Developer’s Guide to 17+ E-commerce SEO Features for Custom CMS in 2025

Published: June 15, 2025

SEO is vital for e-commerce success. It brings more visitors to your online store without expensive ads. In 2025, 51% of online shoppers find new products through search engines (Sixth City Marketing). Without SEO, your online store might not appear when people search for your products. This means fewer sales.

Developers building a custom CMS for e-commerce must include SEO features from the start. Adding them later is hard and costly. A well-designed CMS helps search engines find and rank your site. It also makes the site easy for an SEO guy to use.

This guide is for developers creating a custom CMS for e-commerce. It explains how to add SEO features that align with Google’s 2025 guidelines (Google Search Central). You’ll learn technical setups, best practices, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Understanding e-Commerce SEO for Developers

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical for e-commerce websites to attract organic traffic and drive sales. For developers, understanding SEO means mastering technical implementations that make a site discoverable by search engines like Google. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to setting up SEO for an e-commerce site, with code examples and tools tailored for developers.

Why SEO Matters for E-commerce

Organic Traffic: Research suggests 99% of searchers stay on Google’s first page (Fire and Spark).
Sales Impact: SEO can significantly boost conversions, with e-commerce sales projected to reach $8 trillion by 2027 (Statista).
Developer’s Role: Developers implement technical SEO, such as structured data and site speed, which directly affect rankings.

Essential SEO Features for Custom CMS

Your custom CMS needs specific SEO features to rank well. These features help search engines crawl, index, and understand your site. They also improve the user experience, which Google prioritizes in 2025.

Moreover, for SEO specialists like me, having built-in SEO features in the admin panel is essential. Without these functionalities, performing any meaningful SEO optimization becomes impossible. Simply building a website without integrating SEO tools and controls offers little long-term value.

1. Technical SEO Features

Technical SEO ensures search engines can access and index your site. Here are the key features to include:

1.1 Clean, Crawlable URL Structure

What It Is:

URLs are the web addresses of your pages, like /mens-blue-shoes. Search-friendly URLs are concise, readable, and include relevant keywords that describe the page.

Why It Matters:

Google uses URLs to understand page content. Clear URLs like /mens-blue-shoes rank better than messy ones like /product?id=123. They also look trustworthy, encouraging clicks. Readable URLs help users share and remember links.

Where to Apply It:

Add this in your CMS backend where pages are created. Code a function to generate clean URLs. Store URLs in your database for products and categories.

What to Implement:

Write a slugify() function to make clean URLs from titles.
Add a slug field in the CMS for admins to edit.
Save old URLs for redirects.

Code Example:

				
					function slugify(text) {
  return text
    .toLowerCase()
    .replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, '-') // Replace spaces with hyphens
    .trim('-'); // Remove extra hyphens
}
// Example: slugify("Men's Blue Shoes") → "mens-blue-shoes"

Tips:

Allow admins to customize slugs in the CMS.
Use 301 redirects when URLs change to keep rankings.
Example: Redirect /old-shoes to /new-shoes.

Example: A camping store used /hiking-boots instead of /item/456. Clicks from Google rose by 15%.

1.2 XML Sitemap Generation

What It Is:

An XML sitemap is a file listing all important pages, like products and categories. It helps Google find and index them.

Why It Matters:

Sitemaps speed up indexing, especially for new or large stores. Without one, Google might miss pages. Regular updates ensure new content is found.

Where to Apply It:

Generate the sitemap in your backend. Serve it at /sitemap.xml. Update it via a cron job.

What to Implement:

Auto-generate sitemap.xml for products and blogs.
Update daily via cron job.
Serve at /sitemap.xml.

Code Example:

				
					<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/product/mens-blue-shoes</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-06-14</lastmod>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

Tips:

Skip noindex pages.
Sitemap Update after adding or editing a page.

Example: A store with 10,000 products halved its indexing time with a sitemap.

1.3 Robots.txt Management

What It Is:

A robots.txt file is a plain text file placed in the root directory of a website (e.g., https://www.example.com/robots.txt). It is used to communicate with web crawlers (also known as bots or spiders) and instruct them on which parts of the website they are allowed to access or should avoid crawling.

Why It Matters:

Blocking irrelevant pages saves crawl time for products. It also protects sensitive areas from indexing. A sitemap link in robots.txt aids discovery.

Where to Apply It:

Create a text area in your CMS to edit robots.txt. Serve it from your site’s root (e.g., example.com/robots.txt).

What to Implement:

Add a CMS text area for robots.txt.
Serve from the root.

Code Example:

				
					User-agent: *
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /admin/
Allow: /products/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Tips:

Block /admin/, /cart/, or unnecessary page.
Example: Link to sitemap.
Test with Google’s Robots Testing Tool.

Example: A store blocked search pages. Crawling speed improved by 20%.

1.4 HTTPS Support

What It Is:

HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP. It uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect data between the user’s browser and your website. A valid SSL certificate is required to enable it.

Why It Matters:

Google considers HTTPS a ranking factor. It builds trust, secures user data, and prevents browsers from flagging your site as “Not Secure”—critical for e-commerce sites to protect transactions and boost conversions.

Where to Apply It:

Apply HTTPS sitewide, including all pages: homepage, product pages, checkout, admin panel, APIs, etc.
Redirect all http:// URLs to their https:// version using a 301 redirect.
Ensure canonical URLs reference the https:// version.

What to Implement:

Install SSL certificate on the server (use Let’s Encrypt or paid SSL).
Force HTTPS via server config:
- Apache: Use .htaccess to enforce HTTPS.
- Nginx: Use redirect rule in server block.
Set Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS) headers to enhance HTTPS implementation.
Test using SSL Labs and remove mixed content issues.

Code Example:

Apache (.htaccess):

				
					RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

Nginx:

				
					server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

HSTS Header (Nginx):

				
					add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains" always;

1.5 Canonical Tags Setup

What It Is:

A canonical tag (also known as rel="canonical") is an HTML element placed in the <head> section of a webpage that tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred or “master” copy when multiple URLs have identical or very similar content. This helps search engines understand which page to index and display in search results, consolidating ranking signals and avoiding problems caused by duplicate content.

Why It Matters:

Duplicate pages (e.g., from filters) split SEO value, lowering rankings. Canonicals focus Google on one page. They’re vital for stores with many URL variations.

Where to Apply It:

Add canonical tags in the <head> of your HTML templates. Auto-generate them in the CMS for product and category pages.

What to Implement:

Auto-add <link rel=”canonical”> with the main URL.
Allow admins to override canonicals in the CMS.

Code Example:

				
					<link rel="canonical" href="{{ canonical_url || page.url }}">

Tips:

Place in <head>.
Example: Set /shoes for /shoes?color=blue.
Use Google’s URL Inspection Tool to test.

Example: A shoe store fixed duplicates with canonicals. Rankings improved by 10 positions.

1.6 Pagination and Faceted Navigation

What It Is:

Pagination splits long lists (e.g., product categories) into pages, like /category/page/2. rel=”next” and rel=”prev” tags link these pages.

Why It Matters:

These tags tell Google how pages connect, preventing duplicate issues. They ensure all pages are crawled. Without them, Google may miss content.

Where to Apply It:

Add tags in the <head> of paginated pages. Generate them dynamically in your CMS for category or blog lists.

What to Implement:

Auto-add rel=”next” and rel=”prev” tags in <head>.

Code Example:

				
					<link rel="prev" href="/category/page/1">
<link rel="next" href="/category/page/3">

Tips:

Verify URLs are correct.
Example: Use for category pages.
Check with Screaming Frog.

Example: A blog indexed all 50 pages with pagination tags.

1.7 Structured Data/Schema Markup

What It Is:

Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a type of code you add to your website’s HTML to help search engines better understand the content and context of your pages. It utilizes a standardized vocabulary provided by Schema.org, which is supported by major search engines, including Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex.

Why It Matters:

Rich snippets make listings stand out, increasing clicks. Schema helps Google understand page content, improving rankings. It’s great for e-commerce website.

Where to Apply It:

Add schema in your HTML templates using CMS data. Place it in a <script> tag in the <head> or <body>. Implement the correct schema markup as identified for each page. Follow the structured data guidelines to add the appropriate schema types.

1.8 Redirects Setup

What It Is:

Redirects send users and Google from an old URL to a new one. A 301 redirect is permanent and keeps SEO value.

Why It Matters:

Without redirects, old URLs cause 404 errors, hurting rankings and user experience. Redirects preserve link power and guide users correctly.

Where to Apply It:

Build a redirect tool in your CMS. Store redirects in a database and apply them in your server middleware.

What to Implement:

Create a CMS redirect tool.
Store redirects in a database.
Use 301 redirects for permanent redirection.
Use 302 redirects for temporary redirection.
Maintain a redirect map (CSV or DB table) if multiple URLs need redirection.
Ensure redirect chains are avoided (A → B → C = BAD; A → C = GOOD).
Building a redirect management tool in the backend.

Tips:

Support CSV uploads for bulk redirects.
Example: Redirect /old-shoes to /new-shoes.

1.9 Server-Side Rendering

What It Is:

Server-side rendering (SSR) sends fully loaded HTML from the server to the browser. It’s unlike client-side rendering, where JavaScript builds the page.

Why It Matters:

Google crawls HTML content. SSR ensures pages load fast and are crawlable, improving rankings. It also enhances user experience on slow devices.

Where to Apply It:

Implement SSR in your backend framework (e.g., Next.js or Express). Render product and category pages server-side.

What to Implement:

Use a framework like Next.js for SSR.
Render pages with dynamic data on the server.

Code Example (Next.js):

				
					// pages/product/[slug].js
export async function getServerSideProps({ params }) {
  const product = await fetchProduct(params.slug); // Fetch from DB
  return { props: { product } };
}
export default function ProductPage({ product }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{product.title}</h1>
      <p>{product.description}</p>
    </div>
  );
}

Tips:

Cache SSR pages for speed.
Example: Render product pages and category pages server-side.

Example: I implemented Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for the product and category pages of Beauty Booth, a health and beauty-based e-commerce website. After the shift to SSR, the website’s rendering and indexing efficiency significantly improved. As a result, search engines were able to crawl and index pages faster, which positively impacted keyword rankings and organic visibility over time.

1.10 hreflang Support for Multilingual and Multi-Regional Website

What It Is:

Hreflang tags tell search engines which language and regional version of a page to show users based on their location and language settings.

Why It Matters:

They prevent duplicate content issues across localized pages and help serve the correct version to international users, improving SEO performance and user experience globally.

Where to Apply It:

All translated or region-specific versions of your website (e.g., /en/, /ar/, /fr-qa/)
Product, category, blog, and home pages with language/regional variants
XML sitemaps (as an alternative method)

What to Implement:

Match hreflang values with actual language-region targeting (e.g., en-us, fr-ca, ar-qa)
Always include a self-referencing hreflang tag
Add x-default for fallback or global pages
Auto-generate hreflang tags per page based on available translations
Store language and regional versions in the database or CMS settings
Render hreflang tags in the <head> of each page dynamically

Code Example:

				
					<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us" href="https://example.com/en-us/page-name/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr-ca" href="https://example.com/fr-ca/page-name/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="ar-qa" href="https://example.com/ar-qa/page-name/" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://example.com/" />

1.11 Mobile-Friendly Design

What It Is:

Mobile-friendly design ensures your website is responsive and easily usable on all screen sizes, especially smartphones and tablets.

Why It Matters:

Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, meaning mobile usability directly impacts rankings, user experience, and conversions.

1.12 Site Speed Optimization

What It Is:

Site speed optimization involves improving how fast your website loads and responds by minimizing file sizes, reducing server response time, and optimizing code and assets.

Why It Matters:

Faster websites provide better user experience, reduce bounce rates, and improve conversion. Google uses page speed as a ranking factor, especially for mobile search.

2. On-Page SEO Features

On-Page SEO refers to optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search engines and attract more relevant traffic. It includes optimizing both the content and HTML source code of a page — from title tags, meta descriptions, and headers to keyword usage, internal linking, and content formatting.

Strong on-page SEO improves a website’s visibility on search engines, enhances click-through rates (CTR), and ensures that users find the most relevant, useful information quickly. Search engines analyze page-level signals — such as keyword context, metadata, and user engagement — to determine how well a page meets search intent.

2.1 Dynamic Meta Titles and Descriptions

What It Is:

Meta titles and descriptions are text shown in Google’s search results. The title is the clickable headline (e.g., “Men’s Blue Shoes – Shop Now”). The description is a short summary below it.

Why It Matters:

These tags attract clicks by summarizing the page. Keywords in them help Google rank the page. If they’re too long, Google cuts them off, reducing impact. Unique tags for each page avoid confusion.

Where to Apply It:

Add fields in your CMS for SEOs to enter these tags. Place them in the <head> section of your HTML templates.

What to Implement:

Create CMS fields for titles (60 chars max) and descriptions (160 chars max).
Show a live preview of how they look in Google.
Use page titles as backups if fields are empty.

Code Example:

				
					<meta name="title" content="{{ meta_title || page.title }}">
<meta name="description" content="{{ meta_description || page.summary }}">

Tips:

Warn admins if titles exceed 600 pixels.
Example: Use <meta name=”title” content=”Men’s Blue Shoes – Shop Now”>.
Test tags with tools like Yoast.

Example: A fashion store added “Free Shipping” to descriptions. Clicks increased by 20%.

2.2 Breadcrumb Navigation

What It Is:

Breadcrumbs are links showing a page’s location, like “Home > Shoes > Men’s Blue Shoes.” They appear on pages and in search results.

Why It Matters:

Breadcrumbs help users navigate easily, reducing bounces. They also help Google understand site structure, boosting SEO. Schema markup for breadcrumbs enhances search listings.

Where to Apply It:

Add breadcrumbs to product and category pages in your templates. Include schema in the <head> or <body>.

What to Implement:

Generate breadcrumbs dynamically from page hierarchy.
Add BreadcrumbList schema.

Code Example:

				
					<nav aria-label="breadcrumb">
  <ol>
    <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
    <li><a href="/shoes">Shoes</a></li>
    <li>Men’s Blue Shoes</li>
  </ol>
</nav>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://example.com/"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Shoes",
      "item": "https://example.com/shoes"
    }
  ]
}
</script>

Tips:

Use CMS data for dynamic breadcrumbs.
Example: Show on product pages.
Test the schema with Google’s Schema validator tool.

Example: A clothing store added breadcrumbs. Navigation improved, and rankings rose.

2.3 Text Editor for Content

What It Is:

A text editor is a CMS tool (like a mini Word processor) where SEOs add page content, such as product descriptions, Category page Content or blog posts.

Why It Matters:

Rich content with keywords helps pages rank higher. A good editor lets SEOs format text, add links, and insert images easily. This improves user engagement and SEO. A bad editor limits content quality.

Where to Apply It:

Integrate a text editor in your CMS for pages, products, and blogs. Use a library like TinyMCE or CKEditor.

What to Implement:

Add a WYSIWYG editor for formatting text.
Include options for headings, links, and images.
Ensure clean HTML output for SEO.

Code Example:

				
					<!-- CMS template with editor output -->
<div class="content">
  {{ product.description }}
</div>
<!-- Example editor output -->
<h2>Why Choose These Shoes?</h2>
<p>Comfortable and stylish for daily wear.</p>
<a href="/category/shoes">Shop More</a>

Tips:

Prevent messy code like <div class=”h2″>.
Example: Allow bold, italic, and lists.
Test the editor output for accessibility.

Example: A shoe store added a rich editor. Product pages ranked better with detailed descriptions.

2.3 Open Graph and Twitter Card

What It Is:

Social media tags (Open Graph and Twitter Card) control how pages look when shared on platforms like Facebook. They set titles, descriptions, and images.

Why It Matters:

Attractive shares get more clicks, driving traffic. Consistent branding builds trust. Without tags, shares look messy or use wrong images.

Where to Apply It:

Add fields in your CMS for SEOs to customize tags. Place them in the <head> of your HTML templates.

What to Implement:

Add fields for OG title, description, and image.
Place tags in <head>.

Code Example:

				
					<!-- Open Graph Meta Tags -->
<meta property="og:title" content="Product Name | YourBrand">
<meta property="og:description" content="Buy Product Name online. Best price, fast delivery, and 100% genuine.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yourdomain.com/images/product-image.jpg">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://yourdomain.com/product/product-name">
<meta property="og:type" content="product">
<meta property="og:site_name" content="YourBrand">

<!-- Twitter Card Meta Tags -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Product Name | YourBrand">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Buy Product Name online. Best price, fast delivery, and 100% genuine.">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://yourdomain.com/images/product-image.jpg">
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@yourbrandhandle">

2.4 Image SEO (ALT Tag Configuration )

What It Is:

Image SEO involves optimizing images with ALT text (a description for screen readers) and fast loading. ALT text describes the image, like “Men’s Blue Shoes.”

Why It Matters:

ALT text helps Google understand images and ranks them in Google Images. It also aids accessibility. Fast images improve page speed, a ranking factor.

Where to Apply It:

Add ALT fields in your CMS image upload tool. Use lazy loading in your HTML image tags.

What to Implement:

Require ALT and TITLE fields for uploads.
Use loading=”lazy”.

Code Example:

				
					<img decoding="async" src="{{ product.image }}" alt="{{ image.alt || product.title }}" loading="lazy">

2.5 Content Section Under Product Grid

What It Is:

A content section is text or media below a product grid (e.g., category page product listings). It might include category descriptions or buying guides.

Why It Matters:

Content adds keywords, helping category pages rank. It engages users, encouraging longer visits. This signals Google the page is valuable.

Where to Apply It:

Add a content field in your CMS for category pages. Display it below the product grid in your templates.

What to Implement:

Add a CMS field for category content.
Render content below the product grid.

Common SEO Pitfalls to Avoid

Avoid these mistakes:

Duplicate Content: Use canonical tags for product variants and filters.
Poor Site Architecture: Plan a clear structure for categories and products.
Slow Pages: Optimize with caching and image compression.
Ignoring Mobile: Ensure mobile-first design for Google’s indexing.
No Structured Data: Add schema markup for better visibility.

Conclusion

You’re now equipped to build an SEO-friendly e-commerce site. Each feature, from URLs to breadcrumbs, helps Google and users find your content. Start with URLs and meta tags. Then add advanced tools like SSR and analytics. Your CMS will power a store that ranks high and sells well.

Next Steps: