First of all, why is SEO important for ecommerce?
Given that 93% of all internet activity begins with a simple search, you will have difficulties managing an online shop if nobody can find your site in Google. This is why you have to find the best ecommerce platform for SEO.
By making sure that your products can be easily found on search engines, like Google, you can make the difference between an unsuccessful online business and a successful one. An efficient SEO strategy makes sure that your site's pages are most relevant for a search engine, on certain keywords your potential customers use.
It's possible that most online business owners don't know that the ecommerce platform they are using is not "equipped" with those characteristics that make the online shop visible on search engines. Some platforms only have a few basic SEO elements, while others come with the most advanced tools available. Moreover, some platforms offer apps to test how well optimized your site is.
We analyzed the main ecommerce platforms, in order to decide which is the best one. Here are the characteristics we took into account for evaluating the best ecommerce platform for SEO:
1. Independent navigation links
The navigation link is the text that appears on the products and categories in the site's navigation menu. Some ecommerce platform will generate automatic navigation links from the menus, using the same names as the products and categories in your online shop. SEO wise, it's better to independently control each navigation link.
2. Independent page titles
The page title is the text that appears in the File section, in the top of your browser. It is displayed also when a user bookmarks a page or saves it on his desktop. Page titles that include a keyword have a major advantage, moreover when it is placed in the beginning of the title. Some ecommerce platforms will automatically generate page titles, using the same names as the product or category names.
3. Independent page URLs
The URL of your page is your site's address, displayed in the browser's bar. Page URLs that include keywords are usually ranking better than those who don't. Some ecommerce platforms will automatically generate URLs, using the same names as the product or category names. SEO wise, it's better to independently control URLs. Your site's ranking can suffer if the URLs are too long or irrelevant. Moreover, it's possible to have a completely different title than what needs to be displayed in the URL.
4. Independent meta descriptions
The meta description is the text that appears under your link, on Google's result pages. Although the description doesn't directly influence your ranking, it can be a decisive factor when users have to choose between clicking your link and clicking your competitor's link.
So, in a way, the meta description affects your search engine ranking, because more people will click your links if you have a relevant description, thus showing Google that your site is popular and relevant.
Some ecommerce platforms will automatically use the description displayed on the page, to create a default meta description, without offering you the possibility to independently control the text that appears in Google.
5. Independent image ALT tags
An ALT tag is a text attached to a product's image, describing the image for search engines and for users who can't see images in their browser. Although ALT tag doesn't have a big influence on your website's ranking, it can affect your image's ranking on Google image search.
6. Independent H1 headings
H1 tag is the main heading that appears on product and category pages. When the headings are optimised for keywords that potential customers use to make Googlesearches, it will positively influence your website's ranking on search engines.
7. Canonical URLs
A canonical URL is the original address of a page, which can be found in multiple places. Most ecommerce platforms use methods by which they edit canonical URLs. The only problem is that most of the time, you have to modify the site's files.
8. Integrated blogging platform
Beside the fact that your site should contain pages relevant to the keywords your potential customers use in their searches, the most important factor that affects your website's visibility in Google is represented by the number and quality of your website's backlinks.
Certainly, things have changed since many sites suffered due to link exchanges. However, Google still takes into account the backlinks of a site. Therefore, when sites have a lot of inbound links, they are statistically more credible. It's not a perfect or exact system, but when you start to publish relevant and quality content, more people will become interested in your products and your site will grow in SERP.
Few online shops have products so well known and unique that other sites will link to them. Therefore, the easiest way to attract backlinks is through a blog with fresh, innovative, interesting and shareable content.
If your blog is not listed under the same domain as your online shop, the links sending to your blog will not attract significant changes in Google rankings. This is why it's essential that your online shop includes a blog on the same domain as your ecommerce site.
9. Social sharing buttons
Social sharing buttons are easily recognisible buttons, that make it easy for customers to share your site, your products, and posts on social media.
Some ecommerce platforms offer this facility only to paying members, but most of the platforms include social sharing buttons.
10. Auto XML sitemap
An XML sitemap is a file on your web server, that helps search engines find and index your website's content. It's important to know that the XML sitemap is different from an HTML sitemap, created to help users find the desired content on your website.
While most ecommerce platforms automatically generate XML sitemaps, others offer this as a premium add-on, available by pay. The good news is that everyone can send their XML sitemap to Google, through Google Search Console.
11. Own domain name
A domain name is a unique name by which your site is found on the internet. Your domain name should be the same as your company's name. Having your own domain name is, without doubt, the most important factor you should consider when launching an online shop.
Most ecommerce platforms allow you to use your own domain name, while others offer this benefit only as a premium feature, with additional costs.
12. Own IP address
An IP address is a unique number representing your site's location on the internet. We could access amazon.com by typing amazon.com or by its address, 72.21.215.232. Generally, we prefer using web domains, because they are much easier to remember.
On some ecommerce platforms, one IP address can be allocated to more than one online shop. Most ecommerce platforms' owners don't offer a personalized IP address. Although we hope they won't allow another client to have a negative impact on your site, it's recommended to choose a platform that allows you to have your own IP address.
13. 301 redirects
A 301 redirect is a command used to redirect a browser or a search engine from a URL address to another. While the majority of ecommerce platforms allow you to create 301 redirects from older links to newer ones, others offer this facility only as a premium feature, with additional costs.
14. Robots noindex
A robot.txt file is a file located on your server, which informs a search engine about the pages or sections on your website that he should or should not index. The accuracy with which a search engine indexes your website depends on the authority your website has gained by the number and quality of backlinks. As a rule: the bigger your domain authority is, the more pages from your domain will Google analyze.
Most ecommerce platforms generate a robots.txt file based on a set of standard hypotheses which indicate the folders that should not be analyzed by Google robots. But what if you want a certain page (which is not already blocked by the index function) not to be analyzed? In this case, the ecommerce platform you opted for might help you. The only problem is that you either have to access the site's files or use a plugin or app to help you do that.
Choosing the best ecommerce platform for SEO should not be treated superficially. Although you might be tempted to use the cheapest solution, this might be a decision you will regret. If you will observe that you can't attract more visitors due to the platform's limited capacities, you will regret not spending more time searching and finding the best platform and spending your money on an inefficient platform.
We hope that this article helps you make the best decision and make a smart investment for your business. Good luck!
