The Best Website Platform for SEO: Increase Your Organic Traffic

Whether you're looking to build an online store or a business page for your company, you want to choose the right website platform to make your brand discoverable.

Your platform of choice will dictate your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, so you must choose one that has all the tools you need to drive traffic to your website.

That said, let's discuss the best website builder for SEO and highlight each feature that makes them a standout choice.

Speed up SEO keyword research with Rankify.

7-Day Free Trial View pricing

‍

The Basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You've probably seen the term SEO several times when browsing online. But what exactly is it?

To keep it simple, SEO is improving a website to increase its visibility on search engines like Google.

When people search for topics related to your website, good SEO practices help your site appear higher on the search engine results page (SERP).

Why is SEO important? Users usually click on the top three websites that appear in the SERPs. When your website reaches this ranking, you get more clicks and website traffic.

The basic aspects of SEO are:

1. Keywords: These are words or phrases that people type into search engines. Google ranks content depending on the keywords used and how it matches with the user's search query.
2. Content: High-quality, relevant content has a big impact on SEO. The more relevant the content, the higher you'll rank on the SERPs.
3. Backlinks: Backlinks are when other websites link to your website using anchor text. When you receive a backlink, it's essentially a vote of confidence from other websites that your content is useful and authoritative.
4. Technical SEO: Technical SEO is about optimizing your website's backend (server-side). Site speed, mobile friendliness, and server performance are some examples of technical SEO.
5. User Experience (UX): User experience refers to a website that's responsive, well-designed, and easy to navigate for users.

SEO is a pretty straightforward concept, but it can become very detailed and complex as you learn more about different methodologies for implementing it.

5 Reasons Businesses Need SEO

You've built a beautiful website, and everything looks great. The content is awesome and the product pages are filled with high-quality images.

But you notice one problem.. there's no website traffic!

Regardless of how well your website is built, if it doesn't incorporate SEO on the front and back end, you'll find it difficult to find clients/customers to discover your brand's offerings.

1. Earn Customer Trust

Whether you're a newly established business or one that's been in the industry for a while, earning customer trust is always a challenge.

This is where SEO can affect your brand's reputation, as search engines believe your website is credible enough to recommend to users.

When a business consistently appears at the top of search results, people perceive it as trustworthy and credible.

This credibility helps attract (and retain) customers looking for solutions to their pain points.

2. Improved Website Traffic and Engagement

SEO is a powerful tool for driving organic traffic to a website. Optimizing website content, structure, and meta-tags for search engines attracts a steady stream of visitors actively searching for related products or services.

As new users spend more time on your website, they discover more of your content, which keeps them engaged.

Engaged visitors are likelier to convert into customers, subscribe to newsletters, or follow the brand on social media.

3. Targeted Audience Reach and Conversion

One of the most notable benefits of SEO is its ability to reach a targeted audience.

Focusing on keywords and phrases that potential customers will likely use attracts highly relevant traffic.

When you match a user's specific search query with keywords in your content, you attract site visitors who are actively looking for your product/services.

This is great for conversion as you're finding qualified leads interested in what you offer.

4. Cost-Effective Marketing Strategy

Whether you're just starting out or an established business owner, SEO remains a cost-effective yet highly rewarding strategy for boosting your presence online.

While it requires an initial investment of time and resources, the ongoing costs are relatively low, especially when compared to paid advertising.

SEO focuses on organic growth, which means businesses do not have to pay for each click or impression. Over time, a well-optimized website can attract large amounts of traffic without the need for continuous spending.

5. Competitive Advantage Over Rivals

Almost every one of your competitors is optimizing their SEO processes to reach the top of the SERPs.

This makes investing in SEO that much more important, as businesses that do so are more likely to rank higher on search engines.

If you stay consistent with your SEO efforts and stay updated with the latest SEO trends, there's a good chance you'll be able to outrank your competitors and capture a larger share of organic traffic.

Key Features to Look for in an SEO-Friendly Website Builder

Not all website platforms are created equal, and this can sometimes make it difficult for you to choose.

To help you make an informed choice, you want to look for these key features:

Mobile Responsiveness and Page Speed

An integral part of any SEO strategy is having a mobile-responsive website. Users should have a consistent experience whether they're browsing your site on a desktop, smartphone, or tablet.

An SEO website builder should be able to adjust your site's layout, images, and navigation to fit different screen sizes.

Aside from mobile responsiveness, search engines also consider page speed. You want your website's pages to load fast, as slow-loading pages are the culprits of high bounce rates among users.

Customizable Meta Tags and Structured Data

Meta tags, including meta descriptions, are fundamental SEO features that help search engines understand your pages' content.

An effective SEO website builder should allow you to customize meta tags for each page to grab the user's attention and give them a clear idea of what your content is all about.

Structured data, or schema markup, is another advanced SEO tool that influences your SERP rankings.

It provides additional information, such as reviews, ratings, and event dates on your website, which are all relevant data for your target audience.

A good website builder will allow you to easily integrate structured data, which will help search engines better understand and index your content.

Reliability and Uptime

A good website platform should be reliable enough that it has a minimum uptime of 99.9%.

Search engines favor websites with excellent uptime because they provide a better user experience than those that face downtime issues.

A reliable SEO website builder should guarantee that your website is always accessible to visitors and search engine crawlers.

Your chosen website platform should have features like regular site backups and excellent customer support. These will give you peace of mind in case your site experiences problems.

Comprehensive SEO Tools

An SEO-friendly website builder should come equipped with SEO and marketing tools to support the growth of your business.

Look for advanced SEO tools for keyword research, site audits, and competitor analysis. Google Analytics integration is also a must-have, as this will let you track your site's performance and gain insights into multiple areas.

E-commerce features are also a noteworthy addition, as they allow you to set up your product pages and listings with just a few clicks.

A website platform with a suite of SEO tools will equip you with the features you need to consistently rank above your competitors in the results pages.

Top 5 Website Platforms for SEO

Here are the best website platforms for SEO that you can use today:

1. WordPress

WordPress is widely regarded as one of the best website builders for SEO due to its flexibility, extensive customization options, and support for an array of SEO plugins to generate web traffic.

Since WordPress is open-source, it has a strong community of developers that regularly update it to improve its performance.

• Yoast SEO plugin: Provides comprehensive tools for optimizing content, keywords, meta descriptions, and readability.
• SEO-friendly URLs: Permalinks can be customized to include keywords, making them more search-engine friendly.
• Customizable metadata: Easily add and edit meta titles, descriptions, and tags for better search engine visibility.
• Mobile optimization: Responsive themes and plugins ensure that websites are mobile-friendly, a critical factor for SEO.
• Integration with Google Analytics: Seamless integration allows for detailed tracking of website performance and visitor behavior.

2. Squarespace

If you're looking for a website builder that's simple to use, has integrated SEO features, and has strong customer support, then Squarespace is your ideal platform.

Squarespace's design-driven approach lets you create visually appealing websites, which can indirectly benefit SEO by reducing bounce rates and improving user engagement.

• Automatic sitemaps: Squarespace generates sitemaps automatically, helping search engines index the site more effectively.
• Clean HTML markup: The platform uses clean and efficient HTML markup, which enhances crawlability and site speed.
• Built-in SSL certificates: All Squarespace sites come with SSL certificates, improving security and search engine rankings.
• Mobile-responsive designs: Every template is designed to be fully responsive, ensuring a consistent user experience across devices.
• Integrated analytics: Built-in analytics provide insights into site performance, allowing for data-driven SEO strategies.

3. Wix

Wix is a user-friendly website builder that will appeal to beginners, thanks to its easy customizability options and user-friendly interface.

The platform underwent major improvements in its SEO capabilities to help users optimize their sites as effectively as possible.

• Wix SEO wiz: This is Wix's integrated SEO tool that gives tips on how users can optimize their site for search engines.
• Customizable meta tags: Allows users to edit meta titles, descriptions, and alt text for images, enhancing search engine visibility.
• Automatic mobile optimization: Sites are automatically optimized for mobile devices, improving user experience and SEO.
• 301 redirects: Easy setup for 301 redirects to preserve SEO value when changing URLs or site structure.
• Structured data: Built-in support for adding structured data, which helps search engines understand the content and improve rich snippet visibility.

4. Shopify

Shopify is tailored for e-commerce, providing a robust platform with comprehensive SEO features to help online stores rank well in search engines.

Its user-friendly interface and extensive range of apps and integrations make it easy for users to implement and manage effective SEO strategies, ensuring their products and pages are optimized for maximum visibility.

• Built-in SEO Tools: Shopify offers built-in tools for editing meta tags, titles, and descriptions, making it easy to optimize product pages.
• Fast Loading Times: Optimized for speed, Shopify ensures quick loading times, which is a critical factor for SEO.
• Secure Hosting: Provides SSL certificates for all stores, enhancing security and trust and positively impacting SEO.
• Automatic Sitemaps: Automatically generates XML sitemaps, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index the site.
• SEO-Friendly URL Structure: Clean and customizable URLs help improve search engine rankings and user experience.

5. Hostinger

Hostinger provides a budget-friendly yet powerful platform with a range of SEO tools designed to help users improve their search engine rankings.

Its user-friendly control panel and fast, reliable hosting services ensure that websites perform well, which is a crucial factor for SEO. Hostinger also offers various resources and support to help users optimize their sites effectively.

• SEO Toolkit: Includes tools for keyword analysis, on-page optimization, and backlink tracking.
• Fast Server Speeds: High-performance servers ensure quick loading times, which are vital for good SEO.
• Free SSL Certificates: Improves site security and search engine rankings by providing free SSL certificates.
• Customizable Metadata: Hostinger makes it easy for users to add/edit meta titles, descriptions, and keywords.
• 24/7 Support: Access to expert support for SEO-related queries and issues, ensuring users can effectively optimize their sites.

SEO Best Practices for Website Builders

So, you've chosen a website platform from the list above. What's the next step? You want to follow these SEO best practices to make the most out of the platform you plan to use.

Keyword Research and Optimization

Effective keyword research forms the foundation of any successful SEO strategy, especially when using website builders.

Begin by identifying the primary keywords that best describe your business or the services you offer. Use tools like Rankify, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find relevant keywords and incorporate them into your SEO strategy.

Long-tail keywords, which are more specific phrases, often have less competition and make it easier for you to target highly qualified leads.

Once you have a list of keywords, incorporate them naturally into your website's content, including titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body text.

Website builders usually offer SEO tools that allow you to add keywords to your page titles, meta tags, and image alt text. Avoid keyword stuffing, which can negatively impact user experience and search engine rankings.

Content Creation and Optimization

There's more to SEO than just creating content. You have to optimize it so search engines can regularly index your website and place you higher in the SERPs.

Use your identified keywords strategically within the content, ensuring they appear in the first 100 words, throughout the body, and in headings where appropriate.

Take advantage of your chosen platform's content management systems (CMS) to regularly update your website with fresh content. Use multimedia elements like images, videos, and infographics to enhance user engagement and reduce bounce rates.

Additionally, ensure all content is mobile-friendly and loads quickly, as page speed is a significant ranking factor for search engines.

Technical SEO and Website Architecture

Technical SEO focuses on optimizing the backend structure of your website to improve search engine crawling and indexing.

Start by choosing a website builder that offers clean, efficient code and supports the latest SEO best practices. Ensure your website is mobile-responsive, as search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites.

Create a logical website architecture with a clear hierarchy and easy navigation. Use descriptive, keyword-rich URLs, and ensure all pages are accessible within a few clicks from the homepage.

Implement SSL certificates to secure your site, as HTTPS is a ranking factor. Use website builders’ built-in features to generate and submit XML sitemaps to search engines, facilitating better page indexing.

Link Building and Local SEO

Link building is one of the pillars of a website's domain authority. Without it, search engines will push you down on the results pages, and your website will get reduced traffic.

Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites relevant to your industry.

Website builders can simplify this process by providing built-in social sharing features and integration with blogging platforms to increase content visibility.

Participate in industry forums, guest blogging, and collaboration with influencers to gain valuable backlinks.

Local SEO is crucial for businesses targeting a local audience. Ensure your website builder supports local SEO features, such as creating localized content and adding schema markup for local business information.

Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing, and ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all online directories.

Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on your Google My Business page and other review platforms to boost your local search rankings.

Tracking and Analyzing SEO Performance

Key performance indicators (KPIs) exist for a reason and that is to help you track progress on your SEO efforts.

Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor KPIs like organic traffic, bounce rates, average session duration, and more.

Website builders often integrate with these tools to track progress and monitor areas of improvement. Continuously test and adjust your approach to stay ahead of algorithm changes and maintain your search engine rankings.

Reviewing your website’s performance data to identify trends and adjusting your SEO strategy accordingly is always a good idea.

Common Mistakes to Avoid With Website SEO

When using a website builder, it's best to avoid these mistakes to ensure your website ranks high on SERPs:

Overloading with Keywords

While keywords are essential, overloading content with them—known as keyword stuffing—can be detrimental.

This outdated tactic makes content unreadable and risks penalties from search engines, as modern algorithms prioritize quality and relevance over sheer keyword frequency.

Aim for natural keyword integration that enhances the content's value to readers rather than detracting from it.

Neglecting On-Page SEO

On-page SEO involves optimizing individual pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic.

Common mistakes include neglecting meta tags, heading tags, and image alt texts. These elements provide search engines with information about the page's content, so you want to incorporate relevant keywords to help your content rank higher on SERPs.

Well-crafted meta descriptions, title tags, and headers improve the page’s SEO performance and user experience, leading to better rankings and engagement.

Poor Quality Content

Content quality is a critical factor in SEO. Producing low-quality, duplicate, or thin content can harm a website's reputation and rankings.

High-quality content should be informative, engaging, and valuable to readers. It's essential to regularly update content to keep it relevant and ensure it meets the needs of the target audience.

Ignoring Mobile Optimization

With mobile traffic surpassing desktop traffic, neglecting mobile optimization is a significant mistake.

A website that isn't mobile-friendly can frustrate users and lead to high bounce rates. Google’s mobile-first indexing means that the mobile version of a site is considered the primary version. Ensure your website is responsive, with fast load times and a user-friendly design on all devices.

Neglecting Technical SEO

Technical SEO focuses on improving a website's backend structure and performance.

Common issues include slow page speeds, broken links, and poor site architecture. These technical problems can hinder search engine crawlers from indexing a site properly, leading to lower rankings.

To maintain a healthy SEO profile, regularly audit and optimize technical aspects like site speed, URL structure, and secure connections (HTTPS).

Overlooking Backlinks

Obtaining backlinks from reputable sites is a great way to establish website authority. However, not all backlinks are equal.

Acquiring low-quality or spammy backlinks can harm your SEO efforts.

Focus on building a diverse backlink profile through ethical practices such as guest blogging, partnerships, and creating shareable content that naturally attracts high-quality links.

Failing to Monitor and Adjust

SEO is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. Failing to monitor performance and adjust strategies based on analytics can result in missed opportunities.

Google Analytics and Search Console track traffic, user behavior, and keyword performance. Make sure to use these tools to tweak your SEO strategies and adapt to changing algorithms and market trends.

Elevate Your SEO Efforts With Rankify's AI-powered Keyword Research Tool

Keyword research forms the foundation of any SEO strategy. With Rankify's AI-powered keyword research capabilities, you can create content that delivers high-quality traffic to your website.

Claim your 7-day free trial today to learn how Rankify can improve your SERPs rankings.

FAQ About the Best Website Platform for SEO

Do you need coding experience to optimize websites for SEO?

No. You do not need coding knowledge, as most platforms have integrated SEO features to optimize your website for search engines.

Can I switch website platforms without affecting my rankings?

Switching platforms can affect SEO rankings if not done correctly. To avoid this, use 301 redirects for old URLs and maintain a similar URL structure. Monitor rankings and traffic post-migration to address any issues.

Do you need to install SEO plugins for these website platforms?

Yes. Plugins are key to SEO optimization for these platforms. While they have built-in SEO features, some plugins can help with more technical aspects, like creating XML sitemaps and managing redirects.

‍