Does Google Prefer WordPress Websites?

For years several self-proclaimed website experts have been telling the hospitality industry that WordPress based websites have superior search engine optimization (SEO) with Google. This has left some businesses using Website Builder services like Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, or even ResNexus wondering if Google plays favorites with WordPress websites.

First off, what is SEO?

Short for "Search Engine Optimization", it's the process to help your website rank higher on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. Google far outweighs the other search engines so the majority of businesses focus on Google Search results. In short, when most people talk about SEO they are referring to how high your business is on a Google search results page.

Many Website Designers Claim that Google Ranks WordPress Websites Higher than Website Builder Websites. Is this True?

No it is false. There is a lot of misinformation about WordPress websites always ranking better than websites built with website builders. But it is simply not true.


Why do so Many "Experts" Claim that WordPress Will Help Your Website Rank Higher on Google?

Brand loyalty? Defense of the familiar? Maybe they read it somewhere and so they repeated it to others? Isn't that how quote "fake news" spreads. The truth is that there are drag & drop website builders (such as Wix, Squarespace, Weebly and ResNexus) that far outrank WordPress websites. Google cares about content and relevance.

Why do so Many Website Companies Love WordPress?

A lot of website companies are passionate about WordPress because it is the tool they use to build websites. Their business is built on providing WordPress websites so they are biased towards it. A lot of newer technologies have come along.

WordPress made blogging easy however, blog content is now shifting in the lodging industry to be integrated content found on activity, restaurant and event pages. Guests don't visit lodging websites to read blogs, but they do want to know what to do and where to eat.

A lot of the hesitation of the older website companies also comes down to control. How can they charge thousands of dollars if the average person can do what only they themselves used to be able to do?

WordPress is very technical for the average user and has a steep learning curve. There are a lot of plugins for WordPress that make it more customizable and powerful, but also introduce security issues. For example, a GDPR plugin caused a huge security breach in 2018.

A good analogy would be vehicles going from a manual stick shift to a computer chip automatic. Is the manual stick shift better because you have to do more work?


So "Many People" Say WordPress is the Best for SEO–How can they be so sure?

In reality they can't. How could they prove it? What experiment would they have to run? There are a lot of different variables. A May 2, 2019 article titled "Website Builder SEO vs WordPress SEO: Which One Is Better?" does a good job at explaining the experiment a business would have to run.

The simple truth is that the website builder your business uses is not a major factor for Google. Helpful and resourceful content is.


Is it Easy to Make my Website ADA Compliant with WordPress?

No. It is very time consuming. The ResNexus Website Builder has built in ADA tools that make it easy and fast to make your website ADA compliant. From missing alternate text on images to color contrast issues, the ResNexus Website Builder makes it easy for us to make sure your website is ADA compliant.

Are There Any Advantages to Using a Website Builder Over WordPress?

Security and a reduced risk of being targeted by online hackers. Cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to hack WordPress because of its wide use and popularity. In addition, WordPress plugins are also a target. For example, on May 29, 2019 Apple News reported that hackers exploited a recently patched vulnerability found in a WordPress plugin that caused the affected websites to redirect their online customers to malicious sites or display misleading popups. Attacks are currently not widespread, but there has been a sufficient number of them to raise concern among the WordPress community. Although WordPress regularly releases patches to fix vulnerabilities, it is up to individual businesses or website companies in install them.

Website Builders in general are at reduced risk of hacking due to the volume of websites that they produce. In addition, some website builders have the ability to patch vulnerabilities globally in their software without requiring a download and install from the business.


What does Google Say?

Google's Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller answered this question a couple of years ago by commenting about Wix:

"There are a lot of different setups for new websites. I wouldn't focus too much on a single provider, but rather think about the bigger picture: which will make it easiest for you to maintain your site (adding / changing content)? If you're getting help from others for your site, is there one that they have experience in, which might make it easier / cheaper? Which one offers the features that you think you'll need in the mid-term? There are probably a few options that could work for you, so maybe it makes sense to just try some of them and see which one works best for you -- websites are websites for Google :)

In addition, Gary Illyes of Google stated that Google does not give preferred treatment based on the different programming languages HTML or AJAX which are used by website builders.


What does Google Say?

• Which website builder you use isn't a significant factor that Google uses to rank your website.
• There are technical SEO features that you need in a website builder— Most website builders include these features.
• For higher SEO ranking focus on content, not which website builder is better for SEO.

For more information on SEO and some common misconceptions watch our webinar.

Sources:
https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/website-builders/comparisons/website-builder-seo-vs-wordpress-seo/
https://www.sitebuilderreport.com
https://www.mixtusmedia.com/blog/8-reasons-why-we-switched-from-wordpress-to-squarespace