There’s a lot of advice out there about which CMS to choose, which page builder is best, and whether you need fancy SEO plugins to rank. Most of it is opinion. We wanted data.
So we analyzed 583 Calgary business websites that rank on the first page of Google across 70 different local search terms. We manually verified every CMS, page builder, analytics setup, and SEO plugin. This is what we found.
Key takeways:
- Wix – 50% of Wix sites stuck in positions 6-10, only 8% reach top 3 (mostly DIYers business owners –more opportunity for SEO agencies)?
- Squarespace outranks WordPress for top 3 positions (47% vs 36%). Lighter code for the win?
- Gutenberg beats Elementor and Divi — 54% top 3 rate, average position 4.1 (cleaner code)
- 80% of sites missing easy wins — no caching plugin detected, though other caching methods are used
- DR doesn’t determine local rankings — 81 sites with DR ≤5 rank in top 5
- Almost nobody blocks AI bots — and the 1.7% who do mostly rank lower
How we gathered this data
We started by identifying 70 high-intent Calgary search terms, each with 100+ monthly searches. These are high value keywords, and terms which real customers in Calgary type when looking for local services.
Using Ahrefs’ SERP data, we pulled the top 10 ranking URLs for each keyword. After removing duplicates and filtering for local Calgary businesses, we had 583 unique websites to analyze.
We then built a custom scanner to detect technologies—but we didn’t stop there. Every single row was manually verified to ensure accuracy. When our scanner said “Unknown CMS,” we dug into the source code to identify the actual platform.
Industries we covered
Our dataset spans six major verticals representing Calgary’s most competitive SEO business landscape:
- Trades (156 sites) – Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, landscapers
- Services (166 sites) – Moving companies, cleaners, photographers, event planners
- Medical (119 sites) – Dentists, physiotherapists, veterinarians, counsellors
- Professional Services (106 sites) – Lawyers, accountants, marketing agencies
- Fintech (25 sites) – Mortgage brokers, insurance, financial advisors
- Real Estate (14 sites) – Realtors, property management
CMS market share: WordPress dominates
Let’s cut to the chase: WordPress powers 69.3% of first-page rankings in Calgary. That’s not surprising—but what happens with the other 30% is fascinating.
Squarespace comes in second at 5.1%, followed by Webflow (2.4%) and Wix (2.1%). But market share doesn’t tell the whole story. What really matters is how these platforms perform in actual crucial spots in the top 10 results of 1st page on Google.
Domain rating by platform
We also looked at Domain Rating (DR)—Ahrefs’ metric for backlink authority. It’s important to note that DR measures backlink strength, not ranking ability directly. A site can rank well with low DR if it has strong on-page SEO and relevance. Still, DR gives us insight into which platforms attract more link-building investment.
We weren’t surprised that Vue.js custom built websites came in as a winner. National insurance companies, media, rehabilitation services (CBIHealth.ca), painting (Certapro) have a huge cross-province footprint amassing backlinks hugely directly impacting Domain Rating score.
Silverstripe too. Seems that it’s pretty much used only by law firms who similarly to domains built on Vue.js, attract news related backlinks which will boost Domain Rating score.
Laravel has a decent footprint among medical and fitness websites. Something to think about.
Webflow sites average 20.1 DR, WordPress 17.2 DR, and Wix just 4.8 DR.
The Wix numbers likely reflect that businesses choosing Wix tend to invest less in link building and off-page SEO overall. Wix is a great platform and has gone light years ahead, but their Ideal Client Profile (ICP) is small business owners looking to put their name online, so they might be a great target audience for marketing agencies (for their next email campaign?).
CMS choice can indicate the size of client you’d be working with. Custom built websites (Vue.js, Laravel) might indicate a larger national client, Silverstripe can be a law firm or governmental entity, Webflow & WordPress get it done clients.
Which platforms rank where in Calgary SERPs?
More telling than DR is where each platform actually ranks. We categorized sites into top 3 positions versus bottom positions (6-10):
- Wix: Only 8.3% rank in top 3, while 50% sit in positions 6-10
- Squarespace: 46.7% in top 3, 43.3% in bottom positions
- WordPress: 35.9% in top 3, 40.8% in bottom positions
- Webflow: 42.9% in top 3, 42.9% in bottom positions
The Wix data is again, striking. Half of all Wix sites in our study rank in positions 6-10, and only 1 in 12 makes the top 3. If you’re on Wix and struggling to break into top positions, the platform itself might not be limiting you per se. But it does signal that you should take the next step in further optimizing your website.
Which page builder is the best for Calgary SEO?
For WordPress users, the choice of page builder is a hot topic. Elementor(what bloat?) dominates with 47.5% market share among WordPress sites, followed by Divi at 29.2%.
Divi sites show higher average DR (19.1 vs 15.6), but when we look at actual ranking positions, the picture is more nuanced:
- Gutenberg (native editor): 53.6% in top 3, average position 4.1
- Elementor: 34.9% in top 3, average position 5.6
- Divi: 32.2% in top 3, average position 6.6
- WPBakery: 23.1% in top 3, 61.5% in bottom positions
The real winner? Built on React, the WordPress’s native Gutenberg editor shows the best ranking distribution. Sites using Gutenberg average position 4.1 compared to 5.6 for Elementor and 6.6 for Divi. This could reflect lighter page weight, better text-to-code ratio and cleaner code output.
What top 3 rankings have in common
We separated sites ranking in positions 1-3 from those in positions 4-10 to see what distinguishes the top performers.
The CMS breakdown is remarkably similar between top 3 and the rest—WordPress dominates both at roughly 69%. As expected, the platform choice alone isn’t the differentiator for top rankings.
It’s what you publish, and how you position it in the grand scheme of your website URL architecture.
Google Tag Manager adoption is nearly identical across positions (67-68%). This suggests that GTM itself isn’t a ranking factor, but it does show the SEO maturity of businesses in Calgary for tracking & traffic analytics. Over two-thirds of first-page sites use it.
Local SEO + CMS choice industry-specific insights?
Different industries show different technology preferences and performance patterns.
Trades (plumbers, electricians, HVAC)
WordPress reigns supreme with 70%+ market share. Elementor is the most common page builder. The top performer is CertaPro Painters (DR 71) on WordPress—a national franchise with serious SEO investment.
Medical (dentists, physio, veterinarians)
We found significant use of industry-specific platforms like Jane App for clinics and ZURB Foundation for dental practices using third-party booking systems. The top performer is VCA Canada (DR 71) on Sitecore—an enterprise CMS reflecting corporate investment.
Professional Services (lawyers, accountants)
Higher proportion of custom-built sites and React applications. This vertical shows the highest average DR overall, likely reflecting larger marketing budgets and more competitive keywords.
SEO plugins: Does the choice matter?
Among WordPress sites, Yoast SEO leads at 45.4% adoption, with Rank Math at 17.7%. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: 27% of WordPress sites have no detectable SEO plugin.
Yoast users average 17.9 DR versus Rank Math’s 17.4 DR—statistically identical. The specific plugin matters less than actually using one and configuring it properly. You can pick either and focus on your content and technical SEO fundamentals.
Caching and CDN: The untapped opportunity
Only 21% of sites have detectable caching plugins, and just 7% use a content delivery network (CDN). Given Google’s emphasis on Core Web Vitals, this represents a massive optimization gap.
Sites with caching average 21.4 DR versus 16.2 DR for those without. While this doesn’t prove caching improves rankings directly, it suggests that businesses investing in website performance optimization also tend to invest in link building and overall SEO. WP Rocket leads adoption (64 sites), followed by LiteSpeed Cache (31 sites).
Do YYC businesses care about AI bot blocking?
We checked every site’s robots.txt for AI crawler blocks (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, CCBot, Google-Extended). Only 10 sites (1.9%) are blocking AI bots—and their ranking distribution is telling.
Where AI-blocking sites actually rank
Of the 10 sites blocking AI crawlers:
- Only 2 (20%) rank in top 3 positions – compared to 36% of all sites
- 4 sites (40%) rank in positions 4-5
- 4 sites (40%) rank in positions 6-10
In other words, 80% of AI-blocking sites rank in positions 4 or lower. The sample size is small (just 10 sites), so we can’t draw definitive conclusions—but it’s notable that top-ranking sites aren’t rushing to block AI crawlers.
The case for blocking AI crawlers
- Content protection: Prevents your content from training AI models without permission
- Bandwidth savings: AI crawlers can be aggressive and consume server resources
- Competitive advantage: Your unique content stays unique
The case against blocking
- AI visibility: As AI assistants answer more queries, being excluded could mean missing referrals
- Future uncertainty: We don’t yet know how AI will impact local business discovery
- Current adoption: 98% of ranking Calgary sites aren’t blocking—you’d be in a tiny minority
Our recommendation: For most local businesses, focus on ranking in traditional search first. The AI landscape is evolving rapidly, and blocking now may close doors you don’t even know exist yet.
Calgary page-one ranking distribution by platform
We have to admit that we were looking down on Squarespace before as a CMS.
Shockingly enough, Squarespace shows the highest proportion of top 3 rankings among major platforms (46.7%), despite lower overall DR.
This suggests that for certain local keywords, a clean, well-optimized Squarespace site can compete effectively—the platform doesn’t automatically limit you but it can actually help.
Key takeaways for Calgary businesses
- WordPress is the safe choice – 69% market share and consistent performance across industries
- Avoid Wix for competitive keywords – 50% rank in bottom positions, only 8% reach top 3
- Consider Gutenberg over page builders – best average position (4.1) among WordPress options
- Install caching – 79% of sites don’t have it, easy performance win
- Use an SEO plugin – 27% of WordPress sites are missing this basic setup
- Set up GTM – 68% of first-page sites use it; it’s table stakes
- Don’t rush to block AI bots – 98% of ranking sites don’t, and blockers skew toward lower positions
Need help with your Calgary website?
At Visibility Drip, we don’t guess—we research. This study is part of our commitment to data-driven SEO and web design for Calgary small businesses.
Whether you need a new website built on the right platform, or want to optimize your existing site based on what actually works in Calgary’s competitive landscape, we can help.
Methodology: Data collected December 2025 using Ahrefs SERP data and custom technology detection. All CMS and page builder identifications manually verified. Domain Rating sourced from Ahrefs and measures backlink authority, not ranking position directly.
