Best Website Builders for SEO: Ranking Your 2023 Website

Perfect for Absolute SEO Beginners

Starting at $16.00/month

Editor's Choice

Wix

Perfect for absolute SEO beginners

Outstanding

4.9

out of 5

• SEO tools built-in
• Easy-to-use editor
• Step-by-step guides

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $16 - $159 / month

Pros

• SEO tools like Semrush built-in
• No need to download extra SEO tools
• Wix's SEO Wiz tool gives tips as you go

Cons

• Not the most advanced platform
• Slow server response time
• Structured data is added separately

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Wix Overview

Over the last few years, Wix has improved its SEO game to the point where it’s become a market leader – gaining an overall score of 4.9 out of 5 in our testing this year.

In addition to having the best guides on how to implement SEO, like the SEO Learning Hub, it also added integrations with Semrush to view keywords directly in Wix. Plus you get the SEO checklist, which is where you can set up your keywords. It has also enhanced SEO Wiz by including the ability to try and edit keywords. This is why we’ve placed Wix in the number one spot for SEO.

Ease of Use

Wix is one of the best SEO website builders for those still learning the ropes. Its SEO Wiz walks users through the essentials step by step, suggests improvements, and even sets goals for you. It’s no wonder that Wix came in a tied first place in our ease of use testing, drawing with Squarespace with a top score of 4.4 out of 5.

Overall, Wix’s ease of use has been undefeated since we started testing website builders, and while Squarespace has gone up in ease of use, it still hasn’t beaten Wix. It’s a user favorite, with one user saying:

“The SEO checklist is really handy! It is a useful reminder of how to optimize your site.”

No coding is required with Wix. From meta titles to 301 redirects, SEO is built right into the Wix dashboard. Every page has dedicated SEO settings, and every image you upload has an alt text input – which is how search engines understand images.

Features

Wix excels in the website features area of our research. Wix offers great tools generally for building a website, but SEO is a key area of this. Thanks to its comprehensive set of SEO tools, it scores 4.8 out of 5 in this category. Here’s a quick look at some of the SEO tools you can use:

• Keyword Support: You get a range of keyword support tools, including Semrush. Which is like Google Trends, a keyword research tool, and Hootsuite in one software bundle.
• SEO Specific Guidance Page: There’s plenty of SEO guidance with Wix, from the SEO Learning hub to the Wix SEO Guide.
• Prompts when building your site: As you build your website, Wix will suggest prompts for SEO improvements to make sure you don’t miss a trick.
• Mobile Friendly – Wix websites are optimized for mobile, which is really important as it ensures mobile visitors can navigate your website easily.

One of Wix’s standout features is the strength of its Google integration. Web analytics tools are essential for understanding your site’s traffic, and Google is the gold standard. Connecting Google Analytics and a Google Search Console to Wix sites is simply a case of entering your tracking ID.

SEO is actually much more straightforward than it may seem. Wix makes your site’s SEO upkeep easy, and it will let you know when you’re falling short.

Wix has implemented a host of SEO features in the last few years, and the Help Center is as comprehensive as you’re likely to find anywhere. Even if you don’t use Wix, its SEO guide is well worth a browse.

The tradeoff with Wix’s ease of use and in-house functionality is that it falters when it comes to advanced SEO methods. Structured data gives search engines additional, highly relevant information about your site and it is becoming increasingly important in SEO. Adding structured data to Wix has to be done manually – with code. Of course, there are tools out there to help you create your markup, as well as information in Wix’s SEO guide, but it’s still not the most beginner-friendly process.

Site speed is another factor that’s becoming increasingly important in SEO. When we carried out our testing and analysis, Wix’s performance score came out at 85 (out of 100). Although this is an average score of all the builders in this list, Google would still class it as “Needs Improvement,” with 90 out of 100 marking the beginning of “Good.” Its server response time is also a little disappointing, taking around 0.9 seconds to deliver a response. To put that into context, GoDaddy only takes 0.3 seconds and Squarespace took 0.5 seconds. Google usually recommends aiming for less than 600 milliseconds.

Pricing

Wix pricing plans aren’t the cheapest on this list, starting at $16 per month when billed annually, but it certainly has the tools you need for SEO, marketing, and building a beautiful website.

Wix understands that its users aren’t techies, and manages to strike a superb balance between usability and control. Its builder makes SEO simple and teaches the basics whenever you’re unsure what something means. If you want a comprehensive, supportive SEO experience, Wix is a prime option – but is it worth the money?

Wix receives a fairly low value for money score but higher than Webflow on the list, with Wix receiving a low 3 out of 5. Despite this hit to value due to increasing its pricing plans, it does offer flexible pricing. Simply, Wix has the best features, and although the Combo plan increased in price by 14% this year, the high-quality features it has place it first on our list.

Wix Gallery

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Wix asked me a few questions to create a tailored SEO checklist for my test website.

Once created, Wix provided a list of SEO steps that I could follow when building my website.

Wix's SEO dashboard gave me a clear overview of performance and issues in one place.

I had no trouble connecting my Wix website to the keyword research tool Semrush.

Wix's SEO learning hub made it easy for me to find answers to any SEO-related questions.

More Information:

• Wix SEO Review – A full breakdown of Wix’s SEO strengths and weaknesses
• Wix Review – Our full overview and rating of this builder
• Benefits of SEO for Ecommerce – Wix is our top-rated ecommerce builder, but why is SEO so important for your store?

Best for Boosting Your Site’s SEO With Built-in Features

Starting at $16.00/month

Squarespace

Best for Boosting Your Site’s SEO With Built-in Features

Excellent

4.8

out of 5

• Hands-on control
• More advanced tools
• Better for intermediates

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $16 - $49 / month

Pros

• Structured data automatically added
• All tools are clearly formatted
• Excellent social media integration

Cons

• Not as much in-editor SEO support as Wix
• SEO guides not as detailed as Wix’s
• Editor doesn’t autosave for you

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Squarespace Overview

For SEO, Squarespace received a score of 4.8 out of 5, narrowly missing the top spot. It provides users with the best practice prompts to optimize the SEO on each page as you’re building your site. It also hit the top spot in our testing for ease of use, design flexibility, features, and help and support (along with Wix).

Ease of Use

Squarespace receives an ease of use score of 4.4 out of 5, making it the joint best for ease of use alongside Wix. Users said:

“Really helpful SEO tooltips – especially for beginners. The prompts help cover the basics quickly and easily.”

Squarespace has a highly organized, almost CMS-like backend, which makes it easy to stay on top of SEO – provided you’re already familiar with best practices. The dashboard still offers the odd prompt or explanation, just not in quite the same guided way as it is with Wix.

If you do need some help though, Squarespace has produced an SEO checklist and a guide to search engine visibility, both of which contain a really thorough breakdown of everything SEO. If you’re a beginner, you certainly won’t be left to do it all on your own but, when compared with Wix, it’s a casual, controllable experience.

Features

The majority of Squarespace’s features are already built into the backend, including a generous suite of SEO tools. Squarespace grabs the second spot for its score (4.6 out of 5) for features because there’s less emphasis on apps and plugins, making this builder ideal if you want to keep everything centralized.

When it comes to SEO, Squarespace offers meta titles, alt text, and social media integration (like no other). Along with all the SEO basics Wix has, such as custom URLs on paid plans, image alt attributes, and keyword support prompts.

Squarespace has grown with the times and now automatically generates structured data for your pages. This means you won’t have to fiddle around with code or add manually like you do with Wix. The only reason Wix comes out ahead is thanks to its SEO hub where you can learn everything in current SEO, and high ticket tools like Semrush.

Squarespace also offers keyword support, allowing you to check the “Search Keywords” panel to see which search terms are driving the most traffic. Both of these features boost Squarespace’s beginner-friendliness and will allow you to have a greater knowledge of how to boost the visibility of your website.

Pricing

Despite Squarespace increasing its Personal plan by 33% from $12 to $16 per month, the rate at which it improves its feature offering each month is why we’ve placed it second for value, after WordPress.org. When compared with Wix’s Core plan ($34 per month), Squarespace provides greater website-building tools. In terms of SEO, both Squarespace and Wix offer the same SEO tools for the same price. But Squarespace comes out much further ahead with a score of 4.6 out of 5 for value for money this year.

On the whole, Squarespace is an excellent option for SEO. You’ll get all the SEO tools you need with some help and support along the way, but no hand-holding like with Wix. It is also worth noting that you’ll get more website building features for your money with Squarespace. Try the free trial to see if it works for your website needs.

Squarespace Gallery

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I could tweak basic SEO settings for my website or follow one of Squarespace's links to the checklist or page to hire an SEO expert.

It took me less than a minute to get set up with Squarespace's search keywords dashboard.

With Squarespace's analytics, I can monitor my website's traffic, sales, and more in the backend.

I could easily add alt text to images.

When I wasn't sure what to do next, I turned to Squarespace's SEO checklist.

More Information:

• Squarespace SEO Review – A closer look at Squarespace’s SEO features and who they’re best for
• Squarespace Review – Our complete assessment of the Squarespace website builder
• Squarespace Offer Code – Claim 10% off your first Squarespace purchase using our exclusive discount code

Best Value for Money SEO Tools

Starting at $5/month

WordPress.org

Best value for money SEO tools

Very Good

4.1

out of 5

• Ability to add SEO plugin
• Customizable with coding
• A learning curve

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $2.95 - $5.45 / month

Pros

• Unlimited design freedom
• HTML formatted for search engines
• Customizable SEO tools

Cons

• Costs can shoot up over time
• Requires some tech knowledge
• No dedicated support team

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WordPress.org Overview

Overall, WordPress.org scores 4.1 out of 5 as a website builder for SEO. Users can really shape the website their heart desires with WordPress.org, but only if you have the tech skills and money.

The builder performed well in value for money as you can technically create a website for free, but there are plenty of payment caveats that we’ll explain below.

We’d recommend WordPress.org for those experienced with building websites and want tailored SEO products to add to it.

Ease of Use

During testing, we noticed that users struggled to get to grips with WordPress.org – which resulted in a score of 3.2 out of 5 for ease of use. While it wasn’t difficult, we can’t say it is beginner friendly either. For example, users found implementing the features they needed a breeze. One user said:

“The feature search bar helped me find exactly what I needed.”

On the other hand, editing the website’s look and feel took more expertise. Our users were frustrated by how complex it seemed. One user said:

“I found it really difficult to transform a template into what I wanted. The blocks were hard to delete and move around and I would’ve almost preferred to have started with a blank slate and added elements to that!”

Despite not being a builder for beginners, we still found a lot of value in WordPress.org for its SEO capabilities. Let’s dive right into what you can create.

Features

WordPress.org is an open-source platform that gives you optimum control over your website, including choosing a web hosting provider that suits your needs. Unlike WordPress.com, which takes care of hosting for you, with WordPress.org you’ll first need to find a hosting provider and then you need to check that it has the ability to install WordPress.org. Once this is done, you can begin creating your website and adding the features you want.

WordPress.org receives a respectable 4.3 out of 5 for features because you can install anything from website-building tools to Yoast SEO – there are even 51 pages of SEO plugins to search through. We recommend scrolling through them and checking the user reviews to find the best ones.

Another reason WordPress.org is a fantastic option is that you’re free to change it up with code. This will give developers extra room to steer their WordPress website in the direction they like.

Pricing

WordPress.org offers a wide range of pricing opportunities, and the amount of SEO features you’ll get depends on what apps and plugins you choose. Theoretically, you could spend little to nothing on your WordPress.org site, or, if you choose premium themes, plugins, and extras, it could cost over $1000 per month. This website builder can expand with your business.

If you know your SEO, and have enough tech skills to tackle WordPress.org then it could pay in the long run. WordPress.org may not be as user-friendly as Wix or Squarespace, but it’s actually easier than WordPress.com. Plus you have the option to take your website in any direction you want to go!

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With WordPress.org's drag-and-drop editor, I could create something really unique.

For SEO support, I could choose from a range of plugins, including Yoast SEO.

I had plenty of options when editing images, including a box to add alt text.

I had a browse of WordPress.org's SEO resources.

It's important to engage with customers on different channels, so I loved this block of social icons.

More information:

• WordPress.org Review – Our full review of the WordPress.org platform.
• How to Create a WordPress Website – A step by step guide on creating a website with WordPress.org.
• Website Builder SEO vs WordPress SEO – Discover which is better for your website.

Good for Those Who Want a Hands-On SEO Experience

Starting at $4.00/month

WordPress.com

Great for those who want a hands-on SEO experience

Very Good

4.1

out of 5

• Features depend on plan
• SEO lacks on basic plan
• Steep learning curve

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $4 - $45 / month

Pros

• SEO-optimized theme designs
• HTML formatted for search engines
• Customizable titles/meta descriptions

Cons

• Hands-on tools only on advanced plans
• Most difficult website editor
• Templates are very focused on blogging

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WordPress.com Overview

Unlike WordPress.org, you don’t have to code, host or manage updates on your website with WordPress.com because it’s all done for you. For SEO, WordPress.com scores the same as its WordPress counterpart: 4.1 out of 5.

The main difference is that WordPress.com sacrifices complex features and value for money for help and support. So if you prefer to have a safety net of support, then WordPress.com is for you.

WordPress.com is a spin-off of WordPress.org and even though they may share some features, they are very different platforms. WordPress.com is the blogging pro-tool that acts more like a website builder in its mechanics than WordPress.org.

Ease of Use

Let’s start with the great news: WordPress.com takes care of 80-90% of basic SEO mechanics for you. WordPress themes are designed to appeal to search engines – in fact, much of the HTML is actually formatted with search engine crawlers in mind. If you want to be more involved in your site’s SEO, then you have a few options that we’ll explain in the features section.

During testing, WordPress.com got a low ease of use score of 2.7 out of 5, lower than WordPress.org. This is because users had trouble creating the website they wanted. However, one user said:

“It was easy to edit visual elements such as images and page design.”

Once you got past the basic changes, WordPress became a little more complicated. There were navigational issues with finding what you needed to implement to the website. Other users said:

“You are initially presented with so much to do that I became flustered. I couldn’t work out how to do the simple things because there was so much in the way.”

Although WordPress.com is a website builder, it’s not the easiest to use. However, you do get unlimited email support on the personal plans as well as live chat and phone support on its premium plans, making it more supportive than WordPress.org.

Features

You’ll get Google Analytics integration on the Premium plan, but advanced SEO tools won’t be added to the mix until you upgrade to the Business plan. If you do choose to upgrade, you’ll have access to the:

• Front page meta description: edit the general summary of your site that viewers will see in Google results
• Custom post meta description: edit the meta description of individual pages
• Custom title formats: customize how your site’s content titles appear on the SERPs
• Search and social previews: see how your site will look on search engines and social media before you publish it

On top of this, you’ll also be able to install advanced SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO, which will help you take things to the next level.

Previously, WordPress.com ranked last in our top five best builders for SEO. However, things have changed since we carried out our site speed test as part of our SEO analysis. Site speed is key to SEO, because search engines like websites that load quickly. WordPress.com performs better in this area than Squarespace, with a Google performance score of 81, making it worthy of third place in this category. However, its server response time could still do with improving. It took 1.3 seconds for anything to start happening.

If you know your SEO, and want to be involved in the process, then WordPress.com is a great choice. That being said, you will sacrifice some ease of use to get a hands-on experience.

Pricing

WordPress offers four different pricing plans, and the amount of SEO features you’ll get depends on the plan you choose. The Free and Personal plans, which cost $0.00 and $4.00 per month, respectively, offer only the basics when it comes to SEO. This is enough for personal websites, but if you’re looking to scale, you’ll want the Premium ($8.00 per month) or the Business ($25.00 per month) plan.

WordPress.com Gallery

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I searched for "SEO" within the editor's help box to check out WordPress.com's resources.

I could add a bunch of SEO plugins to my test website to help with optimization.

It was so easy for me to upload new images and add alt text.

I could take a look at traffic and insights using WordPress.com's Jetpack analytics.

Unfortunately, I would have to upgrade to at least the Business plan to unlock more powerful SEO tools.

More information:

• WordPress.com Review – Our full overview of the WordPress.com platform.
• WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – To find out which builder is the right one for you.
• SEO Tips – Discover some WordPress SEO tips to get your websites foundations right.
• WordPress SEO vs Website Builder SEO – What’s the difference between WordPress’ SEO and a builder, this guide will show you which one is better for your website needs.

Good for Incorporating SEO Into Your Design

Starting at $14/month

Webflow

Good for incorporating SEO into your design

Good

3.5

out of 5

• Fantastic for web designe
• Auto-generated sitemaps
• Need a paid plan for SEO

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $14 / month

Pros

• Offers customizable 301 redirects
• Mobile friendly templates
• Fantastic for design customization

Cons

• Limited SEO functions on free plan
• Very steep learning curve
• Hard to use for beginners

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Webflow Overview

Webflow is a merger between a traditional web builder and a modern one. It has a level of customization and power usually reserved for the likes of WordPress while also being a website builder. Webflow tends to be used by web designers who don’t want to get in-depth with coding. For SEO, Webflow scores 3.5 out of 5 and places fifth on our list.

Ease of Use

If you feel at home with software like Photoshop, then you’ll feel right at home with Webflow. The editor looks incredibly similar, with a design-focused side menu that will either scare you (if you’ve never used Photoshop) or make you feel overjoyed at the customization possibilities.

During testing, Webflow receives an ease of use score of 2.1 out of 5, making it the most difficult builder to use on this list.. One user said:

“It took way too long to get to grips with it. I had to watch a lot of YouTube tutorials to get my head around it, so definitely not ideal for beginners who want a quick and simple building process. To be honest, I was able to make a really beautiful website once I understood how to build with it. I can see a website designer being in heaven with Webflow because the creative control of this builder is amazing.”

Webflow offers over 100 responsive templates that automatically adapt to fit different screen sizes, which is important for SEO as mobile users become more prevalent. While it can be considered difficult to use, it does have some great design and SEO possibilities.

Features

Webflow got a better features score than WordPress.com, scoring 2.9 out of 5, and came in joint second place for design flexibility – alongside Wix. The SEO specific features you get with Webflow include:

• Custom meta titles
• Meta description
• Custom URLs
• Header code
• Image alt attributes
• Mobile friendly
• Autogenerated sitemaps
• Customizable 301 redirects
• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• Canonical tag
• SEO best practice prompts

The majority of platforms let you add and edit metadata, target keywords, and create image alt texts. Webflow takes it one step further by providing customizable 301 redirects and automatically generated sitemaps.

The only downside to Webflow’s SEO is that it doesn’t come with keyword support, SEO-specific apps, or social media integration. The lack of social media integration is a big one because many businesses leverage social media to grow their audience, which is why Webflow is the lowest builder on the list.

Pricing

You can create a website for free with Webflow, which gives you plenty of time to learn how to use it. The free plan is suitable for simple sites but it doesn’t offer much in the way of SEO, only the very basics. To get access to 301 redirects, sitemap controls, schema markup support, Open Graph meta tags, and structured search support, you’ll need to upgrade to one of its four paid plans.

The cheapest plan is Webflow’s Basic plan for $14 per month. The CMS plan for $23 per month focuses on content-driven sites, while the Business plan is for businesses looking to market and scale. Lastly, you have the enterprise plan, which requires you to apply for a custom quote and offers enterprise-level security to help grow your website.

Webflow Gallery

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Once I signed up to Webflow, I quickly found its SEO dashboard.

I had a look at what SEO resources were available in Webflow's help center, known as the Webflow University.

I could monitor indexing through Webflow's editor as opposed to the backend dashboard.

A lot of website traffic comes from mobile devices, so I liked that I could edit my test website for mobile phones as well as desktops.

To integrate with analytics tools such as Google Analytics, I found my way to Webflow's integrations view.

More Information:

• Webflow Review – Our comprehensive look at GoDaddy’s website building platform.

Search engine optimization is vitally important to a website’s success. There can be as much as a 17.5% difference between the click-through rate of position one and position three. This is why we’ve researched the best website builders for SEO and found Wix to be the top performer. It really is that easy to use for SEO beginners.

Wix is especially good at explaining features and setting goals, integrating its knowledge base right into the builder. Squarespace and WordPress.org are terrific options for those who are a little more comfortable with SEO best practice. These builders won’t hold your hand through the process, but then not everybody will want this feature.

When it comes to site speed, Wix and WordPress.com came out on top with the highest performance scores, whereas Webflow is for web designers who want free reign with their design. All five builders tick the essential SEO boxes, and their development teams will ensure they keep up with the trends.

The choice ultimately comes down to which builder best complements the needs of your site, and which builder has the tools to help you avoid any SEO mistakes you might make. We also have a handy guide if you are looking to redesign your website.

Wix, WordPress.com, and Webflow have free plans, so you can use them for as long as you like before deciding if they’re right for you. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial, which should give you plenty of time to form an opinion of the platform. Let us know in the comments below which one you choose and how it goes!

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