⏳ Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top picks? The best website builder for SEO for most people is Wix.
Introduction to Website Builders with Best SEO:
Some say that Search Engine Optimisation (SE) is dead – but we strongly disagree. As a professional web designer, my team and I sometimes encounter sceptic clients who don’t see much value in achieving SEO for their websites. However, after seeing first-hand how SEO has increased their traffic and generate leads months after, they have their doubts erased. To make SEO work for you, I often tell them that choosing the website builder with best SEO tools is a crucial first step.
But how do you judge which website builder for SEO to choose? With practically an ocean of options to choose from, we know how tough it is to decide. That’s why we offer this ultimate guide to choosing a website builder with best SEO.
Our Top Website Builder for SEO List:
We’ve prepared a shortlist of the best website builder SEO friendly options to help your ranking position in the search engines. Specifically, in this article, we will discuss:
- Wix – Best for beginners seeking guidance in SEO, thanks to its user-friendly SEO Wiz that offers step-by-step assistance.
- Squarespace – Best for maintaining clean site structure with automated tags and categories, aiding in efficient site indexing by search engines.
- Webflow – Best for web professionals looking for granular control over SEO elements through advanced customization of HTML/CSS.
- Shopify – Best for e-commerce websites requiring specialized SEO features tailored to optimize product listings and online store visibility.
- Weebly – Best for those who want a simple interface with built-in site statistics and mobile-responsive themes, ensuring a positive user experience.
- WordPress.com – Best for content creators and bloggers who require customizable permalinks and integration with powerful SEO plugins like Yoast SEO.
- Bonus – WordPress.org with WP Engine hosting (My Top Pick!) – Best for those seeking total control over every SEO element, and who want to leverage a rich ecosystem of plugins, along with the enhanced speed and security that WP Engine hosting provides.
WordPress.org is essentially a Content Management System (CMS) that has gained immense popularity for its flexibility and powerful features. However, it's worth mentioning that with the integration of page builder plugins like Elementor or Beaver Builder, WordPress.org can effectively function as a website builder. These plugins offer drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built elements, which simplify the process of creating web pages.
While traditional website builders come with hosting and a built-in editor, WordPress.org requires users to source their own premium hosting like Siteground or WPEngine and domain. Despite this, it's highly regarded for the sheer customisation possibilities it offers, and the extensive library of SEO plugins and themes available. This makes WordPress.org a particularly appealing choice for those who want to have more control and ownership over their site's functionality and design, even if it comes with a slightly steeper learning curve compared to typical website builders.
Quick Ranking Table For Website Builders with Best SEO
| Rank | Platform | SEO Features | Recommended for | Pricing | My View | Try for Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇1 | Wix | SEO Wiz Tool, Custom Meta Tags, Structured Data, XML Sitemap | Small businesses, Creatives | Plans start at $14/month | Wix has greatly improved its SEO capabilities and is very user-friendly. | Try Wix for Free |
| 2 | Squarespace | Clean URLs, SEO Checklist, Meta Tags, Automatic Tags and Categories | Artists, Photographers, Small businesses | Plans start at $12/month | Very good for visually oriented sites, but not as flexible as WordPress.org. | Try Squarespace for Free |
| 3 | Webflow | Automatic XML Sitemap, Custom Meta Tags, Structured Data, 301 Redirects | Designers, Developers, Business websites | Plans start at $12/month | Webflow is powerful but has a steeper learning curve. | Try Webflow for Free |
| 4 | Shopify | E-commerce focused, Meta Tags, XML Sitemap, Custom URL Structures | Online Stores | Plans start at $29/month | Great for e-commerce but not as flexible for non-e-commerce sites. | Try Shopify for Free |
| 5 | Weebly | Meta Tags, Custom URL Structures, XML Sitemap, Site Statistics | Personal websites, Small online stores | Plans start at $6/month | User-friendly but not as comprehensive in SEO features as others. | Try Weebly for Free |
| 6 | WordPress.com | Meta Tags, XML Sitemap, Social Media Integration, Limited Plugin Usage | Bloggers, Small business websites | Plans start at $4/month | Limited compared to WordPress.org but still decent for non-technical users. | Try WordPress.com for Free |
| BONUS!!! | WordPress.org (WP Engine hosting recommended)
(My Top Pick!) |
Extensive SEO Plugins (Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack), Full Control Over Code, Custom URL Structure | Bloggers, Business websites, eCommerce | WP Engine plans start at $30/month. Domain and other costs separate. | Ultimate flexibility and customization, but might be slightly complex for absolute beginners. | Check WP Engine |
What is SEO and Why Does It Matter?
SEO refers to a set of techniques used to improve your website’s ranking on Google. The business case for SEO is simple. If your website ranks on Google’s page 1, more visitors will click on it, and as a result, more business will come.
Think of SEO as an equaliser in the rankings game. Search engines develop rules on how web pages appear in search results after specific keywords are typed. Some of these rules include metadata, page word count, and backlinks. Therefore, SEO specialists evaluate your website’s SEO health and work on what needs fixing. As a result of complying with SEO rules using a website builder for SEO, you can reap an improvement in Google rankings.
In a nutshell, SEO matters because it increases the likelihood that people will find you online. Your website’s overall look won’t mean a thing if prospective clients looking for products or service you offer can’t reach you. Ranking poorly on search engines means poor traffic and inadequate lead generation.
Neglecting SEO when your target market is online can be a costly mistake. SEO’s main advantage is bringing in leads, especially when you rank on page 1 for a targeted keyword. Ensuring this positions your site better, since 91% of searchers do not go past the first page. Therefore, be strategic about the website you’re building. The website builder with best SEO equips you with the rights tools for SEO success.
Why Is The Best Website Builder SEO Friendly?
There are indeed a few naysayers about whether a website builder with best SEO can produce results. However, with the right SEO strategy and availability of tools, you can launch a better-optimised website that Google will love. Nevertheless, we have to reiterate that SEO is a science, and the key to succeeding in it is knowing how to strategise and execute. Often, business owners won’t have time for that, so we recommend hiring an SEO expert to take care of SEO.
Still, for those who don’t have the time to learn SEO and are operating on a tight budget, getting the best website builder SEO friendly at that is a step toward the right direction.
Now, you may be asking: is it possible to rank on page 1 using a website builder for SEO?
Some may be cynical, but we believe that using a website builder with best SEO can help you get to the first page. While fierce competition may prevent your web page from appearing on the top spot, this shouldn’t put you off. Web site front runners on the search engine results pages (SERPs) usually have a team of SEO people, making them rank first.
But what you need to understand is that Google handles 5.6 billion searches daily. There are a wealth of alternative, less competitive keywords you can select to rank for your site. Also, a website builder with best SEO can edit and optimise other ranking factors, such as meta information, page titles, alt text, URL, and link structure.
Before we go into more detail for each of these platforms you are probably wondering how we chose our top picks for website builder with best SEO.
A Brief SEO Guide:
To better understand how a website builder for SEO can help you rank well in the SERPs, here’s a glossary of the most essential SEO terms. Here are the on-page SEO factors that you could tweak using a website builder:
- Page Title – The page title appears first in the SERPs. Search engines like having the focus keyword appear on the title of a page, so it’s best to have it at the beginning.
- URL – abbreviation for Universal Resource Locator; needs to be SEO-friendly to help your pages rank. Specifically, a suitable URL needs to include the keyword. For instance, if your target keyword is “vegan recipes”, a relevant URL would be www.yoursite.com/vegan-recipes.
- Headings – These words/phrases caption the content of portions of an article. This refers to the headers of the page. Go for structured headings containing keywords in H1, H2, H3, etc.
- Images alt text – Search engines look at the alt attribute or the text associated with an image. It’s best to use the keyword in the file name, e.g. “vegan-burger.jpeg.” as well as in the alt attribute. Also, it’s essential to have your images optimised for SEO.
- Body Text – When inserting content into the body of the text, you should include the primary keyword. However, care should be taken not to use it repeatedly as Google penalises keyword “stuffing.”
- Meta description – The meta description of a page is a brief blurb found under the page title. Keywords should also be included in the meta description.
- Internal links – Internal links are links that connect one of your website’s pages to other pages. Good internal linking allows search engines like Google to crawl your site, making it good for SEO.
- Content – Choose the Right Keywords, Placing Your Keywords, How to Create SEO Friendly Content with Free Tools, Use Links Wisely, Make it Readable
Our Top Picks for Best Website Builder for SEO in detail:
1. Wix – My Top Pick for Best Website Builder for SEO
Touted as the world’s most user-friendly platform, Wix is also an excellent website builder for SEO. With its no-coding framework, the platform is best known as a market leader in website creation software. However, it has levelled up its SEO game as well in recent years, especially with its SEO Wiz tool.
Ease of Use:
The thing about Wix is that it’s designed for the less experienced market segment. Therefore, its functionality is often compromised by usability, and this is reflected in its SEO features. Using this platform becomes less stressful with the SEO Wiz – this tool provides a step-by-step guide on optimising your pages.
Features:
In many ways, Wix is a useful website builder with best SEO functionality. You can do the following SEO-friendly tasks –
- Edit meta descriptions
- Customise page URLs
- 301 redirects
- Add alt text
- Google integration
There's a Wix free plan as well as a 14-day money-back guarantee on all plans. Do your diligence and read their terms of use before committing to create a website via Wix.
WordPress.com
WordPress leads the content management system (CMS) market with nearly a third of all websites built on the platform. Given the fact that WordPress was explicitly developed as a blogging platform to help people get their message across, it’s therefore unsurprising that the platform possesses unparalleled SEO tools. WordPress is a website builder for SEO that enables any user type – from beginner to developers – to increase their website’s search engine visibility using source code, themes, and WordPress plugins.
Ease of Use:
Compared to other website builders on this list, WordPress may not be the easiest to use overall. It would appear the same is true for its SEO tools. However, it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to use; it just requires a bit of a learning curve. Therefore, it’s ideal for users who want a hands-on SEO experience. WordPress is free, fast, and highly flexible. As such, it’s perfect as the best website builder SEO friendly for optimising all types of websites – from personal blogs to highly complex websites.
Features:
You can use WordPress themes for SEO to a certain degree, but if you really want to maximise it as a website builder with best SEO, its plugins are the answer. The most popular WordPress SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO and All in One SEO Pack allows you to optimise important ranking factors, including:
- Edit a meta description
- Keyword placements
- Mind keyword density
- Paragraph structure
- Link support
- Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease for readability
- Keywords in Subheadings
- Permalinks
Shopify
Who says you can’t achieve SEO for your online store with the best website builder SEO friendly software? Since online stores revolve around capturing leads and turning them into purchasing customers, Shopify’s design incorporates SEO for eCommerce. In other words, unlike SEO for regular pages, SEO for eCommerce focuses on improving a product’s ranking. Shopify is a great website builder for SEO, when it comes to selling products online.
Ease of Use:
We like how clean and uncluttered the Shopify interface is for SEO. It’s user-friendly, and the relevant tools are easily located. What makes Shopify stand out is a valuable SEO guide to walk you through which elements need adjusting for your product’s search engine visibility.
The Shopify SEO Guide gives 7 key recommendations, including removing duplicate URLs, maximising blog content creation, structuring your site, creating product variant pages, image optimisation, and taking out irrelevant Shopify apps.
Features:
Shopify, as a website builder for SEO, allows you to adjust ranking factors to optimise product pages, including:
- Editing titles and meta descriptions
- Customising URLs
- Structuring H1, H2 headings
- Editing image alt text
- Built-in 301 redirects
- Automatic sitemap.xml generation
- Canonical tags are autogenerated
Squarespace
Squarespace is widely popular for creating some of the most stunning websites you can find online. It’s the go-to website builder for creatives and artists who demand aesthetic appeal. But aside from that, this website builder with best SEO sophisticated tools can help you rank well on the SERPs.
Ease of Use:
Compared to Wix or Weebly, Squarespace isn’t the easiest builder to navigate. The same can be said for its SEO features. Thus, its ease of use may not compare with other best website builder SEO friendly platforms that are also user-friendly. Squarespace has a CMS-like backend that offers you great leeway to implement SEO. However, it has neither a simple dashboard or guided tour feel like its counterparts. Squarespace works well for those experienced in SEO but may be daunting for complete novices.
Features:
Squarespace has invested in an SEO boost as part of its core functionality. As a result, you can create a highly visually appealing and optimised website using this best website builder with SEO friendly capabilities:
- Direct edit of the SEO page title and descriptions
- Social media integration
- Hide a Page from a Search Engine
- Control the image appearing together with your content
- Sitemap Generator
- Multichannel presence
Raring to create your own website through Squarespace? Squarespace trial comes in 14 days of free testing of the Business Plan. Read through their terms of service page before you commit.
Weebly
Weebly has occupied the top position in the website builder circuit for years, with its user-friendly design and intuitive interface. With ease of use as its biggest value proposition, it has developed its SEO functionality around the same factor. For this reason, we consider Weebly as the best website builder SEO friendly for beginners.
Ease of Use:
The platform sets the bar for ease of use. Its SEO tools are integrated into its page editor. From there, you can easily customise meta titles, URLs, meta descriptions, and alt text. The builder also interfaces seamlessly with Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
Features:
You can do SEO on Weebly even if you’re using its free version. Weebly, as the best website builder SEO friendly software, lets users edit meta descriptions and image alt attributes. At the same time, it enables 301 redirects and does autogenerated sitemaps. Unfortunately, it offers limited site structuring, permitting only up to H2 natively. You’ll have to use third-party apps to edit H1, H3, H4, and H5 headings.
Conclusion and Recommendations for Website Builders with Best SEO:
Wrapping things up, SEO is a non-negotiable fact in website building these days. Therefore, it’s vital to select a website builder with excellent SEO functionality. We’ve covered five handpicked website builder with best SEO tools in this article, and we invite you to test all of them out.
To summarise, the best website builder for SEO for most people is Wix!
Choosing one of these two best website builder SEO friendly platforms gives you a unique advantage. Leave your SEO doubts out the window and achieve dramatic improvement in your search engine rankings!
FAQ:
Why is SEO important?
SEO gets you found online. It’s essentially a free marketing tool. Therefore, using the best website builder SEO friendly software gives your business a boost. When a user searches a keyword that you’ve targeted for SEO, chances are that the same user will find its way to your site. That means more traffic and more potential leads!
Is being mobile-friendly important for SEO?
Definitely! A website builder with best SEO should have mobile responsivity. Since so many users search online using their gadgets, Google rewards web pages that look and function great on mobile device.
That's all for now:
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