Wix vs. WordPress For SEO – Which Platform Is Best In 2021?

With more than 640 million websites on the Internet, it’s hard to get noticed. When all of those websites are fighting to get recognized and be seen, it gets even harder.

Whether you’re an SEO expert or not, getting more website traffic isn’t easy. It comes down to too many factors, one of the most important ones being which website you’re using. The main websites that clients ask us about are Wix and WordPress. If you clicked on this article, we’re sure that you’re wondering about them, too.

So, if you’re wondering who wins in the Wix vs WordPress battle, keep reading.

Wix vs WordPress: Website Overview

Before we get into all of the technical aspects of SEO for each site, we think that it’s important to look at the sites as a whole. You need to figure out which website is best for your overall technique as well as your SEO technique.

SEO is definitely important, but it’s not everything when it comes to choosing a website. Let’s look at each website individually and see which one looks great overall. Then, we’ll get into everything you want to know about the best website for SEO.

Wix: The Lowdown

Wix is a website-building platform that allows its users to build a website from scratch. You don’t need coding skills. You don’t need technical training. Wix prides itself on being a platform that beginners love. If you aren’t looking for anything complicated, Wix is definitely the way to go. Plus, with their 24/7 support, you can figure out just about anything. So, if you’re feeling shy, you can call for help when you need it.

Depending on the plan you choose, Wix is anywhere from $0 a month to $49 a month. If you choose to create a free site, your site name will be a subdomain name with Wix as the main domain. For example, your website may be kittykatz123.wix.com. That is if you choose to name your website “kittykatz123.”If you opt for a paid website, you’ll get your domain name free for the first year.

If you’re looking to get started with Wix, you just need to create an account. After this, their website will guide you through everything you need to know. You’ll have a functional website in a small amount of time. Plus, if you’re looking to create an eCommerce website, Wix can help you with that as well.

It’s also important to note that Wix has a bunch of templates that its users can design from. Whether you’re looking to create a blog, a portfolio, a business site, or something else, Wix probably has the capacity to handle it.

WordPress: The Lowdown

When it comes to WordPress, we get a lot more variety. However, it gets a little bit more technical.

First, we have to differentiate between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. These are two completely different sites that were made for completely different uses, yet they’re so similar that it becomes very confusing for users.

So, we should go over each WordPress site individually to make sure that you’re getting the full picture.

WordPress.org

The following are characteristics that we consider the pros of using WordPress.org:

• You have complete control of your website and can do whatever you want with it.
• You can monetize your site however you want to, whether it’s through affiliate links, ads, sponsorships, or something else.
• You can customize to the max.
• The software is free.
• There are thousands of plugins that you can and should access.
• You also get access to thousands of themes provided by the site.
• Also, if you’d rather, you can build your own themes and/or plugins.
• It’s an ideal website set up for an eCommerce site.

The following are characteristics that we consider the cons of using WordPress.org:

• The site does not include a hosting plan. You have to figure this out on your own.
• The site does not include any domains or subdomains.
• There’s no added security to the websites that users make with the WordPress software.
• There is a small learning curve.

WordPress.com

When it comes to WordPress, this is the website that everyone thinks of. It’s probably the one you’re assuming that we’re referring to.

The following are characteristics that we consider the pros of using WordPress.com:

• You can have a fully functioning website in a matter of minutes.
• WordPress.com handles all of the maintenance for your website.
• The site is integrated with security features and automatic backups.
• It’s extremely easy for beginners.
• You can have a subdomain for free!
• The site offers free hosting. This is even offered for the free plan.

The following are characteristics that we consider the cons of using WordPress.com:

• The customization options are limited in comparison to WordPress.org.
• Limited themes are available on this site.
• You don’t have full control of your site.
• You cannot monetize your site.
• You can’t use third-party plugins.
• WordPress can shut down your website at any time.

Wix vs WordPress: Which Is Best for Your Needs?

In our opinion, WordPress is better in the long-run. Wix may be useful for people who are looking to create a short-term website, but we do not recommend it for those of you who are looking to create a long-term website. This means that – if you are a business owner – you should create your website using WordPress.

WordPress remains the right choice for those of you who are looking for a free website. Its subdomain format is extremely popular for people who are looking to start out.

On-Page vs Off-Page SEO: A Quick Refresher

Before we dive into the SEO strategies that each website allows, we need to look at both on-page and off-page SEO. If you’re unaware what these are, let’s do a quick review.

On-page SEO (also known as technical SEO) refers to all of the things that you do behind the scenes to make your website in-line with SEO techniques. This refers to any coding changes or function improvements. These may include improving loading times, optimizing and organizing the code for your website, and improving the function of your website on mobile devices.

Off-page SEO does not involve changing the code or messing with functionality. Instead it refers to practices like conducting keyword research, sharing your website content on social media, building links within your website, and writing blogs for your website in order to fulfill common SEO practices.

Understanding the difference between on-page and off-page SEO will be helpful as we’re looking at Wix vs WordPress SEO. Now, let’s continue with comparing these website builders.

Wix vs WordPress: SEO Functionality Comparison

Now that we’ve compared Wix and WordPress as websites overall, it’s time to dive into the SEO. Determining which is the best website for SEO means taking in a lot of different details.

However, the deeper we dive in, the more functionality you’re going to get from your chosen website. Let’s begin.

Wix SEO

Wix is one of the easiest website builders currently available on the market right now. Its drag-and-drop features are among the best for customers who are looking for a easy-to-make website. It’s easy to get a jaw-dropping website fast. But, why is this pertinent to SEO.

Well, one of the factors that search engines take into consideration is whether or not a website is easy to read and easy to use. Wix definitely covers that. Its pristine platform allows users to make a clean yet beautiful website that brings positive client attention.

The Pros of Wix SEO

When it comes to on-page SEO, Wix is lacking. It’s fine, but it’s not great. It covers the basics, like meta titles, meta descriptions, headings, and custom URLs. You can also incorporate social media sharing options, alternative text for images, 301 redirects.

One of the other great features that Wix offers is SSL encryption. This allows you to hide certain website pages from search engines. This allows you to integrate with Google Analytics and Search Console as well.

Wix also allows you to make a great mobile layout for those who are visiting your site through their mobile device. The drag-and-drop feature makes it easy to make the sleek website that search engines look for in both web and mobile versions. Wix also offers free SEO apps that allow you to see how your website is doing in terms of following SEO techniques.

In terms of off-page SEO, Wix does even worse. They offer a guide that they call Wix SEO Wiz. It’s a step-by-step planner that helps you come up with SEO techniques for your website. It helps you set up keywords and connects your website with Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

Other than this, Wix offers a “Get Found on Google” button that you can press on the Wix Dashboard. This offers some basic guidance, but you’re not going to get much out of it. That is especially if you already have a lot of knowledge about SEO to begin with.

The Cons of Wix SEO

Overall, Wix misses out on a lot of important SEO techniques.

The very first flaw that we notice is that Wix is weird when it comes to links. They include hashtags (#) in every single URL through their website. This hashtag is a sign that comes from Javascript and is referred to as a “hashbang.”

Unfortunately, search engines can’t read it. Therefore, they are less likely to crawl through your website and see the information that you’re posting. This means that you aren’t likely to rank high on search engines at all. Yikes!

Another feature that Wix is doing poorly on is sitemap creation. Sitemaps let search engines know how your website is structured so that they can run through them easier. Wix does have this feature, but you have to manually make your sitemap through Google Search Console. You also can’t add custom code or edit existing code. With this, Wix also loads much slower than other sites, hurting your SEO technique once again.

WordPress SEO

Wix was somewhat disappointing. Overall, we’re much more confident about WordPress’ ability to offer better SEO options. Let’s dive into what WordPress has to offer.

The Pros of WordPress SEO

WordPress has tons to offer in terms of on-page and off-page SEO. These include the following:

• Plugins that check your site for broken links
• The ability to modify meta titles, descriptions, and tags
• Plugins for image optimization, page acceleration, and caching
• Faster loading times which helps your page rank higher
• Plugins that automatically create internal links where you’ve typed set keywords
• Plugins that can organize your URLs
• 404 error tracking and 301 redirecting
• General mobile-optimization

The Cons of WordPress SEO

WordPress SEO doesn’t lack much at all in terms of SEO. In fact, there isn’t anything that we deem essential that it’s missing at all. We highly recommend using WordPress.

Wix vs WordPress: Which Is Better for Your Needs?

Obviously, after looking at the SEO offerings of each site, you can see that WordPress is the way to go.

If you’re looking to get started with WordPress, now is the time. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’re going to have one of the best websites out there.

Building the Best Website for SEO

Now that we’ve discussed and debated about Wix and WordPress, it’s time for you to go on and build your own website. The battle of Wix vs WordPress is important, but now you have to put in the rest of the work that comes with making a website. SEO is complicated, though. It’s easy to get lost in the noise and end up hurting your site rather than helping it. That’s why we’re here.

If you need help figuring out how to get more website traffic through SEO, we can help you. At David Taylor Digital, our team is dedicated to working with our clients to make their websites as successful as possible.

Be sure to check out our SEO services today. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can get your website to the top of the search engines.