5 Website Builders That Make SEO Simple and Fuel Long-Term Growth

Introduction

These days, anyone can launch a website in minutes—but getting it found online? That’s where most businesses hit a wall. Marketing will help you grow, but it only works if you start with a solid SEO foundation. That’s where a good website builder makes all the difference. 

If you’ve ever wondered how to make a website for free, you’ve probably explored platforms like Wix, which require no coding knowledge. Wix stands out with SEO-friendly templates and a robust suite of tools for search engine optimization and marketing. But not all website builders are created equal. 

For example, a 2025 SE Ranking study of 418,125 websites found that nearly 75% had images without alt text and 69% had pages with no internal links. Over 60% had title tags and descriptions that were too long to appear in search results. 

SE Ranking doesn’t specify whether the audited sites were custom-built or template-based, which only reinforces the point: SEO issues can show up anywhere.

With that in mind, make sure you choose a website builder that follows SEO best practices. Here’s how to get started. 

Are Website Builders Good for SEO? 

Some developers argue that website builders aren’t ideal for SEO because they limit control over core elements, such as HTML, CSS, and other backend code. For instance, many platforms don’t allow direct editing of critical files like robots.txt or .htaccess.

This concern is valid. Website builders often strip away those technical settings to improve usability, especially for beginners. Instead of exposing users to complex code, they’re optimized for search engines out of the box, with clean URL structures, responsive templates, and other SEO-friendly features. 

Additionally, website builders vary in SEO performance. Wix and a few others balance simplicity and flexibility, providing access to apps and tools that can boost your visibility and rankings. These may include: 

For example, Wix lets you customize the URL structure, meta tags, canonical tags, and other essential elements. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with third-party SEO tools like Semrush, Google Search Console (GSC), and Google Analytics (GA4). 

Other platforms fall short on SEO, leaving users with a great-looking site that performs poorly. While plugins or third-party apps can help, they often come at a cost, such as slow loading times or broken pages.

All in all, website builders are not inherently good or bad from an SEO standpoint. It all comes down to the platform you choose—and how you use it. 

The 5 Best Website Builders for SEO in 2025 

You can spend thousands of dollars on web design and still have a hard time attracting visitors to your site or blog. While aesthetics matter, you need more than that to gain visibility in search results. 

Start by choosing an SEO-friendly website builder. This step alone can save you a small fortune and make it easier to climb Google’s rankings. Here are our top picks for 2025: 

1. Wix 

In addition to offering over 2,000 SEO-friendly templates, Wix includes a flexible URL redirect manager, an AI-powered meta tag generator, and built-in web analytics. Its SEO Assistant flags issues that require immediate attention and provides custom recommendations to improve your content. 

Another cool feature is the SEO Setup Checklist, which highlights the steps you need to take for higher search engine rankings. These insights are tailored to your location, business, and target keywords, making it easier to gain visibility in local search and win potential customers. 

Then there’s the AI Visibility tool, which monitors your website’s mentions in generative engines (GEs) like Claude and ChatGPT. Plus, you can connect your Wix account to GSC for in-depth insights into site traffic and other SEO metrics. 

Key SEO Features 

• Personalized SEO Setup Checklist
• SEO Assistant 
• AI Visibility tool 
• Sitemap generation
• GSC and GA4 integration 
• Built-in analytics
• Access to a built-in code editor via Velo

Wix is also one of the few website builders that let users customize their robots.txt file. This text file tells search engines which pages to crawl and index—and which ones to skip. For example, you can block their access to staging pages, admin pages, or members-only content. 

2. GoDaddy

GoDaddy’s SEO tools are geared toward beginners, offering guidance to help cover the essentials, like keyword placement, meta tags, and sitemap setup. Users have full control over the URL structure, page titles, meta descriptions, alt text, and schema markup. 

Unlike Wix, GoDaddy doesn’t provide access to source code, which limits advanced customization. However, it does offer the guidance and tools you need to build a solid SEO foundation. 

For example, it can suggest keywords based on your business profile and industry. It also lets you add schema markup, edit meta tags, and connect your account to GA4. 

Key SEO Features 

• Beginner-friendly SEO wizard 
• Responsive templates 
• Customizable page titles and meta descriptions
• Keyword suggestions 
• Clean code 
• GA4 integration

GoDaddy also has an in-house team of SEO experts who can assist you with keyword research, content creation, link building, and more. While these services are useful, they come at an extra cost. For most users, schema integration and other built-in features are enough to cover the basics. 

3. Hostinger 

Hostinger’s site builder includes image compression, customizable URL structures, and editable meta tags. Most importantly, it lets users adjust SEO settings for individual pages, giving more control over how each page performs in search.

Features like image compression and clean code help your site load quickly and get indexed more efficiently, which can boost your rankings over time. According to global consulting firm Deloitte, improving page loading speed by just 0.1 seconds can increase conversions, average order value, and page views per session while reducing bounce rates. 

Key SEO Features 

• AI-powered SEO Assistant
• Image optimization tools
• SEO-friendly URLs
• Clean sitemaps
• Basic analytics + GA4 integration

A notable feature is Hostinger’s AI SEO Assistant. This built-in tool uses generative AI to suggest keywords and create page titles, image alt text, and meta descriptions.

4. SITE123

SITE123 is built for simplicity, offering an intuitive interface and user-friendly SEO tools. Once registered, you can edit the meta tags, customize the URL structure, and add 301 redirects. On top of that, your sitemap will be generated automatically. 

If you’re wondering how to make a website for free, then SITE123 can be a great choice. However, one of its top features, an SEO auditing tool, is only available with the Gold Package. 

The tool scans your pages and generates a performance score, along with recommendations for improving your rankings in search results. 

Key SEO Features 

• Editable meta tags
• Automatic sitemap generation
• Customizable URLs
• 301 redirect generator
• SEO audit tool

Like GoDaddy, SITE123 has its own SEO team to help you with keyword research, meta tag optimization, content updates, and other tasks. These services require a separate subscription, which costs extra. 

5. Shopify 

Designed for eCommerce businesses, Shopify offers a comprehensive suite of SEO tools to help your store get discovered, not just look good. It automatically generates sitemaps, canonical tags, title tags, and robots.txt files, while still giving you the freedom to manually edit the meta tags, alt text, and URLs. 

For more advanced capabilities, check out the Shopify App Store. With over 400 SEO-focused apps, you’ll find tools for page speed optimization, content creation, site audits, internal linking, and more. Many offer free plans or trials, making it easy to test and refine your SEO stack as your store grows. 

Key SEO Features 

• Auto-generated sitemaps
• Automatic robots.txt file generation
• Structured data markup built into themes
• Editable on-page elements (e.g., image alt text)
• Access to 400+ eCommerce SEO apps 

Note that you may need expert help if you’re managing a large store or one with complex configurations. In such instances, it’s common to experience crawlability problems or issues like 

duplicate content and slow-loading pages, which can hurt your SEO. 

Build Your Own Website without Compromising on SEO 

Creating a website yourself doesn’t mean sacrificing SEO. Modern site builders like Wix, Hostinger, and Shopify give you the tools to achieve both: attractive design and strong search performance. The result? A better customer experience, increased traffic, and more sales. 

One thing to keep in mind is that using an SEO-friendly site builder doesn’t guarantee higher rankings. To get results, you need a solid grasp of core SEO practices like keyword research, link building, and content optimization.

The good news? That’s something you can learn over time, and nobody expects you to master it from day one. Try out different strategies to see what works and what doesn’t, refine your approach, and treat SEO as an ongoing process.