Often, we come across websites that are built on open-source or licensed content management systems (CMS) with eCommerce add-ons. While some of the most popular platforms such as WordPress, Magento, etc. come with ready features for search engine optimization, many others lack even the basic features that could allow you to carry out on-page optimizations.
Are You Yet to Choose a Website Platform?
Make sure it is actually SEO friendly. Even if the developer’s response to your query is affirmative, do some homework at your own end.
Some of the most common features that the website platform should have are as follows:
- Ability to restructure URLs without having to go into too many details
- Ability to add page titles, meta descriptions, etc. without having to go into the HTML
- Ability to add 301 redirects on the go without having to pay a website developer to do that
- An option to check Google Analytics and other such tools to the website without having to access the HTML code directly
If a platform does not have ready features for all of these fundamental SEO requirements, it is a good idea to re-consider your decision of going ahead with it.
Have You Chosen a Platform Already?
There are many business owners who first created a website few years ago with not-so-great content management systems. The websites were there just as a showpiece. But now that they want to market these websites on the Internet by hiring SEO teams, do you not think the lack of SEO features is going to be a permanent problem?
Even if you have to shift the platform at a time when you are done investing in a low-end platform and have a functional website up and running, you shouldn’t hesitate to do that. It’s also applicable to local eCommerce websites that were first built on proprietary platforms developed by some developers who cannot really afford to add new features for SEO.
In the long term, an SEO friendly platform such as WordPress will just make it easier for SEO teams to carry on with day to day tasks. The ongoing SEO costs too will be less.