Why WordPress Tops Core Web Vitals Rankings

The open-source HTTPArchive community publishes the Core Web Vitals Technology Report, which evaluates how different content management systems perform against Google’s Core Web Vitals (CWV). The July update revealed that while all major platforms made progress compared with June, the improvements varied. Joomla recorded the biggest month-on-month growth, whereas Duda secured the top spot in July with 84.96% of its websites meeting CWV standards.

Why Core Web Vitals Matter

Core Web Vitals (CWV) are a set of metrics introduced by Google to assess the speed, stability, and responsiveness of a website from a user’s perspective. Fast-loading, smooth websites help maintain visitor engagement, whereas slower or less stable sites can cause frustration and higher bounce rates. For businesses and publishers, CWV results are a direct indicator of user experience and overall online competitiveness.

How the Data Is Collected

The CWV Technology Report draws on two publicly available datasets:

Chrome UX Report (CrUX): Information collected from Chrome users who choose to share their browsing performance data, giving insight into how people actually experience websites.
HTTP Archive: Laboratory-style tests that evaluate site structures and check whether they align with recognised performance best practices.

By combining these two sources, the report offers a reliable view of how various website platforms perform against Core Web Vitals in real-world conditions.

Percentage Change from June to July

#1 Joomla — largest gain (+3.23%).

#2 Wix — +2.61%.

#3 Drupal — +1.47%.

#4 Duda — +1.33%.

#5 Squarespace — +1.27%.

#6 WordPress — smallest gain (+0.90%).

This ranking shows which platforms advanced most in July. Joomla experienced the highest level of growth, while WordPress improved the least. Wix’s CWV month over month performance improvement was a notable 2.51%.

Ranking by July CWV Score

Duda once again is the Core Web Vitals champion, ranked by the percentage of websites that has a good CWV score.

#1 Duda — 84.96%

#2 Wix — 73.37%

#3 Squarespace — 68.93%

#4 Drupal — 60.54%

#5 Joomla — 54.78%

#6 WordPress — 44.34%

Joomla showed the fastest growth, but it still ranked fifth in July. Duda led with the highest overall performance.

Why the Numbers Matter

Core Web Vitals play a key role in shaping how people experience websites. Platforms that achieve stronger scores tend to deliver quicker loading times and smoother browsing, while those with lower results often leave visitors frustrated with delays. Although all six platforms in the study are showing month-on-month progress, what truly matters is the quality of experience users receive today.

In July, Duda emerged as the clear leader, with 84.96% of sites built on the platform meeting good Core Web Vitals standards. Joomla showed the biggest improvement compared with previous months, yet it still sat close to the bottom, with just 54.78% of its sites achieving positive results. Wix and Squarespace followed behind Duda in second and third place, although both trailed the top performer by more than ten percentage points. WordPress, meanwhile, ranked the lowest overall, both in July’s figures and in its rate of improvement.

Do Content Management Systems Matter For Ranking?

There has been a lot of debate online about whether the content management system (CMS) you choose can influence how well a website ranks on search engines. Some argue that WordPress has an advantage because of its wide range of plugins, making it easier to optimise for Google.

At the same time, many people believe WordPress is faster than platforms like Wix, Duda, and Squarespace. However, the data suggests the opposite—WordPress is actually the slowest among the platforms compared in this study.

In July’s Core Web Vitals results, 84.96% of websites built with Duda achieved a good score, while only 44.34% of WordPress sites met the same standard. This means Duda’s share of high-performing websites was nearly double that of WordPress.

One of the challenges WordPress faces is technical debt, which refers to the build-up of older code and outdated design choices that make it more difficult to maintain or upgrade over time. Unlike proprietary CMS platforms, which are developed under tighter control, WordPress has had to deal with this issue more heavily because of its open-source nature and long history.

There are a few reasons behind this. WordPress began as a simple blogging tool and has gradually expanded into a full CMS. As new functions have been added, developers have had to preserve compatibility with older versions, creating extra complexity and slowing innovation.

The issue of technical debt was a talking point at WordCamp EU 2025, where concerns were raised about volunteer burnout within the WordPress community. With heavy reliance on contributors and limited financial support, there is increasing strain to balance maintaining legacy systems while introducing new features. This has led to knowledge loss, delays in innovation, and long-term concerns about the sustainability of the WordPress ecosystem.

To help address this, WordPress has shifted to a slower annual release schedule. The aim is to give developers more time to tackle technical debt while ensuring that progress is still made.

Despite these challenges, WordPress continues to rank highly in search results. This shows that a CMS alone is not necessarily the deciding factor for SEO success. Platforms like Wix and Duda may be built with SEO in mind, but Google rankings still favour WordPress websites in many cases.

Even so, performance remains a crucial factor for user experience and conversions. The HTTPArchive Technology Comparison Report clearly highlighted this in July, ranking WordPress last in terms of Core Web Vitals performance when compared with other platforms.