9 Best SEO-Friendly CMS: Compared by Effectiveness and Features

Before we even begin with all the introductions, what is CMS in SEO? It's basically a platform that allows you to create and manage content on your website while helping you optimize for search engines easily (at least relatively).

The best part? You don’t even need to have any code skills (for most of them). This is a pretty big deal for any business owner and marketer.

A good CMS system is one of those crucial things you need in your race to dominate SEO in your industry. But if you’ve ever tried to choose one, you know there are just so many options out there. Each one seems better than the last.

So, how do you find the best solution for your business?

In this guide, we’ve listed all the best and most popular SEO-friendly CMSs. We will look at their features and what makes them so great, which will hopefully help you make your decision. Ready?

Contents

• Why is CMS important for SEO?
• 9 best CMS for SEO
• 1. WordPress
• 2. Drupal
• 3. Joomla
• 4. Webflow
• 5. Squarespace
• 6. Wix
• 7. Shopify
• 8. BigCommerce
• 9. Magento
• 6 things to consider when choosing an SEO content management system (CMS)
• Consideration 1: What is your website type?
• Consideration 2: How big can your site get? (Scalability)
• Consideration 3: How advanced should your SEO be?
• Consideration 4: What level of customization do you need?
• Consideration 5: How technical can you/your team get?
• Consideration 6: Do you want to handle hosting, security, and maintenance by yourself?
• Conclusion

Why is CMS important for SEO?

Using a content management system is important for SEO for way too many reasons. Well, first of all, search engine optimization can’t really exist without content. At the same time, CMSs make content creation and editing much more straightforward.

That’s exactly why CMS and SEO go well together. In fact, they’re quite inseparable these days.

Sure, you can go all technical and code your way through. But what’s the point? Unless you have a very specific case that requires extreme control and customization, it makes no sense.

After all, with the right CMS, you can expect tons of benefits:

• Automated SE optimization. Most CMS come with features that automatically handle meta tags, sitemaps, and so on. This means you don’t need to manually enter these details for every page. So, you can use the time saved for other things.
• Better navigation experience. With CMS, your site is just more SEO-friendly and easier to navigate. This is a huge deal because both people and search engines can get around easily to find what they need.
• Data collection and tracking. Many CMS are designed to collect at least some sort of data. So, you could have a built-in dashboard that makes it easy to track how many people visit your page, how long they stay, and what else they do.

This makes it easy to know when your SEO efforts are paying off or not. But even if that’s not the case, integrating Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, tools like Hotjar, or CRMs is really easy.

• Simpler search engine indexing. An SEO-friendly CMS can make it easier for search engines to understand your site. This means quicker indexing and better search engine rankings.
• Easier scalability. Many CMSs make it easy to scale up and handle more traffic as your site begins to grow. So, you don’t need to have that much coding knowledge or hire a team of web developers. It can be as simple as upgrading your plan.

TL;DR: A CMS can save you tons of time and effort when it comes to content management. Also, it can have a good impact on your SEO rankings and visibility if you apply all the best practices.

This is a big perk when you create blog posts and use a guest posting service for link building. This way, you know what’s working and what’s not.

9 best CMS for SEO

So, what is the best CMS for SEO and marketing purposes? It depends. Let’s look at some of the features of the more popular ones:

1. WordPress

Source: WordPress

• Pricing: Free, but you only get a custom domain name starting at $4 per month.
• SEO capabilities: WordPress has many plugin-based SEO features that cover on-page SEO and more. This makes it one of the most popular and most SEO-friendly CMS out there.
• Ease of use: WP is pretty easy to use, even for a complete novice. This is thanks to its block editor and quite intuitive interface.

WordPress has over 62.1% of the CMS market and accounts for nearly half of all websites in the world. It’s so popular among users that some have described it as the Walmart or fast food of CMS.

Did you know that WP was first built by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little because the blog software b2/cafelog was discontinued by its owner? It’s safe to say that they succeeded, as WP houses the most blog sites these days.

Pros:

• It’s got one of the largest collections of plugins out there. Whatever you can think of (a feature, a cool function, etc.), WordPress likely has it. And there are probably a dozen plugins for it. That includes tons of SEO and multilingual support plugins.
• You can buy themes, add editors, and customize them to your heart’s content.
• You host the site by yourself, so it gives you more control and freedom.
• Since it is a free and open-source platform, this means you don’t need to break the bank to set up your site.
• You don’t need any sort of technical knowledge to get your site up and running.
• Has the most active and supportive community compared to other CMS.
• Is your business growing faster than you expected? No worries. You can easily upgrade your plans, hosting, and everything.

Cons:

• While plugins give you tons of opportunities, they can also turn into a headache:
  • If you use too many, your site will be slow, which is awful for SEO.
  • Some plugins might not work well together. And these compatibility issues can become a nightmare that can even break your site.
  • When you update your web page, some of the plugins might not work with the new WP core.
  • Some updates can have buggy code. And now, imagine if that happens with several plugins at the same time. Yeah…
• Its popularity makes it a huge target for cyber attackers. That explains why it is also the most hacked CMS in the world.
• Because it is self-hosted, you are responsible for all the updates (themes, plugins, etc.), backups, and security. You’ll have to deal with it to some extent with other CMSs as well. But many will handle at least something “automatically.”
• Poor legacy decisions with too many developers making way too many changes to plugins within a short time. (Hey, it’s open source, after all).
• It can get expensive to maintain fast with all the paid plugins, maintenance, premium themes, and other related costs. But in theory, it can be free.

Despite all these, it is still considered one of the best SEO-friendly CMS. Most business owners prefer it over the alternatives, thanks to all that control. Plus, it works for so many different use cases, especially including its WooCommerce extension that allows you to build an e-store.

Overall, it is a really good option. Yet, there are many “newcomers” to the CMS market that offer much easier alternatives.

2. Drupal

Source: Drupal

• Pricing: Free.
• SEO capabilities: This one has a ton of in-built SEO features with room to add third-party modules (plugins). This makes it easier to customize the platform.
• Ease of use: It is not the most beginner-friendly CMS out there, especially for anyone who has zero programming knowledge.

A list of CMS for SEO platforms is not complete without Drupal. It started in 2000 as a fun student project by Dries Buytaert, hosted on servers in his home.

Today, it’s the 6th most popular CMS platform and has a 1.8% share of the CMS market. Talk about turning a passion into a profitable business.

Pros:

• It’s got a pretty appealing onboarding UX that’s a major hit with most people.
• Don’t let the pretty face deceive you, though. It is also really secure, which explains why many government portals and corporate intranets are built on it.
• You can customize as many aspects of it as you want with the modules. That’s why it’s seen as one of the most flexible CMS.
• Speaking of flexibility, you can also create unique permissions and roles. So, if you have a big team that needs different access options, Drupal is fantastic for that.
• It comes with CMS SEO requirements right off the bat, like the naming conventions and so on. This helps you build a search-engine-friendly site over time. On top of that, you get built-in multilingual support, which is incredible for international SEO.
• It is designed for mobile-friendliness from the get-go. So, you will find that making a responsive site is a relatively hassle-free experience.
• It is also scalable, which is a big deal for anyone looking to expand their business operations someday.

Cons:

• It’s not the easiest to set up, so you will need some (a lot of) technical skills. The fact that it's got a seriously steep learning curve is a “no” for many people.
• It requires a lot of TLC, which most business owners don’t have time for. If you run into issues, you can’t just have any dev look at it. You will need one that’s specifically trained for Drupal troubleshooting.
• It gets expensive — all the skilled people hiring, infrastructure upgrades, modules, etc., can add up fast.

If you have a smaller, simple website, Drupal is definitely not the most obvious option for you. Honestly, it’s simply unnecessary for those straightforward web pages. So, you can save yourself trouble and pick something better on our list.

Yet, there is a reason why Stanford, NASA, or the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) rely on this CMS. What’s that? Primarily, strong security, scalability, and ongoing, timely maintenance, as it has a huge dev community.

3. Joomla

Source: Joomla

• Pricing: Free.
• SEO capabilities: This one comes with some built-in SEO features. Still, depending on your SEO needs, you might need more plugins. That’s if you want more than the basic SEO CMS integration benefits.
• Ease of use: Joomla is not the most beginner-friendly, but it’s not the hardest one either — it’s just somewhere in the middle. The basic setup is quite easy, but it will require some skills for advanced customization.

If you think WordPress is the one and only best CMS SEO-supported platform, then prepare to be surprised.

Joomla is ranked the 5th most popular CMS, and sure, it isn’t as widespread as WordPress. But about 990,717 website owners are ready to bet on it. Why is that? Well, it has some pretty cool perks.

Pros:

• Probably one of the easiest CMS to install. Most popular shared hosting providers offer a 1-click install option for Joomla.
• With Joomla, you can find just about any module or plugin you need for any functionality, including SEO. There are fewer plugins than what WP has to offer, but you can still cover all your needs.
• It is widely used for managing complex content structures in several languages. It’s easy to access permissions without any plugins. This is a big advantage compared to WordPress.
• Many use Joomla for websites that offer some sort of membership. That’s because you can set up different registration flows and content access.
• It’s also cheaper to maintain.

Cons:

• It needs quite some learning to figure out. But once you do, it becomes one of the easiest CMS to operate.
• While it has design flexibility, you don’t really get too many themes. This might be an issue if you’re looking for customization but don’t have (or plan to hire) a developer.
• If you are a dev, you will find the lack of documentation and lack of core updates quite discouraging.
• You’ll likely face a lack of support and not much of a community. That’s exactly why many have migrated to other platforms.

So, if you want to have different user access options and an easy multilingual setup, it can be your best bet.

Still, similar to Drupal, Joomla can be too much of a hassle for a small site. Sure, it’s simpler than Drupal, but not as simple as what most of us need.

One more thing — while Joomla has a lot of loyal fans, it hardly fits into the current market. Again, there are many more straightforward solutions out there. Speaking of which…

4. Webflow

Source: Webflow

• Pricing: Free option available (from $23 for the CMS plan).
• SEO capabilities: Webflow is a website builder that also doubles as one of the best SEO CMS platforms. It comes with many SEO features right out of the box that make it great for all kinds of sites.
• Ease of use: The drag-and-drop interface makes it a very beginner-friendly platform. But it also goes beyond that, making it super flexible.

Webflow doesn’t rank as popular as the others on this list. But it pulls more traffic on average when compared to Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, and even WP. Yep, you read that right.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Webflow is the reason why sites get more traffic. If you know anything about SEO, you understand that it doesn’t work like this. What it means is that many popular sites with high traffic choose Webflow for their needs.

This underdog platform, which once ranked 15th among all the other CMSs, is now one of the fastest-growing content management systems. So, what’s all the fuss about? Let’s check out the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Webflow is super user-friendly. It’s probably also one of the most SEO-friendly content management platforms. But “easy” doesn’t mean basic in this case. On the contrary, it’s one of the most flexible platforms out there, especially when it comes to design.
• The no-code, beginner-friendly interface is a big plus for companies of all sizes.
• There are no templates that will limit you. Instead, you can use whatever elements, fonts, outlays, etc., you wish. This is one of those advantages that made Webflow this popular in the first place.
• Good security (including SSL), CDN hosting, backups, and performance optimization you have by default are also huge pluses.
• While the community isn’t as big as what WP has, for example, there are still tons of resources. What stands out the most is Webflow University. There, you can learn everything (including SEO) about the platform with video and/or written tutorials.

Source: Webflow

Cons:

• If you want to change some design parts by yourself (and you aren’t a designer), you might get confused. But when it comes to CMS, the interface is really intuitive.
• If you are a dev, you might find its closed-source/proprietary nature a bit of a turnoff. Plus, the backend logic might be a real issue here if you want to build something very complex, like a big e-commerce site. Still, it has basic e-com features for smaller stores.
• It might get a bit more expensive compared to other options, especially if you need to scale.
• If you want to bring your site with CMS elsewhere, it isn’t an option. You have to use Webflow’s hosting. It gives you many advantages and simplifies your life a lot. But still, it can be a problem for some.

A good thing is that you can still export static HTML/CSS/JS files, unlike Wix, for example, where your web page is 100% locked in.

Webflow is the fastest-growing CMS these days for a very good reason. It’s extremely user-friendly and gives you incredible flexibility.

Yet, if you need some very complex backend solutions, it isn’t an option for you. In this case, go for Drupal, WordPress, or one of the e-commerce platforms we’ll cover below.

5. Squarespace

Source: Squarespace

• Pricing: From $16 (no free version; free trial available).
• SEO capabilities: This is also perhaps one of the best SEO CMS for those who want a no-frills but still a decent CMS platform. It has inbuilt basic SEO features that take the hassle out of meta titles, alt text, mobile optimization, and other fundamental things.
• Ease of use: This is one of the most straightforward CMS to set up and use on our list. It is extremely easy, thanks to no coding and structured templates.

Are you wondering whether this one is a CMS or a website builder? The answer is both.

Why settle for one when you can have the best of both worlds, right? Even better, it comes with features that help you meet the SEO CMS requirements that are important for marketing purposes.

Plus, the modern vibe doesn’t hurt either. No wonder it’s popular among the creatives and small business crowd. But it isn’t all perfect, either. We’ll get there, but first, let’s check the advantages.

Pros:

• It has very aesthetic templates and themes, which are one of its main points of differentiation. They’ve definitely found their clients who prioritize beautiful and stylish visuals.
• Those templates aren’t only beautiful, but they’re also responsive (i.e., mobile-friendly) by default. They are designed specifically to work on all devices right out of the box. And if you know anything about SEO, you understand how much search engines value that.
• It offers great functionalities that come in handy for business analytics, marketing tools, and so on. Almost everything you need as a small business is already baked in. Yes, this data isn’t extremely in-depth, but it’s still great to have it all built in.
• It’s perfect for business owners or solopreneurs who like to be hands-on with managing their sites. You can do everything, even if your coding knowledge is zero.
• You don’t need to worry about hosting, security, updates, or backups — it’s all done by Squarespace. You don’t even need plugins for this.

Cons:

• SEO capabilities are far from being super advanced. You might face many challenges, from URL structure limitations to a lack of technical SEO customization. Still, it works for thousands of simple websites.
• It’s not a great tool if you are someone who wants to have complete control over the way your website looks and works.
• It can get messy really fast if you don’t know your way around. It can feel like it takes a lot of pages to get to what you need.
• Recently, the price has been going up a lot, which has caused many customers to complain on online forums.
• While it’s all easy to manage, it’s also very limited compared to most other options. You can’t tweak everything you want. Plus, it lacks many features and isn’t really suitable for large websites. For example, while it allows you to work with email marketing, it will never give you the flexibility of Mailchimp or a tool like that.

All in all, as a CMS platform for SEO, Squarespace can fit your small business needs. It’s also a great solution if you’re a freelancer who needs a portfolio, or if you’re testing some startup ideas.

Yet, you will need to consider other options as you grow. This brings us to the next solution.

6. Wix

Source: Wix

• Pricing: There is a free version (custom domain starts at $17).
• SEO capabilities: This CMS SEO-friendly platform comes with pre-designed templates, an artificial design intelligence (ADI) tool, and built-in SEO tools. This makes this website builder/CMS quite handy for designing a personalized site. One that is both user- and search-engine-friendly.
• Ease of use: It is also very beginner-friendly thanks to the no-code, drag-and-drop interface.

Wix keeps popping up whenever there is a discussion about which website platform is best for SEO. But is it really worth paying all that attention to it?

Let’s see — it has a 13% market share. That places it behind WordPress and above Drupal and Squarespace. On top of that, you have over 7 million websites hosted on it. What’s its secret? One word — simplicity.

Pros:

• Perfect for small business owners who just want a static site. It’s easy to add any essential details, images, operating hours, visuals, etc.
• Easy to set up and use with a drag-and-drop interface. This is useful for those who don’t know how to code or don’t have the time to do it.
• A great choice for anyone on a small budget. You even have a free option (without a custom domain).
• Hosting, security, and updates are also taken care of.
• It has the Wix App Market, which is basically a place where you can find different add-ons/extensions to add some functionality to your website.

Source: Wix

Cons:

• As we’re talking about SEO today, it’s important to mention that optimization isn’t ideal on Wix. It’s true that it has gotten better over time. Still, working with structured data or technical SEO is nearly impossible.
• After you’ve already chosen a template, you can’t change it later on without redesigning the whole site from scratch.
• You can’t transfer your site to any other hosting in any form. It’s 100% locked in.
• Some people complain that the code under the hood is actually messy, which makes the site feel bloated. In turn, this leads to slower load times, which can then affect your SEO rankings.
• It isn’t a good option if you want to grow and expand your site. Scalability isn’t the strongest part of this CMS.

Overall, as you can see, Wix is quite similar to Squarespace. It might give you a bit more flexibility and template options. Still, many argue that Squarespace looks more aesthetically pleasing.

Wix is a fine option if you are a small business owner who needs something simple for better map discoverability and some organic traffic. But if you hope to expand someday, then it might be best to look elsewhere.

7. Shopify

Source: Shopify

• Pricing: From $24/month.
• SEO capabilities. This comes with several built-in CMS SEO features, helping to automatically generate canonical tags, sitemaps, robots.txt, etc.
• Ease of use: This is one of the most beginner-friendly platforms for e-commerce web pages, which explains part of its popularity.

Does it surprise you to see Shopify listed as one of the best content management systems for SEO? Most likely, no. This CMS is one of the most popular solutions for e-stores. Not everyone might know Magento, but Shopify seems to have a much more widespread online presence.

There is definitely a reason why it is so popular. It combines both simplicity and many advanced features that cover most of the users’ needs.

Besides, it comes with SEO features right out of the box that can make life much easier for you.

Pros:

• Many business owners love the fact that it’s so easy to use. You don’t have to put too much thought into the setup, and there is no need to hire a developer before you can sell.
• It covers all of the SEO basics that most sites require.
• There are tons of in-built features — it’s basically a one-stop shop. You not only get hosting, updates, and security but also inventory, shipping, and payments. That’s why it’s both easy to start and manage the ongoing business.
• You get thousands of apps that were created specifically for Shopify. This makes it easy for you to offer more things for your customers and grow your store.

Source: Shopify

• It supports many payment methods (PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.), which is extremely important for online stores. You don’t have to set up anything extraordinary on top of it.

Cons:

• In terms of SEO, you are limited when it comes to more advanced features (structured data, URL customization, etc.).
• It can restrict the type of business you are allowed to do on the platform.
• It is not so flexible or scalable compared to the other options, especially if you want to blog. It really isn’t the best solution for websites with a lot of content.
• It can get more expensive when you start needing add-ons and extra features. Plus, you get a 2% transaction fee unless you’re using Shopify Payments.
• It's not a great option for someone who likes to maintain control. You will not be able to edit your .htaccess. Plus, it is nearly impossible to move your full website to a different platform, so you’re pretty much locked in.

Whether or not this is the best CMS for SEO will depend on what you need it for.

Because it has so many perks, especially for beginners and small to medium e-stores, it’s really hard to beat this. Still, if you’re looking for more freedom and extreme customization, this might not be it.

8. BigCommerce

Source: BigCommerce

• Pricing: The standard plan for small businesses starts at $29/month (billed annually). For the enterprise plan, the pricing is custom.
• SEO capabilities. Specially designed for e-commerce, this SEO CMS makes creating SEO-friendly product pages quite easy. You get inbuilt tools as well as integration features to run competitor analysis, keyword analysis, and more with ease.
• Ease of use: This one requires a bit of a learning curve if you want to really get the best out of it. It is more complicated than Shopify but still simpler than Magento.

This one is designed for big businesses and those looking to expand their operations even more. The name alone gives this fact away, right?

Pros:

• It does not restrict the API, which means more freedom and functionalities for you without spending more.
• You can run a headless store and sell the same thing on several channels without having to duplicate efforts. On other platforms (like Shopify), you will have to rebuild everything all over when moving to other channels.
• There are no transaction fees like what Shopify has.
• Better B2B functionalities and SEO compared to many platforms (including Shopify).
• Great support, which is crucial when you need to resolve issues quickly.
• Easier to integrate other apps and tools. They have tons of apps you can use for your site.

Source: BigCommerce

• It’s also easier to migrate from if you want to turn into an even bigger enterprise someday.

Cons:

• You may have to learn an unfamiliar language like Stencil if you want to tinker with your code yourself.
• Your plan will upgrade automatically based on your revenue. On forums, you can find many users who hate this feature.
• There isn’t much design flexibility. In this case, Shopify wins.
• Even though it has many integrations and apps, the ecosystem is smaller than what Shopify has to offer.
• The learning curve is also steeper when it comes to working with this platform. This also applies to SEO. In order to access advanced features, you have to have some technical understanding.
• Similar to Shopify, it isn’t the best for extensive blogs.

So, BigCommerce is good for any business that has more complex needs and wants room to keep growing. For many, it is the next step after Shopify.

Still, it isn’t the most flexible e-commerce option out there. Another CRM has this “title.” And now, it’s time to check it out in detail.

9. Magento (now Adobe Commerce)

Source: Adobe

• Pricing: Free open source version & paid Adobe Commerce (the pricing is custom).
• SEO capabilities: If you are looking for a scalable CMS with advanced SEO features, then this one is right up your alley. It is arguably the most advanced SEO solution for e-commerce sites. That’s why enterprises tend to choose Magento.
• Ease of use: While you get a lot of control with this one, it’s one of the most complicated CMS SEO-optimized platforms available. It isn’t just far from being beginner-friendly, it also requires a developer for most tasks. Unless you know coding, you’ll be lost here.

And now to the last one on our list. The Magento CMS (now acquired by Adobe) is a powerful platform designed for businesses of all sizes. But primarily, it’s used by medium to large companies and enterprises.

It's also perfect for global businesses and multi-brand B2B and B2C experiences. Let's check out some of the nice things about it.

Pros:

• You can begin at a low cost with the Magento Open Source option. It is extremely cool for those who are just starting out their e-com journey but want to grow or work with a really flexible solution.
• In terms of SEO, Magento has everything you might want or need. Still, you have to set it up correctly.
• It is one of the most customizable CMSs out there. No matter how unique your business flow or order structure is, Magento will most likely cover your needs.
• Suddenly getting large volumes of traffic and transactions? No problem. Magento CMS can handle that extra stuff easily. In fact, it’s one of the most scalable options on the market, as it is designed for enterprises.
• While it has endless features by default, you can integrate it with just about anything you need.
• It's a very secure platform with structured code and lots of flexibility. Plus, you can expect lots of regular security updates.
• If you feel like your CMS isn’t good at catalog management and lacks some functionality, try Magento. Many say that their product management is next level. You can tweak the rules and choose very precise conditions for your campaigns or for specific product sets.
• Great support system and an active online community.

Cons:

• You will need a skilled and experienced dev team that understands the nuances of Magento. Otherwise, you might be frustrated.
• The learning curve can be very steep, especially if you need to customize it yourself. It’s best not to try to do this by yourself unless you have the experience.
• If your setup isn’t perfect, you can end up with a slow loading speed or even a broken site.
• It is expensive and time-consuming. Even if you use the Open Source version (which is free), you still have to count all the development and management costs. When you do the math, it becomes clear why this platform is mostly popular among enterprises.

To be honest, very few platforms offer the same level of customization that you can get with Magento. Still, it isn’t for everyone — it’s really far from that.

So, we’ve seen the nine most popular CMS out there that work well for SEO. Most likely, you already know your favorites.

But which CMS is best for SEO? That will depend on what you need. While you can consider reviews and how popular different platforms are (see the table below), go beyond that.

In the next section, we will look at the things you need to keep in mind before making your choice.

Source: w3techs.com

6 things to consider when choosing an SEO content management system (CMS)

Picking a CMS for SEO might be really overwhelming. But it won’t be like this if you ask yourself the right questions. Let’s go through the most important details and try to find the best options for each use case.

Consideration 1: What is your website type?

This is the first and most obvious question — why do you need your site? What will you publish there? The type of your web page will be one of the most important factors that influence your decision.

The most common scenarios are either a simple business site/landing page, an e-commerce store, a blog, or a personal portfolio. It can also be any combination of the above.

So, what should you pick in each case?

• If you’re looking for a “normal” company website with or without a blog, go for Webflow or WordPress.
• If you’re a solopreneur or want an online portfolio/CV, the easiest solutions for you will be Webflow, Squarespace, or Wix.
• If you need a highly complex site that gives you full freedom and control, and you aren’t scared of “elaborate” development, Drupal is for you.
• If you need a membership-based page with different access levels, one of the best picks for you might be Joomla.
• If you need a small to big e-commerce site, choose between Shopify, BigCommerce, or WordPress (their WooCommerce solution).
• If you need an enterprise-level e-store (with hundreds of thousands of pages), your best bet is Magento.

Consideration 2: How big can your site get? (Scalability)

Scalability is the big one as well. If you know that soon enough you’ll need a larger site, it could be much easier to think about it in advance.

Of course, you can transfer your web page later on. But do you really want to deal with this? If you’ve done that at least once in your life, you know how painful site migration can get, especially in terms of SEO.

That’s why make sure you consider your CMS from this perspective as well. How do they compare?

• If you need something extremely scalable (think of enterprise-level), go for Magento or Drupal.
• If you need high scalability, WordPress, Shopify, and BigCommerce will work well.
• If moderate to high sounds good for you, Webflow (and potentially Joomla) are great solutions.
• And if scalability isn’t your priority, you can easily choose Wix or Squarespace.

Consideration 3: How advanced should your SEO be?

This whole blog is about SEO CMSs — true. And each platform works great for optimization. But not all of them will work at every level. What do we mean by this?

Every content management system has its peculiarities, for example:

• Some have great SEO capabilities (with very advanced options), but they’re still quite complicated when it comes to the setup. If not configured properly, you won’t see great results. These include Magento, Drupal, and Joomla.
• Others have tons of plugins that can help you work on SEO — like WordPress.
• There are also platforms with super-efficient built-in optimization. This is what Webflow, Shopify, and BigCommerce offer.
• And as we’ve mentioned before, there are also website builders that have a rather limited SEO functionality. This is where Wix and Squarespace fit. But this doesn’t mean that your site won’t rank — of course not. It is just a matter of how advanced you can get.

Consideration 4: What level of customization do you need?

Another major factor to keep in mind is how much you value customization. Look — there are tons of amazing themes and templates that work perfectly fine for hundreds of thousands of businesses.

But if you understand that you need something special, whether in terms of design or functionality, this is a critical question to consider before choosing your CMS.

Basically, this is what platforms we’ve seen today have to offer:

• Extremely customizable options are WordPress, Drupal, and Magento.
• Also, Webflow and Joomla offer great customization. Webflow is arguably one of the most flexible solutions when it comes to design. So, if the visual part is your priority, you know what to check in detail.
• Shopify and BigCommerce offer a moderate level of customization, which is perfect for most e-stores that don’t want to get involved with Magento.
• When it comes to Squarespace and Wix, they’re much less flexible, especially Wix. Still, even this level of customization works for many website owners out there.

Consideration 5: How technical can you/your team get?

You know how it often is — we want one thing, but our resources only allow for something completely different. This is something that can happen with CMS as well.

Everyone could go for Drupal or Magento (in the case of e-com) because of their nearly unlimited opportunities. But most sites don’t need that “freedom” — often, we just require something simple.

And, of course, not everyone can manage and maintain sites built on Drupal or Magento. After all, prioritizing simplicity and saving resources is an extremely logical thing for any business. So, it’s all about your priorities.

If we go back to the CMSs mentioned today, this is how you could characterize them:

• The easiest solutions that require no coding are Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify.
• If you’re looking for something in the mid-skill range, consider WordPress, Webflow, and BigCommerce.
• And, of course, the most “complicated” and tech-savvy platforms are Drupal, Magento, and Joomla.

Consideration 6: Do you want to handle hosting, security, and maintenance by yourself?

If we’re being completely honest, this is a question most businesses out there ignore. And it’s totally okay when this isn’t a priority. Still, it can be a defining factor.

Keep in mind that if you’re choosing a self-hosted option, you’ll be responsible for security and maintenance in most cases.

The only common exception is choosing a managed hosting provider. This is typical for WordPress. For example, if you choose solutions like WP Engine or Kinsta, they will help you take care of some things. This will include security patches, updates, backup options, etc.

But overall, you’ll have to do this by yourself when choosing a self-hosted CMS. How do you know which is which?

• Self-managed (from our list above): WordPress (unless using managed hosting), Drupal, Joomla, and Magento (when using open source).
• Fully hosted (from our list above): Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento (when it comes to the paid Adobe Commerce).

Conclusion

By now, you know how important it is to choose the best SEO-friendly CMS for your needs. While it all depends, you should always go for one that gets tons of updates and gives you room to grow.

Besides, the more supportive the community is, the easier it will be for you to troubleshoot any issues that come up in the future.

Keep in mind that your CMS alone isn’t enough to guarantee SEO success. You also need to create good marketing strategies and work on your optimization pretty much every day.

Yet, as long as you keep learning about your platform and optimization tactics, you will have no problem hitting all your goals.