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WooCommerce SEO


FREE ANALYSIS

Is WooCommerce Good for SEO?

When it comes to operating an eCommerce store, one of the hardest decisions that you will have to make, is which platform to roll with. There is so many option that you can choose from, so it can be tough trying to decided on which one is the best fit for your business.
One platform that many people favour is WooCommerce. However, is it the most “SEO friendly” (search engine optimisation) platform on the market?
On this page we are going to explore WooCommerce a little deeper and identify the pros & cons of using it with regards to SEO and ranking well on Google’s search engine results pages.
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What is WooCommerce?

Let's kick things off with a closer look at WooCommerce.

WooCommerce is a free eCommerce plugin which is used for WordPress websites and subsequently powers approximately 30% of all online stores in the world!
The platform is incredibly powerful and allows store owners and website developers access to a grand variety of WordPress extensions, both free and premium, allowing you to sell anything through your website.
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Here are some examples of WooCommerce capabilities:

  • Provide product variations, numerous configurations, and instant downloads
  • Selling affiliate goods from other online marketplaces
  • Customise your payment and shipping options
  • Scale your eCommerce store from basic to high-end
  • Customise your website thoroughly using Storefront
  • Tracking inventory
  • Access comprehensive ranking & traffic reports

What are the Advantages of Using WooCommerce?

We have listed some handy features above, but what are the clear advantages of opting to use WooCommerce for your online store?

Seamless Integrations with WordPress

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin. This means that you either need a WordPress website, or alternatively it can be installed via a subdirectory.

The great thing is that adding eCommerce functionality to an existing WordPress website with WooCommerce is incredibly easy. All that is required is a simple installation, followed by a step-by-step guide to set up your website. For those who are well-versed in the art of web-development, this can be done manually.

It's Free

To make it even better, WooCommerce is a free to use and install plugin, making it an ideal option for businesses of all sizes, though more importantly, those starting out with a lower budget.

It is Indeed SEO-Friendly

If you are worried about SEO and you want people to be able to find your products through the search engines, then you will need to carefully optimise your product pages.

Using WordPress editor, this can easily be edited, including URL’s, meta data & descriptions, your alt tags, and every other page element that is required to refine your position on Google. Even without knowledge in coding, users will be able to optimise their WooCommerce website with great ease.

 

 

Control Your Data

A risk that comes with using a hosted eCommerce platform, is that if they were to go under or close up shop, then you’d prone to losing your data. With WooCommerce on the other hand, you will be in complete control of your data no matter what.

What are the Disadvantages of Using WooCommerce?

Whilst there are a great number of attractive benefits, it’s important that you are aware of the few drawbacks that come with using WooCommerce.

Not All Themes Are Supported

WordPress is renowned for allowing access to countless dynamic themes for web design. The drawback with using WooCommerce is that it is not currently supported by every theme available.

This means that there is a good chance that your website’s current theme may not be compatible when trying to convert to a WooCommerce eCommerce store. This means that you may have to change the entire look of your website which can be a hassle. However, it could also be a great opportunity to breathe a little life into your website and start fresh.

 

 

Many Paid Extensions

Whilst WooCommerce is a free plugin, most of the crucial extensions that you’ll want to get your hands on are not. For example, if you wish to accept debit & credit cards through your checkout system then you will need to purchase the appropriate extension to support them.

There are many other paid extensions which are not necessarily “must-have” extensions, many of them can be useful, especially as you continue to grow. Again, this is not so much a negative, as the bigger you grow, the less these minor transactions will impact you.

It's Not as Advanced

WooCommerce is not the most advanced of eCommerce platforms. This is largely because it is a plugin that is used for an existing platform, and not a platform in its own right. Thus, it lacks some of the advanced functionality that other genuine eCommerce platforms boast. As an example, multiple language support, and the ability to set up more than one storefront from your dashboard.

High-Maintenance

Setting up your store, managing the orders placed, and maintaining your storefront, falls solely to you. This means that as WordPress releases updates, you will need to make additional changes to your website. This isn’t always easy, as certain updates will throw other plugins out of sync and it can be difficult to identify the problem area without a dedicated developer to assist you.
 

Easy SEO Tips for Your WooCommerce Website

If you currently have a stunning WooCommerce website set up but you’re not doing especially well with traffic, then here are a few changes that you can make to increase your online visibility.

Well Optimised Product Descriptions

Your product descriptions are vital for attracting the right clientele to your eCommerce website. You need to ensure that they are unique, that they have the relevant keywords, and that you’re using appropriate phrases which are frequently searched on Google.

You need to ensure that your descriptions tick all of the “SEO-friendly” boxes, whilst also appealing to your audience and offering ample information about the product in question.

 

 

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Site Navigation

How easy is it to navigate your store? Have you asked friends and family who aren’t so “tech-savvy” to explore your website and feedback to you? Website’s that are easier to navigate will experience a higher position in the search results.

Website Speed

Site speed is more important than you might imagine. Studies show that for every second that your homepage takes to load, your conversion rate drops by an average of 7%. People are not prepared to wait around! Thus, you must ensure that your website is as fast as possible and do everything you can to trim loading times down to the absolute minimum.
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Conclusion

Is WooCommerce SEO friendly? The answer is yes! Is it the best on the market? That’s debatable and largely comes down to personal preference.
In any case, if you are currently rocking a WooCommerce website and you’d like some assistance in taking your store to the next level, then please feel free to contact us at your convenience.