Httparchive recently released data on the First Contentful Paint (FCP) scores of leading content management systems (CMS). The analysis revealed that Wix scored the lowest among all CMS platforms for speed.
However, in other metrics, Wix outperformed WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
What Is First Contentful Paint?
First Contentful Paint (FCP) is a user experience metric that measures how quickly a webpage displays usable content to site visitors.
As depicted in the graph, Wix lagged behind the other CMS platforms in FCP performance.
In a comprehensive study of 25 CMS platforms, including Weebly and TYPO3, Wix had the poorest performance.
Key Findings:
- Only 7.99 percent of Wix sites achieved a Fast ranking.
- 30.94 percent of WordPress sites achieved a Fast ranking.
This represents a significant performance gap between Wix and WordPress—7.99 percent versus 30.94 percent.
Fastest Mobile FCP Scores
Wix showed improved performance on mobile devices. Approximately 9.01 percent of Wix sites were able to achieve a Fast ranking on mobile.
Nonetheless, Wix still ranked last out of 290 CMS platforms analyzed for a Fast score in the mobile category.
The percentage of WordPress sites ranked as Fast on mobile was 19.12 percent.
More Wix Sites Rated Average
Among top CMS platforms, Wix took the lead in the number of sites rated Average for FCP. The rankings were divided into Fast, Average, and Slow.
Most CMS platforms had a higher percentage of Average rankings compared to Fast or Slow. For instance, WordPress sites ranked as follows for mobile FCP:
- Fast: 19.2%
- Average: 51.64%
- Slow: 29.24%
This trend was consistent across Joomla, Drupal, and Wix.
Mobile Performance Lags Behind Desktop
Aside from Wix, most CMS platforms performed worse on mobile than on desktop. This suggests that web publishers may need to better optimize for mobile by reducing the number of images and third-party scripts.
Although Wix ranked last for Fast scores, the platform excelled in having more sites rank at the Average level on mobile devices—a significant metric given its relevance.
Why First Contentful Paint Matters
FCP is vital for user engagement, impacting ad views, clicks, and sales. According to Google, long loading times increase the likelihood of visitors leaving a site. Slow site speeds, particularly on mobile, can negatively affect bounce rates.
Google identified third-party scripts and a high number of images as primary causes of slow site speeds.
Final Thoughts on FCP
FCP is one of many metrics to consider when choosing a CMS. While Wix showed strong performance in certain areas, other factors like ease of updating content independently should also be weighed. Waiting for framework updates can adversely affect search marketing efforts.
For a detailed analysis, please refer to the full report on httparchive.
Image Credits
- Images by Shutterstock, Modified by Author
