Search Engine Optimization is a trending topic among businesses at any level. SEO is probably one of the most important aspects of website design and development. A long term marketing strategy that should be baked in, ideally, from the “initial commit”, if you’re a coder, or website launch for the rest of us. Though, optimization can be applied afterwards.
Entrepreneurs and small businesses wanting to compete in the digital environment need to incorporate SEO early. With time it will scale your business, attract targeted clients and increase website traffic.
Search engine results pages (SERPs) are the pages that will attract the users to land on your website – these are your traffic generators. But for this to happen your website platform needs to be SEO-friendly. But how do you know which platforms are SEO-friendly? And even more, how do you optimize your website for SEO? If these questions ever crossed your mind, you’re definitely not alone.
Let’s dive deeper into the different types of website platforms and how to choose the best one for your business’ needs. We will also talk about how SEO works and why it is so crucial for website owners. Hopefully, by the end of this blog, you’ll feel much more comfortable choosing the right website platform and optimizing it for SEO.
What is SEO and why does it matter?
SEO is the process of optimizing a website for search engines. The goal of SEO is to improve the visibility of a website in SERPs. This means that when people search for keywords related to your website, your website will appear higher up on the list of results. There are many factors that contribute to a website’s ranking in SERPs, such as the quality of the website’s content, the relevance of the keywords used on the site, and the number of backlinks pointing to the site. However, one of the most important ranking factors is the platform that the website is built on.
You may be wondering, why the platform? Isn’t what’s on the website way more important? Well, the platform determines a website’s ability to rank in SERPs. Some website platforms are more SEO-friendly than others, and this can make a big difference in terms of how high a website appears in the search results. In general, the more SEO-friendly a website platform is, the easier it is to optimize a website for search engines. Basically, the platform is the foundation, and then everything on the website builds on that foundation. Without a good foundation, it’s harder to rank higher – make sense? Great!
Which Website Platform is Best for SEO?
So, which website platform is best for SEO? In general, there are three types of website platforms: content management systems (CMSs), static websites, and dynamic websites. Each of these platforms has its own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to SEO. Let’s look at each of them in a little more detail.
Content Management Systems
Content management system (CMS) is by far the most popular type of website platform when it comes to SEO. This is because CMS is very SEO-friendly and offers many features that make it easy to optimize a website for search engines. Some of the most popular CMSs include WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Static Websites
Static websites are also very SEO-friendly. However, they are not as popular as CMSs because they do not offer as many features. Static websites are simply websites that contain fixed HTML pages. There is no database or backend that allows users to add or edit content. This makes static websites less user-friendly, but it also makes them faster and more secure.
Dynamic Websites
Dynamic websites are generally not as SEO-friendly as CMSs or static websites. This is because dynamic websites rely on databases and backends to generate content on the fly. This makes them slower and less secure than static websites. However, dynamic websites do offer more features and flexibility than static websites.
So, which website platform is best for SEO? Well…it depends. We know, we know, that’s the worst answer, but it’s true!
The website platform that’s best for your SEO depends on your unique needs. If you need a platform that is easy to use and offers a lot of features, then a content management system is probably the best choice. If you need a fast and secure website, then a static website might be the better option. And if you need a platform that offers more flexibility, then a dynamic website might be the best choice. Ultimately, it all comes down to your specific needs and requirements. If you pick the wrong website platform for your needs and try to include all of the elements you need and then SEO optimize it, you might end up doing more harm than good, and we definitely don’t want you to do that!
SEO Considerations for Different Website Platforms
Now that you know the different types of website platforms, let’s take a look at some of the SEO considerations for each type of platform.
Content Management Systems
When it comes to SEO, content management systems are very versatile. This is because they offer a lot of features and options that make it easy to optimize a website for search engines. For example, most CMSs come with built-in support for things like sitemaps and meta tags. Additionally, there are usually plenty of plugins and extensions available that add even more SEO-friendly features to the platform. However, one downside of using a CMS is that they can be resource-intensive, which can impact website speed.
Static Websites
Static websites are very fast and lightweight, which is great for SEO. Website speed is a key ranking factor, so using a static website can give you a bit of an advantage in this area. Additionally, static websites are very easy to optimize for other key ranking factors, such as title tags and meta descriptions. A downside of static websites is that they can be more difficult to edit and update than CMSs, so if you go with a static website, make sure you have the expertise or resources to build and maintain it.
Dynamic Websites
Dynamic websites offer more features and flexibility than static websites. However, they tend to be slower and more resource-intensive. This can impact website speed, which is bad for SEO. Additionally, dynamic website platforms can be more difficult to optimize for other key ranking factors like title tags and meta descriptions. However, if you know what you’re doing, it is possible to optimize a dynamic website for SEO.
How to Choose Which Platform to Use + Examples of Website Platforms
Now, let’s talk about how to choose which one is right for you. Before you do anything, you need to consider your specific business needs. What do you need in your website for it to function well? Which elements are must-haves and which are nice-to-have? Are you going to build and maintain it or do you have the resources to hire someone to do it for you? Once you know what you need, you can then narrow down your choices and select the best platform for your website.
Here are a few platform-specific questions that you can ask yourself. Are you looking for a simple website with a few static pages, or do you need a more dynamic website with a database and backend? What’s your level of expertise? If you are not very familiar with coding or website development, then a CMS might be the best choice for you. What’s your budget? Static websites are generally cheaper than CMSs or dynamic websites.
Some of the most popular website platforms include WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, static websites, and dynamic websites. WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world and is used by millions of website owners. Joomla is also a popular CMS and is often used for larger websites. Drupal is another popular CMS that is often used by businesses and organizations.
If you’re still not sure what to choose after reading this blog and answering those questions, you can always reach out to us or another expert! We’re happy to help you figure it out.
What is Our Favorite Website Platform?
Clients ask us all the time which website platform is our favorite? Well, we can’t answer for everyone on the Evolve Global Marketing team, but our CEO Kimjera Whittington has talked about this a lot in blogs and on her social media…and her answer is: WordPress.
While WordPress isn’t as beginner friendly as some of the other websites such as Wix, it is completely customizable and has a ton of different plug-ins. Kimjera believes that the most important question to consider when choosing a website platform is “Does this platform do everything I need it to do for my business?” Often, business owners pick a website platform because it’s the easiest to use or the most affordable, but it doesn’t do what they need them to do. With WordPress, we get a platform that does what we need it to do, isn’t too complicated to use, and has affordable options. Plus, WordPress can be optimized for SEO, which is what this blog post is about!
There are a ton of different considerations when it comes to choosing a website platform, and SEO is only one of them. Our advice? If you’re not sure, reach out to someone for assistance! It can be a costly mistake for you to choose a platform that isn’t right for your business, and we don’t want you to waste precious time and money. We hope this blog helps you narrow down your options and understand what is most important when it comes to choosing a website platform. Happy evolving!
