# Which Ecommerce Platform Is Best For SEO? > First in our guide we will discuss the importance of ecommerce SEO. Then, we’ll compare two popular ecommerce tools, WooCommerce and Shopify. - Author: [Sophia Lee](https://www.namehero.com/blog/author/sophia-lee/) - Published: 2024-07-19 - Updated: 2024-07-19 - Category: [WooCommerce](https://www.namehero.com/blog/category/woocommerce/) - Web page: https://www.namehero.com/blog/which-ecommerce-platform-is-best-for-seo/ [![](https://blogcdn.namehero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/10104246/whichecommerce-1024x576.jpg)](https://blogcdn.namehero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/10104246/whichecommerce.jpg) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can help internet users find your website more easily. And, when you increase your organic web traffic, you’re more likely to reach your goals. This is especially true for online businesses. With this in mind, you might be wondering: which ecommerce platform is best for SEO? WooCommerce and Shopify are two of the most popular ecommerce platforms, but they each have their own SEO features. Plus, the base software of each platform has distinct levels of customization and extension. In this post, we’ll start by discussing the importance of [ecommerce SEO](https://www.namehero.com/blog/how-to-run-an-ecommerce-seo-audit-5-steps/). Then, we’ll compare two popular ecommerce tools, WooCommerce and Shopify, in terms of their SEO capabilities. That way, you’ll be better equipped to pick the right one for your business. Let’s get to it! ## Why SEO Is Important for Ecommerce Sites Before we compare the best ecommerce platforms for SEO, let’s talk about why you should care about search engine optimization. Here are some of the main benefits of prioritizing SEO performance: - **Boost brand awareness**: Regardless of the product or services you sell, SEO can help increase your brand visibility among potential customers. - **Enhance perceived credibility**: Since search engines like Google are widely used and trusted, appearing in the top search engine results pages (SERPs) can organically boost your store’s online reputation as a reliable business. - **Increase revenue**: Naturally, if you’re driving more organic traffic to your ecommerce site, it can lead to a boost in conversions and profits. As you can see, there are many advantages to prioritizing SEO. In fact, [50 percent of marketing professionals](https://www.statista.com/statistics/248052/impact-seo-marketing-worldwide/) say that SEO has had a large positive impact on their goals. Plus, the return on investment (ROI) is excellent, since many SEO strategies are free or affordable. That said, your SEO tools will greatly depend on the ecommerce platform you choose. ## Best Ecommerce Platforms for SEO: WooCommerce vs Shopify Now that you know more about the benefits of SEO for online stores, let’s compare two of the most popular ecommerce platforms. ### WooCommerce If you’re looking for a flexible and affordable way to build an SEO-optimized ecommerce site, WooCommerce is an excellent option. Here’s why. #### SEO Features and Design WooCommerce is a plugin that enables you to transform any WordPress installation into an online store. Both [WordPress](https://wordpress.org/) and [WooCommerce](https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce/) were built to be SEO-friendly: ![WooCommerce is one of the best ecommerce platforms for SEO.](https://images.surferseo.art/65f7897e-1b1d-4916-a6ce-6a4d5486f1a0.png) In fact, some SEO experts believe the Content Management System (CMS) gives you [an SEO advantage](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-best-cms-seo/338275/). This is partially due to the following WordPress SEO settings and characteristics: - **Site title and tagline**: These tell users (and search engines) more about your site. - **Customizable URLs**: This enables you to create user-friendly, keyword-optimized permalinks for your ecommerce site. - **Image SEO**: The WordPress Media Library enables you to easily add alt text and image titles. - **Mobile responsiveness**: Most [WordPress themes](https://www.namehero.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-wordpress-theme-and-website-builder/) are designed to be mobile-friendly, which benefits the user experience. Similarly, WooCommerce was designed to be lightweight and efficient. That means it serves as a great base for a fast and agile ecommerce website. Furthermore, since WordPress is a CMS, it comes with a lot of native blogging capabilities. An ecommerce blog can be an excellent way to create content that boosts your rankings, as it provides more opportunities for keyword optimization. #### Site Performance Website performance is crucial when it comes to search engine rankings. That’s because Google’s page experience metrics ([Core Web Vitals](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-web-vitals)) impact how well web pages perform in search results. This is true for both desktop and mobile devices. Therefore, when choosing an ecommerce platform for SEO specifically, you’ll want to consider speed optimization features. As we mentioned, WordPress is open-source software. That means you’ll have to get a [web hosting](https://www.namehero.com/blog/wordpress-hosting-vs-web-hosting-whats-the-difference/) plan before launching your ecommerce site. This gives you the flexibility to select a web host that prioritizes site speed. If you want your web and product pages to load quickly and rank well, you might consider one of NameHero’s [WooCommerce hosting plans](https://www.namehero.com/woocommerce-hosting): ![NameHero offers WooCommerce hosting for ecommerce sites.](https://images.surferseo.art/859affa3-ea7f-45c5-986b-d2d28b879b56.png) All plans include free LiteSpeed Caching for high-performing pages. And, [higher-traffic websites](https://www.namehero.com/blog/how-to-scale-your-high-traffic-wordpress-site/) can opt for a plan that includes “turbo” caching for even better site speeds. Furthermore, NameHero gives you all the essentials to run an online store. In terms of security, you’ll get free [SSL certificates](https://www.namehero.com/blog/what-should-you-do-with-an-expired-ssl-certificate/), daily backups, and more. #### SEO Plugins and WooCommerce Extensions When you choose WooCommerce and WordPress, you can use SEO plugins to get even more optimization features. [Yoast SEO](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/) is one of the most popular WordPress tools: ![Yoast SEO can help you optimize your ecommerce store for search engines.](https://images.surferseo.art/5066c38c-c15e-4854-bbc1-6c69052bb5ed.png) With this user-friendly plugin, you can easily optimize WordPress posts and pages. For example, you can run SEO analyses for readability, inclusive language, and overall site content. Plus, you’ll get automated improvements to your site’s metadata and the ability to create advanced XML sitemaps. This can be great for beginners as it simplifies more technical SEO aspects. Other popular SEO plugins include [AIOSEO](https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/) and [Rank Math](https://wordpress.org/plugins/seo-by-rank-math/). Meanwhile, there are tons of free and paid [WooCommerce extensions](https://woocommerce.com/product-category/woocommerce-extensions/) that give you more extensive SEO capabilities. For instance, you can get [Google Analytics for WooCommerce](https://woocommerce.com/products/woocommerce-google-analytics/): ![The Google Analaytics for WooCommerce extension.](https://images.surferseo.art/4a8a8ab8-522c-43d3-ac52-fa2747af0584.png) When you install this extension on your site, you’ll be able to leverage the power of Google Analytics to gain insights into your site’s performance and how you can improve it to rank higher. ### Shopify Now, let’s see [how Shopify compares to WordPress](https://www.namehero.com/blog/wordpress-vs-shopify-which-is-the-best-option-for-businesses/) in terms of SEO-friendly features. #### SEO Features and Design First, it’s important to note that Shopify is a website builder and not a CMS: ![Shopify is one of the leading ecommerce platforms.](https://images.surferseo.art/c59692db-774c-4174-8fbf-720d32d90b59.png) Therefore, it offers a different experience to an ecommerce platform like WooCommerce. WooCommerce is built on top of WordPress, which is open-source software. Together, these tools can be modified and expanded using themes and plugins (or manually). On the other hand, Shopify is a closed-system ecommerce platform. This can make it more straightforward to set up and configure, but it’s also limiting. All that said, here’s what Shopify offers in terms of built-in SEO tools: - Generates canonical tags to keep duplicate pages out of search results - Creates sitemap.xml and robots.txt files - Generates title tags with your online store name Shopify does all of this automatically, so you won’t have to lift a finger. You can also add metadata and alt text and customize URLs. As you can see, Shopify’s native features are similar to those found in WordPress and WooCommerce. However, you won’t have as many options for plugins and integrations (more on this later). Additionally, Shopify was designed strictly as an ecommerce platform, so it won’t provide you with any blogging capabilities out of the box. #### Site Performance Similar to WooCommerce, Shopify was designed to be lightweight and fast. Plus, you can choose from a collection of [mobile-friendly website templates](https://themes.shopify.com/templates/responsive) to ensure that it works on all devices. However, Shopify’s native performance monitoring tools aren’t the most comprehensive. It comes with a performance dashboard that gives you an average [Shopify speed score](https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/blog/good-shopify-speed-score). But this metric can be very misleading, as it’s simply the average of five different speed metrics over the course of seven days. To put it simply, this data isn’t very nuanced or precise. You’ll likely need to look for other tools to find useful data on your Shopify site’s performance. Similarly, you have less control over any performance extras that you can add to your site. With a WordPress web host, you can get turbo caching, install a content delivery network (CDN), etc. #### Shopify SEO Apps You can extend WooCommerce using extensions, but Shopify has its own [app store](https://apps.shopify.com/): ![Shopify app store.](https://images.surferseo.art/a98649d4-e472-4b55-9bee-6d70b25d9d2d.png) However, most apps geared toward search optimization will require a paid plan. In fact, there’s a [Yoast SEO app](https://apps.shopify.com/yoast-seo), but there’s no free version (like WordPress). ## Which Ecommerce Platform is Best for SEO? So, which ecommerce platform is best for SEO? In our opinion, WooCommerce is the clear winner. It comes with useful built-in SEO features and you can extend these capabilities with WordPress plugins and WooCommerce extensions. What’s more, since it runs on WordPress, you can run a blog along your shop. You’ll also get full control over site speed optimization, as you’ll be able to choose your web host. While Shopify offers similar native SEO options, it doesn’t have robust blogging capabilities. Plus, Shopify’s SEO apps aren’t nearly as comprehensive as WordPress plugins or WooCommerce extensions. ## Conclusion Better search engine rankings come with lots of advantages. For online stores, this can mean increased brand awareness and revenue. What’s more, optimizing your site for search engines can be highly affordable. If you’re looking for the best ecommerce platform for SEO, WordPress and WooCommerce can provide you with an excellent base. If you couple that with the right SEO plugins and a powerful hosting provider like [NameHero](https://www.namehero.com/), your online store will be set up for success. Do you have any questions about using WooCommerce to build an SEO-friendly website? Let us know in the comments section below! ## Related posts - [WooCommerce vs Magento: Which Ecommerce Platform Should You Use?](https://www.namehero.com/blog/woocommerce-vs-magento-which-ecommerce-platform-should-you-use/) - [BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Which eCommerce Platform is the Best Choice?](https://www.namehero.com/blog/bigcommerce-vs-woocommerce-which-ecommerce-platform-is-the-best-choice/) - [How to Run an Ecommerce SEO Audit (5 Steps)](https://www.namehero.com/blog/how-to-run-an-ecommerce-seo-audit-5-steps/) - [Which Is The Best SEO Plugin For WordPress?](https://www.namehero.com/blog/which-is-the-best-seo-plugin-for-wordpress/)