If you’re launching a brand or rebuilding a website and you’re thinking about SEO, well done! You’re in the right frame of mind and if you can follow through on SEO best practices you’ll be at an advantage. So…what is the best content management system (CMS) for SEO? Here are some categories to think about.
Big or Small?
Many organizations hope to one day become the biggest and best in their field, but if you’re starting small the benefits of a simpler, less expensive CMS will be attractive. Many startups build their first site on Squarespace or Shopify and they work well. There are SEO tradeoffs to these ‘out of the box’ CMS options. They are less able to be customized and some parts of the site are off limits to you no matter how technical you or your SEO want to be.
WordPress is also a good option for startups and small businesses. The main difference with WordPress is that you’ll probably need a web developer to help you build the site as WordPress isn’t a ‘drag and drop’ CMS although some page builders can make content creation easier.
Are you Selling Products or Services?
If you are selling physical goods, you’ll want to make sure your CMS is built to handle that. Simple ecommerce setups will do fine on Shopify or Squarespace but if you’re planning on selling lots of SKUs WordPress or Magento are worth looking into.
With any CMS choice you want to make sure you’re not paying for technology you don’t need. If your CMS comes with fees that are going to take a big bite out of your profit margin, think twice. You need basic features and security, but new organizations need revenue more than they need sophisticated inventory management (for example).
What About SEO?
Not all CMS options play well with SEO best practices. In general, a widely used CMS like WordPress is going to be better suited to SEO optimization than a smaller CMS or something custom built for you. There is also a substantial benefit in terms of hosting, security and development. Let’s say you need to change hosts or web developers for some reason. If you’re using Example CMS made locally by one software company, finding a new host or developer will get tricky. If you’re using WordPress or another popular option, you’ll have no problem finding a developer to help.
Remember…
All CMS choices have upsides and downsides, but your goal shouldn’t change. You want to get the highest Site Health score you can, to improve your competitive edge. If you’re curious how your current site or a site in progress will stack up, talk to an expert. We’re ready to help you quantify your current position and help you identify the steps you need to take for improved results.