There’s a reason why WordPress is so popular: it’s relatively easy to use, offers a lot of functionality, and gives you many customization options. And it can be great for SEO, too.
If you know what you’re doing, you can use it for structuring, managing, and publishing content in a way that generates traffic.
It’s a sort of a one-stop shop for blogging, content management, ecommerce, and website building. And maybe best of all – it’s free.
But, running your own WordPress site isn’t without its drawbacks.
For one thing, you’re responsible for your own updates, security, and backups. Click the wrong box in the settings section, and you could be vulnerable to hackers.
And you will be dealing with frequent updates because it relies so heavily on plugins to provide the functionality you want.
It can also be problematic for web developers. If you have a high degree of skill in creating websites, you may find WordPress’ templated approach restricting.
On the other end of the spectrum, you may struggle without drag and drop functionality if you don’t know how to code.
Finally, WordPress is a jack-of-all-trades type of platform. It does many things well but is not exceptional in any area. This means you may want more functionality in an area that’s important to you.
In this piece, we’ll look at 25 SEO-friendly WordPress alternatives separated by primary functionality and give you a quick rundown of each, so you can make the best choice for your needs.
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Web Design Platforms
If you’re looking for an easy, all-in-one, fully customizable platform that doesn’t require third-party sites and plugins, look no further than Wix.
This option houses everything you need within the Wix platform, from hosting to handling structured data. Their step-by-step guide helps beginners create a beautiful website without any prior experience.
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2. Squarespace
This all-in-one option allows you to easily create a website on Squarespace’s fully hosted platform. You do not need prior experience to use this intuitive site builder.
Squarespace hosts all its features in-house, meaning you can’t install third-party extensions or use custom coding.
It’s a great solution for hobbyists and small businesses to build a professional site themselves, although it can be an expensive solution if all you’re doing is running a basic website.
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3. Weebly
If you’re looking for simple and affordable, Weebly might be up your alley.
This site builder takes an all-in-one approach to make website creation accessible for everyone, not just programmers and web developers.
Weebly is revered for being user and SEO-friendly, but if you’re on the free plan, your website will be limited to only five pages.
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4. Google Sites
Google’s webpage and wiki creation tool, Google Sites is a free and easy way to build a website.
Because it was developed by the search engine giant, it integrates smoothly with all other Google products, including Gmail, YouTube, and Fitbit.
It is free to build, host, and maintain with a Google account, with no web hosting fees.
However, if you want to link your site with Google Apps, it costs $50 per user per year.
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5. Jekyll
Jekyll was designed to be a lightweight alternative to other website creation platforms, including only necessary components so you can run your website without database access or other additional software.
It’s an open-source platform that allows you to quickly create and launch a website.
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6. Hugo
Billing itself as “the world’s fastest framework for building websites,” Hugo is an open-source platform for creating static sites.
It can generate most webpages in under one millisecond, with new pages built every time you create or update content.
Its goal is to provide an optimal viewing experience for users and authors.
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7. Webflow
Webflow is a responsive tool for web design that lets you create websites without the required coding knowledge.
It includes a visual designer, which lets you see the changes you’re making in real-time and includes significant versatility.
You can create nearly any website you need, including ecommerce, blogs, and business sites.
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Content Management Systems (CMS)
Like WordPress, Joomla is an open-source content management system (CMS).
Joomla is free, but you have to pay for your web hosting.
Joomla’s appeal is its broad range of functionality that allows you to run any type of website – blogs, ecommerce, portfolios, informational websites, and more.
The downside to Joomla is that it isn’t ideal for beginners, so it’s best if you have some experience.
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9. Drupal
Like WordPress and Joomla, Drupal is a CMS platform. The software is free, although you’ll have web hosting fees.
Drupal is one of the most technical and powerful CMS options on the market, but it requires more skills to tap into Drupal’s full potential.
This site-building option is best suited for advanced users.
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10. DataLife Engine
DataLife Engine, often referred to as DLE, is a multifunctional CMS. Primarily designed for mass media websites and blogs, it allows you to manage news, articles, and users.
Flexible and customizable, it can be used to create websites that can handle high levels of visitors with minimal load on your servers.
DLE emphasizes SEO and security, which has led to its adoption by more than 100,000 organizations.
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11. Sitefinity
Progress’ Sitefinity is a CMS and digital experience platform that allows you to create multi-channel marketing experiences.
Sitefinity allows you to create, store, manage, and publish content on your website. It lets you operate across departments, units, locations, and brands from one platform.
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12. Hubspot CMS
Hubspot is one of the biggest names in marketing software, so it should be no surprise that they also have a CMS tool.
Combining website creation with a customer relationship management (CRM) tool lets you cover the entire buying journey from one place.
And because it was built for cross-departmental use, it doesn’t require extensive development knowledge.
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13. Contentful
Contentful is a backend-only CMS. Intended to allow users to create content at scale, it integrates various tools, giving you the freedom to publish across channels.
A cloud-native platform, it has a clean interface and was designed to be API-first, which provides serious flexibility.
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14. Adobe Experience Manager
Combining the functionality of a CMS with a digital asset management (DAM) platform, Adobe Experience Manager is intended to be an all-in-one platform for building websites, managing marketing content, and overseeing media libraries.
It offers cloud integration and plays well with other programs, including its own flagship creative suite.
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If you’re looking for scalability in an SEO-friendly WordPress alternative, BigCommerce might be the right option for you.
It features strong SEO support and smooth multi-channel integration, and there are no platform fees or commissions.
However, customer reviews weren’t overly favorable regarding setup, and this ecommerce-targeted platform isn’t the best for small businesses or stores with tight margins.
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16. Shopify
One of the most popular ecommerce platforms on the market, Shopify, is designed to help you sell products.
That gives this option a major edge in the post-COVID digital shopping era, especially if your Shopify site is optimized for SEO.
Although Shopify can handle blogging and other niches, it isn’t the best solution for anything outside of ecommerce needs.
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17. Magento
Magento is an ecommerce-based platform with more bells and whistles than Shopify.
And while it offers a ton of business features especially suited to large-scale enterprises, it’s not the easiest platform to use.
Magento specializes in ecommerce and not much else. If you want a website that capitalizes on different features, your investment in Magento probably isn’t worth your time.
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18. Prestashop
Prestashop is a freemium open-source ecommerce platform that allows you to set up stores on your host or via the cloud.
Available in 65 languages, it offers a powerful interface that is responsive to mobile users.
Prestashop has a variety of add-on features and provides a reliable online shopping solution.
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19. OpenCart
A PHP-based ecommerce solution, OpenCart is free to use. Flexible and customizable, it comes with access to a dedicated community to help you troubleshoot.
Because it’s open source, there are extensive add-ons and modules for just about anything.
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Blogging Platforms
Rather than joining the others on this list as a site builder or web software, Medium stands alone as a publishing platform with its own community and user base.
This is a great solution if you’re a blogger looking for an inexpensive way to publish content.
But remember that you don’t have customization options, meaning you can’t brand your own website.
If you need a unique website with design control, Medium isn’t going to suit your requirements.
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21. Ghost
This platform is a WordPress contender for blogging, but Ghost’s capabilities are limited for anything more.
Ghost is a simple and straightforward platform to suit your needs if you’re in the right niche.
But if you know your website might grow, remember that Ghost isn’t designed to scale a blog up into a business website or complex project.
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22. Tumblr
Tumblr is a unique blend of social media and microblogging.
Like a traditional social media platform, it allows you to post status updates and share images, as well as re-blog posts your audience may find relevant.
Customizable to your needs, it has a unique tagging system that helps you accurately target an audience and build a community.
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23. Bluehost
After Typepad stopped accepting new signups in 2020, EIG began directing people to Bluehost for their web hosting needs.
Bluehost supports over 80 open-source projects beyond WordPress, including Drupal, Joomla, and phpBB. It’s currently used by more than 2 million websites.
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24. Blogger
If you’re going to name your company “Blogger,” you better be good at blog hosting; it shouldn’t be surprising that Blogger delivers.
Acquired by Google in 2003, Blogger is more than just one of the oldest blogging platforms; it’s also a CMS.
Free to use, it lets you publish everything in your own personal space, whether it’s a business blog or a series of posts about your favorite Harry Potter characters.
Your site can be hosted at yourname.blogspot.com or your own domain.
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Community Management
25. vBulletin
If your site’s primary purpose is to create a community and host forums and message boards, vBulletin may be the right choice for you.
Easily installed on any web hosting service or run from vBulletin’s cloud, its primary focus is on community websites, though it does include tools for content discovery and site management.
It comes with various templates, graphics, and styles, so you can customize your forum to your brand.
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Which One Is Right For You?
Including WordPress, you have 26 options for building your website.
So, how do you know which one is right for you? It comes down to your needs and what you want your website to accomplish.
If you’re looking to create a website that is ecommerce-first, you’d be well served to pick from one of the options listed in that section.
On the other hand, if you’re primarily interested in blogging, you’ll want a platform that focuses on that.
And if you want one that does everything, well, there are a few on the list.
Hopefully, by reading this, you’ve gained a little insight into which platform will work best for you.
This content was originally published here.