Ghost vs WordPress, Substack, Medium: Best Blogging Platform for SEO & Creators in 2025
Compare Ghost CMS vs WordPress, Substack & Medium for SEO, newsletters, and creators.
As a blogger, newsletter writer, or content creator, your publishing platform is more than just a place to put words. It dictates your site's speed, SEO potential, monetization options, and overall control. With popular choices like Ghost CMS, WordPress, Substack, and Medium, picking the right one can feel overwhelming. Let's break down how they stack up, especially focusing on SEO and creator needs.
Choosing the right platform depends heavily on your priorities. Here’s a high-level comparison focusing on key areas for serious creators:
| Feature | Ghost CMS | WordPress | Substack | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO Capabilities | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐ |
| Speed & Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ |
| Newsletter Features | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐ |
| Monetization Options | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ |
| Content Ownership | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ |
Let’s break down why these scores matter — feature by feature — so you can choose the right platform with clarity.
- Ghost CMS: Built-in support for meta tags, structured data, sitemaps, and canonical URLs. No need for extra plugins.
- WordPress: SEO depends on plugins like Yoast or Rank Math. It works, but it's layered.
- Substack: Minimal SEO control. No meta customization.
- Medium: Very limited SEO control. Ranks okay due to Medium’s authority, but not ideal for serious growth.
- Ghost CMS: Built on Node.js. Clean, fast, and optimized for Core Web Vitals.
- WordPress: Can be fast if optimized—but often slow due to heavy plugins or themes.
- Substack: Fairly snappy but not customizable.
- Medium: Decent speed, but limited to their infrastructure.
- Ghost CMS: Full control over themes and code. Supports custom routes, integrations, and memberships.
- WordPress: Highly customizable with themes and plugins.
- Substack: Branding is minimal. Limited layout control.
- Medium: Very restrictive. No custom branding.
- Ghost CMS: Native newsletter functionality. No need for Mailchimp or ConvertKit.
- WordPress: Requires external tools (e.g., MailPoet, ConvertKit).
- Substack: Strong newsletter support with analytics.
- Medium: Lacks proper newsletter support.
- Ghost CMS: Built-in memberships, subscriptions, Stripe integration.
- WordPress: Depends on plugins like WooCommerce or MemberPress.
- Substack: Subscription-based monetization only.
- Medium: Partner Program with limited earnings.
- Ghost CMS: 100% ownership of content, subscribers, and platform.
- WordPress: Full ownership on self-hosted installs.
- Substack: Platform controls much of the data and delivery.
- Medium: Locked into their ecosystem. Migration is difficult.
Who Should Use What?
Ideal for bloggers, creators, and indie publishers who want speed, built-in SEO, newsletters, and monetization—all under one roof. You fully own your platform.
Best for general websites, or users who need full flexibility and have technical/maintenance resources. Good for non-blog content too.
Suited for writers who only care about newsletters and want a zero-hassle setup. But you'll trade control for convenience.
Good for casual bloggers or those who want to write without maintaining a site. Not ideal for growth-focused creators.
Why Ghost CMS Excels for SEO-Minded Creators
Ghost CMS is purpose-built for modern publishing, especially for creators who want:
- Fast-loading pages (score high on Core Web Vitals)
- Ghost's modern tech stack (Node.js) means faster load times out-of-the-box, a crucial factor for Google rankings and user experience.
- SEO-ready structure out of the box (schema, meta tags, clean URLs)
- Automatic sitemaps
- Structured data (Schema.org) markup
- Clean HTML code
- Easy meta title/description customization
- Canonical tags
- AMP support
- Built-in memberships & email newsletter tools to engage your audience
- Ghost allows you to easily segment free vs. paid members and deliver content via web and email seamlessly. This direct relationship is increasingly valuable.
- Clean, distraction-free UI to focus on content creation
- The editor is clean, distraction-free, and optimized for writing and publishing content efficiently. No plugin bloat or overwhelming dashboards.
- Guides & help available for those who are getting started with Ghost CMS.
Unlike WordPress, which can become bloated with plugins, or platforms like Substack and Medium that restrict control, Ghost gives you full ownership of your content and audience.
Use Case: The Professional Newsletter Writer/Blogger
Imagine you want to build a premium newsletter with a public blog component optimized for search engines.
- Setup: Choose a Ghost(Pro) plan or self-host. Select a theme.
- Content: Use the Ghost editor to write blog posts. Optimize meta titles/descriptions directly within the editor's post settings.
- Newsletter: Write newsletter issues within Ghost. Choose your audience segment (e.g., All Members, Paid Members). Hit publish/send.
- Monetization: Connect Stripe via Ghost's integrations. Set up membership tiers (e.g., Free, Monthly Premium, Annual Premium).
- Growth: Your blog posts attract organic traffic via SEO. Visitors can easily subscribe to your free or paid tiers directly on your site.
This integrated workflow is where Ghost CMS shines compared to stitching together WordPress plugins or being limited by Substack's feature set or Medium's lack of control.
Ready to Build Your Audience?
Choosing the best blogging platform depends on your specific needs. If you're a serious creator, blogger, or newsletter writer focused on SEO performance, speed, direct monetization, and professional branding, Ghost CMS offers a compelling, modern solution. It elegantly combines content creation, delivery, and monetization in one focused platform.
While WordPress offers ultimate flexibility and Substack/Medium offer simplicity and network reach, Ghost provides the dedicated tools many professional publishers need for sustainable growth.
Thinking of switching to Ghost CMS?
We handle complete migrations, setup, and optimization—so you can focus on publishing.
