12 Website Builder Speed Scores

I've been working in digital marketing for many years. Consequently, I've created and worked on numerous websites for a variety of clients. 

We all desire a single metric to gauge website speed, yet defining speed poses a challenge. Is it the onLoad time, First Contentful Paint, or Time to First Byte?

The good news is that Lighthouse consolidates multiple page speed metrics into a single score. You can find any website's Lighthouse score with Google's testing tool, PageSpeed Insights.

Google leverages the same Lighthouse data, collecting real-world user data from millions of websites globally and shares this information in the Chrome User Experience (crUX) dataset.

In this exercise, we examined the data compiled by Google.

Headless UI and React.js Speed Scores

One takeaway from the data. The mobile Lighthouse scores of Headless UI (55/100) and React.js (53/100) were much slower than Wix (62/100).

This is really interesting because...

In the realm of web design, major corporations pour substantial investments into the latest and most advanced technology—specifically, headless websites built with react.js.

We needn't delve into the intricacies of these buzzwords; however, it's worth noting that many coders I collaborate with often underestimate the complexity, plunging into these projects that often meet failure. A prime example from one organization; we poured tens of millions into a website riddled with errors, only to find out near the end of the project that the eCommerce flow didn't even turn on!

Now, how does this information benefit you, particularly if you have an interest in Wix? Well, in a delightful twist of irony, Wix is also a Headless React.js website.

Yet, unlike those attempts that struggled to simply turn on, Wix stands out as both fast and functional.

In our analysis, the average Wix site significantly outperformed most websites, even the really expensive ones, and Wix costs a fraction— a tiny fraction—of the price. Across a sample of millions of websites, Wix secured the second position in terms of the fastest-loading website builders in the world.

The best part? There's no downside to giving it a try; Wix is completely free.

The Fastest Website Builders

We looked at all the data collected over 2023. From a collective sample of millions of websites, GoDaddy Website Builder had the highest median Lighthouse scores, achieving a median score of 70/100, while Wix secured the second position with a median score of 62/100.

GoDaddy loaded the fastest on several metrics.

In terms of the total number of sites passing Google's Core Web Vitals. If we were to sample websites based on their website builder randomly, Duda websites would have passed Core Web Vitals 72.54% of the time, GoDaddy websites 68.15% of the time, and Webflow at 67.60%.

1. GoDaddy Website Builder, 70/100 median scores
2. Wix, 62/100 median scores.
3. Duda, 59/100 median scores.
4. Webflow, 56/100 median scores.

Average Lighthouse Scores by Origin

However, it's essential to note that the actual speed experienced by users may vary based on various factors, including the specific implementation of the website, content optimization, and server configuration. Additionally, user experience and design flexibility are important considerations when choosing a website builder, so it's recommended to evaluate other aspects based on your specific needs and preferences.

How we Analyzed Website Builder Speed

Lighthouse, also known as Pagespeed insights, is a Google property that measures the user experience using the combined weighted value of 6 major speed metrics, which are included in the dataset.

Our methodology involved assessing the Lighthouse Scores for millions of websites.

We used Big Query to access the data by Origin site for the 12 months ending December 2023 then averaged the lighthouse score measurements over that period.

The origin site number is the total number of websites built using each platform that were included in our analysis.

What is Page Speed?

Page speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to load its content, including text, images, scripts, and other elements. It is a crucial aspect of user experience and directly impacts how quickly visitors can access and interact with a website.

Why is Page Speed Important?

Page speed is a critical factor for several reasons:

1. User Experience: Faster-loading pages provide a better user experience, leading to higher user satisfaction and engagement.
2. SEO Performance: Search engines, particularly Google, consider page speed as a ranking factor. Faster websites are more likely to rank higher in search results.
3. Conversion Rates: Faster page load times are often associated with higher conversion rates. Users are more likely to stay on a site and complete desired actions if pages load quickly.
4. Mobile Responsiveness: With the increasing use of mobile devices, fast-loading mobile pages are essential for reaching and retaining a broader audience.

Any slow website, ecommerce or otherwise, will see an increase in bounce rate and a decrease in time on site. Even just a one second delay will reduce conversions by 4.42% for each second.

Source: Deloitte

Google PageSpeed Insights Factors to Consider

When evaluating page speed using Google PageSpeed Insights, consider the following factors:

1. Optimization Suggestions: Google PageSpeed Insights provides specific suggestions to optimize various aspects of your website, such as images, CSS, JavaScript, and more.
2. Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices. Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, making mobile-friendly design crucial for a good user experience.
3. Server Response Time: A fast server response time contributes to quicker page loading. Optimize your server infrastructure and leverage content delivery networks (CDNs) for improved response times.
4. Browser Caching: Implementing browser caching allows repeat visitors to load your site more quickly by storing static files in their browsers.
5. Compression Techniques: Use compression techniques like GZIP to reduce the size of your website's files, enabling faster data transfer.

By addressing these factors, website owners can enhance their page speed, resulting in improved user satisfaction, better search engine rankings, and increased overall performance.