Key Takeaways
WordPress does not improve SEO.
Website owners should evaluate platforms based on their current goals, not hypothetical future scenarios.
No platform is one-size-fits-all. The right solution depends on specific objectives.
Picking the best website platform is an important decision. Popular options like WordPress, Wix, Carrd and Squarespace can be confusing.
Recent tips from Google's John Mueller help guide this choice.
Should You Switch Platforms for Better SEO?
Many SEOs switch platforms for better SEO. However, Mueller said WordPress does not directly give better SEO over simpler platforms like Carrd.
A website owner recently asked Google's John Mueller for advice on Reddit.
The SEO experts keep telling me to switch my Carrd site over to WordPress. But Carrd is lightning fast compared to WP. If I'm going to have to migrate eventually anyway, might as well rip the bandaid off and do it now. Any thoughts on whether the SEO (plugins) gains are really worth the speed tradeoff?
John Mueller replied:
There's no SEO advantage to WP. Pick the platform for what you actually need to do now.
Another person pointed out that Carrd has limitations on traffic and growth.
There may not be a pure SEO advantage to WP anymore but there are significant scaling limitations and limitations in general with site builders like Carrd, Wix, etc.
To which Mueller replied:
I don't know Carrd, but Wix, Squarespace & co are all comparable with WP from an SEO POV if you're making a content-oriented website (or one for a real business). Premature scaling often results in you doing things that are irrelevant to your actual business model. Sure, you could provision now to also sell swag to billions of users worldwide, but perhaps you should work on getting a thousand users first. The time you waste on provisioning for something unnecessary now will be time you could have spent actually getting into a stable state first.
What’s Our Take on This
The main SEO features needed for content websites work on most platforms. These include:
Good page titles and descriptions
Proper header tags
Internal linking
Fast load times
Switching only for SEO is likely not needed. The focus must be on high-quality content for users instead.
When considering a switch, check if your current platform has limits on traffic or functions impacting goals.
Carrd and Wix can have constraints with lots of traffic and content.
See if your site has outgrown these limits based on growth.
Changing platforms only helps if it match current needs and goals.
Be careful about switching to a "bigger" platform before stabilizing your audience.
While WordPress has more advanced capabilities, a smaller platform may still work.
Consider your real requirements to see if the switch is justified.
Changing platforms takes big effort better spent on content and audience building.
Key Questions to Ask
When evaluating a switch, ask these key questions:
Does my site need advanced functions like e-commerce or user logins?
Am I happy with my current audience size and growth potential?
Does my platform limit the content needed to grow my audience?
Can my platform handle my traffic volumes now and in future?
Is moving content and redoing SEO worth the effort?
Final Words
Platform choice greatly impacts cost, ease of use and capabilities. While advanced platforms like WordPress enable more functions, balance this against real needs.
Simpler site builders can still work well for many websites. Let your goals and audience guide platform choice rather than assumptions about SEO benefits.
Focus on allocating resources to using your current platform effectively before considering a big switch.