WooCommerce has become the most popular eCommerce platform around and the main reasons being it is the most user and SEO friendly platform. It allows users to create a site that they are in control of and will rank well in Google.
So why is WooCommerce the most user and SEO friendly eCommerce platform? Here are all the reasons why…
Independent Navigation Links. (10/10)
Firstly a navigation link is the test that appears for your products in the navigation menu of your site.
Some eCommerce platforms will automatically generate this for you, however for SEO purposes it would be preferable to have independent control of the links.
WooCommerce is a platform that allows you to do this, which is why it weighs very high in ranking out of 10.
By WooCommerce allowing you to do this it will mean that it is very user friendly but not only this it is very SEO friendly because by being allowed to control your navigation links it means your site will rank better.
Independent Page Titles. (10/10)
The page title is the text that appears in the tab section at the top of the browser.
Once again some eCommerce platforms will automatically generate your page titles for you, they do this by using the same names as the products or categories in your online store, which will have an impact on the SEO of your site.
Therefore WooCommerce is best for this as it offers users independent page titles, meaning that page titles are in your control, this allows users to generate their page titles themselves, making them more relevant to the page, your site will also rank better in SEO.
Independent Page URL’s. (9/10)
The page URL is the location of the page as shown in the address bar of the browser, there is good correlation for page URL’s that include a key search term!
Certain eCommerce platforms will automatically generate the page URL’s for you, however it is prefered, especially for SEO purposes, that the page URL’s are independent.
WooCommerce offers this to their users, meaning that users are able to independently create their page URL’s for themselves, which as mentioned is more user friendly and SEO friendly.
Independent Meta Descriptions. (9/10)
The meta description is the text that appears with your listing on the results page of Google.
Unfortunately like previously, many eCommerce platforms will by default use the description shown on the page to create a default meta description, without giving you the option to independently control the text that appears.
An effective meta description should show the users that you are relevant to your search. WooCommerce allows users to independantly control the text that appears, allowing users to use specific text, keywords, etc to maximise their SEO.
It also means that its very user friendly for users as WooCommerce gives you the control over your meta descriptions to ensure you are getting found on a search for the right thing.
Independent Image ALT Tags. (10/10)
ALT Tags are the text added to a product image to describe the image to search engines, not only this bus it allows users who are not able to view images in their browser to get a description of the image as well.
Although the ALT tag does not have a particularly strong connection to your ranking in the main Google search results, it may have an impact on the images appearance in Google’s Image Search results.
Some eCommerce platforms by default will automatically assign the product name to the ALT tag, however they may not always be the best ALT tag, this could therefore reduce the visibility for potential customers using Google Image Search to find suitable products.
However, with WooCommerce users are able to add an independent ALT tag to their images on their online store, which will easily increase their visibility in a Google Image Search, this is good for SEO purposes and makes the platform very user friendly for their users.
Independent H1 Headings. (10/10)
The H1 heading is typically designated as the main heading that appears on your product and category pages.
There is a good correlation for H1 headings that show relevance to a search term used on Google. Its important for your H1 headings on your page to include the same keywords that potential customers are using in their searches.
It is very easy to do this on WooCommerce, as it allows users to use independent H1 headings, this will help the users as it makes the platform very user and SEO friendly, because better H1 headings will increase rankings for your online store.
Canonical URL’s. (10/10)
It is the original address of a page that could be found on more than one location. It is not uncommon for the same product in an eCommerce store to be listed under multiple URL’s, which could result in the same product page presenting itself under different URL’s.
Search engines will view these as separate pages with the same content, this could hinder your chances of ranking well in the search results, not only this but a large number of duplicated content also runs the risk of being penalised, especially by Google.
To avoid this problem, Google provides the ‘REL CANONICAL’ tag which allows users to indicate which URL should be regarded as the preferred version of the page.
WooCommerce provides this facility to their users, by allowing the use of ‘REL CANONICAL’ it allows users to specify their preferred URL version meaning when it comes to Google ranking users are not penalised.
Integrated Blogging Platform. (10/10)
The single most popular factor that affects how recognisably your site appears in Google search results is the number and quality of external links pointing to your site. Few sites have products that are so individual and newsworthy that other sites will want to link directly to your commercial pages.
You are far more likely to attract external links by having a blog, which contains topical, engaging and shareable content. If your blog is not listed under the same domain name as your online site any external links pointing to your blog will therefore have little or no benefit to your rankings.
WooCommerce offers an integrated blogging platform meaning the domain name will be the same as your online site, leading to external links having a benefit on your Google rankings as your blog grows.
Social Sharing Buttons. (10/10)
Social sharing buttons are easily recognisable icons that allow your visitors to share your site, products and blog posts on the most popular social networks.
Providing your visitors with a simple means of sharing your online content is an essential feature to help your online marketing and exposure to potential customers.
WooCommerce allows users to include social sharing buttons, therefore users are able to increase their marketing and exposure on social media, which nowadays is essential for online stores.
Auto XML Sitemap. (9/10)
An XML sitemap is a file located on your web server to help search engines find and index your content. Note that the XML sitemap differs from a HTML sitemap which is designed to help human visitors find the content on your website.
Maintaining an XML site for an eCommerce site which could contain thousands of unique product pages is not a task that you would want to perform manually.
Which is why WooCommerce will automatically generate an XML sitemap whenever a new page is added to or removed from your website. This makes the platform very user and SEO friendly to users.
Use of own Domain Name. (10/10)
A domain name is the unique name which your website is found on the internet.
Your domain name will usually be the same as your business name, having your own domain name is, definitely, the single most important factor to consider when setting up your own online store.
WooCommerce allows you to use your own domain name, which is one of the most important things to consider as your rankings will increase from having an individual domain name that is created and registered to you for your own online store, again this makes this platform very user and SEO friendly.
301 Redirects. (10/10)
A 301 Redirect is a command used to redirect a browser or search engine from one URL to another.
Commonly a product may be removed from the range when it becomes no loner available. Users could simply remove it from the online store, but they run the risk of another site or a page within the online store linking to the URL that no longer exists.
WooCommerce provides a feature for your to be able to redirect any obsolete URL’s to a new URL. Meaning the unwanted ‘404 page not found’ will not appear on the site for users. If this was to show on a users online store it will look bad on business, which affects rankings.
Therefore with WooCommerce providing a feature in which to redirect a page it makes their site user and SEO friendly.
WooCommerce got an overall score of 117 for being the most user and SEO friendly platform, this tops many other eCommerce platforms.
It provides many different features that enables users to create an online store that will not only create good rankings, but helps users create a personalised site easily and stress free.
Do you need some more information on WooCommerce and other eCommerce Platforms? Then our blog about the ‘Best 5 eCommerce Platforms’ will give you the insight you need.