There was a time when the obvious answer to the question of which CMS is best for SEO was WordPress. 😂
But times have changed. While Wix was once renowned for not being as robust as its SEO counterpart, it has reinvented itself to now offer user-friendly, high-performance features to its users.
In fact, this was the subject of a recent online discussion in which Google’s John Mueller took part. In this article, we take a look at the discussion and Mr. Mueller’s opinion on the matter.
Accept change and delegate site management to experts
SEO professionals have traditionally favored WordPress over Wix because of its superior SEO capabilities and customizability.
Wix has improved its SEO features, which may make it a viable alternative to WordPress for some users.
According to John Mueller, regardless of CMS, most people should entrust the management of their website to experts to avoid technical complications.
SEO professionals have long expressed dissatisfaction with platforms other than WordPress, mainly because they prefer WordPress’ comprehensive SEO capabilities and customizability.
However, this perception may be obsolete as Wix develops more robust SEO functionality.
The debate was recently reignited by this Reddit thread on why SEO professionals remain wary of Wix, with contributions from experienced industry marketing professionals like Google’s John Mueller.
Wix improves its functionality
According to the original author of the Reddit thread, Wix presents itself as a user-friendly platform designed for those with limited coding skills who want to create their own website.
Over the past few years, Wix has integrated increased SEO functionality to meet the needs of its growing user base. It has even added artificial intelligence-based web design tools.
Nevertheless, Wix’s past reputation remains, creating an obstacle for users who have had unfavorable experiences with the platform.
This mistrust has generated a preference for WordPress, a platform praised for its innate SEO capabilities and customization options.
The use of SEO features on Wix makes the platform viable for SEO.
It’s worth noting that the discussion emphasizes that, while Wix has improved its SEO capabilities, it’s ultimately up to the user to use them effectively.
Delegating website management
Instead of obsessing over granular details, John Mueller suggests that most people (and their customers) focus on the big picture by delegating website management to a specialist team.
In his view, this mitigates risk, guarantees maintenance and frees the user from technical complications that experts can better manage.
“The other thing (for me, the most important thing) is that most people shouldn’t be managing their own website or server, period. “
John Mueller
That said, Mueller’s view could pose challenges for those seeking control and direct impact on the bottom line.
He believes that by 2023, the web has evolved considerably, and that clinging to old practices can make it difficult to adapt to future changes.
“Speed, structured data, metavers-ML, everything the world offers you, a platform will be able to do for everyone, immediately, and it will fix it if it doesn’t work properly.“
John Mueller
Preparing for change
Mueller hopes that SEO professionals will focus on staying at the cutting edge of technology.
“Does the change refer to advances in AI for Google search, such as the continued development of Generative Search Experience (GSE) capabilities? That remains to be seen.“
John Mueller
As this Reddit discussion points out, the final decision about site hosting and what to focus on depends on what SEO professionals value more.
It also highlights the importance of evolving with the changing dynamics of the web and keeping up to date with platform developments to make informed decisions about marketing technology.
