If you’ve been considering WordPress and Squarespace for your website, you’ve likely wondered: Which one is better for SEO? In other words, which one gives your website a better shot at showing up on Google?
As an Australian business, especially a local one, your website’s ability to rank well can make a big difference in whether people find you or find your competitors instead.
Let’s look at both platforms from a practical SEO point of view. No tech jargon. Just honest, experience-backed advice.
WordPress: The SEO All-Rounder
WordPress is known for being flexible, and that includes how it handles SEO. It’s open source, which means you can do anything with it if you (or your developer) know what you’re doing.
More importantly, you have complete control over your SEO settings. From editing your page titles and meta descriptions to creating an optimised URL structure and using plugins like Yoast or Rank Math, WordPress gives you the tools to manage your on-page SEO properly.
What we like most:
- Easy access to technical settings (like redirects, schema, sitemaps)
- Complete control over heading structure (H1, H2, etc.)
- More options for performance optimisation (caching, lazy loading, etc.)
- Can be hosted on fast, local Australian servers (like ours)
If SEO is a major priority—and especially if you’re in a competitive industry—WordPress has the edge in capability and flexibility.
Squarespace: Simple, Stylish, but Limited
Squarespace is popular for its good-looking templates and all-in-one setup. You can have a site live in a few hours without needing to know much about websites. And for some small businesses or solo operators, that’s enough.
When it comes to SEO, Squarespace does a decent job out of the box. You can still edit meta titles and descriptions, and the platform is mobile-friendly by default.
But here’s the catch: you’re limited in how far you can go. Things like custom schema markup, site speed tweaks, or advanced redirects are more complicated (or not possible). And you’re tied to Squarespace’s hosting infrastructure—so if the site is slow or their CDN doesn’t suit your audience location (like Australia), you’re stuck with it.
What Squarespace does well:
- Easy to get started
- Clean, mobile-friendly templates
- Built-in SSL and basic SEO fields
Where it struggles:
- Limited control over advanced SEO
- No plugin ecosystem for SEO tools
- Slower site speeds reported by users outside the US
- Can’t choose local Australian hosting for speed advantages
So, Which Platform Ranks Better?
If we’re purely talking about the potential for strong SEO, WordPress comes out on top. It gives you far more control, flexibility, and access to the tools you need to rank well, especially for local SEO in Australia.
That said, if you need a basic brochure site and you’re not competing in a harsh industry, Squarespace can still get the job done.
But if search visibility matters to you—if you’re relying on organic traffic to grow your business—then WordPress is the better long-term investment.
Our Take at Ezyweb Australia
At Ezyweb, we help clients every day who are frustrated by the limitations of platforms like Squarespace. Many end up migrating to WordPress once they realise they can’t optimise their site properly.
We build and host WordPress sites on fast Australian servers, with security, SEO, and user experience in mind—so your site doesn’t just look good, it gets found.
Thinking of switching to WordPress?
Let’s have a chat. We’ll talk you through your options in plain English and help you decide what makes sense for your goals.
👉 Visit ezyweb.au or get in touch for friendly advice.
