WordPress vs Shopify: Which Is Better for SEO?

Published On - October 3, 2022

Matson Huff search engine optimization
WordPress vs Shopify Which Is Better for SEO

Is WordPress or Shopify better for SEO? The question is likely to be one with a lot of different answers. To declare that one platform is better, in general, seems to be an impossible task. There are many features built into these platforms, and each of them can cater perfectly to a wider range of audiences.

Many businesses and brands are aware of the importance of SEO for their digital properties as well as their businesses. You need to choose a platform that allows you to do SEO and is also affordable.

This article will help you understand the basics of SEO so you can make the right choice when choosing a platform. This section will provide more information about SEO and how it can improve a website’s visibility and searchability.

SEO Is Important

SEO can be used to help brands establish a solid foundation for their website. It also helps create a user-friendly experience through the search tools. SEO marketing is becoming increasingly important in today’s highly competitive market.

SEO is also a great way to promote your website socially and is also important for social promotion. For example, people who search Google or Yahoo for your website can promote it via Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks.

Shopify Overview

Shopify, an eCommerce platform, is designed to allow you to create and customize your online store. It lets you sell in many different places, such as the web, mobile, social, online marketplaces, and brick-and-mortar. You will also have the ability to be an administrator, which allows you to manage inventory, payments, shipping, and products.

WordPress (Woocommerce) Overview

WooCommerce offers both ease of use and long-term maintenance, which makes it stand out from other platforms. It is one of the most popular WordPress eCommerce plugins to help you build and grow your online business. WooCommerce is also known for its simplicity and flexibility.

Key Things to Watch Out for When Choosing an Seo-Friendly Platform

Here’s a list of essential features you should consider when choosing an SEO-friendly eCommerce platform.

1. The Ability to Modify Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, and URLs

First, make sure you choose a platform that allows you to edit title tags, URLs, and header tags. You can see that title tags and meta descriptions are crucial to being able to insert your targeted keywords in a strategic way. 

If the platform doesn’t allow you to edit title tags and meta descriptions, URLs, and header tags for your home, products, collections, or other pages that are customizable, you may have difficulty controlling how your website appears on Google.

2. Simple 301 Redirects and a Well-Optimized URL Structure

The problem of automatically generating URLs is very common for eCommerce platforms. This makes it difficult for search engines to understand product pages and dynamically generated pages.

The URL remains an important component of a page’s SEO. It can provide information to search engines about the page and also serve as a way for them to find it. It is highly recommended that you choose an SEO-friendly eCommerce platform that allows you to edit URL strings quickly and easily and rearrange the structure.

3. Mobile Customization

Creating an online store is one way to improve customers’ shopping experiences. Another option is to ensure that your website can be accessed smoothly from a mobile device. You should look for eCommerce platforms with cutting-edge options that allow you to optimize your website for mobile devices. This could be an app that creates a store for you or a responsive design, where a website adapts its size and shape depending on the screen it is being displayed on.

4. Effective Internal Search and Indexation of Internal Results Pages

It is important that the platform allows users to control how these pages appear in search engines. You or someone on your eCommerce support team should be able to modify individual search results pages by changing their title tags and meta descriptions, as well as by changing the content.

Shopify SEO

Pros

  • Simple to implement: Shopify SEO has been well-constructed to allow many businesses to increase their profits without the need for technology. The SEO configurations on this site are extremely easy to use because the backend is so simple.
  • Fully SEO-featured: Shopify offers the key SEO options that most store owners need. It will automatically generate the sitemap, custom URLs, canonical instructions, and 301 redirects. You can also customize the title tags.
  • Speed: Shopify is an adaptive platform. It is lightweight so it can be used to run your online shop smoothly.
  • Uptime: Shopify can help you improve your business’s performance by providing a high level of uptime.
  • Support: SEOs can rely on reliable communication support to resolve any issues. Shopify offers a dedicated support team that you can contact via email and live chat. You can also call them at any hour of the day using four different numbers, depending on where you live.
  • Apps: There are many Shopify SEO tools that can help you improve your life. Shopify creates apps to help sites meet specific requirements in the countries where they operate.

Cons

  • App reliant: We have high regard for app stores. While we appreciate the large and attractive supply of apps, the more in-house features are better. Shopify is like a tad who depends too heavily on apps to meet advanced SEO requirements.
  • There are many useful, but expensive apps: Shopify’s Lite plan is the only one with a low-priced plan at $9. However, this doesn’t permit you to create an online store with all the features. Using these apps will mean that you will have to manually add your data to the software. This can be very time-consuming. You can also hire someone but that would cost you between $50 and $300 per month. 
  • Unavailable phone support outside of North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand: You might not be able to get technical support from the general staff if you are outside these regions. In these situations, you may need to post your question on a forum to receive a response from a developer.

WordPress SEO

Pros

  • Unlimited customization: WordPress can be used as a platform. This means that the code is also available. WordPress offers endless customization options, so you can create a store that is unique with WooCommerce.
  • Stylish, specially-designed themes WooThemes: The WordPress theme is a collection of unique, mobile-responsive themes. There are many options to choose from. WordPress themes can be used with WooCommerce to give you endless design options.
  • Powerful SEO: WordPress is well-known for its powerful SEO. It allows you to access WordPress’ blog infrastructure. You can also edit the metadata of your store. WooCommerce provides everything you need to harness search engine optimization to dominate Google rankings.

Cons

  • Insufficient customer support: WordPress does not offer phone support. You will need to submit tickets or search the forum for the solution to your problem.
  • Slow loading: When you combine with Shopify, WordPress will have slower loading times and lower performance than Shopify because of its dedicated servers.

WordPress vs. Shopify: Which One Is Better for SEO?

Is WordPress or Shopify better for SEO? Quality SEO is a strong strategy that can be implemented on a brand’s website and digital properties. This will benefit the brand and its marketing efforts. We have Shopify and WordPress SEO, which are both robust eCommerce platforms that will help you make sure your products appear in front of the right people.

Shopify is a great tool for managing all aspects of your store, including SEO while WordPress gives you complete control. Shopify’s App Store has many SEO plugins. WordPress allows you to add meta descriptions and titles to pages to help Google understand what they are about. In conclusion, both can provide apps and integrations to boost your store. They are also very easy to use and offer excellent customer support.

The answer depends on what you need. WordPress is the better choice if you require a custom solution that can be customized to your needs, such as professional developers. Shopify is a great choice if you have zero experience with developing online stores. WordPress, on the other hand, is more user-friendly and is better suited for developers than for ordinary online store owners. WordPress can also be used to make minor changes to your website. It is an excellent choice for beginners in blogging. It’s up to you to make it all happen!

Work With the Experts

Lux Digital Marketing is an expert in helping companies succeed with both Shopify and WordPress. We’ve had years of experience helping companies grow their businesses using both platforms.

We present you with high-quality services that include:

The best way to determine if we’re a good fit for your business is to schedule a FREE discovery call. During this meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to discuss your goals and concerns with our team. Let our St Pete SEO team help you grow your business in ways that you never imagined. Contact us today to learn more about our top-ranked SEO strategies!