In this Framer blog, I will show you how iFrames affect performance and SEO in 2026 and why replacing heavy embeds can significantly improve your website ranking.
Niklas Hass
Webdesigner & Entrepreneur
Table of Contents
What is an iFrame
An iFrame is an inline frame. It is an HTML element that loads an external webpage inside your own page.
This means every iFrame brings its own scripts, stylesheets, resources and even tracking tools.
In simple terms:
An iFrame loads a complete secondary website inside yours.
Example of a typical iFrame in HTML:
At first this looks convenient, but iFrames can slow down Framer websites noticeably.
Common iFrames used on Framer websites
Many elements look lightweight, but they are in fact large iFrames with heavy external scripts.
Here are the most common examples.
Cal com and Calendly embeds
These booking tools load many external scripts and slow down the page.
They often reduce mobile performance significantly.
HubSpot Forms Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign
Lead forms are script heavy.
They are one of the most common PageSpeed bottlenecks.
Typeform and Tally
These form tools rely entirely on iFrames.
They look great but hurt performance.
Google Maps embeds
Google Maps is one of the strongest performance killers.
It loads many JavaScript files and delays rendering.
YouTube and Vimeo videos
These are also iFrames but can be controlled well with lazy loading.
How iFrames affect SEO in 2026
Core Web Vitals have become an even stronger ranking factor.
SEO in 2026 relies heavily on fast, stable and lightweight pages.
iFrames work against that goal.
iFrames slow your website down
Each iFrame loads:
additional DNS requests
JavaScript from external sources
CSS files
tracking scripts
fonts and icons
The result is slower loading times and weaker Core Web Vitals, especially FCP, LCP and INP.
Google does not index iFrame content as your content
The content inside an iFrame is technically assigned to the external website.
This means:
no SEO value for your site
no ranking boost
no additional indexable content
iFrames do not help SEO at all.
iFrames can cause layout shifts
If an iFrame loads late or changes its height during load, layout shifts occur.
This affects the CLS value, an important Core Web Vital metric.
My experience with iFrames on a Framer website
On my own Webnity X website I used several embeds, including:
a Cal.com inline booking form
external widgets inside the Embed block
a few script based tools
This caused a clear drop in Google PageSpeed Insights scores. The mobile score suffered the most.
After removing the iFrames and replacing them with simple buttons that link to the external pages, the performance improved immediately. The website loads faster and ranks better.
Example:
Instead of embedding Cal com directly, I now use a button like ,,Book a call'' and link straight to the external Cal com page.
When you should avoid using iFrames
You should avoid iFrames when:
you focus on SEO
your homepage should rank well
you build high performing service landing pages
your audience is mostly on mobile
the external tool loads many scripts
Framer is fast by design. iFrames slow it down.
When iFrames are still useful
iFrames can still be helpful in some cases.
embedding videos with lazy loading
displaying content that does not need to be indexed
internal demo pages
features that Framer cannot provide natively
As long as the overall page remains fast, one iFrame is not harmful
Conclusion
iFrames look simple and convenient. In practice they often slow down the page, weaken the Core Web Vitals and reduce SEO performance. Especially on Framer websites it is smart to avoid heavy external embeds whenever possible.
Recommended alternatives:
use buttons instead of iFrame embeds
rely on native Framer elements
link to external tools instead of embedding them
replace Google Maps with a static screenshot
build forms directly inside Framer
This results in a faster website and stronger SEO performance in 2026.
