Ever met someone who raves about building their site in an hour, only to wonder why Google seems to ignore it? Wix makes promises about quick web creation, but does it actually deliver on SEO? This matters. Getting pages to the top of search means everything if you want organic traffic, sales, or just… bragging rights for ranking above your competitors. The conversation around Wix and SEO isn’t just about templates and clicking publish. It’s about whether Google will actually care that your website exists.
Go back a few years, and web pros would warn you off Wix like it was some kind of SEO trap. The code was clunky, URLs looked weird, and you’d have to work miracles to fix meta tags. Fast forward to now, and Wix claims they’ve cleaned up their act. But how true is that?
Let’s break down what Wix actually gives you when it comes to SEO:
Those cover most essentials for basic SEO. What’s interesting is that by 2023, studies like the one by Backlinko found that Wix sites tended to perform almost neck-and-neck with WordPress sites for most generic SEO needs, especially when the owner followed good practices.
But, limitations exist. You don’t get full access to your source code, so if you want complex schema markup, fancy scripts, or detailed speed tweaks, you hit a wall. Page speed still isn’t the fastest. Wix’s own help docs admit third-party code or widgets can slow things down. And while Wix says it has improved, Lighthouse tests on average show Wix pages scoring around 65–80 out of 100 for speed, compared to 85+ for hand-tuned WordPress.
And when it comes to multilingual sites, Wix can do it, but it’s not as slick or SEO-robust as platforms like WordPress with WPML or Polylang. Another fact for power users: all Wix sites are hosted on their own servers. That can be good for reliability, but not everyone loves how locked-in it can feel for deeper tweaks.
Is Wix a magic SEO bullet? Not quite. Does it handle most basics that 90% of website owners demand? These days—yes.
| Feature | Wix | WordPress | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Meta Tags | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| XML Sitemap | Automatic | Plugin, auto/manual | Automatic |
| Structured Data | Basic | Advanced via plugins | Limited |
| Redirects | Simple | Full control (plugins) | Simple |
| Speed Score (avg.) | 65–80 | 85+ | 70–82 |
| URL Structure | Improved | Full control | Limited |
| Analytics Integration | Built-in | Plugins | Built-in |
So, how do you get a Wix site to rank? Here’s where elbows meet grease. Plugging in your site and following the prompts only gets you so far. If you want to compete, you’ve got to get smart.
Another power move is to embed structured data, especially if you sell products or have events. Wix lets you add JSON-LD schema under Advanced SEO for most core entities, but for deep e-commerce schema, you may hit some limits. Sometimes, reaching out to Wix support or a developer in the Wix Marketplace helps get around built-in restrictions. And don’t forget: publish your XML sitemap in Google Search Console manually. It sounds basic, but a ton of new site owners forget this step!
If you blog (which you should), post regularly—even short updates count. Wix’s blog module has gotten quicker and allows you to add canonical URLs, edit slugs, and even try AI-generated suggestions. Just don’t copy-paste from ChatGPT; Google’s algorithms are getting better at sniffing out bland AI content, and ranking those lower. Make your writing sound like you, with opinions and real-life examples.
Another quick win: add your business to Google Business Profile and connect it to your Wix site. This helps with local SEO—a must if you have a shop or physical location. You can collect reviews, post updates, and make your site pop up on Maps. Wix’s integration is super simple on this one.
The million-dollar question: can a Wix site outrank big-name brands or niche experts? The answer isn’t black and white. Studies published in 2024 by SEMrush analyzed hundreds of thousands of small business sites and found that Wix SEO can go toe-to-toe with more technical solutions, if—and it’s a big if—the content and on-page optimization are nailed. But for hyper-competitive industries or mega-authority blogs, platforms with more hands-on control like WordPress still give an edge.
Google’s John Mueller has been asked about Wix SEO so often that in 2022 he publicly stated: “Wix sites work just fine in Google Search.” That’s stamped approval from the source that matters most. Still, deep-dive case studies show a sticking point for Wix is technical SEO edge cases. For example, companies wanting sophisticated multi-location local SEO, complex A/B testing, or ultra-fast server responses hit the kind of glass ceiling Wix can’t currently break. If you don’t need those features, it’s not an issue.
Agencies and freelancers knowing code swear by full CMSs for client work. But regular business owners love Wix’s plug-and-play comfort, especially since the core of search engine results comes down to relevance, clarity, and user trust signals. One thing everyone agrees on: pop-ups and slow load times send people (and Google’s robots) running. Wix isn’t immune. Tests in 2025 show that sites running fewer than three third-party apps load on average 1.9 seconds faster than those loaded up with features. And yes, several credible SEO consultants have successfully migrated brands off old Wix SEO messes to the newer platform, jumping from page six to page one within weeks—once technical errors and duplicate content were fixed.
It boils down to what matters to you. Need speed and endless flexibility? A more customizable system awaits, but expect a learning curve. Want intuitive tools, solid SEO, and a site that actually looks decent on mobile without hair-pulling? Wix is a solid bet, as long as you understand and work within its limits.
Wix today isn’t the joke it was for SEO in 2018. It’s simplified, streamlined, and honestly gets the job done for most small and medium websites. Just don’t expect to game Google with shortcuts or ignore the basics—good keywords, great writing, speedy performance, and the kind of structure both robots and humans love. Put in the effort, and you might even surprise yourself when your site pops onto page one.
Written by Caden Whitmore
View all posts by: Caden Whitmore