Are you seeking the best website platform for SEO to give your online business a good head start? You have made the right call.
With the right website builder, you can create a website that will meet your unique needs. However, there are diverse website builders out there, with each having its strengths and weaknesses.
So you need to choose carefully. Choose the ideal website builder for your project.
We have outlined the strength and weaknesses of various website builders out there to enable you to choose right. So before launching your new website, take some time to read this post.
1. WordPress:
WordPress is the first word you may hear many people mentioning when seeking a CMS and website building platform. WordPress’s age and reputation make it one of the most sought-after website builders.
WordPress came into existence in 2003, and it has given many users reasons to make it their number one CMS and website building platform.
This platform powers over 37 percent of the websites on the internet. And some of these websites belong to popular brands.
Some of the companies using WordPress include BBC America, Mercedes Benz, Time, PlayStation Blog, the Walt Disney Company, Sony Music, and other big names.
This tells you all you need to know about how popular and powerful WordPress is. If it weren’t, none of the top brands using it would have given it a thought.
It’s also crucial to note that WordPress is divided into two sections. These include WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
WordPress.org is the free option. It is open-source and flexible. But users need strong technical knowledge to understand and use this version. WordPress.com is the second version. And it’s the paid one.
It boasts fewer customization options but is much better when installing themes and seeking help with the management.
WordPress is unarguably the best website platform for SEO, judging by its numerous plugins and SEO-friendly tools.
However, let’s not get carried away and forget that WordPress has its good and bad. It does have. But the cons don’t change the fact that it’s a top SEO platform to build websites.
Here are WordPress’s pros and cons.
WordPress Pros:
- Boasts loads of plugins
- Easy access to support to solve technical issues
- Access to diverse tutorials to help broaden your understanding of the platform
WordPress Cons:
- Requires a bit of technical experience most times
- The platform can be overwhelming at times.
2. Weebly:
With Weebly, website building is a breeze. It’s the best option for DIYers and people who’re interested in starting a blog. You don’t need to hire anyone or pay a hefty web development fee with Weebly. Just create and start posting content.
Weebly isn’t just a free website. It offers a handful of tools and features you can use to influence your website’s SEO to some degree.
For instance, you can edit the metadata, such as tags and Meta descriptions. Make them more SEO-friendly.
Weebly boasts a help page, which is quite comprehensive and it would help you understand the platform’s nitty-gritty. You can use it to edit metadata and do some on-page SEO to get your blog flying.
Unfortunately, Weebly isn’t a match for WordPress or a host of SEO builders in the area of search engine optimization. It doesn’t have as many tools and plugins as these top-rated website platforms for SEO.
Here are Weebly’s pros and cons.
Weebly’s Pros:
- Boasts simple SEO support
- Easy to understand and use
- The majority of its features are built-in
Weebly’s Cons:
- The .html suffix on the URL doesn’t look modern or neat.
3. Joomla!
Joomla! Spelled as Joomla became available in 2005, which is two years after WordPress. And it’s one of WordPress’s biggest rivals. Joomla offers broad SEO capabilities. It’s also free and an open-source platform.
This website builder has enjoyed millions of downloads since its inception. It’s also a great option for small, medium, and large-scale businesses. With plenty of tools and features, you can position your Joomla website for success.
Being an open-source web builder, Joomla boasts a huge community of developers and enjoys constant updates. So you can easily find the latest tools and features to use with this platform.
However, users that lack developer knowledge may find using this platform a bit confusing and difficult. One has to change and tweak many aspects of the various tools for optimal SEO performance.
So if you have extensive knowledge of web development, you will find Joomla quite impressive. It’s a powerful platform for SEO and can even do things other platforms might not.
Here are Joomla’s pros and cons.
Joomla’s Pros:
- The structure is robust and secure
- Extensive customization opportunity
- It has a huge community of developers and templates
- It offers a bunch of extensions and add-ons
Joomla’s Cons:
- Would benefit from a simpler URL re-writing process
- The absence of corporate backing leaves the growth of the platform in the community’s hands.
4. Shopify
Founded in 2006, Shopify has grown to become the biggest eCommerce platform around the globe. It allows users to own a store online without breaking a sweat.
So whether you sell online, at home, physical store, social media, or the back of your trunk, Shopify can help take your business to another level.
This eCommerce platform isn’t free. You have to pay a certain fee to own a store online on Shopify. It’s like paying monthly rent for your physical store. You can decide to pay monthly or yearly, do whatever rocks your boat.
Shopify is also for businesses of all sizes. These include small, medium, and big corporations. It’s easy to set up and use.
Integrates well with many payment options, Shopify lets you sell digital and physical products. Customers can also pay for products online via multiple secured payment options.
Shopify’s SEO is another aspect that makes it a top eCommerce platform. You can add keywords to your product and page. It has a simple and impressive SEO function.
Here are Shopify’s pros and cons.
Shopify’s Pros:
- Easy to use
- Offers free trial
- Boasts plenty of SEO plugins
- Large community makes it easy to find help
- Keyword ranking performance is much better
Shopify’s Cons:
- The platform not free of charge
- Many of the plugins require payment to access
5. Magento:
Magento is a top website builder. No one can doubt that. But is it a suitable option for beginners? The clear answer is no. Magneto is for developers with extensive knowledge in coding or web development. It is not for everyone, particularly beginners who aren’t conversant with web development or website development issues.
Every beginner wants a website builder that would make life less complicated for them. Since it’s their first or probably, second website, starting with a complicated website builder would make the SEO journey more unattractive and boring.
Magento comes designed for professionals, and it’s quite a complicated SEO platform. You may also have to make several changes to a couple of features in the settings to optimize for SEO.
There are tons of guides regarding how to use Magento and tackle the platform’s SEO section. But those guides won’t mean anything to you if you’re not a developer or boasts extensive developer knowledge.
So, Magento isn’t the best SEO-friendly website builder for beginners. But if you’re a developer, you would find Magento amazing. Its open-source nature gives developers a lot of options to tweak to get jaw-dropping results.
Here are Magento’s pros and cons.
Magento’s Pros:
- Being open-source makes it flexible
- Boasts tons of features many platforms are lacking
- Mobile-friendly
- A huge community of users
Magneto’s Cons:
- Support is poor
- Quite expensive
6. BigCommerce:
It’s no longer news that eCommerce has changed how companies conduct their businesses and how people buy products and services. But what many are forgetting is that certain platforms are responsible for this shift and advancement in eCommerce.
Excitingly, BigCommerce is one of the fastest-growing and top eCommerce platforms available. It offers a SaaS eCommerce platform, allowing businesses to own online stores without breaking a sweat.
One of BigCommerce’s highlighted features is simplicity. Like Shopify, it lets you create and own an online store without breaking a sweat.
BigCommerce’s SEO is also simple and straightforward. Many people even believe that the platform offers better value for the money than Shopify and a host of others.
By the way, BigCommerce started in 2009, three years or so after Shopify. And it has grown and has now become one of the leading cloud eCommerce platforms in the world.
It’s crucial to state that BigCommerce SEO is straightforward. So if you need one that’s more complicated, you have to look elsewhere.
Like Shopify, BigCommerce also has pros and cons. Let’s look at them.
BigCommerce’s Pros:
- Easy to setup
- Cost-effective
- Built-in SEO
BigCommerce’s Cons:
- Far behind other eCommerce platforms SEO-wise.
7. PrestaShop
Another Shopify example, PrestaShop, is a top eCommerce website builder, initially released in 2008. The platform’s simplicity makes it more useful for beginners to establish their first online business without much hassle.
PrestaShop is an open-source platform, and it’s 100% free. No monthly fees of any sort. It also boasts a CMS section like WordPress, where users can share information. But this section is limited in some way.
If you have in-depth knowledge of CSS, HTML, and PHP or hire a web developer, you will enjoy using PrestaShop. Another class of users that can enjoy PrestaShop is those who have customized products to sell.
PrestaShop boasts several SEO options to help you position your new site on SERAP. But these have to be manually done and can be very confusing.
Here are PrestaShop’s pros and cons.
PrestaShop’s Pros:
- Open source and 100% free
- Features tons of third-party extensions and add-ons
- It doesn’t use up massive server resources
PrestaShop’s Cons:
- Instability issues
- Requires extensive coding knowledge
8. Wix:
With over 160 million users, Wix is probably one of the fastest-growing website builders around. The platform was set up in 2006. And through aggressive marketing, it has continually increased in popularity.
It’s almost impossible to watch YouTube videos without coming across an effective advert regarding Wix. Thus far, the platform has also generated a billion dollars in revenue, which says a lot about the progress it has made since its inception.
Wix Editor’s drag and drop feature makes creating websites a breeze. You don’t even need coding knowledge to build a website. And there are tons of breathtaking templates and tools available to use.
With Wix Editor, you can create websites, blogs, online stores, and anything you want to create to get your online business going.
Wix is free and has a premium option for people looking to access more features to make their website look more professional.
So, if you seek to own a personal domain name or an eCommerce store, you have to pay for the premium option.
Here are Wix’s pros and cons.
Wix’s Pros:
- Features automatic website backup
- Excellent help features
- Simple to use editor
Wix’s Cons:
- Inability to switch template once a website becomes live.
9. Jimdo
Jim may not be a popular name on the website builder landscape. But it’s one of the oldest website builders around.
Founded in 2007, Jimdo, a German-based website builder, boasts modern and professional-looking templates optimized for mobile devices and desktops. HTML5 also powers it.
Jimdo is an all-in-one web hosting solution and AI-powered website builder that has shown great promise. It’s fast and super easy. You don’t even need coding or web development knowledge to create a website on Jimdo.
Here are Jimdo’s pros and cons.
Jimdo’s Pros:
- Easy to use
- Generous free plan available
- Ability to edit CSS and HTML
Jimdo’s Cons:
- Some templates are not very responsive
- The eCommerce option is quite poor
10. Squarespace:
Squarespace is another top-notch drag and drops website builder with what it takes to give other SEO platforms a run for their money. It’s an all-in-one solution, offering users a unique opportunity to create stunning websites.
Squarespace offers domain, hosting, eCommerce, analytics and promises 24/7 customer support. The company was launched in 2004, and it has remained one of the most reliable website builders among the packs.
Here are Squarespace’s pros and cons.
Squarespace’s Pros:
- Great site speed
- Ecommerce friendly
- Interface is drag and drop
Squarespace’s Cons:
- Lacks backup for users
Conclusion
So these are the best website platforms for SEO. They are website builders designed to help you create a website for whatever purpose you want. These platforms also vary in their difficulty level. Some are more challenging and confusing than others.
In the difficult website builders, extensive knowledge in web development and coding can make a world of difference.