While eCommerce platforms have made it easier for merchants to put their goods on sale online, they´re far from being a fully automated way of running a business.
Yes, they all offer incredibly easy ways to set up an online store and turn on the “open” sign. However, they still require us to work on the infrastructure so customers find their way in and start buying.
So, which platform offers the best tools for SEO?
WooCommerce and Magento have been deemed the best eCommerce platforms out there by SEO experts and marketers. Yes, we know Shopify and BigCommerce are the most popular by a mile. Those shake-and-bake platforms are accessible, they seem to have everything set up from the get-go, and make the whole process a breeze. However, they get extremely restrictive the minute you need your store to do something that falls outside the typical features every other run-of-the-mill eCommerce store has.
Having established a clear preference for pro-level eCommerce platforms, we need to find out which one is the best for growing an online store.
WooCommerce is the brainchild of WordPress, the hugely popular blogging platform. Today, 29% of the top 1 million eCommerce websites use WooCommerce because of its open source nature, and adaptability. WooCommerce also leverages the content marketing capabilities of WordPress, making it uniquely well suited for heavy marketing campaigns that rely on rich content and consistent blogging.
The platform has a massive library of plugins, extensions, and add-ons, making it extremely versatile. Moreover, its community is always ready to help, offering a wealth of tutorials and troubleshooting to tackle almost any imaginable problem.
The problems with WooCommerce start when you add the costs of the necessary add-ons, themes, and web hosting. The platform can quickly get expensive, and they do not have a dedicated support team so you need to do all the research and troubleshooting yourself.
Magento is now the eCommerce flagship platform from Adobe. The platform is a bit more rigid, but its advantage rests on its focus on eCommerce. Magento is the supercar of sales and scalability. If you have a lot of products to sell and need to remain agile in terms of scalability, Magento lets you sell as many products as you want, and lends an incredibly powerful inventory management system that remains unmatched.
Their website editor was revamped recently to offer drag-and-drop functionalities, making page building a breeze, and they partnered with the most important sales channels and financial product providers. This means they offer a lot of payment options and you can funnel traffic from your favorite channels with ease.
One of the most powerful functionalities is Magento´s catalog management system. It allows you to create categories and set rules for pricing, discounts, promo codes, and more, making management a breeze.
Additionally, Magento offers dedicated security patches and SSL certificates. They also offer great customer support over the phone and by mail so you can both consult the extensive literature and have someone to guide you through any process step by step.
In terms of SEO, both platforms offer great advantages. However, Magento beats the competition out of the water by making it easier for merchants to bring traffic in with a multi-channel strategy.
Now, if you need to leverage all the power of your eCommerce store, you need to partner with an experienced Magento SEO company that understands your industry and how to make the platform work for you. Genius eCommerce can show you how to make your Magento store generate more sales and start converting more visitors into customers. Get your free SEO audit now!
