How good is WordPress for SEO and does it really make a difference?

I’ve been thinking about using WordPress for a website, but I keep hearing different things about its SEO. Some say it’s the best, others say it’s all about how you use it. Does WordPress really help with SEO, or does it depend on other factors?

WordPress is as good for SEO as you make it. It gives you full control over your site, unlike platforms like Wix or Squarespace, which limit customization. If you configure it well and use the right plugins, it works great for SEO.

@Harris
Thanks, that makes sense.

This is like asking if a plain HTML site is good for SEO. It all depends on how you set it up and your level of experience.

Octavio said:
This is like asking if a plain HTML site is good for SEO. It all depends on how you set it up and your level of experience.

That’s what I was thinking too.

It can be great, or it can be terrible. It all depends on how you set it up and manage it.

Tyrell said:
It can be great, or it can be terrible. It all depends on how you set it up and manage it.

What about compared to a React website?

Sophia_2 said:

Tyrell said:
It can be great, or it can be terrible. It all depends on how you set it up and manage it.

What about compared to a React website?

If SEO is a priority, using a multi-page app (MPA) for rendering content is a better choice. React can work for SEO if you use something like Next.js, but WordPress makes it easier with built-in tools.

Sophia_2 said:

Tyrell said:
It can be great, or it can be terrible. It all depends on how you set it up and manage it.

What about compared to a React website?

Are we talking about a well-optimized React site vs a poorly set-up WordPress site? Or vice versa? That makes a big difference.

@Harris
Yeah, how well it’s built matters more than the platform itself.

If you know what you’re doing, WordPress can be perfect for SEO.

WordPress takes care of a lot of the SEO basics for you. It’s structured well for search engines and has plenty of plugins to optimize meta tags, sitemaps, and page speed. You can do the same with other platforms, but WordPress makes it easier.

SEO on WordPress depends on how well you optimize it. Some themes are better for SEO than others, and using the right plugins helps too.

Harris said:
SEO on WordPress depends on how well you optimize it. Some themes are better for SEO than others, and using the right plugins helps too.

That’s a good point, I’ll look into that.

I’ve used WordPress for SEO since 2011, and it works well as long as you configure it properly. It’s open-source, which means you have full control over your site. You can use plugins like SEOPress or Rank Math to improve SEO further. The key is making sure your content is structured well and optimized correctly.

@Brianna
That clears up a lot, I was debating between React and WordPress, but this makes me lean toward WordPress.

Sophia_2 said:
@Brianna
That clears up a lot, I was debating between React and WordPress, but this makes me lean toward WordPress.

Yeah, unless you really need a custom-built app, WordPress will save you time and effort.

WordPress is well-structured for SEO by default. Most good themes follow best practices, and it even includes an XML sitemap now. The main issue is making sure user-generated content is structured well, or it could hurt rankings.

@Theo
I had trouble finding the built-in WordPress sitemap, had to install Yoast SEO to generate one. WordPress says it includes one, but I couldn’t get it to work without a plugin.

SEO isn’t about WordPress itself, it’s about how well your theme is coded.