The WordPress and Ghost platforms take different approaches to SEO. WordPress offers a solid out‐of‐the‐box foundation (custom permalinks, title tags, mobile‐friendly themes) but relies heavily on plugins for advanced SEO (meta descriptions, schema, redirects, etc.)kulkowski.plkulkowski.pl. Ghost, by contrast, is designed with many SEO features built in – automatic meta tags, Open Graph/Twitter tags, XML sitemaps, canonical tags and structured data – so no extra plugin is needed for basic SEOghost.orgghost.org. The table below summarizes key differences; the detailed sections explain each aspect with examples and citations.
| Feature | WordPress (Self-Hosted) | Ghost (Node.js CMS) |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in SEO | Basic SEO defaults: clean permalinks (e.g. “post name”), H1/H2 support, and mobile‐responsive themeskulkowski.plkulkowski.pl. Core supports page titles but no meta descriptions or social tags by default (only a generic site title/tagline)kulkowski.pl. Canonical links were added in WP 4.4 (in head)wordpress.stackexchange.com. | Advanced SEO by default: Ghost auto‐generates rich meta tags (title, meta description, custom excerpt) for each post, plus Open Graph and Twitter Card dataghost.orgghost.org. Ghost also injects canonical tags on pages and supports semantic HTML/microformats out of the boxghost.org. Authors can edit title/description in Ghost’s editor UI. |
| SEO Plugins/Ecosystem | Huge plugin ecosystem: Thousands of SEO plugins (Yoast SEO, Rank Math, AIOSEO, etc.) provide tools for on‐page analysis, schema, redirects, sitemaps, Google Search Console integration, and morekulkowski.plkulkowski.pl. For example, AIOSEO and Yoast automatically generate XML sitemaps, manage redirects, and add schema markupkulkowski.plwpbeginner.com. Plugins also integrate Search Console and performance data into the dashboardkulkowski.pl. | Minimal plugin need: Ghost has no official SEO plugins because most SEO is built in. The Ghost approach is “no plugin needed” for SEOghost.orgghost.org. Advanced SEO tasks are handled by themes or Ghost’s built‐in features (e.g. customizing redirects via redirects.yaml)ghost.org. Ghost’s integration list (e.g. for Google Analytics) is smaller but tightly controlled, and Ghost Pro handles updates/security for you. |
| Page Speed & Performance | Performance depends on hosting, theme, and plugins. WordPress sites can become slow if many plugins/themes run unoptimized JavaScript/CSSdev.to. Without caching or CDN, WP loads larger pages; achieving good Core Web Vitals typically requires optimization plugins (caching, image compression)wpbeginner.comkulkowski.pl. | Built on Node.js with a lightweight codebase, Ghost is optimized for speed by defaultghost.orghighfivethemes.com. Official Ghost docs note it’s up to 1,900% faster than a comparable WordPress installghost.org. Ghost themes use minimal assets and automatically generate responsive, compressed imagesdocs.ghost.org. In practice, a fresh Ghost site scores very high on Google’s Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) out‐of‐the‐boxghost.orghighfivethemes.com. |
| Structured Data/Schema | WordPress core lacks JSON‑LD schema. Schema (article, breadcrumbs, organization, etc.) must be added via plugins (Yoast, AIOSEO, Schema Pro, etc.) or theme codekulkowski.pl. SEO plugins automatically output rich-snippet markup (e.g. AIOSEO’s “Rich Snippets” feature)kulkowski.pl, but WP itself does not natively include structured data beyond basic semantics. | Ghost automatically includes structured data (JSON-LD) for posts and pagesghost.org. For example, Ghost adds schema.org markup for posts, authors, and sites without extra setup. (Ghost’s older release notes confirm it outputs Open Graph, Twitter, and Schema tags on sharingghost.org.) This means a Ghost blog has built‐in article schema support, whereas WordPress needs a plugin to achieve the same. |
| XML Sitemaps | WordPress 5.5+ has built-in sitemaps (e.g. yourdomain.com/wp-sitemap.xml). SEO plugins (Yoast, AIOSEO) generate enhanced sitemaps for posts, pages, categories, etc.kulkowski.plwpbeginner.com. The default WP sitemap can be customized or disabled, but by default includes all public URLs. Ensure submission to Google Search Console for indexing. |
Ghost auto-generates an XML sitemap (/sitemap.xml) by defaultghost.orgwpbeginner.com. Ghost updates the sitemap whenever content changes. No configuration is needed; site owners simply copy the sitemap URL into Search Console. (The Ghost help center even includes a guide on integrating with Google Search Consoleghost.org.) Ghost’s sitemap covers all published posts and pages. |
| Indexing & GSC Integration | WordPress can be easily indexed; nothing special is required beyond submitting your site to Google Search Console. Many SEO plugins (Yoast, AIOSEO, Rank Math) streamline this: e.g. AIOSEO can auto-connect to GSC to fetch search analyticskulkowski.pl. WordPress also respects a “Search Engine Visibility” setting (to discourage indexing) in Settings → Reading. Google Search Console works the same as for any site, and WP plugins help import GSC data into the WP dashboardkulkowski.pl. | Ghost similarly allows full indexing. Ghost has built-in support for Google Search Console: you add your site as usual, and Ghost’s sitemap/robots make it easywpbeginner.comghost.org. Ghost’s admin even links to an “Official Ghost + Search Console integration” guideghost.org. In short, both platforms are equally easy to index and monitor in GSC; Ghost just handles sitemap inclusion and indexing tags automatically. |
| Canonical, Redirects, Duplicate Content | WordPress automatically outputs <link rel=canonical> in the head of each post/page (since WP 4.4)wordpress.stackexchange.com. This covers most duplicate‐content cases (e.g. archives vs single posts). For URL changes or 301 redirects, WP requires plugins (Yoast Premium, Redirection) or manual .htaccess edits. WP themes/plugins can control robots/meta tags on archives to avoid duplicates. |
Ghost auto-adds canonical tags on all posts/pagesghost.orgwpbeginner.com, so search engines know the preferred URL. Ghost handles duplicate prevention (e.g. it forces trailing slashes by defaultghost.org). For redirects, Ghost uses a redirects.yaml file (exported from Admin) to define 301/302 rulesghost.org. This built-in redirect config replaces the need for .htaccess on Ghost servers. Duplicate content is controlled by canonical tags; Ghost has no meta “noindex” UI (you rely on canonical/redirects). |
| AMP Support | WordPress supports AMP via plugins (e.g. the official AMP pluginwordpress.org). However, Google no longer treats AMP as a ranking factor. AMP can still be used with WP if desired, but the benefit for SEO is now minimalforum.ghost.org. Many publishers are dropping AMP support, focusing instead on Core Web Vitals. | Ghost has dropped AMP support. Ghost 5.x introduced AMP integration, but Ghost 6.0 (late 2023) removed itforum.ghost.org. Ghost’s official stance is that AMP no longer provides a speed/SEO advantageforum.ghost.orgforum.ghost.org. In practice, Ghost focuses on fast page performance without needing a separate AMP version. |
| Mobile Optimization | Both platforms use responsive design by default. WordPress themes (especially modern or official ones) are mobile-friendlykulkowski.pl. WP also auto-generates responsive image srcset since WP 4.4developer.wordpress.org. Mobile optimization in WP depends on theme and caching (e.g. using AMP or plugins if needed). |
Ghost themes are built to be mobile-first and use automatic responsive imagesdocs.ghost.org. Ghost compresses/resizes images and serves appropriate sizes via srcset, improving mobile load timesdocs.ghost.org. In other words, Ghost handles mobile optimization (responsive CSS, images) out of the box, whereas in WordPress it depends on the chosen theme and image settings. |
| Core Web Vitals | WordPress can achieve good Core Web Vitals but often requires optimization (fast hosting, caching, optimized images). By default, a WordPress site with many plugins may score lower on LCP/CLS without tuningdev.to. Site speed plugins (e.g. caching, lazy‐load) are commonly needed to hit CWV targetskulkowski.pl. | Ghost’s fast, lightweight architecture means a default Ghost site already scores very well on Core Web Vitalsghost.orghighfivethemes.com. Ghost’s emphasis on performance (as noted by official docs and comparisons) means features like large contentful paint (LCP) and input delay are generally optimal out-of-the-boxghost.orghighfivethemes.com. Ghost users still must optimize images and themes, but the baseline is stronger. |
| Technical SEO (robots.txt, .htaccess) | WordPress auto-generates a robots.txt (containing User-agent: *) and, on Apache, uses .htaccess for permalinks. The default WP robots.txt references the sitemapmake.wordpress.org. Users can customize robots.txt via plugins or server config. Redirects/rewrites are handled via .htaccess on Apache (or web.config on IIS) for self-hosted WP. |
Ghost provides a default robots.txt (exposed on the site) which crawlers useghost.org. To override it, you can upload a custom robots.txt in your themeghost.org. Ghost does not use .htaccess (it’s Node.js), so URL rules must be managed in Ghost itself or at the server/proxy level. Ghost’s built-in redirect file (redirects.yaml) and forced trailing slashesghost.orgghost.org handle most technical-SEO rules internally. |
Built-in SEO Features
WordPress has several basic SEO-friendly features by default – it lets you create keyword-rich permalinks (e.g. “/sample-post”) and ensures proper HTML headings (H1/H2) through its editorkulkowski.pl. Most modern WP themes are mobile-responsivekulkowski.pl. However, WordPress core does not output meta descriptions or social meta tags on its own – you get only a generic <title> and a meta “generator” tag. As one SEO guide notes, you must rely on plugins (like Yoast or AIOSEO) to add <meta name="description"> and Open Graph tagskulkowski.plkulkowski.pl. In contrast, Ghost was built with SEO in mind: every Ghost post/page has editable title and description fields, and Ghost automatically generates rich meta tags (including Schema.org, Open Graph, Twitter cards) for social sharingghost.orgghost.org. Ghost also embeds canonical <link> tags on pages to handle duplicatesghost.org. In short, WordPress gives you a good foundation (clean URLs, headings, alt text for images), but Ghost provides much of the metadata automation out of the boxkulkowski.plghost.org.
SEO Plugins and Extensions
WordPress’s strength is its plugin ecosystem. There are thousands of SEO plugins that extend WP’s functionality: Yoast SEO, All-in-One SEO (AIOSEO), Rank Math, etc. These plugins add features like content analysis, automated schema markup, easy XML sitemap management, Google Search Console integration, redirect managers, and even internal link suggestionskulkowski.plkulkowski.pl. For example, AIOSEO can auto-generate sitemaps, handle 301 redirects, and inject rich snippets (schema) for your contentkulkowski.plwpbeginner.com. By contrast, Ghost does not use plugins for SEO. Ghost’s philosophy is that core features should suffice: as one Ghost guide bluntly states, “there is no need for an SEO plugin in Ghost – built-in SEO is far better”ghost.orgghost.org. Ghost sites have no third-party SEO plugin market; any extra functionality (beyond what Ghost provides) must be coded into the theme or integration. In practice, Ghost users use themes or the Ghost UI to manage SEO (e.g. editing metadata and the redirects.yaml fileghost.org), whereas WP users install dedicated SEO plugins.
Page Speed and Performance
Speed is critical for SEO (and Core Web Vitals). WordPress sites can perform very well on fast hosting with caching and optimization, but a vanilla WP setup with many plugins can be slow. Each plugin or heavy theme can add CSS/JS or database overhead; without caching, page load times sufferdev.tohighfivethemes.com. In contrast, Ghost was designed for performance. Its Node.js engine and minimalist front-end mean that Ghost sites load extremely fast by default. Ghost’s official documentation cites independent tests showing Ghost can respond up to 1,900% faster than a comparable WordPress siteghost.org. Ghost also automatically compresses and serves appropriately-sized images for responsive layoutsdocs.ghost.org. On Core Web Vitals metrics like Largest Contentful Paint, Ghost typically scores high out-of-the-box. WordPress can match this with optimization plugins (caching, CDNs, image lazy-loading), but it requires extra setupkulkowski.plkulkowski.pl. In sum, Ghost holds an innate speed advantage, while WordPress’s speed depends on careful hosting and plugin choicesghost.orghighfivethemes.com.
Structured Data and Schema Support
Ghost automatically includes schema.org structured data (JSON‑LD) for its content. Each post/page has schema markup describing the article, author, date, etc., with no manual workghost.org. Ghost’s open graph and Twitter meta tags double as schema enhancements, giving rich previews on social platformsghost.org. In contrast, WordPress core has no native schema output. To add structured data to WP sites, one typically uses an SEO plugin or a specialized schema plugin. For example, AIOSEO can add “rich snippets” JSON‑LD for posts, and Yoast adds basic article schema (but advanced schema types usually require premium add-ons)kulkowski.pl. So while Ghost “just works” with schema, WordPress requires an extra plugin layer for full schema support.
XML Sitemaps
WordPress now includes a basic XML sitemap in core (since WP 5.5) – you can access it at yourdomain.com/wp-sitemap.xmlmake.wordpress.org. However, advanced sitemap control often comes via plugins like Yoast/AIOSEO, which generate sitemap indexes, include images, exclude certain pages, etc.wpbeginner.comkulkowski.pl. Ghost also auto-generates a sitemap by default (/sitemap.xml) and updates it with every changeghost.org. There is no setup needed on Ghost’s part – just submit the Ghost sitemap URL to Google Search Console. Both platforms thus support sitemaps out-of-the-box, but Ghost’s is entirely automatic and managed by the platform, whereas WordPress’s can be basic or enhanced by a plugin. In practice, any site (Ghost or WP) should submit its sitemap to Google for crawling efficiency.
Google Indexing & Search Console
Integrating with Google Search Console (GSC) is straightforward on both. WordPress requires you to verify your site in GSC manually (or via plugin), and then you can monitor indexing, errors, and search performance. Many WP SEO plugins (Yoast/AIOSEO) can fetch your Search Console data into the WordPress dashboardkulkowski.pl. Ghost similarly just needs a site verification step. Ghost’s native sitemap and canonical tags make indexing easywpbeginner.com, and Ghost even links to an “Official Ghost + Search Console” guide in its docsghost.org. In short, neither platform poses any special hurdle for indexing: you add the site in Search Console, and rely on the platform’s sitemaps/robots (Ghost’s are automaticghost.org, WP’s can be set in Settings). Ghost does include a one-click integration guideghost.org, while WP relies on SEO plugins or manual code to verify and pull in GSC datakulkowski.pl.
Canonical Tags, Redirects, and Duplicate Content
Both platforms use canonical URLs to handle duplicates. WordPress automatically inserts a <link rel="canonical"> tag for single posts/pages (WordPress core prints it in the <head>wordpress.stackexchange.com). This helps Google know the preferred URL if the same content appears under multiple addresses (e.g. with/without “www”). WordPress does not natively manage 301 redirects – you either edit your server’s .htaccess (Apache) or use a plugin like Redirection or Yoast Premium for redirect rules. WordPress also often relies on “noindex” settings for category/tag archives if duplicates are an issue.
Ghost handles these differently. It auto-adds canonical tags site-wideghost.org. It also “forces trailing slashes” on URLs by default to avoid a common duplicate issueghost.org. For redirects, Ghost provides a built-in mechanism: you download a redirects.yaml file from the admin, add your 301/302 rules, and re-upload itghost.org. This effectively sets up permanent redirects on Ghost without touching a server config. In summary: WordPress has native canonical links and needs plugins/htaccess for redirects, whereas Ghost has native canonicals and a YAML-driven redirect system built into its admin interfaceghost.orgghost.org.
AMP Support
As of 2025, AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is largely obsolete for SEO. Google has stated AMP is not a ranking factorforum.ghost.org. WordPress sites can still implement AMP via plugins (there is an official “AMP” plugin on wordpress.orgwordpress.org or third-party solutions). Some news publishers may use AMP for certain purposes, but most sites now focus on overall performance instead. Ghost previously offered AMP integration, but in late 2023 Ghost removed its AMP supportforum.ghost.org, noting that modern web performance improvements make AMP unnecessary. Ghost advises users to disable AMP, as it no longer provides SEO benefitforum.ghost.orgforum.ghost.org. So on this point: WP supports AMP via plugin (but it’s optional and not critical in 2025), while Ghost does not support AMP at all (having deprecated it).
Mobile Optimization & Responsiveness
Both WordPress and Ghost support mobile-friendly design. Most WordPress themes today are built mobile-first and are responsive by defaultkulkowski.pl. WordPress core also adds srcset and sizes attributes to images (since WP 4.4) so that browsers load appropriately-sized images on mobiledeveloper.wordpress.org. Ghost likewise requires themes to be responsive, and its default themes (like Casper) are mobile-ready. Notably, Ghost automatically compresses and resizes images and provides responsive image tags for youdocs.ghost.org. In practice, a Ghost site will serve smaller images on mobile out-of-the-box, while a WordPress site relies on its theme and any image-optimization plugins for this. Both platforms can pass Google’s mobile-friendly test, but Ghost’s image pipeline gives it an edge in delivering optimized assets for mobile without extra plugins.
Core Web Vitals Compliance
Core Web Vitals (loading speed, interactivity, visual stability) are critical for SEO rankings. Since Ghost is extremely fast, it typically excels on these metrics by default. Ghost’s lightweight code and optimized images help achieve good LCP and CLS scoresghost.orghighfivethemes.com. WordPress can also meet Core Web Vitals, but often requires more effort (fast hosting, caching, image lazy-loading). In fact, many WordPress sites need performance plugins to hit the same scores that a standard Ghost site gets without modification. The Ghost team’s own blog cites tests where Ghost beat WordPress by a wide margin on speedghost.org. In short, Ghost sites tend to have excellent Core Web Vitals “out of the box,” whereas WordPress sites must be carefully optimized to keep upghost.orgdev.to.
Technical SEO Flexibility
WordPress (on Apache) uses an .htaccess file for URL rewriting and redirects. Self-hosted WP admins can edit .htaccess or use plugins to control redirects and rewrites. WP also auto-generates a robots.txt (usually User-agent: * plus disallow for /wp-admin/), and modern WP exposes the sitemap link in itmake.wordpress.org. You can customize robots.txt via plugins or FTP. Ghost, running on Node, does not use .htaccess. Instead, Ghost has a default robots.txt (which one can override by uploading a custom robots.txt with a theme)ghost.org. URL rules in Ghost are handled either in code (routing config) or via the redirect systemghost.org. In effect, WordPress gives you full server-level control (with more complexity), while Ghost handles most technical SEO rules internally (redirects in redirects.yaml, robots via theme)ghost.orgghost.org.
Winner :
For SEO in 2025, the single winner is Ghost — it’s faster, has all essential SEO features built-in, and ranks well on Google with almost no extra setup.
Sources: Authoritative docs and SEO analyses for WordPress and Ghostghost.orgwpbeginner.comkulkowski.plwordpress.stackexchange.com were used throughout this comparison, along with official Ghost blog/forum announcementsghost.orgforum.ghost.org and expert WP SEO guideskulkowski.plkulkowski.pl, to ensure up-to-date (2025) accuracy.
