Best website builders for SEO – tools for top rankings

In today’s online era, where ranking high on search engines is the key to driving traffic and boosting sales, finding the right website builder that supports SEO is crucial.

While some web builders have traditionally made it challenging to optimize for search engines, a new breed of platforms has emerged, specifically adapted to cater to SEO needs. However, there are numerous web builders focused specifically on SEO, and it might be difficult to choose one.

In this article, we will explore and review various website builders, having tested their features and capabilities essential for achieving top Google rankings. By the end, you'll be equipped to choose the best web builder for SEO which propels your website to the forefront of search engine results.

Top 6 best website builders for SEO

1. Wix – best SEO website builder overall
2. SITE123 – solid website builder with optimized SEO tools for businesses
3. Hostinger Website Builder – the cheapest website builder with SEO tools
4. Squarespace – powerful website builder with built-in SEO features
5. GoDaddy website builder – beginner-friendly website builder with SEO support
6. Gator website builder – low-cost website builder with free SEO tools

📢 LIMITED OFFER: Get an additional 10% OFF Premium Wix plans using code 'CyberNews10!'

Best website builders for SEO – detailed list:

We’ve assessed a dozen of website builders that focus on SEO or have tools that’d help to boost your site on search engines. However, we selected only the best builders that met our requirements, from SEO features, performance, and overall ease of use to pricing. Learn more about each provider below:

1. Wix – powerful website builder with top-class SEO features

Visit Wix

Wix is an excellent SEO website builder with many beautiful templates and a full SEO suite. This website builder can help you optimize your site even if you’re new to the SEO world. 301 redirects and custom meta titles for each page come as standard. Each image can be given custom alt tags – letting search engines fully understand them. You can also access sitemaps and edit the robots.txt file. The main SEO interface on Wix lets you easily access most of these tools.

SEO features. You can use Wix SEO tools to optimize everything on-page – from meta tags to URL slugs. There’s full support for image alt attributes, image optimization, built-in XML sitemap, which you can submit to search engines. Wix also acts as an excellent SEO learning tool. The tutorials and guides are available on every corner of the site. If you're a beginner user, who wants to both learn and benefit from SEO, this is an excellent starting point.

Ease of use. Wix editor features over 900 pre-made website templates covering a wide variety of niches. And once you finally choose, you get greeted by the most in-depth editor a website builder can offer.

Performance. To test Wix’s performance, we put our test site through GTMetrix to measure the site’s load time and overall performance. While the website took 8.4 seconds to fully load, it took just around 3 seconds to be fully interactive and to load the majority of visible elements, and that's a fine result.

Pricing. Wix offers a free plan and 4 premium plans starting from $16.00/month and going up to $159.00/month. All of the plans offer access to the main Wix SEO features – except the free one, which doesn't have the main SEO feature of letting you connect your own domain.

Overall, Wix is an excellent SEO website builder with the right mix of features for both beginners and advanced users.

Visit our Wix review to learn more.

2. SITE123 – easy-to-use website builder with optimized SEO tools

Visit SITE123

SITE123 is a website builder excellent for beginners that want to score high on search engines and build the best SEO sites. SITE123's unique block builder system lets you put together a big, custom, SEO-friendly website without requiring any design or SEO knowledge.

SEO features. SITE123 comes with a built-in SEO tool called "SEO Adviser." It simply analyzes your website and gives advice on what can be improved so the site ranks better on search engine result pages. There’s also SEO Pages – Audit tool, which checks the keywords for your meta tags, titles, and focus keywords. Other SEO features include access to sitemaps, 301 redirects, and Google Webmaster tools functionality.

Ease of use. Since SITE123 is highly focused on beginners, it’s no surprise it’s very intuitive and easy to navigate. Instead of offering separate elements or little sections, SITE123 has over 160+ pre-made pages filled with placeholder content. In order to make massive, functional sites, you'll just need to choose from a wide array of options.

Performance. To test SITE123’s speeds, we put it to the test on GTMetrix. The largest contentful paint loaded in under 1s (980ms). With the majority of the website loading in under a second and no major optimization issues, this is as good a result as you can expect from a website builder.

Pricing. SITE123 offers one free plan and 5 additional paid options, starting from $12.80/month (Basic plan). If you want to use the SITE123 SEO tools, you'll need to upgrade to one of the most expensive packages here – the Gold plan starting at $20.88/month. These prices are valid when purchasing the provider for 12 months: if you pick a longer period, the prices will reduce.

A bit of an investment, sure – but if you're really into the idea of building big, SEO-friendly websites quickly, this might just be the way to go.

Check out our SITE123 review to find out more information.

3. Hostinger Website Builder – cheapest website builder with SEO functionalities

Visit Hostinger Website Builder

Hostinger Website Builder is the cheapest website builder on this list and possibly in the entire market. The platform is modern, easy to use, and wickedly fast (which is always great for search engines). And while the SEO features are limited at best, they're super simple to use.

SEO features. Ranking on search engines with Hostinger Website Builder is easy. Seamless Google Analytics and Tag Manager integration let you monitor your SEO and business efforts, while on the editor itself, you're given the opportunity to edit page titles and descriptions to suit your desired keywords and look good on search engines. You can also use the platform to edit alt tags of your images, as well as set up custom URLs. There are also several free-to-all AI tools. SEO people might appreciate the smart AI writer, which will create simple, SEO-optimized copy based on your business needs.

Ease of use. Hostinger Website Builder is one of the easiest-to-use website builders you can find. You can start your website creation by choosing a theme – Hostinger Website Builder has over 130 simple options, separated into 10 different sections. Once the starter site is created, you'll get to see the editor. Its simple and clean interface is intuitive and easy to learn.

Performance. Overall, Hostinger website Builder is very fast. During our tests on GTMetrix, it managed to load the fully built site in just 1.1s, which is an astonishing result and means that site won’t lag or buffer.

Pricing. In terms of pricing, even though there's no free plan, the only Website Builder and Web Hosting plan costs $2.99/month, which is an excellent value for money.

In general, Hostinger Website Builder is a great option if you're looking to build a modern, SEO-optimized website on a budget.

Visit our Hostinger Website Builder review to learn more about the features.

4. Squarespace – best website builder with built-in SEO tools for small businesses

Visit Squarespace

Squarespace is an excellent website builder for smaller businesses. This all-in-one platform offers built-in features for eCommerce, blogging, advertising, and SEO. The provided tools and checklists are rather simple, but for a beginner user looking to take on the world, this can be the best website platform for SEO.

SEO features. In the SEO section, you'll find options to access an SEO checklist, hire an SEO expert, and even see the top-ranking keywords for your site. We enjoyed the keyword search tool, as it’s a good way to measure what works and doesn't work on your site. You can also add meta information on all of your blog posts and pages, do 301 redirects, and fully access and edit a pre-made sitemap. A full connection with Google My Business is also great if you're a local business looking to succeed in local search and Google Maps results.

Ease of use. Starting Squarespace begins with having to choose a website theme – Squarespace has over 110 options, and they're all rather gorgeous and modern. Then, you're just one simple setup process away from gaining access to the dashboard. This is where you'll be able to edit just about all that you want: that includes SEO as well. It’s easily manageable and very user-friendly.

Performance. To test Squarespace’s speeds, we put our test site through GTMetrix and got Google’s recommended industry standard results – the largest contentful paint loaded in just 1.3s, and overall performance scored 76%, which is a fairly reputable result.

Pricing. Squarespace has no free plan but offers a 14-day free trial for you to build and test out the website. Once that is expired, there will be options for 4 premium plans starting from $16.00/month (Personal plan) and going up to $49.00/month.

Overall, Squarespace doesn't offer a massive variety of powerful SEO tools – but it offers a great interface for managing your business. If you're looking for a website builder that can do many things and look good doing them – this is the perfect pick.

Visit our Squarespace review and start building your website.

5. GoDaddy website builder – business solutions for busy SEO experts

Visit GoDaddy builder

GoDaddy is an easy-to-use website builder, complete with advanced marketing and SEO tools. This is a busy person's builder: everything here on this platform is made to save you time and give you the easiest, most concrete route to make a perfect business website.

SEO features. GoDaddy’s InSight tool helps you determine and reach your business goals. At first, you tell the platform who you are and what you wish to do. The helpful SEO wizard (available from Standard plan and up) will help to improve your website. Then, you'll be able to improve your website, add meta titles and descriptions, as well as update your site copy to rank better on search engines. GoDaddy also has a dedicated SEO team you can contact to get additional help for the site. If used correctly, additional help can make GoDaddy the best website builder for Google ranking purposes.

Ease of use. Adding and editing content to your site is possible through pre-made sections – there is a pretty good selection, and you can use the editor to change their size, accent colors, and alignment. Instead of themes, you'll simply be given around 20 different layouts, which will adapt to your existing content and media. This way, making sweeping design changes on your site is easier than ever.

Performance. GoDaddy website builder is blazing fast. During our own tests with GTMetrix, it scored 99% performance and 960ms for the largest contentful paint, which is great.

Pricing. Even though GoDaddy doesn’t offer a free plan, you can try any of the 4 premium plans for free. The basic plan starts at $9.99/month and goes up to $16.99/month for more functionality (eCommerce plan). If you want to make the best out of GoDaddy's SEO features, you'll need to pick a Standard plan or higher.

In short, for all your SEO-related purposes, GoDaddy offers a simple way out – this is a great option if you go for function over form and results over needless tinkering.

Check out our GoDaddy website builder review for more information.

6. Gator website builder – low-cost website builder with basic SEO customizations

Visit Gator

Gator is super cheap and notoriously simple to use, making it an excellent website builder for beginner users. It offers a basic website editor tool that puts together a website based on your design preferences. Gator’s SEO tools are minimal and cover the basics.

SEO features. You can customize post and page settings, adding custom URLs, SEO titles, and descriptions, as well as featured images. On the site, you can also do easy smart linking with internal pages, images come with pre-added alt tags, and you're free to customize them to your liking. The sitemap is also fully generated and available for your convenience. Full Google My Business integration is also there to help you rank on local business results.

Ease of use. Upon registration, Gator offers you two options. You're picking between the Express and Traditional editors. Once you pick, the builder redirects you to a setup screen. The editor lets you choose from several different layouts for your site sections, as well as adding new ones. Everything, from the very beginning of the setup to fine-tuning the smallest things on the page, was easy to understand.

Performance. To measure Gator’s speeds, we used GTMetrix, the platform’s optimization, and the page’s general speed. Gator took only a s second to load the biggest visual elements on the site and scored a solid 97% overall score.

Pricing. As for pricing, Gator is one of the cheapest website builders out there. However, there’s no free plan and no free trial. The premium plans start at $3.46/month (Starter plan) and go up to $8.30/month (eCommerce plan). SEO tools are available on all these plans, so you can have a fully optimized site at a pretty low price.

Gator website builder is best suited for a wide range of creators, including individuals, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations who are looking for an easy-to-use platform with minimal SEO tools.

Visit our Gator website builder review to unlock all the features.

How we tested the best website builders for SEO

When selecting the best website builders for SEO, we conducted research with over 10 providers to ensure accuracy and reliability in our assessments. Our tests involved an examination of various critical factors that directly impact a website's search engine ranking and overall SEO performance:

• On-Page SEO features. We looked at the on-page SEO features of each platform. We tested how well each website builder allowed users to optimize meta titles, meta descriptions, and image alt tags. Additionally, we assessed their support for creating a well-structured page hierarchy with appropriate headings.
• Speed and performance. Page load speed and overall website performance play a significant role in SEO. We tested each website builder to gauge the speed and performance of the websites created, as search engines favor fast-loading sites.
• Keyword research and optimization. We analyzed each website builder's capabilities for keyword research and optimization. We looked at their tools for identifying relevant keywords, including long-tail keywords and low-hanging fruits, as well as their ability to seamlessly integrate these keywords into website content.
• Internal linking and navigation. Our team also evaluated the website builders' capabilities to facilitate an efficient internal linking system, which helps search engines crawl and index all relevant pages while improving overall user navigation.
• Indexing and Robots.txt. To ensure proper indexing, we inspected how each website builder managed sitemaps and robots.txt files.
• Off-Page SEO support. We assessed the website builders' provisions for obtaining backlinks and their strategies to promote off-page SEO, as building a reputable backlink profile is essential for higher search engine rankings.

Comparison of the best SEO website builders

Check out how each of the website builders for SEO compares in terms of features, speeds, prices, rankings, and more:

	Wix	SITE123	Hostinger Website Builder	Squarespace	GoDaddy	Gator
Brand
Rating	4.5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★	4.3 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆	4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★	4.0 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆	3.8 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆	4.2 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Best for	SEO-optimized business site, blog, beginners and advanced users	SEO-optimized blogs (beginners)	SEO-optimized blogs and websites (beginners and advanced)	SEO-optimized business site	SEO-optimized business site (small businesses)	SEO-optimized blogs (beginners, low budget)
SEO features	Customizable meta titles, Alt attributes, sitemaps, URL Redirect Manager	SEO Pages – Audit tool, sitemaps, meta tags, 301 redirect tool	Google Analytics and Tag Manager integration, URL structures, customizable meta titles and descriptions	Keyword support, customizable meat titles, Alt attributes	Customizable meta titles, Alt attributes, keyword support, SEO Wizard	Keyword ranking reports, search engine submission, competitor analysis, keywords manager, meta titles and descriptions, custom URLs
eCommerce	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Social media integrations	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Free domain	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Templates	900+	160+	130+	110+	22	190+
Free plan	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Starting price	$16.00/month	$11.88/month	$2.99/month	$16.00/month	$9.99/month	$2.52/month
Custom email	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Review	Wix review	SITE123 review	Hostinger Website Builder review	Squarespace review	GoDaddy review	Gator review

Winner

Get Wix, now 37% OFF!

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving a website's visibility and ranking on search engine results pages like Google to attract more organic (non-paid) traffic. It involves making your website more search engine-friendly so it appears higher in search results when people search for relevant keywords or phrases.

To make this happen, SEO involves several key elements. First, it focuses on researching and selecting the right keywords that your target audience is likely to search for. Then, it involves optimizing your website's content, including titles, headings, and text, to incorporate these keywords in a natural and relevant way.

Additionally, SEO involves optimizing technical aspects of your website, such as its structure, navigation, and load speed, to ensure search engines can crawl and index your site easily. It also involves building high-quality backlinks from other reputable websites, which can increase your site's authority and credibility.

Generally, SEO is an ongoing process and requires regular monitoring, analysis, and adjustments. Having built-in SEO tools in your website builder is just another great way to have a consolidated place to track your site’s progress and improve it.

How to build a website that would rank for SEO?

When it comes to building a website that ranks well for SEO, there are several key factors to consider. Paying attention to these aspects will help improve your site's visibility and increase its chances of ranking higher in search engine results. Here are the elements you should focus on:

• Meta title and description. Craft compelling and concise meta titles and descriptions that accurately represent the content of each page. These elements provide a preview of your webpage to users in search engine results.
• Alt tags for images. Optimize your images by using descriptive alt tags. These tags not only improve accessibility but also provide search engines with valuable information about the image content.
• Page structure. Implement a clear and logical page structure with proper headings. This helps search engines understand the organization of your content, making it easier for them to crawl and index your site.
• Keywords. Conduct thorough keyword research and strategically incorporate relevant keywords throughout your website's content. Focus on both primary keywords and long-tail keywords, as well as low-hanging fruits - keywords with low difficulty and high search volume.
• Internal links. Ensure your website has a well-structured internal linking system, connecting relevant pages together. This helps visitors navigate your site and assists search engines in discovering and indexing all your important content. Avoid orphan pages that have no internal links pointing to them.
• Indexing and robots.txt file. Ensure your website is properly indexed by search engines. Use a robots.txt file to communicate which pages should be crawled and indexed.
• Backlinks. Acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites. Backlinks act as votes of confidence for search engines, indicating that your content is valuable and trustworthy.

Best website builder for SEO – conclusion

To sum everything up, achieving good SEO on a website builder is not only possible but also offers multiple excellent options to choose from. After careful evaluation, we have selected the best website builders for SEO.

Our top recommendation is Wix, which stands out as an incredibly well-rounded platform. It caters to both professionals seeking advanced SEO options and beginners looking for simple solutions. Additionally, SITE123 offers a straightforward and minimalist approach to building solid, SEO-friendly websites.

By selecting the right website builder and investing some effort, you can increase your chances of landing on the top pages of search engine results and take your website's SEO to new heights.

Best website builder for SEO – FAQ