Wix Vs WordPress: Which Is Better For SEO? The Semalt Answer


Table of Content

  1. Introduction
  2. Why Do You Need SEO?
  3. Wix 
  4. WordPress 
  5. Comparison: Which is Better for SEO, Wix, or WordPress?
  6. Conclusion

Introduction

With the way things are going today, it kind of sucks really bad if a business owner hasn't published its business products and services online (either through a blog, or an e-commerce store, or a news website, and so on). And even if this has been done, there is another catch. Such a website can remain invisible if the website has not to be optimized appropriately with regards to SEO. 

One of the ways to begin on the right path is to choose a website provider that is best for SEO. Since the two most common website solutions are Wix and WordPress (powering over 4 million and 28 million websites respectively), an updated comparison test between the two will be the focus of this article to determine which is better for SEO.

 

But first, let's clear the air on why a business owner needs to be concerned about SEO. 

Why Do You Need SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it is very essential for every website (especially if visibility is the goal). When done properly, it places a site at the first page of Google's search result page when a related keyword is searched for. With a properly done SEO, a website is given more priority than others during search results. And the best way to ensure that your website is recommended faster by search engines is, to begin with, a website builder that is optimized for SEO. And some CMS (content management systems) are better than others at organizing content and presenting this content for the Google bot to crawl and index. 

Wix and WordPress are both good website building options that have a good pixel and interface both for desktop and mobile view. Each of them has templates and editors that make the whole application very easy to use by even the most amateur website designer. But the goal isn't just to look good online, it's also to rank high and be more visible than competitors so that traffic can be driven to the site (traffic = customers). 

But since both Wix and WordPress seem to rock when compared with other website builders, let's take a look at them individually. 

Wix 

Wix is one of the few website builders that came into the scene and began to take dominance in the market alongside competitors. Its user-friendly interface, and outstanding website tools and features are one of the many reasons Wix is preferred to its competitors when developing a website. 

It didn't just make the list as one of the best new-generation website builders, it was on top of the list as the leader. And it was widely chosen over others because it was easy to use, navigate, and it provided the 'modern look' that was desired by a majority of website owners. The others that didn't buy the Wix-idea are those that were more technical and wanted total control over their website's structure, coding, design, and so on. 

Luckily, Wix developers and creators did not sleep on their developments as they have been adding more tools regularly to spice up its functionality. One of such tools is the SEO tool. Though it is a bit technical, it is still quite easy to use. 

Wix SEO Capabilities

Before now, users had to employ third-party tools to do some SEO-related tasks on the website. This usually resulted in amateurish results and disorganized web pages. Even when they are done by professionals, it was more complex than what it is now. And they majorly faced the challenge of accurate reporting. However, with the new SEO upgrade, Wix has become one of the website builders that support SEO functionality. Below are a few things that make Wix good for SEO:


  1. While using the Wix SEO tool, users can access sitemap updates automatically. And this can be gotten through 301 redirects. It can also be accessed by updating relevant meta tags including canonicals. 
  2. With Wix, users can modify URL structure from the default settings to suit the website's needs. The modification options include editing of URLs, adding or removal of URL prefix, customization of subdirectory names, and the creation of a flat URL structure. 
  3. Users can also visualize their website's log files in different forms. The forms include response status overtime reports, bot traffic by page, and bot traffic over time. 

Why it might not be the best choice

Though Wix has succeeded in improving its functionality to support SEO, some factors hinder its perfect score. 
  1. It could use more advanced users. This is because, though they offer an HTML code element, there is still a certain level of restriction. The addition of custom code by more advanced users would do a lot of good.
  2. Its link structure is not ideal for the crawling and indexing of web pages by search engine bots. Served through JavaScript, it is a structure that many SEO professionals would rather do without. 
  3. Page speed might not be ideal because of code bloat. And slow page speed doesn't work well with SEO and website optimization. 
So what about WordPress?

WordPress 

Recall all that was said about Wix, well, WordPress was there first. It had been used by millions of people to solve website-related issues way before Wix was born. WordPress made it possible and easy to set up a website (for different reasons) online. 

It is also open-sourced and it depends highly on the internet community. Without paying a dime (or penny), prospective website owners can access its basic functionality. And to access plugins for more modern and technical sites, payment is required. 

WordPress also has many more users than Wix (the difference of over 20 million) with many more professionals trained and aware of its functionality. 

Its SEO capabilities:

Since plugins have been a part of WordPress from the set time, SEO tools haven't been far away. Why? Because WordPress plugins are how users gain access to SEO tools. Although it has been in existence for a while, the developers and creators of WordPress have not stopped updating plugins daily. Therefore, creating an optimized SEO website is easy, and possible with WordPress. 

Why it might not be the best choice

WordPress too has shortcomings despite its many advantages for SEO. Below are a few of its limitations:
  1. WordPress plugins are not built by the developers of the CMS. Rather, they are provided by different groups and companies. This can sometimes cause a conflict in communication. 
  2. The tools also available within each plugin can be conflicted with one another and cause problems within the website like breaking of site elements. 
  3. Some people believe that because WordPress is old, it has lost its touch on the latest requirements. Some also believe that it is based on built-in code bloat. This can hider the optimization of the site's core web vitals. 

Comparison: Which is Better for SEO, Wix, or WordPress?

Both Wix and WordPress provide basic SEO solutions such as Title tags, meta descriptions, Heading 1 to Heading 6 tags, XML sitemaps, Alt tags, 301 redirects, no index tags, schema markup, mobile-friendly interface, connection to GSC, GA, and Bing Webmaster tools. However, the differences begin when the SEO need gets advanced because Wix has SEO tools while WordPress has its plugins.

If you are a casual user looking for an easy way to create a website with the basic SEO tools you can find, or you are a small business starting into the SEO journey, Wix is better. It is easier to navigate and isn't too technical. There are also resources like how-to tutorials and wizards to help out amateurs while using such tools. 

However, if you are a big business that is looking for massive site traffic and more complex SEO tools, WordPress is better. It can take care of both the basic and the complex parts of SEO tasks, and it is cheaper than Wix. But it is still possible to find that advanced users that are more familiar with Wix will argue this because they have been able to find a way around the minimalism of the new generation website builder.  

All-in-all, if what is required is minimal and basic, Wix will serve better with less headache and complex tools. But advanced users or those that want to use SEO as a long-term strategy should opt for WordPress.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, when asked which is better for SEO - Wix or WordPress, it won't matter if the team handling the website lacks the skills to effectively use the tools provided by the website builders. That's why employing the services of skillful professionals like Semalt is the best step to take to optimize SEO for your website. Why? They would take care of all the parts of your website including content and structure. When this has been taken care of, whether or not Wix is better than WordPress will not matter as much. 

send email