Which is the Best E-commerce Platform for SEO?

06/03/2017, SEO

Which is the Best E-commerce Platform for SEO?


Most of my SEO training clients assume that when choosing a Shopping Cart platform for their E-commerce business, most cart systems will be equally capable when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Most experienced SEO experts, on the other hand, know this not always to be the case.

In fact, many of the features needed to help Google understand your website are often only available by paying additional charges or, in some cases, not at all.

Many business owners realise this only too late and only once they have uploaded thousands of product images, product descriptions and stock information.

This table below shows all of the key SEO features you should be looking out for. I have also included a score for each feature based on its importance to your site’s Google ranking. 

I have included the most popular Shopping Cart platforms in the table below. If you have any thoughts, requests or feedback please leave a comment below

Use the scrollbar below to view the full table

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Use the scrollbar above to view the full table

Legend:

greenTick = Available as a standard feature
red-cross-icon-mini = Not available even at extra cost
Custom = Requires additional coding or customisation
Add-on = Feature available with Add-on or Module only
Premium = Available in subscription tiers above basic only
Self-hosted only = Only available if hosted on your own server 

View: Which Ecommerce Cart ranks best on Google?

Independence
This is an independent study by Richman SEO Training for which I receive no incentive (financial or otherwise) for recommending or favouring one vendor over another. Nor do I  receive any affiliate commission from any of the cart vendors listed on this page.

Methodology
This research considers the merits of each shopping cart platform only in respect of its Search Engine Optimisation  (SEO) features. It does not take into account other important criteria such as cost, maintenance or provider reputation.  While you will find comparative studies on several of these criteria, do be aware that many will change frequently. I recommend that you carry out your own assessment by visiting the individual websites of each shortlisted vendor.

 

Feature Weightings
The weightings given to each feature have been loosely based on Moz Correlation Data. Where Moz correlation data was not available, I have used my own judgement and 15 years’ of professional experience.

While some features such as an integrated blog may not traditionally be seen as an SEO ranking factor, for most e-commerce sites a blog will probably be the most likely method of gaining links to the site. For that reason I have assigned a strong weighting to those platforms which included an integrated blog as a standard feature.

 

Platform Scoring
Each platform was awarded a score only where the SEO feature was included as part of the standard package without further customisation, upgrades or add-ons.

The only exception was made in the case of WooCommerce which, although it does not include an integrated blog, is so closely integrated with a free WordPress blog that it was scored on the basis that this feature was included.



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