For years, SEO professionals have sneered at drag-and-drop builders. But in 2026, the gap is narrowing. Is it enough to compete on Page 1?
1. The "Closed Garden" Problem
Platforms like Wix and Squarespace manage everything for you. This is their strength and their weakness. You cannot access the server configuration. You cannot install a custom caching plugin. You are stuck with their infrastructure.
JavaScript Bloat: To make those drag-and-drop features work, these platforms load massive amounts of JavaScript library code. This often hurts the "Time to Interactive" and LCP metrics, making it harder to score Green.
Recent Improvements
Wix has made massive strides in recent years, improving their underlying infrastructure. Squarespace 7.1 is also faster. They can rank, but they start the race with a heavy backpack compared to a lean HTML/CSS site or an optimized WordPress setup.
2. Treatment Plan
If you are committed to these platforms, you must control what you can control: Images. You cannot fix their code, but you can ensure every image you upload is compressed before you upload it. However, if your business relies heavily on SEO for revenue, we strongly recommend migrating to a platform where you own the code (like WordPress) for long-term growth.