some time before the new one appears. Clearing your browser cache, or trying a private browsing window, will usually show the new Fav Icon straight away.
{% endhint %}

***

### Set Your Homepage Title and Description

Your homepage is usually the page that appears first in Google, so it is worth giving it its own title and description.

1. In the **admin panel**, click **Pages** in the left-hand menu (it sits under **Content**).
2. Click the **Home** page to open the page editor.
3. In the sidebar on the right, find **SEO Page Title** and **SEO Page Description**.
4. Enter your **SEO Page Title** (up to 80 characters).
5. Enter your **SEO Page Description** (up to 200 characters).
6. Click **Save** at the top of the page.

For more about the page editor, see [Manage Your Pages](/customise-your-site/manage-your-pages.md).

Your site name is added to the end of the title automatically. For example, if your **SEO Page Title** is "Win Cars, Cash and Tech" and your site is called "Prize Palace", Google sees "Win Cars, Cash and Tech | Prize Palace".

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Always fill in both fields for your homepage.** If you leave them empty, Google and social networks may show a less helpful title and description for your most important page.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
For the best results in Google, aim for roughly 60 characters for the title and around 160 for the description. Search engines may shorten anything longer, even though RaffleX lets you enter a little more.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Other pages.** You will also see **SEO Page Title** and **SEO Page Description** when you edit your other pages, but at the moment only the **Home** page uses them. Your other pages use the titles described in the next section, together with your **SEO Default Description** and **SEO Default Image**.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**What does the page Title do?** The **Title** at the top of the sidebar is the name of the page. For your **About** and **Results** pages, it is also the wording used for that page's link in your site's top menu. Other custom pages you create are listed in the **Page Links** column of your site footer using their **Title**, as long as **Active** is switched on.
{% endhint %}

***

### How Each Page Is Described

You do not need to set anything for most pages. This is what RaffleX shows automatically:

| Page                        | Title shown in Google and the browser tab                                                           | Description                                | Share image                          |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| **Homepage**                | Your **SEO Page Title**                                                                             | Your **SEO Page Description**              | **SEO Default Image**                |
| **Live competition pages**  | The competition title                                                                               | The competition description, as plain text | The competition's **Featured Image** |
| **Ended competition pages** | A title based on the page address                                                                   | **SEO Default Description**                | **SEO Default Image**                |
| **Category pages**          | The category name followed by the words "Prize Category", for example **Cars - Prize Category**     | **SEO Default Description**                | **SEO Default Image**                |
| **All other pages**         | A title based on the page name or address, for example "About", "Contact" or "Terms and Conditions" | **SEO Default Description**                | **SEO Default Image**                |

Your site name is added to the end of every title.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Competition pages look after themselves.** Because each competition uses its own title, description and featured image, a link to a competition shared on Facebook or WhatsApp shows that prize, not your general site image. A clear title, a strong opening sentence in the description and a good featured image make your shared links far more clickable. See [Create a Competition](/create-your-first-raffle/create-a-competition.md).
{% endhint %}

***

### Your Sitemap

A sitemap is a list of the pages on your site that search engines read to find your content. RaffleX creates yours automatically and keeps it up to date, so there is nothing to switch on.

You can see it at **yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml** (replace yourdomain.com with your own domain).

Your sitemap includes:

* Your key pages: home, instant winners, about, contact, results, entry lists, terms and privacy.
* All of your competition categories.
* Every competition that is currently live and visible to the public.

Competitions are left out of the sitemap when they are switched off, marked as a **Hidden / VIP Competition**, scheduled to start in the future, or once they have ended or sold out. Hidden / VIP competition pages also ask search engines not to show them in search results. See [Hidden VIP Competitions](/create-your-first-raffle/hidden-vip-competitions.md).

RaffleX also creates a **robots.txt** file for you (at **yourdomain.com/robots.txt**). This tells search engines where your sitemap is, and keeps private areas such as the basket, checkout and customer accounts out of search results.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Tell Google about your site.** Once your site is live, add it to [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console) (a free tool from Google) and submit your sitemap address, **yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml**. This helps Google find your pages sooner and shows you how people are finding you in search. If your site is still hidden behind a password, wait until you launch, because Google cannot read a password protected site.
{% endhint %}