Over the last fifteen years I have built, modified, repaired and generated traffic for countless online stores. And while there have been changes in the options for eCommerce platforms for SEO strategies, the ultimate goal has remained the same: more sales.
It’s easy to lose sight of that goal, what with all of the things to track and jargon to decipher. But if there’s anything my experiences have taught me it’s to not lose sight of the reason you drive traffic to your eCommerce store in the first place.
Over the next couple of months I’m going to help you choose the eCommerce platforms for SEO that fit your needs. We’ll pull from my experiences with the platforms and I’ll interview my friends in the industry of SEO.
SEO for eCommerce is the technique, tactics and strategy of optimizing your online store so that your products are more easily found by your customers. Unlike websites that sell services or content which rely on the volume of published content and trends, eCommerce SEO has its own set of needs.
To optimize your online store it’s important to understand how search engines (either native search engines like Google or those built into other types of apps like TikTok or Search ChatGPT) find, rank and serve products. The next couple of things to know about SEO for an eCommerce site are:
eCommerce platforms are the technology that enables the “shopping cart” (checkout experience, payment gateway), product catalog, inventory management, and payment processing. There are a variety of options to choose from, each with their own advantages and disadvantages – but our series will only be looking at them from an SEO perspective.
We intend to help you answer the question, “what is the best eCommerce platform for SEO?”, so let’s get started:
If you ask 10 marketing or web professionals what to look for you’ll probably get 10 different answers. I even have my own preferences, things that I think make the most impact. But there are three areas that should be considered when choosing the platform that supports your business.
Our series is going to pit eCommerce platforms mono a mono in a 1v1 rundown. Each platform will be compared to their competitors purely from an SEO perspective, so that regardless of which platforms you’re considering or migrating to / from you can easily see the differences in black and white. Without further ado here are the contenders…
Shopify is probably the biggest household name of the group, and its biggest SEO advantage is fast page speeds out of the box. They have a large app ecosystem to support organic search marketing, but that can get expensive quick. It offers easy scale for small businesses or one person teams that are just starting out, though you’ll be limited in the kind of demand generation that you can do by Shopify’s native URL structure and rigid page system.
WooCommerce is ideal for content rich sites, or companies that want to (or currently do) invest in their demand generation. It supports customized URL structures, and through (mostly) free plugins you can manage all of your advanced SEO efforts. However, WooCommerce also requires a higher level of technical expertise for site speed, security, mobile optimization, etc.
Wix provides a simple, intuitive platform with built in SEO features like customizable meta tags, schema support, and image optimization. Its dynamic page settings and Ai tools make it a good option for beginners or small businesses without technical expertise. But in my experience you never want to use Ai for SEO, and there’s data that supports this. Wix also lacks advanced functionality and can prove to be a clunky setup.
BigCommerce stands out for its native SEO features, such as fully customizable meta fields, fast page speeds, and strong support for structured data. It doesn’t impose forced URL paths, giving users more flexibility. While it has fewer tools for advanced users, it provides a solid foundation for enterprise level scalability, especially when paired with developer support. BigCommerce works well for larger businesses that want strong out-of-the-box SEO capabilities.
Square’s eCommerce platform is tailored for small businesses and brick-and-mortar stores transitioning online, offering basic SEO tools like meta tags, responsive design, and integration with Google My Business. Its strength lies in its simplicity and integration with Square’s POS and payment systems, making it a natural fit for local businesses. However, its limited organic search customization and weaker content marketing features make it suboptimal for large scale eCommerce or businesses focused on organic search growth. Square is best for businesses that benefit from local SEO whose marketing comes from its in-person footprint. Square provides a simple solution for stores that prioritize ease of use over advanced functionality.
Now that you’ve had a taste to whet your whistle I’d like to invite you to read the individual articles we publish over the coming months. While there is no wrong answer, there is an optimal solution to every eCommerce SEO opportunity.
My goal is to give you all of the information that you need to make the best decision for your business – whether you have a brand new idea you’re testing in the market, a small one person handmade shop, a local brick-and-mortar store, or a big eCommerce store that’s been around for decades.
