Your wedding website is more than a digital invitation. It's a public record of your relationship — the photos, the story, the timeline, the guest book, the thank-yous. With the right SEO, it shows up when guests search your name, when friends share the link, and when Google indexes the page.
The 2026 standard for wedding website SEO has five pillars: a custom domain, a public indexable page, on-page SEO basics, an XML sitemap, and a few social-share optimizations. The 2026 setup is 30 minutes of work for a wedding website that lives for decades.
This guide covers what SEO actually matters for a wedding website, what doesn't, and the 2026 setup checklist that takes a wedding website from "private invitation" to "searchable memory."
Why wedding website SEO matters in 2026
The 2026 couple's wedding website is not a private page. It's a public page that's also accessible to invited guests. The 2026 standard is a hybrid: a public homepage with the couple's names, the wedding date, the venue, and the love story; a private guest area with the RSVP, the hotel block, and the registry.
The public homepage is what gets indexed by Google. The private guest area is what guests use. The 2026 SEO playbook makes sure the public homepage shows up when someone searches for the couple's names, the wedding date, or the venue.
The 2026 reasons wedding website SEO matters:
- Search by name. Guests, vendors, and family search "Sarah and Mike wedding 2026" to find the website. The 2026 standard is a website that shows up on page 1 of Google for that query.
- Share the link. Friends share the link on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The 2026 standard is a custom domain (sarahandmike.com) instead of a subdomain (sarahandmike.wedflip.com), which gets shared more and ranks better.
- Memory archive. The wedding website lives for decades. The 2026 standard is a website that future generations can find by searching the couple's names.
- Vendor backlinks. Vendors link to the couple's wedding website from their portfolios. The 2026 standard is a website that benefits from those backlinks with proper SEO.
The 2026 wedding website SEO checklist (5 pillars)
Pillar 1. Custom domain.
The 2026 standard is a custom domain — sarahandmike.com, sarahwedsdavid.com, mikeandemma.love. The 2026 cost: $10-$20 per year. The 2026 ROI: 3-5x more shares on social, 2-3x higher Google ranking, and a website that lives forever at a single URL.
The 2026 standard domain format:
- Firstname + and + firstname + .com (sarahandmike.com)
- Firstname + weds + firstname + .com (sarahwedsdavid.com)
- Lastname + wedding + .com (williamswedding2026.com)
- Firstinitial + and + firstinitial + .com (sandmwedding.com)
The 2026 rule: pick the shortest, simplest, most memorable option. Avoid hyphens. Avoid numbers that get confused with letters (0 vs O, 1 vs L).
Pillar 2. Public indexable homepage.
The 2026 standard is a public homepage that Google can index. The 2026 home includes:
- H1 title tag with the couple's full names and the wedding date ("Sarah & Mike's Wedding — June 14, 2026")
- Meta description that summarizes the wedding in 155 characters ("Sarah and Mike are getting married on June 14, 2026 in Austin, TX. Join us for the celebration.")
- Open Graph image that shows when the link is shared on Facebook, WhatsApp, or iMessage (a photo of the couple, 1200x630 pixels)
- H2 sections with the love story, the wedding weekend schedule, the venue, and the travel info
- Visible text content — at least 300-500 words of actual text on the homepage
The 2026 rule: the homepage has text, not just images. Google can't read images. The 2026 standard is a homepage that reads like a magazine article about the couple.
Pillar 3. On-page SEO basics.
The 2026 standard on-page SEO for a wedding website:
- Unique page title per page (the homepage is the couple's names, the RSVP page is "RSVP", the venue page is "Venue & Travel", etc.)
- Meta description per page (155 characters, summary of the page)
- H1 + H2 + H3 structure on every page
- Internal links between pages (the homepage links to the venue page, the venue page links to the hotel block, etc.)
- Image alt text on every photo (a sentence describing the photo, not "IMG_1234.jpg")
- Mobile responsive design (most platforms are by default)
The 2026 standard: the wedding website platform handles the technical SEO. The 2026 couple writes the content — the names, the dates, the love story, the schedule, the venue. The platform handles the meta tags, the sitemaps, and the schema.
Pillar 4. XML sitemap and robots.txt.
The 2026 standard is an XML sitemap at thedomain.com/sitemap.xml and a robots.txt at thedomain.com/robots.txt. The 2026 standard is for the platform to generate these automatically. The 2026 standard for Google indexing: submit the sitemap to Google Search Console after the wedding website is live.
Pillar 5. Social share optimization.
The 2026 standard is a website that looks great when shared on social media:
- Open Graph image (1200x630 pixels) that shows the couple's names and the date
- Open Graph title with the couple's names and the wedding date
- Open Graph description that summarizes the wedding
- Twitter Card metadata for Twitter sharing
- Apple Touch Icon for iOS bookmarks
The 2026 standard: when a guest shares the link on Instagram, the post shows a beautiful preview with the couple's photo, their names, and the wedding date. The 2026 rule: the platform handles the technical setup. The 2026 couple provides the photo.
The 2026 wedding website SEO mistakes to avoid
Mistake 1. No custom domain.
The 2026 worst practice: sarahandmike.wedflip.com (or similar subdomain). The 2026 standard: sarahandmike.com. The 2026 fix: spend $10-$20 on a custom domain, point it to the wedding website platform. The 2026 ROI: 3-5x more shares, 2-3x higher ranking.
Mistake 2. No public homepage.
The 2026 worst practice: a password-protected website that no one outside the guest list can see. The 2026 standard: a public homepage with the couple's names, the date, and the venue, plus a private guest area for the RSVP. The 2026 fix: split the website into public + private sections.
Mistake 3. Image-only homepage.
The 2026 worst practice: a homepage that's just a slideshow of photos with no text. The 2026 standard: a homepage with 300-500 words of text — the couple's names, the date, the venue, the love story, the schedule. The 2026 fix: add the text, not just the photos.
Mistake 4. No meta description.
The 2026 worst practice: no meta description, so Google generates one (often poorly). The 2026 standard: a 155-character meta description with the couple's names, the date, and the venue. The 2026 fix: most platforms have a "site settings" panel for meta description.
Mistake 5. No sitemap submission.
The 2026 worst practice: the website goes live, but Google doesn't know about it for months. The 2026 standard: submit the sitemap to Google Search Console the day the website goes live. The 2026 fix: 5 minutes of work, months of faster indexing.
Mistake 6. No Open Graph image.
The 2026 worst practice: when the link is shared on social media, it shows a generic icon or no image. The 2026 standard: a 1200x630 photo of the couple, displayed when the link is shared. The 2026 fix: most platforms have a "social share image" setting.
The 2026 wedding website SEO timeline
3 months out · Choose the domain
Pick the custom domain. The 2026 standard: first names + .com, or a creative variant. The 2026 cost: $10-$20 per year.
2 months out · Build the homepage
Write the public homepage with the couple's names, the date, the venue, the love story, the schedule. The 2026 standard: 300-500 words of text, 5-10 photos, 1 Open Graph image.
1 month out · Set up the technical SEO
Verify the meta description, the page titles, the image alt text, the sitemap, the robots.txt. The 2026 standard: the platform handles the technical SEO, the couple writes the content.
2 weeks out · Submit the sitemap
Submit the XML sitemap to Google Search Console. The 2026 standard: 5 minutes of work, the website is indexed within 48 hours.
Day of the wedding · Open the guest book
The 2026 standard: the guest book is private by default. The 2026 couple opens the public homepage to Google indexing. The 2026 SEO is a long-term investment in the wedding archive.
1 week after · Add the post-wedding content
Add the post-wedding photos, the video montage, the thank-you notes. The 2026 standard: the website becomes a public archive of the wedding, with new content for years to come.
The 2026 wedding website SEO FAQ
Do I really need a custom domain?
Yes. The 2026 standard is a custom domain. The 2026 cost is $10-$20 per year. The 2026 ROI is 3-5x more shares, 2-3x higher ranking, and a website that lives forever at a single URL.
What if I use a free subdomain?
The 2026 standard is a custom domain, not a free subdomain. The 2026 fallback for couples who can't afford a custom domain: use the platform's free subdomain for the first year, then upgrade to a custom domain later. The 2026 minimum: sarahandmike.wedflip.com is better than no website at all.
How do I submit the sitemap to Google?
The 2026 standard is Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console). The 2026 setup: create a free account, add the website, verify ownership, submit the sitemap. The 2026 time: 5 minutes.
What if the website is password-protected?
The 2026 standard is a public homepage + a private guest area. The 2026 fix: split the website into public (homepage, love story, schedule, venue) and private (RSVP, hotel block, registry). Google indexes the public pages; guests use the private pages.
What about Pinterest and Instagram?
The 2026 standard is Open Graph metadata + a Pinterest-specific image. The 2026 setup: most platforms have a "social share image" field. The 2026 image size for Instagram: 1080x1080. For Pinterest: 1000x1500. The 2026 rule: the platform handles the metadata; the couple provides the photos.
How long does it take for Google to index the website?
The 2026 standard is 24-72 hours after sitemap submission. The 2026 variation: some websites are indexed within hours, others take weeks. The 2026 best practice: submit the sitemap the day the website goes live, share the link on social media to speed up discovery, and check Google Search Console weekly.
What if I change my mind about the domain?
The 2026 standard: don't change the domain after the wedding. The 2026 fix: pick the domain carefully, commit to it, and use it for the post-wedding archive. The 2026 rule: the website lives at the same URL for decades.
What about the post-wedding content?
The 2026 standard is to add post-wedding content to the homepage. The 2026 fix: a "post-wedding" section with the photos, the video montage, the thank-you notes, and the highlights. The 2026 SEO: the website becomes a long-form archive of the wedding, indexed by Google for years.
The 2026 wedding website SEO takeaway
The 2026 wedding website is a hybrid: a public homepage that Google indexes, and a private guest area for the RSVP. The 2026 SEO playbook is 30 minutes of work: a custom domain, a public homepage with text, on-page SEO basics, an XML sitemap, and a social share image.
The 2026 standard is a website that shows up on page 1 of Google for the couple's names. The 2026 setup is a few hours, not a few weeks. The 2026 platforms that handle the technical SEO are Wedflip, Joy, Zola, and WithJoy. The 2026 couple writes the content; the platform handles the code.
The 2026 takeaway: spend $10-$20 on a custom domain, write 300-500 words for the homepage, and submit the sitemap to Google. The 2026 result is a wedding website that lives at a single URL for decades, indexed by Google, shareable on social, and findable by anyone who searches the couple's names.
The 2026 wedding website is not just a digital invitation. It's a public record of a relationship.
Ready to build a wedding website that shows up on Google? Create your free wedding website on Wedflip — every plan includes a custom domain option, a public homepage, on-page SEO setup, an XML sitemap, and a social share image. The 2026 SEO standard, built in.
Or browse the Wedflip showcase to see how real couples have built their SEO-friendly wedding websites. For more on wedding websites, see the how to create a perfect wedding website guide and the wedding website mistakes couples make guide.
For a deeper look at how the website fits into the rest of your planning, read the 12-month wedding planning timeline and the free wedding website builder guide 2026.
