Are you looking for the best website builder for SEO? Whether you seek an SEO website builder for beginners or web designers, you’ve come to the right place. We'll be investigating the 12 best website builders for SEO on the market today.
Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a massive role in the success of any business. You need to use a website builder that supports your SEO strategy when website building.
But, many small business owners don’t have a web design or website SEO background. Who has the bandwidth to learn HTML or another language to optimize online presence?
Don’t let that stop you!
Website builders for SEO lower the learning curve even for total beginners in web design. They often run the gamut from free versions to premium plans so you can fit them into your budget.
This piece discusses the best website creators, focusing on SEO website builders. Besides being the best website builders for SEO, these options do other things. All help web design factors, provide customization options and have user-friendly interfaces.
In This Article
What Is a Website Builder?
A website builder is a software, program, or tool to create websites without manual coding. You don’t need to hire a web designer or developer if you use a site builder!
Additionally, you aren’t necessarily stuck with a simple website. Depending on your builder plan, you could have something super elaborate.
All the best website builders let you choose templates and offer customization options.
How to Pick the Best Website Builder for SEO
Not all site builders are the same.
To make it easy for beginners, most site builders feature drag-and-drop functionality. With drag-and-drop, you click on a block and drag it to where you want it to show up on your website. While you work in the backend, you can see the front end in real time.
Many offer at least basic SEO features, though some go further.
Many have content management systems (CMS), advanced SEO features, and online store functionalities. They may even provide marketing tools, including email marketing.
Still, others offer app stores, add-on and plugin integrations, and customer support.
To help narrow your search, use the following criteria to help pick the best SEO website builder.
The Site Builder’s Ease-of-Use for Beginners
While most site builders try to be user-friendly, they usually come with a learning curve. That’s why ease of use must be a priority when looking for your next website builder.
Finding your way around a site builder shouldn’t be a hassle. With a bit of effort, even beginners should be able to create a professional website. It doesn’t matter whether they’re making a simple website or adding more advanced features! So, ease of use should factor in when researching.
Affordable and Basic to Premium Plan Scalability and Pricing
Another important consideration to make as you search for a website builder for SEO is a
Small business owners want their companies to grow. So, it’s crucial to find a site builder with pricing plans you can afford. But they should also have advanced features to help your site grow with you, which may cost more in the future.
If you’re running a small business, chances are you have a limited budget.
While few of the best website builders offer free plans with a ton of features, many offer free trials.
As your small business grows, your site builder should be able to continue working with you. For instance, you may only need basic eCommerce tools when you start.
But, as you grow, you may need advanced features. If that’s part of your business plan, the best website builder should offer premium plans.
Functionality Meets Your Small Business Needs
Besides being useful in the future, your site builder needs to meet your current needs.
Consider who will run your site, their skills, and what you need from a site. If they’re beginners in some web design areas, consider site builders focusing on those.
Some common needs people struggle with are:
- Email marketing
- Social media functions
- eCommerce features
- Customer support capabilities
- General web design
Be sure any site builder you use offers help with the functions your site manager needs most.
More features the best website builders for SEO offer include, but aren’t limited to:
- Templates
- Connections with plugins and add-ons
- SEO tools
- A good amount of bandwidth
- Understandable backend
- SSL certificate
- Custom domain name
- Excellent customer support
- Marketing tools
- Drag-and-drop customization features
- Intuitive setup
- Responsiveness, meaning it’s capable of desktop and mobile optimization
It's Actually a Website Builder for SEO
As we’re looking at the best SEO web builders, we need to discuss how SEO-friendly the best website builders are.
Search engine optimization means your site can perform well on search engines. The higher your site ranks on search engines, especially Google, the more traffic you’re likely to get.
Best Small Business Website Builders for SEO
Now you know what a site builder is and what to look for in one, so it’s time to discuss the best website builders for SEO.
1. WordPress.org (Self-Hosted WordPress)
WordPress is the most popular website builder and hosting service in the world. It started as a way to create personal websites, but it’s become so much more. It’s user friendly, has many customization options, and powers about 40% of the internet.
Besides being one of the oldest website creators on the market, users love WordPress for being:
- Ease of use
- Scalability
- Customization features
- Affordability (Spoiler alert: It’s technically a free website builder!)
Its customization features let you build any website you want. It has tons of plugins and themes to help create a professional website for your small business.
Another advantage of WordPress.org is it’s an open-source platform. Because of this, it offers maximum control over what you can do with your small business site.
WordPress offers many optimization options to help you rank better in SERPs.
You can also choose to use SEO plugins to help further boost your website’s SEO.
For example, you can use AIOSEO to edit canonical URLs to include new keywords. You can also edit robots.txt files and generate XML sitemaps without writing a single line of code.
WordPress.org is a free website platform. But unless you’re a web design pro, you need to find web hosting via 3rd party paid plans.
Getting web hosting isn’t complicated, and you can find hosts at all cost levels. For instance, Bluehost pricing plans start at $2.75 per month.
WordPress ticks all the boxes if you want the best website builder for SEO. Well, almost.
What About WordPress.com as a Website Builder for SEO?
WordPress.com is an alternative to WordPress.org.
You can get a free website builder through WordPress.com, but it’s limited.
WordPress Pro allows you to sell via WooCommerce and has advanced SEO tools with its paid plan. Plus, it’s a host.
Self-hosted WordPress is a free website builder. But you should likely get a website hosting service.
WordPress.org Pricing
Bluehost Website Hosting Service Pricing Plans
We suggest Bluehost as your WordPress hosting service. They have a special offer via this link for visitors to our site.
It offers a free domain name for the first year, SSL certificate, 1-click install, and 24/7 customer support. All this starts at $2.75 per month.
Their usual paid plan prices are:
- Basic Plan: $9.99 per month
- Plus Plan: $13.99 per month
- Choice Plus Plan: $18.99 per month
- Pro Plan: $28.99 per month
Try Bluehost Web Hosting Today!
2. SeedProd
SeedProd is the best site builder for customization, regardless of if you're working on individual pages or creating a whole site from scratch. Creating a unique site is the end goal with this builder.
You can access 150 landing page templates, 80+ pro blocks, and many types of pages to build. You can use draft mode to continue working on your page until it's ready for publication.
They also offer conversion tools to help your business grow.
One cool feature offered by SeedProd is the ability to save emails to WordPress regardless of what email service provider you use.
SeedProd Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Basic Plan: $39.50+ per year
- Plus Plan: $99.50+ per year
- Pro Plan: $199.50+ per year
- Elite Plan: $239.50+ per year
Try SeedProd Website Builder Today!
3. Web.com
This website builder comes with an intuitive drag-and-drop builder. This lets you build professional SEO-friendly websites with minimal effort.
Web.com is a user-friendly and low-cost website builder for SEO. It’s great for beginners and always has small business owners in mind.
One of Web.com’s best features is its template library. Many customizable templates enable you to build a unique, on-brand website.
You also get a domain name and professional email to top it all off.
Web.com also comes with many SEO tools for further optimization.
Examples include site audit tools and an analytics dashboard. They help add your site to business directories, so you reach the right audience and drive them to your site.
Web.com Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Starter Plan: Begins at $1.95
- Marketing Plan: Begins at $2.95
- eCommerce Plan: Begins at $3.95
Web.com also has a full-service plan where they build websites for you. Contact them for pricing.
Try Web.Com Website Builder Today!
4. Wix
Wix fits the bill if you need a simple website builder. This intuitive platform helps build lightweight, fast-loading websites.
Speed is an important factor in the SEO equation. (Nothing’s worse than waiting around for a site to load!) Since Wix focuses on relatively simple sites, its pages are lightweight and fast.
Besides the speed factor, Wix provides SEO tools to help optimize your website and content. Examples include image optimization, a subdomain manager, and a built-in XML sitemap generator.
One popular feature of this website builder is Wix ADI (artificial design intelligence). This feature is the dictionary definition of “ease-of-use.” Wix ADI lets you put in information about what you want. Then, the platform creates a web design automatically. This is even simpler than the best step-by-step tutorial.
The results of Wix ADI are customizable, though. If the site they created isn’t perfect, you can make changes.
Wix is flexible, too. You can build the site from scratch, use templates and drag-and-drop features, or use Wix ADI. You need zero experience to create a professional website.
When you’re done creating content, Wix offers an instant Google indexing feature. This helps content show up in search engine results immediately.
In short, if you’re a beginner and want a user-friendly way to get online quickly, Wix needs to be on your radar as one of the best website builders for SEO.
The only caveat is if you decide you want to migrate your Wix Website to another site builder, it can be an uphill task.
Check out our Wix vs. WordPress comparison for a detailed look at the pros and cons of the 2 builders.
Wix Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Website Plans: $16 to $45 per month
- Business and eCommerce Plans: $27 to $59 per month
- Enterprise Plans: Starts at $500 per month (customized solution)
Try Wix Website Builder Today!
5. Zyro
Zyro is an intuitive website builder from popular hosting provider Hostinger.
Since Zyro is from a web hosting provider, this site builder comes with free web hosting. Add to that templates, drag-and-drop, and lightweight design, and Zyro is among the best website builders.
Like WordPress and Wix, Zyro builds websites of all types. Whether you want to build a portfolio, small business website, or eCommerce store, Zyro has you covered.
A few features that make Zyro an excellent choice for search engine optimization include:
- Being lightweight and fast
- Mobile optimization
- Providing a free SSL certificate
- Integrations with SEO tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, and more
- Offering tons of templates for all sorts of websites
Using powerful web design tools, building stunning websites is easy with Zyro. As the cherry on top, Zyro has a writing assistant to help create and optimize content.
Zyro Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Website Plan: Begins at $2.90 per month
- Business Plan: Begins at $4.90 per month
- Online Store Plan: Begins at $8.90 per month
- Advanced Store Plan: Begins at $15.90 per month
Try Zyro Website Builder Today!
6. MemberPress
Planning on building a membership site? MemberPress is the best website builder to have your eyes on.
MemberPress is a plugin to help you turn your WordPress website into a membership site. Even total web design beginners can:
- Set up membership subscriptions and define different access levels.
- Control who sees different types of content on your site.
- Sell digital products
- Choose various payments platforms, including credit cards and PayPal
Because it builds on top of WordPress, MemberPress comes with that platform's flexibility.
SEO-wise, MemberPress has clean, professional code that results in a light, fast membership site.
MemberPress Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Basic Plan: Begins at $129 per year
- Plus Plan: Begins at $249 per year
- Pro Plan: Begins at $349 per year
Try MemberPress Website Builder Today!
7. Avada
The Avada Website Builder is a popular WordPress plugin that allows users to create and design custom layouts for their websites. It features a frontend and backend builder, making it ideal for people at different skill levels regarding web design and building.
One reason many users love Avada is that it comes with 80+ pre-built websites. This means you can have a stunning website in just a few clicks! It also features:
- 120 design elements
- WooCommerce store builder
- Mobile friendly
- Integration with AIOSEO
- And more
Add to all this extensive documentation and exceptional support, and Avada definitely ranks among the top website builders.
Avada Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Regular licence: $69
- Extended license: $2950
8. WPBakery
WPBakery Page Builder is a popular WordPress plugin that allows users to create and design custom website layouts using a drag-and-drop interface. It's commonly used to build and customize the visual appearance of WordPress websites without requiring advanced coding skills. Popular features include:
- Front and backend editors
- Integration with AIOSEO
- In-built AI Assistant
- Unlimited design options
Many users love WPBakery because it has front-end and back-end drag-and-drop editors. This means anyone can use the plugin without coding or technical knowledge.
WPBakery Pricing
- Regular licence: $64
9. HubSpot Website Builder
For marketers and small business owners, a great alternative to WordPress is the HubSpot Website Builder.
Hubspot Website Builder is a powerful website builder for SEO as it combines:
- The ease-of-use of their drag-and-drop builder
- Marketing automation tools (including email marketing and customer support chat)
- An industry-leading CRM
HubSpot Website Builder also has optimization tools to help create a site with a good chance to rank on search engines.
A great example is the website grader tool that gives you recommendations on how to improve your SEO.
Another example is its professional website templates. They're optimized both for SEO and conversion.
Because HubSpot features many business tools in one package, this makes it one of the best website builders for small businesses.
HubSpot Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Basic CRM Tools: Free plan
- CMS (Content Management System) Paid Plan: Begins at $23 per month
- Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, and Operations Paid Plans: Begin at $45 per month
- Paid Plan Bundles: Begin at $45 per month
Try HubSpot Website Builder Today!
10. BigCommerce
If you’re opening an online store, BigCommerce is one website builder to consider. BigCommerce can help create a fabulous online store focusing on eCommerce features.
BigCommerce comes with powerful eCommerce functionalities and marketing tools. These options can help create online stores, email marketing campaigns, and more.
This web design platform also has tons of SEO features. Some include:
- Optimized subdomains
- Automatic rich snippets
- Automatic redirects
- Powerful content delivery network (CDN)
- Product and category descriptions
BigCommerce also has superior speed and security, which are essential to SEO.
It’s also vital that your customers feel like the site is made for them. BigCommerce allows many payment options, including Venmo, PayPal, credit cards, and Stripe.
BigCommerce Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Standard Plan: $29.95 per month
- Plus Plan: $79.95 per month
- Pro Plan: $299.95 per month
- Enterprise Plan: Contact BigCommerce
Try BigCommerce Website Builder Today!
11. Shopify
Another powerful website builder for online stores is Shopify.
Shopify ranks among the best website builders for SEO in its category. Not only does it offer a ton of eCommerce features, but it also has a ton of optimization options, like:
- Lightweight themes
- Schema markup editor
- Robots.txt file editing
- Automatic XML sitemap generation
- URL manager to help with subdomains
- SEO plugins
Shopify offers an app store with over 6,000 apps integrating with the eCommerce platform. Integrations in the app store include Facebook, Google, and Shopify Email, which provides email marketing assistance.
Since search engine optimization is all about how user-friendly your site is, it’s worth noting Shopify accepts many payment types. You can accept credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, and more.
The combination of sleek, attractive websites and powerful SEO features and tools have made Shopify one of the most popular website builders in the eCommerce website space.
You can try Shopify using a free plan for 14 days. Your credit card isn't needed at this point.
Shopify Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Basic Plan: $29 per month
- Shopify Plan: $79 per month
- Advanced Plan: $299 per month
Shopify Lite is $9 per month, but it doesn’t include a whole website builder.
Try Shopify Website Builder Today!
12. Gator Website Builder by HostGator
Need a genuinely intuitive site builder? Check out Gator Website Builder by Hostgator.
Coming from a popular web hosting company, Gator Website Builder offers a mix of features.
In addition to intuitive site builder tools, Gator Website Builder has SEO options. You can:
- Customize post and webpage settings
- Create custom subdomains
- Optimize page titles and meta descriptions
- Get a unique domain name
While Gator's SEO tools are basic compared to other builders, you can use them to boost your SEO effectively.
Gator Website Builder Pricing Plans
If you use our link, the prices are:
- Starter Plan: Begins at $3.46 per month
- Premium Plan: Begins at $5.39 per month
- eCommerce Plan: Begins at $8.30 per month
The regular prices are a bit more per month.
13. Weebly
Another popular website builder for SEO you should consider is Weebly. This website builder works for businesses and personal websites.
Even if you use the free version of Weebly, you can access some in-house SEO tools to help your business become more visible online. This website builder can help you design stunning websites that rank well.
Upgrading to a Weebly premium plan gets even more features. These include help with a domain name, a CMS, social media connections, and more bandwidth.
A great example of Weebly's SEO features is the page editor. You can optimize meta titles and meta descriptions, subdomains, and add alt text to images.
The Weebly plugin library has SEO plugins to help optimize your site for search engines. Data and analytics play significant roles in mapping out a successful SEO strategy. So, Weebly makes it easy to connect to Google Analytics and Search Console.
Weebly Website Builder Pricing Plans
Weebly offers plans for professional and personal website plans. But, For your small business, you may want to choose a professional or premium plan.
- Free Plan: $0
- Personal Paid Plan: Begins at $6 per month
- Professional Paid Plan: Begins at $12 per month
- Performance Paid Plan: Begins at $26 per month
Try Weebly Website Builder Today!
14. Domain.com
Whether you’re a blogger, entrepreneur, or online store manager, check out Domain.com. This intuitive website creator lets you build your website with a few clicks.
Domain.com is intuitive. Just pick a template and use the drag-and-drop builder for a professional website.
But beautiful websites are just part of the package. Domain.com also comes with SEO features to help you get your business noticed.
A significant Domain.com SEO feature is the page title and meta description optimization. Add to that speed and security, and you've got half the SEO battle won.
Domain.com Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Starter Plan: Begins at $1.99 per month
- Business Plan: Begins at $6.99 per month
- eCommerce Plan: Begins at $12.99 per month
Try Domain.com Website Builder Today!
15. GoDaddy Website Builder
While it started as a hosting solution for small businesses, GoDaddy evolved. It's now a complete suite of solutions to help small businesses excel online. One of those solutions is the GoDaddy Website Builder.
GoDaddy’s SEO Wizard walks you step-by-step through the tweaks to improve user experience and make search engines notice.
The wizard also takes you through basic SEO technical best practices like optimizing subdomains and on-page SEO.
Further, GoDaddy Website Builder categorizes its templates based on the business type. Fashion and real estate sites may need to look a bit different!
GoDaddy Website Builder also has a dedicated SEO team you can rope in to help if you want advanced SEO. There's no fixed price for this service, but expect to spend about $50/hour.
GoDaddy Website Builder Pricing Plans
- Basic Plan: Begins at $6.99 per month
- Premium Plan: Begins at $13.99 per month
- Commerce Plan: Begins at $14.99 per month
- Commerce Plus Plan: Begins at $29.99 per month
Try GoDaddy Website Builder Today!
What Is the Best Website Builder for SEO?
Out of all the best website builders for SEO options on our list, we most recommend WordPress.org. Why? Because we use them ourselves! We have been website building for over 10 years, and almost all this has been on WordPress.
Since we’ve used them ourselves, we know beginners and veterans can use WordPress.org.
However, there's a learning curve, so remember that practice makes perfect.
You should also choose WordPress.org as your website builder to create any type of site. Its internal services and integrations with plugins and add-ons make it ready for you.
Being open-source is why WordPress.org can be a free website builder. But, getting a premium web hosting service is highly recommended.
You can also add powerful SEO plugins like AIOSEO to help give your website the best chance of ranking.
FAQs About Picking a Website Builder for SEO
Even after learning about website builders for SEO, you may have unanswered questions. Here are a few of the top FAQs about website building using these platforms.
Do website builders affect SEO?
Website builders affect SEO because they can help optimize your web pages. Using a website builder rather than hiring a web designer should not affect SEO. But, you have to put in the work to make sure your website is optimized.
Which is the most popular website builder for SEO?
The most popular website builder is WordPress. Approximately 40% of places you visit online are WordPress websites.
What’s the best website builder for SEO learning?
HubSpot may be your best choice if you want to learn about SEO while building your website.
We offer an SEO checklist to ensure any website builder you use has proper SEO.
Which is the easiest website builder for SEO?
The easiest website to build uses Wix ADI, as it creates a site for you. But, ease of use shouldn’t be the deciding factor. Make sure whichever website builder you choose meets all your needs.
How do I create SEO for my website?
Most website builders either offer SEO tools or the ability to add SEO plugins and add-ons. However, they can't work entirely alone.
You need to learn to perform basic SEO tasks. Skills include keyword research and writing alt text, meta descriptions, and meta titles. You also need to create redirects and top-notch content.
What Should I Do After Choosing the Best Website Builder for SEO?
Choosing the best website builder is the first step toward a solid online presence. Now that you’ve begun your journey, it’s time to explore the other aspects of running a website.
All In One SEO (AIOSEO) is the top WordPress SEO tool. We offer tons of optimization tools for local SEO, WooCommerce integration, rich snippets, and more. We also provide a “grade” on your WordPress site content as you write, alongside tips to improve the work.
Tips for Professional Website and SEO Beginners
Here's some more help for entrepreneurs who are web design and SEO beginners:
- A Simple SEO Tutorial for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide
- The Best WordPress Themes for SEO
- Everything You Need to Know About Header Tags and How to Use Them for SEO
- How to Set Up Google Analytics on a WordPress Site (Easy Way)
- SEO Checklist for WordPress
If you’ve chosen WordPress as your website builder, download AIOSEO today.
Want to Try AIOSEO for Free?
Enter the URL of your WordPress website to install AIOSEO Lite.
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